Jewelry Portfolio

Anne Courie-Meulink2009

IntroductionThis slide presentation will introduce the

viewer to the world of jewelry making and design, including an overview of

materials used in my most recent work. All of the jewelry pieces shown were hand fabricated by me, Anne Courie-Meulink, during my many wonderful

years as a studio artist at Goldworks.

*Photos of workspaces and raw materials were borrowed from the world wide web.

About ME and My Work

After graduating from ECU with a BFA in Metal Design and a minor in weaving I began working as a goldsmith in a repair shop. I worked in repair until 1992 when I happened into a shop called Goldworks in Brightleaf Square in downtown Durham. This shop is owned by a wife and husband team, Wren and Ted Hendrickson, who create their own custom jewelry in a studio in their home. I was hired on the spot and began learning how to hone my fabrication skills and given free reign to create my own work.

With each piece new ideas would spring forth that I would add as improvements to the next piece. I could and will work a lifetime and never get all the ideas I have in my head out there

in the world. Too many ideas, too little time.

In Spring 2007 I began to contemplate my life and the path and direction it was in and where I wanted to be next. I had a successful career as a goldsmith and knew the skills I had would be mine as long as I could hold a pair of pliers and wield a torch. I entered the Art education program at NCCU to earn my teaching license.

Now I am happy to have had many wonderful years of studio work and life experience and am ready to give back the love and joy of creating to future generations of artists.

Jewelers Workbench

Jewelers have a specially designed workbench and create jewelry using many different types of tools. Some of the tools are pliers, files, hammers, calipers, saws, and a torch that runs on a mix of oxygen and propane.

Jewelry making MaterialsJewelry can be made of almost any materials. Here are some of the materials I

use when making my jewelry; 18k and 22k gold sheet, wire and tubing, sterling silver, precious and semiprecious stones in many shapes and sizes.

Colors of GoldThe karat system is a measurement used to reveal the amount of pure

gold found in an item. 24 karat (24K) gold is pure gold.While pure gold is yellow in color, gold can also appear to have other

colors. These colors are generally obtained by alloying gold with other

elements in various proportions.Alloys which are mixed 14 parts gold to 10 parts alloy create 14 Karat

gold, 18 parts gold to 6 parts alloy creates 18 Karat, 22 parts gold to 4 parts alloy creates 22 Karat and so on.

There are hundreds of possible alloys and mixtures possible, but in general the addition of silver will color gold green, and the addition of copper will color it red. A mix of around 50/50 copper and silver gives the range of yellow gold alloys the public is accustomed to seeing in the marketplace.

Precious GemsGemstones that are highly valued fall into this category. Diamonds,

Sapphires, Rubies and Emeralds top the list.

Semi-Precious GemstonesStones in this category include topaz, tourmaline, moonstone, garnet, and

quartz just to name a few.

Rings with both Precious and Semi-Precious Stones

OpalsOpals are found in Australia and Mexico. They

come in a wide range of colors. Some different types of opals are white opals, black opals, boulder opals and fire opals.

Pearls

Pearls come in many different shapes and sizes. Some of the many kinds of pearls are; button pearls, sea pearls, mummy pearls, blister pearls, rice pearls and black pearls.

Pearls

FossilsJewelry can be made using many

different materials. These earrings are made of 18 & 22 Karat gold, pearls,

gemstones and fossils.

Drusy QuartzDrusy (sometimes referred to as:

druse, druzy) is a layer of tiny quartz crystals that form on a host stone. The cavity inside a geode is sometimes filled with drusy quartz crystals. Craftsmen can add a fume of platinum, gold or titanium to color the crystals.

Conclusion

Along with the materials shown in this presentation jewelry can be made from found objects such as paper,

wood, bone, glass, ceramics, plastics, and much more. If you can dream it you can make it. It is fun to create

jewelry, and it does not have to cost a lot to be beautiful and functional. I hope I have inspired viewers to learn

the art of jewelry making. I look forward to seeing future creations!