New colorful Designs that don't break your piggy bank!

I've just started listing some new pieces in my etsy shop that I've designed to be perfect for every day "go to" pieces - and I've made sure to keep them in the economical "perfect for a gift" under $40 range.

Here are a few new pieces- Colorful disc earrings (soon available in many more colors)

Copper, brass and sterling disc earrings, colored with durable powder coating enamel paint

for the listing to one of these pairs of earrings click here

Another new design are these small forged sterling silver hoop earrings with disc beads. These earrings are great for both men and women (and will soon have a large variety of colors as well)

 

for the listing to a pair of these hoop earrings click here

And, have you noticed how expensive silver has become? I thought it would be a good idea to give my customers a less expensive option- I have been stocking things in bronze, but have now decided to make these pieces also in yellow Brass- which has a great bright yellow color. 

Here are a pair of my gorgeous Ying Yang hoops, now available in brass!

 

to go to the listing for these Ying Yang Paisley hoop earrings click here! 

OK- that's it for today- I will post my next batch of new offerings soon- I'm stocking my shop for the winter season- trying to get everything done and on line before I go back to work as a goldsmith for my winter-spring job. (when I have much less time for creating new designs)

Thanks for looking- I hope you are having a great summer

ciao- Maureen 

Cosmo

was named after this guy- Cosimo di Medici. this piece is located in the Piazza Signoria of Florence Italy. I've always loved this sculpture- the patina on it is fantastic! Plus- look at how gorgeous the horse is- I'm such a sucker for equine beauty

Ciao!

Santo Spirito, Florence Italy 

Please note: I will be closing my etsy shop from Dec 16 to Jan 12 for winter vacation. I've lined up our house sitter / dog sitter and I'm packing my bags- heading for "the old country" to spend some time with my Italian friends and family- bringing Cosmo to visit some of the museums and sights in the Florence area while I'm there, plus visiting jewelry studios where I used to study and work...
(I will be blogging about places we go during our visit here on my blog- hope to give you a unique view of Florentine life and holidays )
I look forward to re-opening with some new designs and innovations for my jewelry line in January!
(I'm pretty excited about this new thing- will be working on it's organization during the break as well)
Wishing you safe and Joyous Holidays-
ciao= Maureen

Floral confection

Why I love this piece:
I consider this piece to be pivotal in connecting my craftsmanship and solid jewelry skills with my more eccentric painting and sculpture fine arts background.
This is the work that I have been creating for over 25 years.
This piece represents the culmination of a design journey starting with cardboard and Styrofoam  sculptural paintings that I made during my art school years- to my current jewelry lines and aesthetic. (integrating both my whimsical one of a kind work with my production line and paintings)
Anyways,
that's a bunch of words that just mean I think this is a really cool piece.
I just listed it in my shop tonight- you can find it at:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/63043586/floral-confection-sculptural-art-brooch

ciao!- M

March 24 2010 Studio Wildflowers

March 24 2010 Studio Wildflowers
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

I just thought I'd share this pic of the gorgeous flowers that are blooming outside in my studio garden- I look forward to this every year- and each year's wildflower crop is more spectacular than the last. 2010 has been very rainy here so far- record rain in fact for Tucson- so the desert is awash with color. (and we all are reaching for benedryl)
The only bummer about this is that we know what is coming....6 months of scorching heat! It usually starts around late April- When the temps reach 100+ degrees...the first time it happens we call it "ice break", and there are contests for predicting the exact date and time. Usually the prize is a car-with air conditioning- which the winner traditionally uses to "get the hell out of Dodge!" and find cooler places to hang their hat.

Pin Swap

finished pin groups3
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

Well, I'm done for this year at least!
Here is a pic of my pins I made for this year's pin swap at the Yuma Symposium- They were really fun to make- a great way to free up some of my design ideas...I know some of the things I discovered while working on these will influence my future works- I actually would love to have these pieces done in a more permanent (less epoxied) manner-
stay tuned! :-)
I will be taking notes about the symposium and posting pics and blog next week, when I get home. I've made the decision to leave my computer home...and give my hands a break!
ciao for now- Maureen

gift horse

Here's an artifact from my past
and the time I spent in Italy-
a horse tooth. I found this horse tooth in the pasture where my polish warmblood mare Schilla spent her summers.

I've always cherished this find and look back on that time in my life with mixed emotions. Bittersweet - as it was the last period of time when I was able to spend hours at the stable every day.

My daily riding came to an end 
In 1998, after a dramatic bout with a burst appendix (and a close touch by my mortality)
With a week long stay in an Italian hospital (one where Da Vinci did his anatomy explorations) and many weeks of recovery at home I had time to take a constructive look at my life. I had to decide which direction I wanted to take it. I had to make a decision between art and horses.

After much drama, (including a shouting match with a fascist farmer).. I chose art.

I drove away from the barn that day with all of my tack and horse gear. I still remember in vivid detail the day when I settled my saddles on the saddle rack in our storage area -in a loft storage space at our Florence home...  they remain still- waiting for me to come back and re-claim their use. Last month, my husband came back from a short trip in Italy (for business) and he brought back one of my bridles. It hangs in my studio today. I didn't clean it before I packed it up all those years ago- so if I look real hard, I can still see some remainders of my sweet mare on the leather.

this is a picture I took of Schilla one warm summer day,

lolling around in the pasture of olive trees and wildflowers

I look forward to the day when I will be able to welcome horses back into my life and find the balance between my two passions. I think it is going to be soon.
ciao- MBZ

Pins for Yuma

One of the projects that you will find many metalsmiths in Arizona doing right now is making pins for the Yuma Symposium pin swap.

I just thought I'd share a couple of images of the pin making I'm doing-

I have a hard time deciding what is "enough" or "too much" when working on these pins- last year I underestimated, and felt silly with my scrawny offerings- so this year I'm working on making up for last year's attempt :-) hopefully I'll hit the right cord!



BTW, if you have never heard of the Yuma Symposium, please click on the link- it's a really amazingly fun and inspiring event- this will be my 4th year there- (it's the 31st year for the YS). I hope to see lots of old friends and perhaps make a few new ones too!

ciao- MBZ

Santa..suggestions from a bunch of smiths

Here it is! the 2009 Metalsmiths Unite official Gifts for the Metalsmith List !!

I was thinking of helping all of our significant others, giving them a sort of master list to look at for Metalsmith Gifts... I asked for input from the Metalsmiths Unite group and blog, and here is the list we generated----please feel free to add your wishes!

MBZ
   1. world peace/ the end of hunger
   2. really good hand cream
   3. a cool apron for the shop
   4. a bench mounted band saw
   5.  a coupon for 100 solitary hours at my bench

Roberta said...
    1. Rolling Mill
    2. Paragon Kiln
    3. Hydraulic Press
    4. Bigger Studio
    5. Time to use them
   
DeAnne said...
    1-Bigger Studio
    2- New Torch
    3- lots of metal to play with
    4- a reason to quit my day job so I have more time to play with my presents
  
Kalicat said...
    1. lots of gemstones
    2. gold, frankincense and myrrh
    3. vouchers at favorite suppliers
    4. time
    5. chocolates, many boxes
    6. storage
    7. master classes

Dana/WiredDesign said...
    OOh - I love DeAnne's #4 -
    "a reason to quit my day job...
    Although - I have lots of reasons, just need some courage to go with them!
   
JorgensenStudio said...
    1. set of Fretz hammers
    2. rolling mill
    3. new torch
    4. new tables for my booth
    5. a week workshop at arrowmont, pendland or appalachian ceter for craft
   

juliesanford said...
    1. A stump with a big anvil
    2. A nice bench shear
    3. A New belt sander
    4. Blades and bits that don't dull or break
    5. Heat
  
Eddie (aka Erkki Kokko)said...
    Dear Santa...
    I got some wishes too...
    1.Metal lathe
    2.A milling machine
    3.Lots of materials to play with...
    4.Time to play with my new tools :)
    5.What else? ...hmmm... oh yeah, world peace!
 
Maureen BZ said...
    I just thought of another one-
    I was just thinking...
    instead of a gift-
    how about making a donation to an arts organization on someone's behalf?
    (I know I'd love to make a more significant
    donation to Haystack)the arts are suffering from lack of funding as usual- so maybe we could make a list of orgs that need more support from our community...
    hey, I'd be super happy with a membership renewal for SNAG! :-) just saying

Randi said...
    I'm still thinking in terms of a jewelers bra - with a nice little shield to protect my sternum when I tighten my saw. Is that too much ask for?

Eddie (aka Erkki) said...

    To Randi...
    If you take close look of my "interview pic" you can see, that i have reinforced my leather apron's left hand side with a piece of thick rubber.
    It is handy when i tighten my saw!
    No more chest pain! :) :)
    -Erkki- (Eddie) :D
  
Taueret said...
    Great idea! My santa list has on it:
    1- rolling mill
    2- set of alphabet stamps
    3- set of really good needle files
    4- set of really good hand files

Gwen said...
    Ooooh... my list would include...
    1. Some of that "invisible glove" hand cream that gardeners use... Makes cleaning up after polishing a breeze.
    2. A custom made logo stamp.
    3. A long enough holiday to let my nails grow long enough to paint them (for the first time ever)
    4. Tough enough fingers after the holiday to be able to work again without major finger damage...
    5. Some clothes without acid holes in them.

  Art of the Firebird said...
     1. A big ol' tree stump for pounding things on
    2. Several texturing hammers
    3. A small but sturdy rolling mill
    4. Someone to come in and organize my studio
    5. Time to work in the studio once it's organized

logo a go go

bzap logo circle
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

My maker's mark - or Logo....Mark this one up as another thing that I've put off and delayed and never could decide....For the past 10 years I have gone without, making my mark on my pieces with a hand engraver, which works ok but is not the level of craftsmanship I want for my work.

I had a stamp for my metal work made years ago...it was from my years with my original last name- and fine for that period of my life....but ... (yawn...) boring design, and wrong initials as of Dec. 1995 (when Guido and I got hitched)

with a last name like Brusa Zappellini you can really Design something!
But what???I decided that I would work with my abbreviated signature. "BZap" and make it similar to how I initial my work currently...

BUT...can I be certain that I am going to like it / use it for the foreseeable future?what if I get sick of it? would it look like I want it? do I have an extra chunk of money to get this made? Questions...uncertainty...and the monster- INDECISION!

ahhhh indecision! be gone!

yeah, that's right indecision...I've got weapons against you now! HA! First I pull out my EtsyMetals team...a gaggle of talent and design wizards they are...and I ask opinions on my two designs from them.....
(the votes are coming in - but I won't divulge the preference just yet, as to not sway the vote)

Then, I get my twitter tool going and post a couple of links to these images I posted on flickr...(still waiting to get response...sometimes it's like that..)

and of course, I am a Facebook addict, so I post these to my profile.
But I wasn't done yet! here's my chance to glean a bit of blog power too!

Yes, I'm asking for opinions here as well- sorry to make you work and read, but I'll make it simple- you can comment simply by saying circle or letters...and that would give me your vote-
And with this, we can work together to beat back indecision, and celebrate professional progress!

once more into the blog good friends! tally ho~ M

atmospheric perspective

atmospheric perspective
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

There's just something about this image that makes me want to fly...
I am reviewing my pics that I have been taking this past month and I am struck by the beauty that is southern Arizona this time of year.

Down here in Tucson we are in such good moods these days- the heat has finally broken and we are once again emerging from our air conditioned and swamp cooled houses...picking up rakes, taking bike rides, going to the park, and just enjoying being comfortable without artificial cooling.

Now we can enjoy 5-6 months of incredible weather- having paid our dues all summer long with brutal heat and violent storms.

I have lived on New Hampshire and Boston (and still consider myself a New Englander) and I can sympathize with those of you who are staring 6 months of cold grey winter in the bearded face...so I'll be kind and not rub it in too much....but I'll take AZ summers over NH winters anyday!

I'll keep posting pics of my Desert world for you- stay warm, keep reading, and start socking away money for that escape to warmer climes in February (if you plan on coming to Tucson I'd book your hotel and trip now....the gem show usually takes up most of the town-)

ciao for now- Maureen BZ
aka Cosmo's Moon

Alternative Materials

red and green LIL DOTTIES2
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

You know, with metals prices being what they are I have been experimenting with alternative materials- for one, they keep my prices affordable - (I don't believe that only wealthy people should have access to handmade craft) and also, I get to freely explore ideas without getting too hung up on the price of materials.

One of the things I started trying last spring was aluminum. I've been having a lot of fun with these pieces- roller printing (it's really squishy!) and stamping is incredibly satisfying- the tools act as if they were on steroids! then- blaspheme! I paint them.

oooh, I know, next thing you know I'll be stripped of my credentials as a professional metalsmith!
well, it's been fun while it lasted! :-) don't think I'm going to stop now!

images and compositions

Sometimes when I am taking these images I imagine the photos to be paintings, so I am playing with composition in the images as well as the piece...here are a few images I took today of some of my new work..

you can hopefully see the play on composition and lighting that I utilize to make the images approach something other than just documenting the metals piece...

I feel like these images are as important as the piece, and may become a larger player in my artwork as I develop the image vocabularies...
each of these pieces are almost becoming characters in a play- in a similar way to how Giorgio Morandi would play with the still life compositions and bottle figures that he was so masterful at composing and infusing with life ...

coca cola assassina

coca cola assassina
Originally uploaded by cosmosmoonjewelry

an image of the sad state of many walls in the historic center of Florence Italy... The problem with graffiti in Florence (Firenze) has been on the increase over the past 5 years-

I am fortunate enough to travel there on a yearly basis, and have even spent 3 years (97-2000) living there full time.( My husband is from Settignano Italy, a village in the hills just outside of Firenze proper)While we lived there, we stayed in a building in the San Frediano area of the historic city proper. 

I can say, that in the past 3 years I have really noticed a huge increase in tagging...and here I must make a distinction between tagging and graffiti...Tagging , to me , is similar to when a dog lifts it's leg to mark it's territory. Graffiti, while usually still illegal can also be an artful and creative expression (when well done) . Tags are indiscriminate scrawls, graffiti , when well done can even enhance or inspire. 

Unfortunately In Florence, I have even have seen tags on the Duomo and other Masterpiece churches as well, such as Santo Spirito, in "my" neighborhood. No, I'm not at all religious, but I appreciate the masterful architecture on these amazing historic buildings.

Usually, (with Florence at least) the government makes a big show of concern about these things, then sits on it's hands and does nothing. (this was the case while we lived there and belonged to an initiative to enforce controls on traffic in the historic city....many meetings, a few appearances from "il Sindaco" -the Mayor...but nothing realized except a pretty, wider sidewalk on  a section of our busy street...and that took 8 years to come to fruition!

I realize now that I have a voice that can be heard about this problem, and will be tweeting/posting images/blogging on a regular basis about this, to bring to light this rape of one of the world's Historic treasures. 

Save Florence from Blight! Un ambiente sano per la citta!