Paua Shell Jewelry

This is a Paua Shell Pendant and Earrings that I have just finished. The paua shell comes from New Zealand where my cousin Carolyn collected them and was nice enough share them with me. Paua is an abalone, but they are more brilliant in color than the ones we find here in the Pacific Northwest. I cut and shaped the shell and the reticulated silver to fit in the settings which I created with square wire soldered to a sterling silver sheet. The dust from the shell is toxic and a dust mask should be worn by anyone thinking of working with the shell. These pieces of jewelry took some time and effort to make, but I'm happy with the way they turned out.

Photography

I've added a link on the left with some photography I've done over the years. There are a few photos from Hawaii where I went for a story about a Kona fish farm off the coast of the Big Island. Seeing the photos makes me long for those warm waters.
Also, there are some black & white photos from my days when I worked in Sun Valley, Idaho for a newspaper there. And there are others that I tossed in there just because I liked them. The one of the Octopus was a lucky shot that I took up in the San Juan Islands. I was doing a story about Scuba diving and at about 85 feet I came across an Octopus that wanted to get up close and personal. Anyway the story and photos ran in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. I'll add a link to that in the near future, for those that might want to read it. Thanks for stopping by...

Jewelry Art

Here are some pieces of jewelry that I've created over the past few years. The one of the anchor was one I decided to make from a broken navy plate that I found while Scuba diving here in Puget Sound. Also the sea shell pendant was cast in silver from a actual shell found while diving. The Sapphire pendant at the bottom/middle of the page was made from three faceted stones from Montana where I mined them. It was a present for my mom's birthday. A lot of the jewelry I create is made with jasper or agate that I've collected rockhounding and then I cut and polish the stones into cabochons. Some of the rock comes from private claims (like willow creek jasper from Idaho) which is the only way to get the material.

If you click on the photo page it will get larger for viewing.

Obsidian Wind Chimes

Listen to the sounds of the obsidian wind chimes. The obsidian "needles" occur naturally as volcanic glass in Northern California where I mine them. In the first video, the wind chime on the left is made with driftwood and the one on the right is made with copper that I hand forged in the shape of a leaf. It was very windy here today so you can really hear their glassy sound.

Pottery

Pottery has been something I've done for many years and clay is such a wonderful medium to work in. There's nothing like the feel of mud and I love the whole process. When I finish a glaze firing and I open up the kiln, it's a lot like Christmas. You never quite know what to expect, and the colors can be amazing.

New Artwork

I thought I'd start blogging by posting a photo of one of my most recent jewelry designs. This is a willow creek jasper pendant. I cut and polished the stone and then I set in sterling silver. The round dome is reticulated silver. I've really enjoyed creating jewelry this winter. When the weather becomes a little warmer, I'll get back into making pottery out in my studio/garage.

This is my first attempt at blogging. Come back again and see what I've been doing. I'll be adding a bunch of artwork.

Thanks, James