In order to reduce the load time, I've split the following entries off from the others. To see the more recent news log, click here.
Entries from January 2003 through December 2004.
Entries prior to 01-01-2000.
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(12-26-2002) A correction to an assertion I've made in a few places, the three-loop Prolong Knot is _not_ the simplest of its type, after all. When challenged to produce a really simple pattern for a ring, or at least a pattern that I could produce without embarassing myself, I came up with this ring, made with just the Carrick Knot. I learned a lot from doing it, because I had to look at the knot from a different perspective and it became clear to me that this is also a Turk's Head, albeit a simpler one than I normally like to produce. Take a look, see what you think.
I've updated my visitor's comments page again (been a while!) with material that's come in since the last time.
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(12-23-2002) I was asked to produce another star pendant, recently, and since all my Christmas stuff is done, now, I had time to work on it. This is a five-pointed star, which I hasten to point out is suspended "right side up", in case anyone is inclined to give it cabalistic significance.
Time has run out -- it is now too late to order anything for Christmas, unless you're on my doorstep as I type this, even something ready-made, much less custom made. Thank you to all who bought jewelry from me in this past year; wear it in good health!
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(12-20-2002) I'll be posting a new price schedule after the end of the year, formalizing the prices for Prolong Knot items, and adjusting prices on some other things. Some of my prices will be rising, others will be going down, based on my experience of the difficulties involved in the tying of any given knot. Note that I will not be adjusting my prices in reaction to the market price of precious metal at this time, as the amount of my labor invested in my jewelry still dwarfs the material cost.
My policy, by the way, is that I will charge the lower price to anyone whose order bridges the change -- if the price goes up, you pay the original cost, if the price goes down, you pay the new cost, for anything delivered after the new year. I don't like nasty surprises, and I don't deal that way toward others.
The special holiday deal on current inventory rings (20% discount) will end in a few days, but this policy will include them if the order is received before 12-26-02.
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(12-16-2002) It is now officially too late to get a custom ring for Christmas. I've been somewhat busy, but up until last week I could probably have squeezed in another order -- at this point, though, it's not likely unless you're local and can pick the ring up in person.
If you look through my inventory, rings that are actually in my possession right now, and see one you like in the right size, I can ship it to you Express Overnight and get it there in time.
As I work on that very wide chain, I upgrade the pictures on the page mentioned just below, so you should go look again...
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(12-08-2002) I'd have to be crazy to try to make a chain out of a really long Prolong Knot... but what the heck, take a look at how it's shaping up.
One of the pages that needed some more work was the one on ring size, which I just realized didn't really say that much about sizes, at least not directly, so I did a little bit to that one as well.
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(12-04-2002) I updated the menu field at the top of the page to include some more options, and I hope it isn't getting too big. One of the new options is a separate page that lists pages that have been instrumental in helping other people learn to tie knots, and some of them have gone on to using wire.
I've updated the page describing the Tucson workshop, and added a form to it to submit your registration directly.
I've also added a direct link to the page that explains the discount on the second ring of matched pairs, and the reduced-cost composite rings.
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(11-30-2002) I've tweaked some of the information on how to order rings, with regard to tightness of weave and "loop density", and added a chart of international "standard" sizes for rings. The main thing I wanted to convey is that one cannot specify both the pattern of a ring and the loop density, for any given size, as one is a direct consequence of the other.
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(11-28-2002) It is now official: I'll be conducting more workshops, one of which is definitely going to be in Tucson, AZ, on February 9, 2003. It's limited to ten people, and the deadline for registration is the middle of January, but I'd rather hear from folks even sooner, so that I can have all the materials and tools ready in good time.
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(11-21-2002) Some earrings that I've been working on, lately, are a bit smaller than the ones that I had made before. Someone pointed out that they had no idea how big the old ones were, so my merely describing them as "smaller" was not very useful, so I've got a picture that shows a "normal" one, as created last June, and some new ones that I've been working on, including a couple of silver prototypes.
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(11-14-2002) I'm ready to let people order Prolong and Sinnet bracelets and chokers, now, though the prices for them in gold are still up in the air. I have a number of prototypes made in silver, which you can ask for if you get your orders in soon -- email for prices. These are bracelets that were made as demonstrations, or as practice for the workshop I conducted recently, and they're just sitting around taking up space at the moment.
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(11-12-2002) Some tweaks to a few places on the site, to try to make things a little clearer about size and width of Turk's Head rings.
The workshop on November 9th was an outstanding success, in that everyone who attended completed a bracelet in the allotted time. There was a soldering station at the studio, so some of them even finished off the ends and wore their bracelets as they left.
Time is short, if you're planning to get some jewelry as a holiday gift - I have time for a couple of rings before it is too late to ship them, or one Turk's Head bracelet. Sorry, but there is no way I could even start a chain, at this point, much less finish it before January, even one of the simpler ones. I have a very few pendants and sets of earrings already made, though, as well as some silver Prolong Knot bracelets -- call me or email me for information.
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(11-06-2002) More work on bracelets with an odd number of leads, with a very successful seven-lead bracelet executed in silver wire. I've also produced a choker on the same pattern as the five-lead bracelet mentioned below, extended to forty four loops along the edge, as opposed to the nineteen loops in the bracelet. No picture of that one yet, but I'll put one up soon.
I'll be adding the Prolong and Sinnet bracelets and necklaces to my order page once I've decided how to set the prices for them, but in the meantime you're welcome to request them directly through the comment page. The prices will probably be significantly lower than for Turk's Head knots, as they're easier to produce.
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(10-26-2002) While I was at an outdoor show, I got a chance to see how the large Turk's Head tiara, or circlet, looked when worn properly. I didn't have time to sit down and make the knot perfectly even all around, or fuss over the girl to get everything exactly right, but this picture does it much better justice than the one I posted before. (Take a look.) I did notice, afterward, that it had left a bit of a cross-hatch pattern in her forehead, so maybe it was a little snug.
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(10-22-2002) An apology is in order, for anyone who clicked on the "upcoming shows" link on my links page in recent days, or weeks. Apparently something happened to it, and it was overwritten by another page. Worse yet, the page that overwrote it was one which was asking for payment, highly inappropriate in that context.
I have retrieved the correct page and replaced the offending text with what I regard as a much improved version, with added information and a clearer format.
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(10-18-2002) Maybe I'm getting a little bored with the Prolong Knot -- I'm definitely tired of even-numbered weaves. In this spirit, I'm experimenting with some new knots that can be used for bracelets or necklaces or possibly earrings. Some examples in string, as I learned how to do it, and a couple of pictures of a silver bracelet, here. I may do some more later, but this shows that it works.
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(10-15-2002) Another experiment with the Prolong Knot, doing a very long one for a bracelet. I'll be conducting a one-day workshop on the second Saturday in November, at the jewelry studio in Hyde Park, Tampa, sponsored by the Florida Society of Goldsmiths. (more)
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(10-06-2002) To make it easier to figure out my scheduling, I've added a "needed by" field on the ordering pages, so that customers are reminded to let me know if there is an imminent deadline. I normally handle orders in the order in which they arrive, but sometimes it is necessary to juggle the schedule to accommadate weddings and anniversaries. Please don't wait until the last minute -- as a matter of fact, if you're planning to order something for the end of the year, now is not too soon. At the moment I have enough time left to complete half a dozen rings for delivery by late December. You may not be interested in that many rings yourself, but if six other people order rings or pendants before you get around to doing so, you may have to keep your Xmas tree up for a bit longer . . .
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(09-27-2002) I'm working on getting a merchant account, to take credit cards, but I thought I'd sprinkle some PayPal buttons around, and add a page that lets folks just enter an amount for a deposit or full payment and send it via PayPal, since that seems to be the most common form of payment lately.
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(09-24-2002) Just a bit of tidying up, some meta tag tweaking, and the addition of a rather impressive five-lead ring to that page of the gallery.
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(09-16-2002) The latest application of the Prolong Knot is a combination of two knots at a ninety degree angle. Take a look and see what you think of it. I have some other ideas percolating, but I'll hold off on describing them while I discover if they're even possible.
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(09-09-2002) Some minor changes to a couple of pages, a picture of a much longer Prolong Knot, and some shuffling of filenames. Remember, this page is the only really safe one to link to directly.
I've had some pieces accepted for a juried exhibition in Tallahassee, at Artzania, for the month of October. The opening reception is on October 4, and I hope to attend.
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(08-31-2002) I've had some comments that the Prolong Knot bracelet would be even nicer if it were wider, so I've made the next sizes up in that knot to see how it looks. The first one had three loops on each side, the ones I just finished have four and six, respectively. A similar single-line knot with five side-loops cannot be tied, the knot is impossible, but it can be done with six, or seven, and so on.
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(08-22-2002) My new camera finally showed up! For more information on the FujiFilm FinePix S2 Pro, check the Digital Photography Review site. I've had to go back and re-learn how to use the "real" lenses that have been sitting on the shelf since I got the Nikon CoolPix 990 and started using it, so I've been practicing on my Koroit Opal necklace.
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(08-01-2002) Finally home again, and back to work. I took some pictures of my display while I was in Orlando, to update the pages showing my booth, giving indoor and outdoor views. I tweaked a couple of other items on the site, nothing exciting enough to describe.
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(07-25-2002) Reporting from the road, here, as I am on vacation, between conventions. Two days ago I was a vendor at the 88th Convention of Hadassah, held in the Coronado Springs Resort in Disney World, near Orlando Florida. It was a lot of fun, but I overstocked on earrings in anticipation of numerous sales, and have a few left. If you'd like a pair of pure silver earrings, as seen at Hadassah, write to me. Here's a shot of a pair on an earring card.
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(07-13-2002) I'm working on a new project, a very large Turk's Head, 5-leads by 101-bights, to be worn as a circlet or a choker, or even stretched out to be a rather stiff necklace. I'll have to take some more pictures of it, in various configurations, but in the meantime you can see how complex it is.
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(07-02-2002) I needed to clean up some broken links, as the iEscrow folks have apparently vanished. Cleaned up some other things too, nothing dramatic enough to actually mention on its own.
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(06-23-2002) Just adding a few tweaks, and some more information about making stars, and about tools, nothing really innovative. Updated the FAQ to respond to a new question, about selling wire directly to people who want to tie knots in it.
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(06-02-2002) Here is a page showing how the multicolor star is constructed with a single strand of multicolored wire.
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(05-30-2002) I've been working on stars, for earrings and pendants, and decided to experiment some more. This is an application of same technique I used on my chains, to link two knots together, but this time one is inside the other.
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(05-19-2002) I was interviewed for an online newsletter, recently, and the interview was released yesterday. You can see it on the Jewelry Making forum on About.com if you're interested.
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(05-17-2002) I just got a question from a potential customer regarding the price of twisted wire versus plain wire, and why he couldn't find a place on the site that explained it. There is such a place now, on the FAQ page, but you don't need to go there for just that, as the answer is simple. No price difference at all. All solid, all twisted, mixed, it doesn't matter. If you want to know why that is, sure, go ahead and read the FAQ.
If you're a member of Delphi you can see some work done by one of the members of the Creative Wire Jewelry forum there, who, using information found on my site, has produced several nice rings. I am no longer the only person in the world who can make rings with more than five leads, it seems.
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(05-05-2002) I'm working on building my inventory up for a boutique show, in July, and in searching for something new to do, I returned to the flattened out Turk's Heads, and the stars that form inside them. This time I'm doing something a little special with contrasting colors.
Speaking of upcoming shows, I've decided to devote a page to listing those which I've attended, and those which I expect to attend. It's a pretty short list so far, but I have hopes.
I've just had an email response to a customer bounce, twice in two days. I can't guess your email if you don't type it correctly, so please, please, get in touch with me again if you don't hear back in a day or so. (I don't have a constant stream of customers flooding my order queue, so if you have the slightest suspicion this applies to you, it does!)
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(04-29-2002) Two 18K rings in succession, recent orders, one mixed with pure platinum, the other mixed with pure silver, give me an opportunity to illustrate the difference between those two metals and show off a couple of really lovely rings. Check them out and see which you think is the prettier combination.
A customer tells me that the ring I shipped is the right size, but is too tight -- this was probably because the size was measured with a narrow ring-gage, and I've added a cautionary note to the frequently asked questions and provided an extra link to it on the ring ordering page. Hope it helps...
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(04-25-2002) Mostly some clean-up work on html code, fixing some pages that did not display correctly in all browsers.
I found one of my images being "borrowed" on another website, recently, so I've added a page about that, and an entry on my Frequently Asked Questions page.
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(04-06-2002) I've started to catch up on my comments that I've received over time. The regular sort, spontaneous offerings from visitors to the site, are just listed in reverse chronological order. As I work my way back in time, I'll add them to the bottom of the page, and new ones will be placed at the top.
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(04-04-2002) The new knot, a "sinnet ring knot" or whatever it's named, has now been executed in silver. I've got a link to there from the other toroidal knot page, too.
It has come to my attention that the two forms of the flat braid that I used in my recent bracelet have two distinct names, and I picked the wrong one -- there is a knot called the "Chinese Knot" or "Ocean Plat", started with a single overhand knot, and another called the "Prolong Knot" is started with a carrick bend instead of an overhand. I'll probably do another bracelet or choker soon, using the longer knot, just to see how it comes out.
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(03-30-2002) The order page has now changed to several pages, one for rings, one for bracelets, and one for just about anything else. I hope that this makes it easier for people to figure out what to select, but of course all orders have to be discussed a little, anyway, to make certain that I know just what is wanted.
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(03-28-2002) I've been inspired to try another new kind of knot (for me, at least) and of course I've started out by tying it in string to see if it is even a "real" knot. Instead of a cylindrical Turk's Head or a flat Prolong knot, this is toroidal in shape. If I succeed in making it in metal, it will probably only be practical as a pendant or earring.
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(03-20-2002) The booth was so impressive that I actually won an award at the show last weekend. My first one, so forgive me for strutting and preening a bit . . .
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(03-16-2002)I've gotten some good advice on booth displays, and here's a link to the pictures showing "the new look".
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(03-05-2002) One of the things I'd like to do more of, in future, is attend outdoor shows. I've done a few, and enjoyed them a lot. Here's a picture of my booth, last time I had it set up at a show. (Link deleted -- updated pictures, 08-01-2002)
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(03-01-2002) One of my customers was having trouble visualizing what I meant by having the ends fused together or being left separate, so I updated the page that answers that question and made sure the frequently asked questions page pointed to it. I really like leaving the ends free, but it does demand a certain degree of faith on the part of the customer.
I've also done some renaming and re-arranging of pages. This should be transparent to most visitors, but if you have a particular page (other than the opening page) bookmarked, it might have been moved or renamed.
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(02-27-2002) I got a question in email about the designations "single", "double", and "triple" on my price lists, so I've added another entry on the FAQ (frequently asked questions" page and linked it elsewhere. I should have thought of that a long time ago, thanks for asking!
I've also placed some new earrings on the earrings page, that only existed for a little while before being made into something else. Don't worry, I'd be glad to make more like these if you like!
I have so many earrings now that I had to divide them up into two categories, just knots, and knots tied around precious stones.
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(02-21-2002) There are some new stones, rubies and garnets, that I picked up in Tucson to make earrings of. I put each on its own page, with the stones, then the earrings, which are also on the earrings page.
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(01-26-2002) I finished the 18K Prolong Knot earrings that I mentioned back on the ninth, and added them to the earrings page. You'll notice the bracelet that they're dangling from, that's made with twenty knots, interlinked, and shows up at the bottom of the page discussing the "prolong" knot.
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(01-16-2002) I finally got a reasonable picture of the "yard cat", a feral cat who has adopted me, provisionally, as long as I continue to make offerings of food and don't get uppity about it. I put her on the same page as Smeagol, the inside cat, though he probably would not approve.
I've also completed a few links of a prolong knot bracelet made with 18K, as mentioned below.
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(01-09-2002) I've been experimenting with the "prolong" knot, a flat knot that seems admirably suited to wire-work. I've already sold one pair of 18K earrings, before even trying it in gold, and I suspect that a bracelet made with these links will attract a lot of attention.
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(01-09-2002) I just recycled some platinum into a ring for me, since I liked the looks of the other twisted rings that went out over the last year. It turned out to be an ordeal, but I finished it in spite of various difficulties. See it here.
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(01-09-2002) As a break from doing rings, since I'm mostly caught up now, I've been doing a few flattened knots for pendants and earrings, and put one of the pendants up on its own page.
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(12-10-2001) I did a knot tutorial for a class project, and thought I'd go ahead and link it in here at least for a while. This is just the same knot as I show in previous attempts, but accompanied by a Quicktime movie and with more steps showing.
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(12-09-2001) I reworked the bezel for my oldest Yowah Nut Opal, and gave it its own page. "Yowah Nut" is a kind of opal from Queensland, Australia, mined in the Yowah region. Very colorful flecks of opal material in swirls of ironstone matrix, every one is different.
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(01-09-2002) A few tweaks, correcting some errors of omission, and a clarification of my warranty, as stated on the "how to order" page.
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(11-24-2001) At the request of a potential customer, I have added a page that shows several rings together and will at least give the viewer a relative impression of the colors shown, if not a perfect match for their reality.
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(11-24-2001) A new feature, some video clips showing different aspects and actions involving my knots. This week, two clips showing re-sizing a ring and re-shaping one that is distorted, and a clip that just shows the flexibility of one style of ring. The page offers you a selection of movie clips, with information on their size and type, so that you won't end up being stuck downloading something that won't work for you.
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(11-11-2001) Since I have yet to come up with a completely reliable method of pre-determining the size of a ring, it is more economical to start in silver and either verify the correct beginning dimensions, or just turn the silver into the other metal. In response to some expressed curiosity about my methods, I've added a page with some details of how I substitute one wire for another, progressively altering a ring made from silver to gold and platinum.
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(10-27-2001) Just added another page of explanations, this time concentrating on the relevance of "strands", i.e., single, double or triple strands.
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(10-10-2001) Looks like the all-twisted-wire rings are becoming very popular, I just completed another one, which you'll find on the page of five-lead rings.
I've begun an extensive revamping of the coding of this website, hopefully in such a way as to retain the look and feel as it is, while rationalizing the underlying structure. If you have bookmarked pages within the site, there is a chance that those links will be broken at some point. I can guarantee that this page and the home page will remain under the same names, though.
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(10-10-2001) Added a page to explain the planning stages of a simple Turk's Head knot (5x6) using paper to lay out the loops and crossings.
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(09-20-2001) Take a look at the new wedding rings I just completed and shipped this week. All twisted wire, yellow and white gold, at the top of that page. I think those are my favorites so far, though the platinum set is nice too. Maybe I'll make myself one in that style, to add to my collection.
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(08-20-2001) There have been a few occasions when someone wanted to ask me questions directly and expressed an interest in doing so via faster methods than email. I've just put my AOL Instant Messenger screen name into the "how to contact me" areas, and I'll try to be online with it during the evening and early morning hous, which is when I'm most likely to be near the computer. The screen name is goldknots.
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(10-10-2001) Someone asked me about tools, so I've started a page with tools on it. Just one, so far, my round-nosed pliers. More will be added later.
A potential customer asked what a ring looks like on a hand, so I snapped a picture for him. It's of one of my favorites, the platinum and 18K twist.
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(10-10-2001) I added a picture at the bottom of the ring size page, to show that the same knot, in the same size, can be made with more or less wire to obtain different appearances.
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(10-10-2001) Updated some policies relating to international sales on my "How to order" page, due to a problem with the order for the recently completed bracelet. Anybody want to buy a bracelet? I've got an extra...
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(07-08-01) I've been taking pictures of interim stages of the bracelet that I've been working on. Finally got to the point where I can start fine-tuning it and giving it the final polish, so I thought it might be interesting to post them here.
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(10-10-2001) Someone tried to use my instructions on the five-lead by six-bight knot and let me know I messed up on it. I went ahead and did it over, then added to it a bit. How to tie a Turk's Head knot with seven-leads and eight-bights, including intermediary steps showing the three-lead by four-bight and five-lead by six-bight knots.
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(10-10-2001) I was disappointed to find that there were no books (as far as I can find) that illustrate the next level of complexity for the Turk's Head Knot tied in hand. I've taken it upon myself to illustrate the process for doing so with the 5Lx4B, already (see below), and now you may see how to tie a 5Lx6B knot in string. The Cub Scout who masters this knot will undoubtedly go far.
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(06-12-01) The drawing for the Treasures 2001 fundraiser was held last week, and the winners are:
3rd Prize: (Gold Ring by Loren Damewood) - Marilyn Maier, Hernando Beach, FL
2nd Prize: (Lampworked & Sterling Necklace by Barbara Simon) - Jim Smerekar, Pinellas Park, FL
1st Prize: (Tessalated Server by Julia Woodman) - Jim Van Horn, St. Petersburg, FL
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(06-06-2001) Someone asked me for the instructions to tie a five-lead knot, for his Cub Scouts. I had to go back and look them up, it'd been a while since I tied a 5Lx4B Turk's Head "in hand". While a three-lead knot begins to have the look of one, I consider the five-lead knots to be the real beginning of the useful and/or decorative existence of the Turk's Head knot. In a piece of line, it is well balanced and covers an area well, can be tightened to the point where it will be next to impossible to remove, and looks great. In metal, the crossings won't shift around as much, since there are more of them between other crossings than there are out on the edge, and even a single line knot will hold its shape very well.
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(05-19-2001) Not many big changes to the website in the last few weeks, though I did expand the page describing the earlets, mentioned previously. A tweak here, a correction there, but not much that's new and exciting.
I will be doing an inventory, soon, and will list all the pieces that I currently have on hand, with pictures and descriptions. An recent email asked about work that I have in stock, so I think it would be a good idea to have all of that information already compiled and available. Bear in mind, though, that since most of my work is custom made for specific people, the vast majority of these pieces will have been made as experiments, mostly to fit my own fingers.
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(04-27-2001) Has it really been a whole month since I updated this? There have been a few things, but life has been complex and time has been lacking, so I've put off adding any detail here. There are a few more rings, tucked away in the listings, and an interesting new item that never existed before, inspired by a pretty girl. I've not done any odd body piercing adornments, up to now, but these earlets were made for a young lady whom I recently met. They may never be duplicated, of course -- after all, how many people want really large holes in their ears?
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(03-29-2001) I've been asked to list prices for some of the unique pieces, mostly settings, which I've made from time to time and still keep on display. These are more difficult to classify or evaluate than rings or bracelets. All are one of a kind, like my other knots, but even more so due to the presence of unique stones. All of them have been made for my own pleasure, rather than at the behest of an existing customer.
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(03-25-2001) I've been playing with the notion of an even more complex chain, just to see how far I could go, and have a bit less than an inch of a prototype five-lead by eight-bight turk's head chain completed in fine silver. This would probably be almost as flexible as my other chain, and probably much smoother to the touch.
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(03-18-2001) Since the new mounting hardware is superior to the one I had my diamond in before, I took that one apart and re-set the diamond, taking notes and pictures along the way. Here is a record of the process, starting with a completed knot and earring finding, made as shown elsewhere.
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(03-09-2001) I thought it would be interesting to include a description of the hardware I fabricate when I'm making post earrings. This is actually a fairly new method -- the diamond earring that I did first had a much more elaborate (though equally difficult) mount, and it turns out that this is much more secure.
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(03-08-2001) The tanzanite earrings are complete, and a picture is on the earrings page. I don't yet have a customer for them, but I'm optimistic.
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(03-05-2001) With the bewildering flurry of requests for reciprocal links, I'm going to have to add a new page for them. Right now the organization of the categories is minimal, but I will work on tuning it up. Meanwhile, they're all interesting, so just go through and see what's there!
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(03-04-2001) I liked the emerald earrings (see earlier mention below) so much that I have been working on some more. I'll have a pair of tanzanite earrings ready for display soon, one is completed so far.
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(03-03-2001) Recently completed a pair of platinum and 18K yellow gold rings, and added them to the "matched set" page. I'm going to have to split that one up, or remove a couple of sets, it's getting too big and may load too slowly.
I was asked why I "hate platinum" and decided to add a bit more of an explanation of that, linked to my Frequently Asked Questions page.
There have been an increasing number of requests for reciprocal links, and I'm considering adding a page for nothing but commercial links of that sort.
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(03-02-2001) The Florida Society of Goldsmiths is holding a raffle, with three prizes being offered. One of them is a ring, custom made by me. Since I'm a member of the Society, and I like what they're doing, I'm not only donating the ring for the raffle, I'm selling raffle tickets. The ring will be made just like any other of my rings, after consultation with the recipient as to size, and will be made of 18K gold in my usual pattern.
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(02-18-2001) Delivered a pair of earrings, some settings that I made for a couple of round-cut emeralds. The settings are similar to the one that I did for my ex-engagement diamond, but this time I used threaded posts. I'm going to be upgrading that one to a threaded post, too, as soon as I get some time, because the threaded ones are much more secure.
The stones were selected for the purpose, being about 5.5mm in diameter, round cut. I'll make settings for your stones, but I must request that they be at least 5mm, preferably closer to 6mm or so, and round. It's not that I can't make the rings small enough (I made several that were too small, some as small as 4mm) but that the stone should be large enough that the wire doesn't overwhelm it and hide the facets.
The small rings that I make while trying to get the size right are very pretty, but wouldn't fit anyone larger than Tinkerbell. I could sell them as "Fairy Rings" and owners could produce them as evidence when their kids refuse to believe in fairies any more: "Hah! No fairies, eh? Where do you think _this_ came from, then?"
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(02-10-2001) There are some new pendants to look at, and I haven't completely decided how to display them. If they all go on one page, it will take ages to open it. For now, there's a list of them on the pendants page.
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(02-03-2001) I've been playing with my new digital camera, and having great luck getting the colors the way I want them. One of my first subjects was an opal which I have set recently, and it's so big that it gets its own page. There will be a link to there from my pendants page, as well.
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(01-14-2001) There is one month left before Valentine's Day, and I will be taking off for a week to go to Tucson for the big gem show. At the moment I'm completely caught up, so I could probably fill an order or two between now and then, but if you wait til the last minute, I won't be able to help you.
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(01-01-2001) A friend emailed me and said: "I didn't find any prices on the rings--by choice, or just not sure whether it's wise to post them?" I was surprised to discover that in all my editing and changing things around, I had never noticed that there is nothing in the menu that actually said "Here is my price list". Now there is. Thanks, Billie!
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