New Blog!

I've changed up the blog!  From now on, anything to do with making jewelry, art, and crafty stuff will be over on my new space, How To Build A Heart.

Angels Kiss and Kill will be undergoing a makeover as well to become more of a writing/reading area.

The Moths of Ragnarök

The world has ended:

The moths have come out

of the black hole in the tree

(the tree that has rotten

to its core),

and they have risen;

their wings

have blotted out the moon,

and smolder now

against a starless sky.

Underground Art

Literally underground.  Empty poster slot in a subway station.

supernova

i want to see the sun flare like a lightbulb

filaments sizzle

just before they pop

Mermaids...

Last weekend I was working on a set of rings that reminded me of the sea, which in turn made me think of mermaids.  And I was thinking that this is perfect mermaid weather.  It's reached the mid-nineties almost every day for the last week, no clouds to shelter us from the sun's scorching rays, just sunburn and sweat, sweat, sweat.  So, yeah, who wouldn't want to dive down into the cool blue right now?

There's something magical about mermaids, beyond the obvious fact that, um, they're women with fins.  In some legends they're beautiful beyond words; in others, terrifying and repulsive.  Maybe it depends on your viewpoint.  How do you feel about algae growing in a girl's hair?  Do you think mermaids drown men?  Or do they ease the drowning of men?

Once upon a time, my favorite mermaid was Ariel from Disney's The Little Mermaid, which I first saw at the movies in 1989.  Disney's syrup-simple take on happy endings has since lost appeal, but this one stays with me.  In the real story, of course, there is no happy ending.  The little mermaid's prince never loves her back, dooming her to death on the night of his wedding to another woman.  She could save herself.  If she plunges a knife into his heart, his blood will knit her legs back together, and she can return to the sea to live out her three hundred years with her sisters.  Instead, she flings herself into the surf and turns to foam.

Undersea is a mysterious world.  In some places, you can see no further than an arm's length through the murk.  A swift shadow ahead could be a dolphin or a shark.  It could be a sea witch out hunting for souls.  Or it could be a mermaid with green scales and milk-white skin, bearing the body of a dying sailor down into the forever blue.

The Little Mermaid from San Francisco Ballet

don't dive too deep - too deep into the sea

come and be a child of the blue

we'll make the azure dream come true

          - Xandria, "Mermaids"

About the Loose Bezel Problem...

So that problem I was having with setting stones, where the bezel always ended up too loose no matter how tightly it seemed to fit the stone before the actual setting commenced?  It's pretty obvious.  In fact, I feel pretty dumb that it took me so long to figure it out.

But after many hours of alternating between feeling sorry for myself and wanting to smash every dish within reach, this afternoon I sat down at the computer to Google the loose bezel problem. That's when I came across a how-to mentioning setting punches.

Obviously I don't have setting punches.  I've been using a pusher, roller, and burnisher with no problems.  But it occurred to me (finally) that I'd been setting much smaller stones.  4mm and 5mm stones don't require thick bezel material to hold them in place.  8mm stones do.  And apparently I'm just not strong enough to push anything heavier than 26 gauge down by hand.  Bleh.

Substituting on hand tools (bezel pusher and rubber mallet) for punches, I gently tapped the bezel wall down tightly against the stone and... no more rattle!  The stone now rests tightly in the setting.

So I can stop pulling my hair out.  At least until I have to go shopping for real setting punches and find out how much they're gonna cost me...  It's good timing though, since I need to do a stone shopping trip anyway.  Again, ouch on the wallet.  But I'll forget all that as soon as my orders arrive and I get lost in the glee that is unpacking new gemstones.  Oooohhh, shiny!

And Now We Drink Again

Because so far this weekend has just been hellacious.  To begin:

I walk half a mile Friday in 93 degree weather only to discover that Home Depot is out of butane.

I hunt for adorable (not sleeping) rats at Petco and discover one is indeed awake, and yet, looks droopy with a red runny nose.  He looks at me for a minute.  I feel like rescuing him and whisking him to a veterinarian.  I resist because I know my roommate will kick me out in a cold heartbeat.

A guy bouncing down the street (in 93 degree weather, recall) calls out that I am red as a beet and even he wouldn't touch my ass.  I AM A FUCKING VIKING, YOU DICK, AND I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU FREEZE YOUR SKINNY ASS OFF IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE.

Arriving home, I work on my lovely order (see previous post) and...  my bezel cup is too lose.  The stone rattles.

This morning, I try again on the order.  This time, I practice on three bezels beforehand.  The first... gets stuck in its cup before I ever solder the cup to the ring shank.  Bust.  The second fits perfectly.  The third fits perfectly.  When I go for the actual order, the stone appears to fit perfectly.  If anything, it is too tight.  I am happy.  I solder the cup to the ring shank, polish, and fit the stone, close the bezel...  The motherloving bezel is too loose.  The stone rattles.  HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?  I have not had so much trouble setting a stone since the first stone I set.  And now I am out of this particular kind of stone.  And the ring MUST ship this week.

And also:

I saw into my finger with the saw blade.

I hit my other finger with the hammer.  HARD.

My OTHER finger gets a silver splinter in exactly the same location it got a copper splinter three days ago.

And dare I mention, I sliced into my ankle while shaving my legs?

So now?  I drink.  Vodka.  A lot.

Tomorrow is another day.

Today is today.