Soy Foam Caps and Jeweler's Hands

It’s Sunday morning! Before I get into work mode, I'm enjoying some down time at a little cafe in Glen Park. I've got my laptop and a yummy, iced soy cappuccino. The barista here kindly asked if I’d like the foam on top. Is there really any other way? A consistent disappointment in my life has been the foamless iced cappuccino. Needless to say, despite all the war, AI slop, and the ruinous global effects of greed and capitalism, my life is not too bad right now.

My forearms and fingers have been hurting though. I've been scrolling way too much on Instagram and dropped my phone on my face once this week already. Admittedly, it was not the first time. I have also strained my right pointer and middle finger from excessive swiping. All this hand strain is definitely not helping me in my side quest to become a jeweler. I made a makeshift jewelry studio in the nook to the side of my kitchen, and I am finally using all the tools I have amassed over the last two years. I've been taking an online course in Celtic Jewelry making!

Somewhere in my mind, I’ve made up that I want to be a jeweler. But it’s honestly proving to be a very difficult task. I can't quite saw straight lines or clean corners yet. I have a crazy amount of self-afflicted performance pressure about it all. So, as I sit here in this cafe, typing this blog entry while kneading the knots in my forearms, I have to wonder… Will I make it? Do I have the tenacity to see this dream through? Does my body have the strength?

One thing I learned in my class is that you need the right equipment and strength. I could see my teacher's strong arms as she hammered and forged a torc from a thick brass wire. A task that neither my arms, tiny peen hammer, nor micro-torch had the fire power to do. So basically, I need to have stronger arms, a bigger hammer, and a jumbo-torch for this kind of work.

The class has been a bit too taxing on my hands, but also my wallet is taking a hit. The cost for metal sheets alone is making it difficult to just practice and that's been frustrating. I feel stuck. I’m trying to reflect on the moments where the cost of materials didn’t matter as much as the creative process, moments when I was locked into making. It happens when I’m carving.

When I was carving my first lost wax casted ring out of blue Ferris wax, the wax became translucent as I'd peel and scoop away the layers. It feels quite satisfying, like a wonderful reveal. I had a similar moment when creating my first bezel set cabochon ring. I created a flower shaped backing. I tried to dome the petals, but I didn’t know how to achieve this since I had already soldered the whole piece onto the band. So, I domed what I could without messing up the band and then went in with mini needle files. It was heavenly to work with those teeny files, and something just clicked. Just shave, shave, shaving off those layers of silver felt so therapeutic, every angle and curve of the petals precisely controlled with each stroke of the file. It can be achieved much faster with a Kraus burr and rotary tool, but I've found that doing it by hand is way more satisfying.

So, what next? You know I’m not one to leave without some sort of next step or challenge...

1. Get micro needles

2. Strengthen my arms

3. Limit time on Instagram

4. Find a way to keep practicing and making jewelry without the fancy materials

5. Carve something

Until my next cappuccino!

-Lydia

Blog Mentions

Bello Cafe
http://bello.coffee
2885 Diamond St, San Francisco, CA 94131

☕She likes the foamy iced cappuccinos and the rose mint or white coconut iced tea.

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash