Want to take simple, good photos of loose gemstones?

On a google adventure the other day I stumbled across this post about using an LED 10x with your phones camera.
It is pretty straight forward so I gave it ago straight away!
The results are pretty good if you dont have an expensive set up or in a hurry.










You can see here how shallow the depth of field is.

Bumps in the Road

So my year of 'Do more stuff' has turned out to be the complete opposite.
I wont go into too much detail as this blog is about Jewellery and Gemstones but not long after my last post I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 34.
The last few months have been a whirlwind of doctors appointments, surgeries and treatments. This has left ZERO time for anything even remotely creative or fun jewellery or gem wise!
Health wise all will be good. It was caught early, contained and fully removed via surgery. I have finished chemo and just about to start radio therapy. One of the many side effects of treatment has been numbness in my fingers and painful nails (they can actually fall off if I am not careful!!) so while things are calming down now I still have to wait a little longer till my hands are better. Talk about frustrating!

Now. Back on topic...

The jade carving competition I mentioned. I haven't even started my entry and it is due end of October. Unless my fingers improve ASAP I don't think I will be able to submit anything which I am pretty disappointed about.

Yesterday I went to the Glen Waverley Lapidary Clubs exhibition.
I bought some slabs and two cats eye tourmalines which are totally awesome. I got to catch up with some people from my lapidary club which was nice and now itching to get back into things! I have no idea how long it will take to bounce back from all this madness so until then this blog might just be links to interesting things and random photos of gems.

Where has the time gone?

I cant believe we are well into 2014 and sadly I haven't achieved much jewellery or gem wise.
I have been getting into photography more learning how to use my newish camera, a Pentax K30, and have started to use a Flickr account I opened ages ago. Flickr by the way REALLY sucks you in! So many talent people out there which has really inspired me.

I spent a week at home visiting my Mum in New Zealand which was fantastic. We went on many bush walks and beaches and just relaxed in general.
This year I have decided to 'Do More Stuff' so have been making an effort to do the things that I have been meaning to do for ages but usually get left by the way side.

Also exciting news is that I entered a jade carving competition! At the moment there are currently 31 people registered from all over the world. There are two categories Jewellery or Sculpture and I have selected the piece I am going to carve and working on the details before I begin. There are people that have been carving longer than I have been alive so dont expect to win (haha) but think it will be a great learning experience and a bit of fun. There is a popular choice component where all the entries are anonymously posted on the site and people can vote..... I will be happy if I just get one vote so cross your fingers for me!

If you are interested to check out my photos here is the link to my Flickr account.

Info on the World Jade Symposium can be found here.

I have a good excuse!

Ok. So I havent posted for a very long time.... but I do have a good excuse. I got married!
Weddings are crazy things. Really had no idea what I was in for but it was so nice to have all our family and friends together in the one place.
Now. To get back into things!

Design Process

After attending yesterdays course at Northcity4 (Which was fantastic by the way!) I have been thinking about how I approach the design aspect of jewellery making.
Previously I get out what ever stone it is I want to use. Sit down with it, and what silver I have to work with, and draw a few ideas from there.
This method works fine when thinking of the pieces as individuals but the course I attended was titled: Produce: Present: Sell
This has prompted me to look at the whole process very differently.
In a gallery environment (which is my ultimate goal) your pieces are grouped together as a range.
This means I need to stop thinking of each piece as a separate form from the others and somehow make them gel as a group.
The plan?
Go through all my sketch books. Photocopy the completed designs so I can lay them all out on the coffee table and view them all together for the first time ever!
At the moment the designs are scattered throughout 6 or 7 sketch books so I have never consciously looked for similarities. It should be an interesting exercise.

Art Exhibition Opening Tonight!

If you happen to be in the Melbourne city area you might want to swing by the city library on Flinders Lane tonight.

16 New Zealand artists featuring paintings, sculptures, photography, jewellery and more! 

Opening night tonight (sorry for the short notice!) with drinks, food and entertainment. What more could you want for a Thursday?! :-)

 

Agate