This fun short film shows 0-10 inches of snow falling over an evening – in just one minute.
by Scott Burton photography
Category: Blog
Silver Snowflakes
This lovely little snowflake was not formed in a cloud being whisked around as I described a few days ago. But it was made carefully from sterling silver – hand cut with my jewellers saw. Each snowflake I have made this winter is totally unique and there are only three left. Here is one of them – click the image to see more detail and to find more.
Falling Snow
“Falling Snow”
Author Unknown
See the pretty snowflakes,
Falling from the sky;
On the wall and housetops,
Soft and thick they lie.
On the window ledges,
On the branches bare;
Now how fast they gather,
Filling all the air.
Look into the garden,
Where the grass was green;
Covered by the snowflakes,
Not a blade is seen.
Now the bare black bushes,
All look soft and white,
Every twig is laden,
What a pretty sight!
The Science of Snowflakes
Snowflakes are such an iconic image for the wintertime, unsurprisingly, because they are so beautifully formed and delicate and really are one of the many wonders of nature. But how are they formed? Are they really so symmetrical and intricate?
Well it seems so! I’m going to describe to you how a snowflake forms in simple terms (because let’s not forget I’m a jeweller with a love for science and not the other way round).
Each snowflake starts as a tiny droplet in a cloud which freezes as the temperature drops. This miniature drop of ice is surrounded by water vapour inside the cloud and this vapour starts to condense and freeze on the droplet’s surface in a hexagonal pattern. As it grows it starts to sprout branches from each of the sides.
Then as the temperature inside the cloud changes and the newly forming snowflake is whisked around, the growth of the branches speeds up and slows down – depending on the temperature it is exposed to. This is what forms the patterns in the branches, the branches match because each branch was exposed to the same conditions at the same time.
So the snowflake is a beautiful symmetrical formed inside a cloud and the unique conditions it was exposed to. Pretty amazing!
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Gravity
This is awesome.
by Filip Piskorzynski
Love Junkie Necklace
One of my top recommendations for Valentines’ Day, the ‘Love Junkie’ necklace is inspired by the hormone phenethylamine which is the hormone of love. Click the photo for more info – or if you are looking for something for your man then try these Love Junkie cufflinks .
Love itself…
“Love itself is what is left over when being “in love” has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.”
? Louis de Bernières
Dopamine Ring
Valentines’ Around the World
Valentines’ Day is becoming more popular across the globe, but do you know how it is celebrated in other countries?
I spent a few years in Korea and that is where I first heard of the different days for men and women to give and receive gifts. It is now customary in Korea that the 14th day of every month has some kind of significance although most people only celebrate three of them. On Valentines’ Day (Feb 14th) Korean women give gifts, mainly chocolate, to men. The following month (March 14th) it is ‘White Day’ and this is when men are expected to reciprocate and give gifts to the women. Next is April 14th ‘Black Day’, this is the day when groups of single people (mostly women) get together and eat black noodles (a Korean/Chinese dish called jajangmyun) and complain about being single!
The Japanese were the first to come up with the Valentines + White Day custom but they don’t have the other days for every month like the Koreans do.
In Finland the day focuses much less on lovers and more on friends, it wouldn’t be strange to give your friends a gift to remind them you care.
Last year in Malaysia authorities were desperately trying to stop any Valentines’ Day celebrations in the largely Muslim county, with officials worrying that it encouraged immoral behavior. Police carried out raids on hotels looking for unmarried couples sharing rooms, the BBC reported over 80 arrests were made on Feb 14th 2011.
In India, despite being the home of the Karmasutra, celebrating is largely frowned upon. Public displays of affection are considered taboo and so Valentines’ Day is too.
So how do you celebrate where you are? Do you celebrate at all?
Phenethylamine Ring
Sound Wave Jewellery
I just adore this idea for jewellery from 1234lab.
Using digital recordings the team have created physical and wearable sound. Imagine the possibilities and the hidden meanings in this jewellery. Speech alone must have so many different and unique patterns that could be mapped and created. Fabulous.
Bikes – Crashing into love. A short film.
by Raoul Paulet
Love Junkie Gifts
“Love Junkie” ring! Perfect for any ladies that are crazy in love or are loved like crazy!
The front shows the molecule phenylethlamine – which is the hormone that makes us act a bit strange when we first fall for that special person. Handmade from sterling silver. Click for more info.
Romantic Love – What is Chemistry in Love?
Engrossed in Romantic Love?
Imagine how you feel when you first fall for someone. Easily distracted? Singing or humming to yourself? Daydreaming and smiling so much that you get funny looks on the bus!? Well that’s probably PEA at work giving you that amazing natural high.
Of course, when you are in love the brain is swimming in chemicals and there are other guys we can thank for our feelings too, dopamine and serotonin are highly present, testosterone also brings lust and even adrenaline helps with that ‘butterflies in your stomach’ feeling. Oxytocin is what develops to create lasting bonds. But I think PEA gets overlooked and it has a role to play too. And a there’s a very noteworthy buzz to be had from it.
What is Phenylethylamine?
PEA is phenylethylamine; a neurotransmitter which controls some of your feelings associated with love and lust. The feeling you get from PEA is what I would describe as intoxication, it’s often highly present in the bloodstream of new lovers and really influences your feelings towards that special person that you can’t get out of your brain.
It has been described as the “molecule of love” because when it is in action in your brain you will feel euphoric, you feel like you are floating on air.
Not in love? Not to worry, did you know that chocolate also contains PEA? Although it is disputed whether or not eating chocolate will boost PEA in the brain, something tells me there are many of us out there who would testify to the buzz it brings us!
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Adrenaline
EnteRing, InjuRing & RecoveRing.
Narrative Jewelry Chapter 1: EnteRing (entering) / InjuRing (injuring)
This ring has two names, because they both fit the story for this tongue in cheek creation. Mounted on the silver band is a very non-precious stone, in fact it was a part of the road up until the point that my boyfriend launched himself onto it from the seat of his motorbike. At this point the stone entered and injured his arm (and stayed there for longer than advisable).
The silver band has a scratched/damaged look – much like the motorbike did after said incident.
Enter
vb
1. to come or go into (a particular place) he entered the room,
Injure
vb (-juring, -jured)
1. to hurt physically or mentally,
2. to do wrong to (a person), esp. by an injustice, the injured party,
3. to damage, an opportunity to injure your reputation…*
Narrative Jewelry Chapter 2: RecoveRing (recovering)
As I mentioned above, the stone lingered, resulting in a minor hospital visit and a short course of antibiotics. Hence: recovering. And he is fine by the way!
Recover
vb
1. (of a person) to regain health, spirits, or composure,
2. to regain a former and better condition…*
See other Red HerRings;
Tiring Remembering Heartstrings Hard-of-hearing Enduring Firing
*Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Freebie!
One of these lovely pieces will be given away very soon, click the image to enter and be in with a chance of owning some Emily Alice Jewellery. Good luck!
Holiday Promotions
I’m getting excited about the holidays! This year I’ve decided to run some promotions (mostly through my Facebook page so come and join to get ready for giveaways!) but I’ll be sharing some here too. First off a $20 off coupon for all jewellery in my store. Use the code EMILYALICE20 until the 19th of November 2011 to grab your bargain. Stay tuned for my first ever giveaway too! Click the image to go to my store.
Beautiful Seoul
This wonderful film by Oh Choong Young from Ray Gallery shows Seoul, South Korea using time lapse photography. So beautifully composed. It makes me miss Korea!
www.raygallery.org
New Adrenaline Designs
The Chain Reactions: Adrenaline collection, is now finished. Here are the new designs available in the store. Each piece is handmade from sterling silver and is blackened to give a bold finish. As with all pieces in the chain reactions collection the shapes are abstract interpretations of the molecular structure of the neurotransmitter adrenaline (epinephrine) C9H13NO3.
Spinning Threads into Gold
I recently visited an exhibition at the Bangkok Arts and Culture center which I really enjoyed. The artist, Surasi Kusolwong, had collected a large amount of threads and strips of material to cover an area of the gallery floor. The threads were piled up and guests were welcome to remove their shoes and enter the soft and inviting exhibit.
After my friend and I had rolled around for a while we went to read the artists description of the piece and discovered that there were six gold chains hidden somewhere in the mass of threads, and if you found one it was yours. Suddenly my whole perspective had changed (maybe I was sitting on one?!). As it turned out, I wasn’t sitting on one, or I couldn’t see it if I was and it was much more entertaining to watch others discover the concept and start digging. One woman was methodically working from one side to the other leaving discarded mounds behind her, and others had found a space for an afternoon nap.
On the day I visited there were 3 out of 6 gold chains left in the installation, I wonder if they will all be found before the end of the exhibition. I hope that Mrs Methodical finds one if only for her tenacity!
Adreanaline: A sneak preview.
I’m redesigning my adrenaline jewellery range, its not finished yet but here is a peek at the new earrings for you. Sterling silver with a black finish to echo the strength and power that adrenaline brings. As with all the pieces from the Chain Reactions Collection the shape of the jewellery is based on the molecular structure of the hormone, in this case, adrenaline.
Want to see more? Check outDopamine, Serotonin or Phenethylamine.
Casting Ingots
Sunny Side of the Street
Can’t get this out of my head, so I’ll share my good mood!
Greener Jewellery – Vinegar vs. Citric Acid.
It’s time to switch from a strong chemical pickle in my workshop to a more friendly alternative which has less impact on the environment and is easier to dispose of. Now the question is what is my best alternative?
I have heard that people are using vinegar with salt, or citric acid, instead of the usual jewellers’ choice; sodium bisulphate. This afternoon I did a quick experiment to see which gives the best results in the shortest time.
I used this recipe that I found for the vinegar solution: 1 cup of white vinegar with 1 tablespoon of salt. I dissolved the citric acid powder in warm water until it was saturated.
I had some large silver jump rings to solder so I set up a bowl of hot citric acid and a bowl of hot vinegar solution.
After quenching my jump rings I put one in each pickle solution and waited.
Of course it took longer than the sodium bisulphate but after a couple of minutes it was clear that the vinegar was cleaning the silver quicker.
Ten minutes later and these were the results. I tried the test again in the interest of fairness and found the same.
Vinegar wins! Anyone know of anything better?
Beautiful Boxes!
I just received my newly made packaging from my supplier and I’m so pleased with the results. Here are some pictures of my jewellery boxes, they are covered in a soft dark brown velvet with a cream coloured lining. I think my jewellery will be very happy in these boxes. Thanks to Maleeja for such a great service and letting me meet her at her house to discuss designs.
Batch Produced Silver ‘Molecule’ Cufflinks
I’ve recently applied to have some of the work I sell online certified as handmade through the website I sell on, and I thought I would share some of my batch production images here. I’d say these cufflinks are my best sellers so I often make mini batches to have on hand at busy times. And to be honest I love seeing all the matching pairs and sets lined up in unison!
Firing
I’m itching to get a new workshop set up, but until then I have been playing about on my computer with some images. This is a new addition to my ‘Red HerRing’ collection. Meet FiRing. This very short animation (15seconds!) is made from a sequence of fast fire, still photographs using my camera firing cord, and a hefty chunk of time for this not so tech savvy silversmith!
FiRing from Emily Alice on Vimeo.
Snapshot of Cambodia
Motorbikes and Conical Hats
A small selection of images from Vietnam, click on each image to move to the next. Thanks for looking, :) Emily.
A Friendly Face in Vietnam
I met this lady on the beach in Vietnam, her massage station was set up close to where we had settled for our couple of days on the beach. Her days are busy with plenty of tourists unable to resist a $3 massage on the beach, and as she works she flashes smiles our way and always shouts us greetings in the morning.
As the sun is setting on another busy day she comes over to our sun beds to chat as she winds down. Since the sun is setting she has removed her conical hat that she wears for most of the day and is just enjoying the peace of the evening.
We chat for a while and I tune into her accented English and in a handful of words she proudly tells us her story. She has been working on the beach for many years since her son was a baby, when she first started she made very little money and her son lingered with her while she tried to work.
Now, she says, “Money, no problem, no problem” waving one hand in the air, all the while her other hand is deftly and absentmindedly massaging my boyfriends foot and popping his toes with ease and comfort. As she beams and massages she tells us repeatedly with such pride that now her son is going to school and she owns not one but 2 motorcycles! One for her and one for her son. We cannot help but smile and become infected with her joy, I snapped this photo whilst thinking it was one of the nicest moments of the trip so far.
The Honking Chain
After spending some time in Vietnam you come to realize that one thing is pretty inescapable, the constant honking of horns is everywhere. I feel though, that I may have figured out the honking etiquette, it seems to me like the food chain.
The large vehicles (buses and trucks) honk at everything smaller than them. Vans, mini buses and cars honk at the motorbikes, the motorbikes honk at each other and the bicycles. The bicycles get out of the way.
Pretty simple, although you should consider the following rules of the game too:
• Honk if you decide to drive on the wrong side of the road at a fast pace on a blind corner.
• Honk if you see an animal.
•Honk if you see an unattended motorcycle – better safe than sorry.
•Honk regularly. It’s for the best.
•Honk before overtaking anything.
• Find your own honking rhythm. Ten honks in quick succession is not unacceptable, especially if you are transporting a coach load of people through the night on a sleeper bus.
•Honk on a boat at Halong Bay – well why not?
Please feel free to add your own rules if I’ve missed any!
Courtesy of Karen (through twitter):
•Honk at a temple! (mostly in Bali but I think it fits in Vietnam too) Thanks :)
Withering
Nature did most of the work for me on this ring. Made from sterling silver, a tulip and a little time. Just conceptual really but it fits the description.
with·er
/?w?ð?r/
–verb (used without object)
1.
to shrivel; fade; decay: The grapes had withered on the vine.
2.
to lose the freshness of youth, as from age (often fol. by away ).
–verb (used with object)
3.
to make flaccid, shrunken, or dry, as from loss of moisture; cause to lose freshness, bloom, vigor, etc.: The drought withered the buds.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2011.
Hard-of-hearing
This silver ring is a handmade miniature ear trumpet mounted on a silver band.
Hard-of-hearing
-adj
a) deaf or partly deaf
b) ( as collective noun; preceded by the ): the hard of hearing
Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Remembering
RemembeRing. This square ring is made from silver with magnets set inside the boxed top. Interchangeable steel faces have different messages for the wearer.
Remember /r??m?mb?/verb
1 [with object] have in or be able to bring to one’s mind an awareness of (someone or something from the past)
2 [with infinitive] do something that one has undertaken to do or that is necessary or advisable:did you remember to post the letters?
Copyright © 2010 Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
Enduring
Each side of this ring is enduring the other. With an equal number of nails pushed through and pressing against the top and bottom of the ring it really is a test of endurance. The two ring parts are made from sterling silver and the nails are made from copper. In this image I left the nails with an oxidized finish. I like the balance of the clean white silver, and the rusty looking nails that must be endured.
enduring [?n?dj??r??]
adj
1. permanent; lasting
2. having forbearance; long-suffering
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003
Heartstrings
Heartstrings is a unusually shaped ring, with red strings running through the center. The heart shaped case is made from sterling silver and riveted together, the strings are made from a firm but elastic silicon cord.
heart·string (härtstrng)
n.
1. heartstrings The deepest feelings or affections: a tug at the heartstrings.
2. One of the nerves or tendons formerly believed to brace and sustain the heart.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Tiring
Tiring is simply a tire/tyre for your finger. Made from sterling silver with a blackened finish.
tire 1 (tr)
v. tired, tir·ing, tires
v.intr.
1. To grow weary.
2. To grow bored or impatient.
v.tr.
1. To diminish the strength or energy of; fatigue.
2. To exhaust the interest or patience of; bore.
tire 2 (tr)
n.
1. A covering for a wheel, usually made of rubber reinforced with cords of nylon, fiberglass, or other material and filled with compressed air.
2. A hoop of metal or rubber fitted around a wheel.
tire 3 (tr) Archaic
tr.v. tired, tir·ing, tires
To adorn or attire.
n.
1. Attire.
2. A headband or headdress.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Jewelry Observer
Thank you to the Jewelry Observer for featuring my work!
About Dopamine – A Driving Force
…and a great reward.
When you are looking forward to something, dreaming of it and working to make it happen, the sweet taste of anticipation, it’s dopamine that is at work.
About Dopamine
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that creates desire and passion. It is the link between thinking you want something – and actually moving and getting what you want.
In short, it is the pursuit of any pleasure.
It heightens your experiences and builds your desire to have them again, without dopamine you would feel joyless and unenthusiastic.
For many of the reasons above it plays an important part in the chemical cocktail of love, it is often associated with addiction and could quite probably be responsible for what addicts us to each other.
When you’re pursuing your dreams it’s the dopamine flowing, and it is the reward when you achieve them. I think it’s my favorite molecule, and thanks to it’s marvelous effect I would guess you are probably a fan too – even if you didn’t know it!
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