Steampunk inspired jewellery and artwork created from recycled timepieces, stone and found objects.
Latest Creations
“Dragon Flight”
Masonry drill bit, speaker grill, copper contacts, brass dome nut, rescued screws, recycled brass tube, bolts, coat hangers, copper wire, computer hard drive discs, red gum.
420mm x 200mm x 250mm approximately.
This piece started with a discarded Kango 8mm masonry drill bit, found discarded on a railway platform. It looked like the basis of a dragonfly to me, and after much fiddling, cutting, fastening, some rude words and a couple of donations of my DNA in the form of the red bodily fluid, here it is!
The dragonfly head is a vintage brass dome nut, with old screws for eyes. The wings are cut from a steel speaker grid, with the paint taken back, polished and a tracery of veins engraved over the mesh. The legs, rescued electrical contacts from a discarded piece of equipment are riveted to a piece of brass tubing taken from a broken desk lamp. To mount the dragonfly, I’ve made reeds from old metal coat hangers, rusty bolts and repurposed copper wire. These, in turn are mounted on a recycled piece of red gum, with computer hard drive discs used to represent ripples on the water over which dragonflies hover.
Dragonflies are amazing insects, not dangerous to people, even though they do inspire terror in some. They can exist in their larval stage for up to five years, befor maturing into an adult, who’s lifespan may then last from a few days, up to ten weeks. They are amazing, fast fliers and often display a metallic sheen, sometimes with dramatic colours. Their wetland habitats are under threat, which in turn, threatens their populations.
This piece is destined for display (and hopefully sale!) at Carlisle Art in Benalla, with numerous other creations of mine, as soon as our lockdown lifts.
Lovely well done 👍🎁💐💝
Steampunk and Stone updated their website address.
“Dark Heart”
Amethyst, Opal Matrix, Sterling Silver
17mm x 20mm approximately
This project started out with the intention of in laying an opal heart within the potch (opal stone, without the colours). All went well until the inset of the opal, when a big chip came off! Rather than waste the effort that went into making the big heart, I searched in vain for another suitable piece of opal. I then found a piece of amethyst, and had my first try at shaping and polishing that. The photo shows the flaws, but it actually looks better in real life. The amethyst hides within its’ dark frame until the sunlight hits it and refracts back through, showing the internal structure of the purple stone. I’ll definitely be playing with amethyst again!
Stunning
“Listening Skills”
Vintage pocket watch & clock parts
32mm x 24mm approximately
Update: “Sold!”
A quick sketch of a bat in my ideas book evolved into this little fellow. His wings are a watch plate saved from a broken Elgin pocket watch and his body and head are shaped from an old alarm clock winder. His little feet are cut from two pocket watch gears. The whole piece is held together with two brass rivets. With ears like this, you’d have to be a good listener, right?
Is it dipped in Pfizer?
“Motherhood”
Rescued and new sterling silver, opal
35mm x 15mm approximately
I cut and polished this opal and wanted to showcase the wonderful colours it displayed. I’d purchased a very ugly silver piece of jewellery at an opportunity shop, and discarded the ugly shell it held. I then cut up the silver and ran it through my rolling mill, producing a very rough square profile which I cut, shaped and soldered into this pendant. This was a “make it up as you go along” creation. As the parts came together, they looked a little like a stylised woman. With the opal poised to place in the centre, I thought of motherhood. Pregnant women suffer through so much to produce beautiful babies. They stretch and swell, they tire and battle on, often working well into the pregnancy. I left the battle scars on the silver in tribute, and liked the way the “imperfect” silver contrasted with the lovely 1.25 carat stone.
(Video in comments)
Colour play
“Tears of Joy”
Opal, Opal Matrix (Potch), new and rescued silver
20mm x 15mm approx.
Escaping from the current chaos, I went and hid in the shed today. I cut and polished both this lovely opal and the piece of potch that holds it, then fabricated the mounting from new and recycled silver. The light play in this stone is captivating! (Video in comments)