Fine Silver Jewelry and Precious Metal Clay (PMC) Instruction in the San Francisco Bay Area Contact: virginiahuffman@gmail.com
Setting Up My NEW Studio
Welcome to Vine Design Jewelry
I love creating! I often lie awake at night drawing designs in the sketchbook on my nightstand. I just can't get jewelry out of my head. When I have a spare moment I am in my home studio creating one-of-a-kind jewelry. My specialty is hand crafting silver.
I have a variety of styles of jewelry ranging from everyday wear, to night-on-the-town and rock & roll bohemian chic. It you love silver, gemstones and well crafted unique designer jewelry, then Vine Design is a great source for your jewelry collection! To view my creations double-click on the slide show above.
Want to create your own jewelry? I teach metal techniques and basic jewelry design in my studio in the San Francisco Bay Area. My current schedule is listed on the right side of this page. Contact me at virginiahuffman@gmail.com.
Midievil Hinged Cuff PMC and Bronze
PMC Ring with Bronze & Sterling Band
Another sample of my work using the flexibiliy of PMC and fine metal work.
Bronze Cuff with Sterling Setting
Taking a MetalSmithing Class from Davide Bigazzi to see how to incorporate traditional metalsmithing with Precious Metal Clay and Bronz Clay. This took awhile to work on fabrication but it is time well spent.
My All-Time Favorite Ring
Adore this chunky ring band. Added some 22K gold to it and WOW! It is now my all-time favorite.
Transforming my Studio for a Jewelry Show
Just finished setting up my studio for a jewelry show. Its exhausting but worth it! Watch this video clip to see how I did it.
PMC Guild Submissions 2011
Chunky Amethyst Ring
Firing A Bronze Clay Cuff
I am revisiting Bronz Clay now that the price of silver continues to rise. With a little help from my friend Norma i was able to successfully fire this behemoth of a cuff so it is nice and strong. At first I tried firing in "Magic Carbon" at 1525 degrees for 2 hours just like the package said with no success. Then I tried at 1550 for two hours. No success. Norma's trick worked. I ramped my kiln to 500 degrees per hour to 1525 and held for 2.5 hours. Took about 6 hours total to fire but it was worth the wait. Now all i need to do is add a little interest to the piece with some Precious Metal Clay and perhaps a stone. Will post the finished product later... now to cleaning my studio so I can clear my mind and get to the creativity.
Rock and Roll Bohemian Chic
Am working on photos for my website. Went with a friend to Rancho San Antonio Park for a photo shoot yesterday. It was a gorgeous day. Love the outdoors after the rain.
Creative Women Make Gorgeous Rings!
Making a Collection of Jewelry
I love varitey. After all isn't variety supposed to be the spice of life? Unfortunately my love for variety has caused me to design jewelry in styles that vary all over the map. Many of my customers love that as people's tastes vary. As I look forward, my desire is to simplify my life, to have a cohesive design style. One that pleases me and tickles others fancy. I think I am getting there. Here are two designs that use one of my favorite stones ... smoky quartz..and some of my newly hand crafted fine silver components.
Fun in the Studio
Lately I have been rethinking what the focus of my jewelry business should be. I love to create AND I love to teach. Honesty, I get the best of both worlds offering instruction. Yesterday I gave a class to two wonderful people. Brenda Levine, a long-time beader created the beautiful pendants in the middle. Amy Peters long-time metalsmith and jewelry designer, who also shares a history teaching at The Bead Shop in Palo Alto, created the whimsical pendants to the left. www.amypetersstudio.com
Ladies, you make my job fun!
Bird on a Wire
This bird necklace was made with one of my favorite Photopolymer Plates. After I polished and patined the square pendant, I dapped it which gave it a nice curve. Still, I felt it needed something else to add interest. Luckily I remembered a mould I made of a coral branch. I pressed metal clay into it, let it dry and added texture with a blade. I pushed some eyelets into the ends so I could hang the branch on a chain. Attached the pendant to the silver branch. and I am happy with the results.....
Jewelry Show Thursday Dec. 9th 7-9pm and Friday Dec. 10th 10am-12lpm
Click on the green link below to view show details
For pictures of my studio converted into a showroom click here: http://picasaweb.google.com/virginiahuffman/VineDesignJewelryShow?locked=true#
From Line Art to Jewelry. Making a Photopolymer Plate for Precious Metal Clay
I am crazy about Photoplymer Plates -- you could say addicted. You can take almost any line drawing and make it into silver jewelry. I recently had a student, Mark Reynolds, from Northern Canada take a private session. He creates jewelry with a wildlife theme. Visitors travel to his cold corner of the world to see bears and he makes memorable jewelry for them to take home as a reminder of their visit.
Mark came to our session with a design he wanted to make from a linocut he made in a class at 3FishStudios in San Francisco. He reduced his image to a workable size for jewelry and this image was made into a plate that is similar to a stamp but much crisper. The Precious Metal Clay was then pressed into the prepared plate, shaped and fired. To see the steps to the process, check out the following link on my online Picasso album http://picasaweb.google.com/virginiahuffman/PPPProcessMarkReynolds?locked=true
I was Featured on Craft Gossip
Ever do a google search for yourself? C'mon admit it! I just did. And what did I find? A post about my work and a wonderful promo about my classes. The world wide web is an interesting place to get the "hook up" Here is the direct link http://jewelrymaking.craftgossip.com/learn-about-pmc/2010/09/18/ For my 2011 class schedule, open the document on the right of this web page. To register please contact me at virginiahuffman@gmail.com or 650-630-6061.
Featured on Art Jewelry Mag Editor's Blog
Just got an e-mail that one of my pieces was featured on an online blog to a magazine I subscribe to. Wow!! Have a peek.
Precious Metal Clay and Resin Class
Gold on Precious Metal Clay
The New PMC Guild Annual Is Finally Here
Ever since my "Do-Si-Do" bracelet with Picasso Jasper stones was selected for publication in this years PMC Guild Annual I have anxiously been checking my mailbox for it's arrival. And it finally came today. I am so elated. I remind myself of Steve Martin's child-like character in a scene in the movie The Jerk. When Navin received the latest edition of the local phone book, he ran down his driveway holding it shouting, "The new telephone book is here, the new telephone book is here...and now I'm in it"
So, I am beaming with joy..."The new PMC Guild Annual is here...and now I'm in it!" Page 92 to be exact. : )
Silver and Gold. 22K Gold on Precious Metal Clay. LOVE IT!
We've got the Midas touch. Had session one tonight of my Gold on Precious Metal Clay. Here are the results of my demo. The leaf on the left was painted with Aura 22 which is 22k gold. I oxidized it for that oh so wonderful look. The gold touches on the right were done with Art Clay Gold Paste. The students pieces are in the kiln as I post. Everyone is excited to apply the gold to their creatons next week. Will post more pictures then.
On Wings Like Angels
I usually detest reconstiting bone dry clay. It's so lumpy and I often have a big mess on my hands. Took this sticky mush and pushed it into my angel wings mould. Took it out an it had a very interesting surface design. giving this piece an ancient look. Added a halo with fine silver and dropped a wire wrapped crystal quartz and am sporting it around town.
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