...until you take flight...

it's been a while since i have done a post about my process. i was very excited about this bracelet so i took photos as i went. i am realizing that a bracelet is an excellent canvas for stories, for a progression. first i drew the above picture, to scale, ready to be glued onto silver.

i forgot to get a picture after i pierced out the birds, but here is the back, with the solder ready to go. it probably seems like a lot of solder, but it's necessary.

and here are the tiny little pieces that have to be soldered on separately.

here it is, all soldered.

this is the back.

then i hammered it on the mandrel to shape it.

then i heated it up to anneal it and hammered it some more. i repeated that process several times.

then i oxidized the entire piece, hand-buffed the raised areas, and...

the "until you take flight" bracelet.

this bracelet represents a progression, from a little bird who is resisting flying...

to a bird that is considering it, but hesitating...

to a bird that is poised and ready to go...

to a bird that has launched...

to one that is soaring...

...you never know how high you can soar until you take flight...

so where are you in this progression? are you resisting? do you have a reason for not wanting to fly? are you afraid? or are you considering flying, but just not sure if you're ready? or are you ready? ready, poised, but just need a little push, something to encourage you? or, have you launched? launched, but still nervous, flying low to the ground? or have you done it? have you made it through all of those stages and now you're really soaring? you finally made it?