Featherweight Finery
Sue Toorans
www.facebook.com/Featherweight-Finery-167066176654775/
I love working with the colors and challenges of anodized aluminum. The more traditional
jewelry metals are more friendly when it comes to malleability but, for me, that adds to the interest
of working with aluminum. One challenge I am currently exploring is incorporating stones into my pieces. Bezels and prongs are not an option in anodized aluminum – bezels, because the material doesn't conform and prongs, because it is too weak. This has led me to sandwich stones between layers held together with rivets.
The more I play with the aluminum, the more ideas I have. One avenue I'm exploring is underlaying pierced work with other colors to play off of both colors. If the layers are fixed to each other, there is the feel of enameling in the finished piece. If they are left loose, then there is almost a peep show of one layer behind the other.
To me, making something people want to wear out of a space age material is just plain fun.
Featherweight Finery anodized aluminum jewelry is created with three general processes.
1) Pieces are completely sawed by hand using a jeweler's saw. These components might be layered and cold joined to create a stained glass sort of look. The joins may be rivets or rings. Rivets hold the layers together so that they can't move. A ring joint allows the layers to move freely with the layer behind peeping out as the it moves.
2) Components might be cut using dies and then shaped and assembled.
3) Rings are used to create all or some portions of designs.
The surface of the metal might be textured using a rolling mill. Crystals, fresh water pearls, and Czech glass are sometimes used to augment the metal.