Approach The Bench

I've been soaking up culture

2009-06-02T08:21:00.001-04:00

It was time. After seventeen years, I finally got back to Europe, this time, to Italy. My old college chum (nicknamed Fuzz) and I took a week long jaunt in Tuscany and the Venice. My interest in architectural detail resulted in the taking of 960 photographs, which I have whittled all the way down to 954. Will these details resurface in my metal work? Stay tuned...

Family Crest Jewelry

2009-05-30T07:58:00.000-04:00

I really enjoy making heraldic jewelry. I've just completed this piece for a nice woman to give to her husband. They have a tightly knit family and I'm sure that he will wear it with pride.

Nearly ready!

2009-05-09T15:54:00.002-04:00

After a bit more smoothing with the chasing tools, this will be ready for coloring in a bath of salts. The background will be a deep olive, The squids will be bright white and subdued brown. Their eyes will be bright. Now to make the rest of the pendant!

Work In Progress: Deep Water Dance

2009-05-09T15:16:00.001-04:00

I have begun a new piece depicting a couple of squid dancing in dark deep water.

Here you can see the rough carving of the silver and copper squid. They are applied to the shibuichi background.

Several hours shows some nice progress.

a few thousand taps with a specially made set of tools will bring the surfaces up nicely. A little engraving adds depth to the watery background.

Difficult to see are the inlayed gold and silver eyes in the swimmers.

Men's Adornment

2009-05-09T10:27:00.002-04:00

I can't get over how beautifully made these knives are. They are truly bling for men. The first one in our collection just left for it's new home in the pocket of a Gentleman.

Kiting friends

2009-05-09T10:24:00.002-04:00

The Cape Cod Wahines... a women's watersport club on the Cape, has been asking me for years to make a kite boarding charm, because none seem to exist. Well I have been thinking about it for years, but I haven't come up with a kite and board combination that I like. I began thinking about the nature of the Wahines and their great spirit of togetherness. I suddenly saw the solution in showing the kites alone, cruising along together, just a couple of friends on a windy afternoon. Hence, the Kiting Friends charm.

Pleased to Announce... William Henry Knives!

2009-04-15T19:05:00.002-04:00

We have been selected to show the artistic knives made in the William Henry Studio in Oregon. I have about twelve superb pocket knives and a couple of pens made by this award winning studio. These are truly adornment for men. I've always thought that a fellow isn't dressed unless he has his pocket knife with him. William Henry knives range from fairly conservative to rich with ornamental metalwork. They are priced from around $400 to $1500 and are always made in small editions to keep collectors on their toes. I highly reccomend stopping in for a look at these top of the line gifts for men!

Going to the dogs....

2009-04-15T07:59:00.002-04:00

The latest dog portrait is the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I think the dachshund will be next.

Octopus

2009-04-03T15:59:00.000-04:00

My wife, Barb, creates some very interesting pieces. This octopus has a pearl for a head. She made one covered in diamonds once. I wish i had a picture of it.

Pooch Portraiture

2009-04-03T14:47:00.000-04:00

Many people have asked for portraits of their dogs. Here is a Cocker Spaniel. In the 1980's, the Dutch and Belgian champion Rottweiler sat for me, to have his portrait fashioned in gold with a diamond collar. His name was Ettore and he wanted to eat me. His owner, a successful breeder, held him at the end of a broad leather strap. He was rumored to have cost his owner 40k. I worked very quickly that day and lived to tell about it.

Wedding Band for an Ocean lover or a Surfer

2009-04-03T14:44:00.000-04:00

I made a band that is covered in stylized waves. It is done in the style of some Japanese graphics. This was made for a surfer couple.

I love the colors

2009-04-02T10:33:00.000-04:00

There is something exotic, something mideastern about the combination of tourquoise and gold. It seems to have that ancient treasure look, like something that grandfather brought back from his business dealings on the other hemisphere back in the twenties.

It's a Dog's Life.

2009-03-17T14:20:00.004-04:00

This is an icon of dog culture. If you have an elegant pet that is close to your heart, you might like to have it's initial engraved on this fancy engraved heirloom dogbone. The lowly dogbone has been elevated to high art and it awaits personalization for your favorite canine personality!

The Nantucket Sweetheart Basket

2009-03-11T14:39:00.002-04:00

This is a sweetheart of a piece for a Nantucket lover. I carved a new Nantucket Basket. It is of a good size and is heart shaped. It could make a nice Valentine present or a special gift for yourself. I left room on top for engraved initials and room inside for a secret romantic inscription.

Shoes that always fit.

2009-03-11T14:32:00.002-04:00

Barb and I have had fun making a number of shoe charms. I just completed the deck shoes to the right and Barb finished the water clog on the far right. We have made others... flippers, sneakers, even feet themselves. People like 'em!

Chianti

2009-02-27T15:52:00.002-05:00

Our family cottage was also enjoyed by many other families in the 1970's and some of those people started to crowd the mantlepiece with empty Chianti bottles. Some sported candles in the neck and were dribbled with wax. One year, my Mom thought enough was enough and they all went. Eighteen of them. My Dad saved one, the biggest chianti bottle he had ever seen on this side of the Atlantic. It is a gallon size, covered in straw wrap and dribbled with three colors of candle wax. It still lives in the attic, a relic of good times had by dozens of people vacationing in Chatham. This is my Chianti bottle charm.

Lucky Stones

2009-02-27T15:50:00.001-05:00

These are my lucky stones, deeply etched with the outline of the Cape. I think they look nice in a pile, but they are meant to be worn one at a time, of course.

Thanks

2009-02-27T15:11:00.002-05:00

I'd just like to say thank you to our clients, from all over the world, who have chosen us to be their "home town" jeweler. Chatham is a special place and we try to live up to that specialness by working a little harder, giving a little more and doing a finer job than your average jewelry studio. We are busy cooking up a few surprises for this coming Summer that we hope will make you happy. I'm going to keep adding photos of work in progress for you, but I look forward to seeing you all in person this Summer. Thanks again, Steve.

Just For Fun, The Chameleon

2009-02-12T14:33:00.002-05:00

This is a neck slide that I carved showing a proper Chameleon gripping a small branch. The fun is seeing the small bug hiding under the leaf in the lower right of the photo. Sometimes I feel like the bug.

The Traditional

2009-02-12T14:31:00.002-05:00

The Trad lives!.... traditional boating shoes, made in yellow gold with White gold (of course) soles. Celebrate your New England roots with our new deck shoes charms. I had fun engineering these. All of the details are packed into this small package. We've got 'em in your size!

Striper jewelry

2009-02-06T15:27:00.002-05:00

Who says we never make jewelry for men? Here is a little striper I engraved and made as a tie bar in sterling silver.

Mermaid Engraving

2009-01-13T15:58:00.002-05:00

This is a little (1.25") engraving on brass of a mermaid combing her hair with a fish skeleton. I'm not sure what I'm doing with it, but I thought I would take it out of my sketchbook and put it on metal. Perhaps I can be comfortable with leaving it unapplied to a jewelry function. I'll keep both of my readers posted.

Showcases, Part 2

2009-01-13T09:54:00.001-05:00

These are the newer showcases, just completed this last year by Dana and Doug at Crown woodworking. I obsessed for months about the design of the legs, building maquets and a full size drawing before handing it over to these two wood masters. The end result is a very pleasing combination of Art Nouveau and Queen Anne style wrapped around solid function.

About our Showcases (You asked!)

2009-01-13T09:07:00.002-05:00

I've had a few inquiries about where I found my showcases. Well, I didn't find them, I designed them and worked with a couple of cabinetry artists here in Chatham to make these. The Cherry is from my Dad's back yard. I delivered a clay maquet and full size drawings to their studio. They took months to make and it took me much longer to make the money to cover the price of their manufacture. They are a source of pride here, and make our studio very civilized.

Clam Bucket

2009-01-13T09:01:00.001-05:00

Here is a gold clamming bucket, complete with a load of clams. Meatballs from the sea, the wily bivalve, cherry stones or quahogs, the clam is the elusive prey of many. Clamming is not only a rather Zen way to spend an afternoon, but it puts dinner on the table.