EEP!
Well, I got my reply back from the State on my Business Name search! Didn't get my first choice. BUT got my second, and it's pretty much the same name, with a little added to it. So now, I need to reserve it and start on the BIG BAD PAPER WORK!!! uuuuuugggghhh....

- Jeff

I have officailly started one of my dreams, having my own business! I mailed off to the Secretary of State to see if the name I want is available! *Fingers crossed*

I also got 2 books in the mail today that will help me on my journey. "Starting a small business in CA" and "Starting and running an LLC"

I have a BIG choice to make, I'm seriously thinking of becoming an LLC (Limited Liabilty Company) vs. a sole proprietor. Mainly because if someone tries to sue me, they can only go after my company assets and not my own bank account/car/house etc. BUT it's very pricey and more paperwork, taxes and accounting is needed. It runs $800 a year in CA to be a LLC + tax fees. Where being a sole proprietor it costs nothing. I need to have Liability Insurance too, to sell at most art/craft fairs. So... do I just stay a SP with the Insurance or go LLC with insurance as a backup.... it's something I really need to think about.

I'm trying to find a good place to go locally to talk to someone, the lawyers I've talked to so far are charging $400-$600 an hour just to sit down and discuss it. eeesh.... I want to do most of it all by myself and from what I've read I don't NEED to have a lawyer, but still.

It's exciting... but REALLY scary.

So now I have to wait 2-3 weeks for their reply, then I can continue!

Also working on designs for the upcoming San Diego County Fair contest! See if I can win another "candy dish" lol

- Jeff

My love of making jewelry started from my other hobby of building props and costumes. After going to my first Ren. Faire with friends I wanted to make my own costume. And you know me, I can NEVER do an easy project!

I ended up with this- all custom made- galzanized steel chainmail. ~1998


Which lead to THIS 35lb+ nightmare, I have yet to really wear this for long periods of time.
 

I then started working with MUCH smaller rings. This was my first Sterling Silver piece, a 20" handmade byzantine style pocketwatch chain.


I decided to start doing some more chainmaille work again. This time using Aluminum, Anodized Aluminum and Ttianium!

These are all Aluminum:





Anodized Blue Aluminum and Green Anodized Titanium


Aluminum and Anodized Titanium





I have a couple more designs and colors planned. :-)
A productive start to a New Year!

- Jeff

This weekend I'm getting BACK onto my Jeweler's Bench... after months of being busy on my prop bench... to get to work on X-mas gifts and orders. :-)

Here's some new CAD renders I recently finished, some are for clients at work and others just messing around:













And this was just a fun test on ideas for an Ad



- Jeff

I posted earlier about my other non-jewelry project I was working on, the Rocketeer. Here's the finished product!

(god I  look really tired in this picture, but I guess that's what happens when you stay up till 3am working on this costume for 2 1/2 weeks...lol)







Paying honor to the man behind the Cirrus X-3 Rocketpack, Howard Hughes.




It was a GREAT costume to wear and ALL of the Disney Employees loved it!

- Jeff

I've been messing around with Matrix and TRYING to get better at it, here's some test designs I've been working on. These are all Computer Renders, not real pieces, yet!

Classic 3 stone ring in Platinum with 1 Emerald and 2 Emerald cut Diamonds.


Platinum Solitaire Cathedral style ring with 2ct Diamond


Same ring as above but with channel set Diamonds and a Pink Sapphire center stone


White Gold Bypass style ring with 2 Bezel set Diamonds


Yellow Gold Free Form Channel set Diamond Ring


White Gold Bypass Ring with Bezel set Peridot center.


White Gold Ring with Yellow Gold Celtic Knot.


I like this one, White Gold Ring with Bezel set Peridot Ring.


A Platinum Vintage style Ring with an Alexandrite center and Diamonds (really need to re-render this, too dark)


Here's a shaded wire model of the ring above:


A couple fun renders:




And to finish it off.... THE first ring I shall be doing as a small run!!! I'm sure a couple of you guys will know what this is... came from a box of Craker Jacks


:-)

- Jeff

27 days and counting!!! EEEEEEEP!!!! It's a MAD dash to have everything ready and finished for Halloween.. for this is the year of:


Yup! The Rocketeer!!!!

This has been an on and off again project for almost 2 years!!! So far I have:

- The jacket... KICKASS!!!! but since it's made to be a real jacket it gets pretty hot wearing it around! Made from original patterns of the Hero Jacket!


The Helmet- well actually 2 of them! One is a resin helmet pulled from a Hero helmet and the other is a full Brass metal helmet from MR.


The Rocket Pack- a resin pack with some metal parts. I'm waiting on the last couple of parts to finish and then paint it


Today I bought the leather for the main Harness for the rocket pack. I made a pattern from ref. pics of the screen used packs.



The Gloves and Control Gauntlets- I hand made the Control Gauntlets based on some great ref. pictures from a fellow Finhead that owns the Hero's! These are actually my prototypes that i sold last year, I'm making more accurate ones right now.


The Pants- Are currently being custom made for me and should have them in about a week!!!

The Boots- The main thorn in my side... there are replica boots available but are $500+ and won't get here in time. I'm talking to 1 boot maker but he's been flakey... and I ordered a backup pair which HOPEFULLY get here a few days before the 31st!!!


This has always been one of my dream costumes since I was a kid! But if only I would have known what a MONEY PIT this particular costume is turning out to be! It will be my $$$$$$ costume to date, even more than my Colonial Marine (the Pulse Rifle ended up at $1K alone!), more than both my Ghostbuster costumes and way more than any of my SW or Ren. Faire costumes!!!

The Rocketpack Kit alone was a little over $1000
Metal Detail Parts of the Pack: $100
Resin Helmet Kit: $200
Brass Helmet $300
Jacket: $350 on sale normally $600
Custom made pants $100
Boots: $200, or $185, or $500 depending on where I end up getting them
Leather for main harness and tools to make it $260
Flight Gloves $50
Leather for Control Gauntlets $75
Broomhandled Mauser replica gun $75
*HOPEFULLY the top correct buckle for the harness- trying to get one for $200 VERY, VERY RARE

That's about $2,700.00 for a complete costume....pretty scarry huh? eeep!!!!

My bank account will be VERY HAPPY when this is all finished!

- Jeff

It's been awhile, haven't had much time to get out onto my bench :-( . BUT I have been messing around on the CAD program. I'm working on a design for one of our good clients at work who has a HUGE princess cut Tanzanite that she wants to mount into a pendant. The problem is, colored stones are usually much deeper than Diamonds, so it's harder to design around with such a large stone. Here's a couple versions of a design I've been messing with:





I'm not totally finished with this one, I rendered it on a lower setting to test it out. I still need to go in and add the prongs to the Diamonds. I was trying to.... but ended up crashing the program due to the amount of math is was trying to compute... d'ooh!



- Jeff

Just a 'lil Bling!

Well I picked up my pieces today from the fair, as I mentioned I placed 3rd in the Hand made Chain category:



And... low and behold... I also won the Coordinator's Award on another one of my pieces!!! I got a cool Trophy and $100!!!


The Gem and Mineral Society of San Diego are the people that run the Jewelry and Gem show at the fair, so out of over 100 entries, I won! The head of the Society selected it as the winner, which is an honor considering the people I was up against!

And to top off a great day, I also got this little guy in the mail: "'Ello!"


The little worm from Labyrinth, it was made by a VERY talented artist, she has a cool website with lots of neat masks and things! Check it out!:
http://www.eyefeather.com/index.html

- Jeff