The theme of our February design challenge was — appropriately enough, for the month that contains St. Valentine’s Day — Heart! We had a near record number of entries for the challenge, which made choosing a winner difficult. In the end, we narrowed it down to one winner and one honorable mention.
The winner is Daryl Adams, with his romantically gothic (or would that be gothically romantic?) Thorne & Roses — Once Upon a Time. In the piece, Adams uses fine silver metal and wire to frame and set off a beautiful ruby-in-granite focal piece, with a faceted rhodolite garnet as an accent.

For our honorable mention, we chose Marthe Roberts/Shea’s Heart Earrings, made of sterling silver, 18k gold, and black surface-cut tourmaline. Congrats to both Daryl and Marthe!
You can see a gallery of all our past winners on our website!

Want to learn some of the techniques our winning jewelry makers used in their pieces? Check out:

Project: Tube-setting stones

Baroque Brios Earrings

B160967 • Maria Richmond

Do you want to get started weaving wire? This great class from Maria Richmond will introduce you to both thin- and heavier-gauge wire, weaving and light forging.
Registration is now open for all classes at the 2016 Bead&Button Show. We hope to see you in Milwaukee!

To cut the ends of a tube straight, use a tube-cutting jig. This jig is precise, and can be used to cut smaller diameters of tubing than industrial tube cutters. Set the stop to your desired tube length, place the tubing in the groove, and lay the swing arm over the tubing to hold it in place. Insert a jeweler’s saw with the appropriate-size blade into the cutting channel, and saw through the tubing.
“For the best results, saw a little, then turn the tube in the jig, and repeat until the tube is cut. From “How to Solder Gold-filled Wire,” by Joe Silvera, from our November 2014 issue.

Bonus cool tool: A miter jig! This sweet little tool lets you cut both tubing and sheet at angles! Even better, you can sand or file your tubing while it’s still in the jig, ensuring a clean, straight end.

You have just one week left to enter our current design challenge! The theme is “Negative Space.” Put in musical terms, it’s about the silence as much as the notes. In drama, it’s about the pauses as much as the spoken words. And in visual art, it’s about the blankness between or within the elements. Entries are due by March 31; the judges will be picking the winner on Friday, April 1!
If you want to take a look at the winners of our previous challenges, check out our online gallery!

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