Maryland Cufflinks and hinged shell box. Silver, turquoise, found shell, silk fabric. 2013 |
Hinged shell box. 2.75"x2.5"x1.5". found shell (Cape Cod), silver tubing and wire. 2013 |
Hinged shell box. back view |
Maryland cufflinks: blue crab & striped bass links (1"x0.75"). Silver. Set turquoise links. (0.75"x0.5"). Turquoise and silver. |
I wanted to make Chris something special as a wedding gift. After many failed attempts at a special ring (not a wedding ring), I decided on cufflinks. Chris is from Maryland and is where we currently live. Some of the most special experiences I've shared with him here involve adventures on the Chesapeake Bay: crabbing and fishing for striped bass. Exploits of the water, whether lake or bay, have always been a part of our life together and so I thought the two creatures fitting for a special pair of cufflinks.
Turquoise is a stone that I associate with Chris, as he wears a lot of turquoise-laden item, so it seemed only fitting to include turquoise somehow. I joined a lapidary guild in order to learn to cut and shape the turquoise. (Of course I would want to start out learning lapidary skills with an incredibly soft and hard to work with stone!).
I decided to make a plethora of special items in time for my wedding, including my wedding dress, wedding shoes, gifts for my sister and brother (who stood up with me), and a late birthday gift for my mom. I near went insane trying to finish all these projects. I finished these cufflinks the day of the wedding; while my sister drove me to my hair appointment, I was busy trying to set the turquoise stones in their settings. I was in such a rush that my burnishing tool slipped and I chipped a piece of turquoise off one of the stones. Ah!
I gifted the cufflinks to Chris before the wedding in hopes that he would wear them. Unfortunately my design was flawed; the original cufflinks consisted of a single post with the creature one side and the turquoise on the other. They were too big and wouldn't go through his buttons holes! I later cut the post in half and fashioned a hook system that has, so far, worked. I also used epoxy to glue the chip of turquoise back to its mother stone.
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