Fusing Fine Silver Jewelry

A word of caution: This is not a tutorial! Take a class from a qualified professional before attempting this.
I recently got my start from a class I took at Maui Community College with Iris Sandkuhler http://www.sandkuhler.com/index.html. She is excellent at explaining all the steps it takes to make beautiful silver jewelry with extra care given on how to do it safely. We start by learning how to make basic rings and fused loops using .999 fine silver that are hammered and then polished with a polishing cloth. She has a great book that you can order from her website.

I had to order almost all my supplies online since Maui is very limited and expensive. Some things I purchased on Amazon which was great since they offer free shipping on $25.00 up, some of the things I had to purchase are very heavy. Like this bracelet mandrel.

Bracelet Mandrel, very heavy!

The first thing I had to look for was a brick that can withstand temps of at least 26k. Its called a soft kiln brick and people use them inside kilns for ceramics etc.

Soft Kiln Brick and cross-lock tweezers.

I purchased a butane torch and butane from my local hardware store. They actually have these in stock. (Can also be used to make creme brulee) The first one I purchased doesn't do well with thicker silver, so I am going to try one that is a little bigger, but to make rings and loops, a small one is okay.

Torch and butane

Also, a cookie sheet to put your brick on so you don't torch your nice table. I highly recommend taking a class before attempting this on your own! This is not meant to be a tutorial on how to do this, I am just sharing with you what I have learned and the beautiful jewelry I have been making and the process that goes into it. 
Some of the other tools I use:

Steel bench block, ring mandrel, texturing hammer, hole punch.

Pliers and cutters for working with the silver.

The silver comes in coils and you buy it by the weight, or foot.

Fashionable head gear.

I also found out the hard way that things can explode when they get too hot. I was making a bracelet with a fresh water pearl and the pearl exploded into a gazillion pieces. Luckily I had on reading glasses and a mask.

So these are some of the beautiful things I have made in a pretty short time and I sell them on my Etsy website

Bracelets

Stackable rings

Earrings with the fused loops.

I'm really excited about all the possibilities!

Thanks for looking! And don't forget to check my Etsy goodies. http://www.etsy.com/shop/beachgirlmaui
Here is a little video on youtube I found that shows fusing. Link

Surf photography, Maui 1990s

When I moved to Maui in 1993, I continued my surf photography at places like Jaws, Hookipa, and south shores. It was great to watch people like Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama riding huge waves and trying new things like straps on surfboards. It is very exciting to watch a place like Jaws breaking with its rugged coastline, high cliffs, plus it is not that easy to get to. Back then the surfers didn't wear PFDs (personal floatation device).
Wind is always a factor on Maui, so naturally I shot a little bit of windsurfing.
A lot of my shots are posted on flickr.
Here are some of my favorite shots from the 90s on Maui.

Archie Kalepa at Honolua Bay 1990s

Charlie Solario at Maalaea 1990s

Dave Kalama testing footstraps at Hookipa 1990s

Ever style master Laird Hamilton at Hookipa. Blame Laird!

Thanksgiving Day, Dave Kalama at Jaws 1990s

Casual style at Jaws, not sure who this is. 1990s

Mike Waltze at Jaws 1990s

Josh Angulo at Hookipa, 1990s

Surf photography retro 80s by simone reddingius

My surf photography started in 1976, when I moved to Santa Barbara and lived near Rincon beach (the quality of the images was pretty bad so I won't post them). I loved to surf there, so after surfing or if it was too big for me, I would set up my tripod near the rocks and shoot whoever looked good on a wave.
In the early 80s, I started working at camera stores so I was able to buy better equipment. I even bought a used Scott Preiss water housing from a friend and experimented with water shots. One of them was eventually published in Surfing Magazine.
I would take pictures of my favorite surfers, they included Tommy Curren, Kim Mearig, Shaun Tomson and Andy Neumann.

I will never forget this wave, Tommy Curren got covered up on the take-off and he just wiggled out of it and did a big bottom turn and then hit the lip. 

Andy Neumann was (and still is) the stylemaster on a longboard. This was taken during a Surf 'N' Wear  Rincon Classic surf contest.

Shaun Tomson. This was black and white film that got damaged over the years of storage. Taken with the Scott Preiss waterhousing on a gray day.

Kim Mearig was always fun to shoot and watch. She was the most stylish woman surfer anywhere.

This is one of my favorite shots and it got published in Surfing Magazine, almost a center spread.
This is Tim Smally who was one of the hot young rippers at Rincon. 

The Golden 80s

The golden 80s. Golden for me as I was young and blossoming into the surfer I always wanted to be. Even though I lived closer to the beach, I still drove for miles to look for surf. My brother had given me his old camera and telephoto lens and someone at a local camera store put it on all the settings I needed to take pictures of surfing. 

When I eventually started working at the camera store that helped me, I was able to buy better equipment and take better pictures. I joined the WISA (Women’s International Surfing Association) and surfed competitavely. That took me all over California from Santa Cruz to Del Mar, I even went to Hawaii to compete in the 1980 US Amatuer Championships. 

 As my surf photography improved, a friend of mine introduced me to Larry Moore at Surfing Magazine, he took me under his wing and gave me a lot of coaching and press passes to shoot at OP Pro events in Huntington Beach. My work was published in Surfing Magazine and a couple of times in Surfer Magazine. My parents had given me their camper truck they called “Happy Red” so that was my home away from home. 

It was fun exploring different surf spots up and down the coast of California. 

My favorite place to surf and shoot though was Rincon. A perfect peeling right hand point wave that you can ride for a long time. 

I moved to Maui in 1993 and continued surfing and surf photography. The waves are much bigger here, and I enjoy shooting at Jaws (Peahi) and Hookipa on the north shore. This large surf washes up some beautiful treasures that I like to turn into jewelry.

This is me in a nutshell and my next blogs will be about the stuff I am and have been creating.

Aloha

Did a little bit of modeling for a California based agency.

Waiting for my heat to start. 

Taking pictures at Rincon

Aleeda wetsuit ad.

My Magic Bus. It took me quite a few places. I was sad to let it go.

Modeling a new style of swim suit. I still have my old tan lines.

Where it all began

I guess my love for the ocean began when I was a baby. Born on the small island of Curacao in the Caribbean, I was destined to be a beach baby since my parents loved the beach themselves. I also loved playing in the water. Clothes or no clothes, nothing stopped me from splashing around.

My mom tells me that in this picture she had me all dressed up to go shopping. She went in the house to get something and when she came out, found me sitting in this tub of water.

Welcome

Aloha and welcome to my blog. I'm new at this so please bear with me. I'm still working on the layout and design of my blog so things can still change.
I would like to introduce my photography and jewelry. You can click the links above that will take you directly to the websites.
Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions as I'm finding my way through blog world.

Simone