Jewelry Designer

Can I just tell you how completely thrilled I am to introduce you to Maria Goti Joyas?! Her jewelry is uber amazing and she is ridiculously talented. Check out a few of her pieces throughout this posting, but be sure to check out her other sites as well.....every single piece is stunning. I'm humbled that Maria is willing to let us in on her life, inspiration, creativity and artistry.

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself
A: My name is María, I’m 25 and I live in a little town in the north coast of Spain called Navia. I studied jewelry and gemology for 3 years in the European Center of Gemology and Jewelry at Oviedo’s University. I’ve been working in my own workshop since I finished my jewelry studies designing and creating my own jewelry line. I do every piece one to one by hand, from the melting to its finish. I mainly work with silver because I love the variety of finishes, textures and contrasts I can create with it, combining it with gold, copper, pearls and natural gemstones. I love natural gemstones, especially raw and druzy. What I like the most is working with one of a kind and unique pieces.

Tin Earrings

Constance, from Studio C Jewelry & Gifts has a wonderful Tin Earring tutorial for us today! Be sure to check out her beautiful items in her Etsy store here ....or next time you're in Baltimore go visit her shop at 4337 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21214!

How to Make Tin Earrings

Level: Intermediate

Time: Expect 1-4 hours

Topic: Jewelry

List of Ingredients:

Gloves

Tin Snips

Eye Protection

Oval and Round Plastic Templates

Various Pliers (Flat Nose, Padded)

Files

Tin Item (Plate, Canister, Tray, etc.)

Spray Cleaner

Paper Towels

Lint Roller

Sharpie Pen – fine point

Settings

Jewelry Findings

All of the above items can be found at your local hardware store, office supply store and on Etsy.

Step 1: Safety First!  Tin tends to produce lots of tiny splinters and shards, so wear protection!! 

Step 2: Clean the tin with the spray cleaner and paper towel, dry off before marking with Sharpie.

Step 3: Using your template, choose a design on the tin and mark your oval and/or circle with the Sharpie pen. 

Step 4: With the tin snips (I’m right handed, so I’m using the “go-left” snips that work for right hands – there are left-handed tin snips as well) cut through the tin and work as closely to the black line of the pen as possible.  Just so you know, some tin is really difficult to cut as it can be pretty thick and can be a bit painful.  Canisters are usually thinner than trays.

Step 5: Clean up any tin shards or splinters with the lint roller.

Step 6: Cut and file the tin to fit into the lace setting.

Step 7: Pull back the lace loop where you want it to hang from the earring finding and also where you might want to place a bead (though this step is optional).

Step 8: With the tin now in the setting, use the pliers in a closed position (hold them closed) to push the lace down over the tin without pushing it all the way down.  Use the padded pliers to crimp the lace on top of the tin.

Step 9: Open the loop on the earrings (I’m using leverbacks, but any earring finding will do) and place the tin on the finding and close the loop.

Step 10: If you are placing a dangle at the bottom, like I did, thread a bead onto a headpin and then loop it around the lace loop and wind it closed.

Step 11: File off any sharp spots from the setting, you’ll be able to feel the roughness with your fingertips.

 Final Step: Wear & Enjoy!