Bespeak Softly; Sale Down Under

[VapidLapid]

The email announcing Doug Menadue having a sale came yesterday, and despite having bought more non essentials than I really ought,
I surrendered to the carnage. Carnelian that is, the other red meat. Silly con Carne
50% off .

 

[chrono]

How large is your slab of red meat? No other temptations?

 

[VapidLapid]

7.6 carrots
9 x 15 x 5 mm

There is a black spinel that is calling to me like the Sirens, but I must be strong since just the day before yesterday I fell for a red spinel.

 

[LD]

Oooooooo it reminds me of a sweetie! Yummy!

I love carnelian and use it in a lot of my jewellery.

Now then VL - resist the temptation, you know you can do it, you can, you really can, well you can if you want to, but maybe on this occasion, well actually you haven't bought that much and you can still afford food, so go on ............. do it!

 

[FrekeChild]

Chile con carne!

 

[corundum_conundrum]

please say that you plan to make it into a signet ring.

 

[minousbijoux]

VL: you didn't ask, but I'll tell you black spinel does nothing for me. [But since you didn't ask, just ignore me ] But tell us about the red spinel! You can't just drop a little gem like that into the conversation and expect us to ignore it (hah hah, get it?!!)

 

[NKOTB]

Muy caliente!

 

[innerkitten]

please say that you plan to make it into a signet ring.

Yes! That would be perfect.

 

[JewelFreak]

Signet, yes! I love carnelian too. Good boy for rolling over for that one.

Nothing tempted me -- it's been a while since Doug had new stuff on his site. I'm looking forward to his new things. I always hem & haw over his sage quartz -- his cutting is so great. He had a pair of octagon smoky quartz(es?) a while ago that whimpered to come home with me, but with brown hair, I didn't think they'd show up much as earrings. Still mourn for them, though.

--- Laurie

 

[VapidLapid]

Thanks for the enthusiasm! I wasnt sure if a silicon carne would go over well here. It is going to have an intaglio image carved into both sides. It may well go in a ring, on of those with a rivet hings at each side so the stone can flip over. But then too it may end up in a pendant. The 9 x 15 proportion is a bit awkward for a signet. I would really want something 11 x 14 for that. But if the image ends up being in landscape orientation then it could work saddle ring style. Otherwise it could be a vertical image and then would be a pendant.

Minous, I can't say much about the spinel until it gets here, and it has an ocean to cross. I will say it is big (at least by my standards), a bright yet saturated crimson red, eye clean+ and Tanzanian!

 

[minousbijoux]

Minous, I can't say much about the spinel until it gets here, and it has an ocean to cross. I will say it is big (at least by my standards), a bright yet saturated crimson red, eye clean+ and Tanzanian!

Wow, and here I thought you liked me, but instead TORTURE...

Incidentally, I love the idea of intaglio - will you do that too? How cool is that?!

 

[chrono]

VL,
Are you planning to make your own setting for this carnelian too? It's always so interesting to see what you come up with, then execute. Can't wait to see this spinel too.

 

[VapidLapid]

Chrono, I've been saving jewelry photos from Christie's and Sotheby's Antiquities auctions so have lots of ideas and models for inspiration...so yes I am thinking to make this. and carve the intaglio as well. Minous, the card I sent you last month was an intaglio print, not the same kind of treatment I would do in the stone, but not something that is too intimidating. Here is a nice video from the Getty Museum showing the process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgTpGASqrKY

 

[chrono]

Woah! And you are confident of pulling this off successfully? I know it would be a disaster for me to even begin such a task. You are indeed talented!

 

[minousbijoux]

I have tremendous respect for someone who continues to push himself. It looks like fun - hard fun, but fun. I really look forward to your design because I'm sure it will be up to your usual standards of uniqueness, if that's not an oxymoron.

...and thanks for my card; I very much liked it and will go take another look now. From that perspective, aren't all prints that carve away surface material considered intaglio?

 

[VapidLapid]

No. the scratches, and grooves of intaglio hold the ink to make the image. the paper gets squished into the lines by the pressure and pulls out the ink image. Other methods where the plate is carved away, like wood block, linoleum etc., the ink sits on top of the remaining surface. Those are not intaglio. with gem carving, a stone cut in bas relief, like a cameo is not intaglio.

 

[minousbijoux]

Thank you for your clarification. So are all intaglio stones originally intended as seals or stamps? It seems that the ones I see most often are the heads of some emperor types and scarabs, if you can call the scarabs intaglio as opposed to just carved stone.

 

[JewelFreak]

VL, I can't wait to see what you do with that piece. What a process! Thanks for linking to the video, really interesting. I admire anybody with the courage, let alone the skill, to do that; fine motor skills were left out of my DNA. Would love to see a video of you doing the work!

--- Laurie