clarabellanyc.com

I know I posted this already, but I wanted to be the first thing you folks see on the website for Halloween. Don’t forget that Clarabella is CLOSED today. We will reopen for normal hours on Thursday, Nov. 1. Thanks and I’ll see you soon:)

I’ve got all sorts of things to say about the last class, but you’ll have to wait for the commentary. It’s already nearly 11:30pm here and I still have to clean up and get the shop ready for my day off tomorrow. I know I know… there shouldn’t be much to do to get ready for a day off, but I’m anal like that;). Anyway, without further delay, here are the photos from tonight’s class!

using the polishing attachment with the flex shaft

working out the final kinks using the flex shaft

Michael’s Ring

Jesse’s Ring

Lia’s Ring

Erin’s Ring

Nicole’s Ring

Class of new rings;)

More from me soon!
xx
Erin

PS - if this looks like something you’d like to do, send me an email. It’s going to be tough to schedule something new between now and the holidays, but we’ll have all new classes starting in January ‘08. You won’t want to miss it!

Class starts in about 20 minutes, so before we unveil the finished products, I wanted to give you all a peek at the wax models. I promised better pictures via instructor Nicole Gagne, and here they are:

Jesse’s Model

Lia’s Model

Michael’s Model

Erin’s Model

Nicole’s Model

I think I would most certainly buy any of these!! I’m so proud of all of the students that took this class. I’m incredibly impressed with everyone’s models. More on all of this after the last class.

Good afternoon everyone! It’s a gorgeous day here in NYC. The rain finally passed and the sun is shining with not a cloud in the sky! Of course I’m observing all of this through the shop window, but really… it looks lovely;).

I’m a bit late with my second post on the ring classes, but better late than never! When we left off, we’d sized the wax rings as necessary and smoothed out the edges of the wax. Day two was all about design and finishing our wax models. I would recommend that anyone doing this on their own should try to  develop a design prior to the cutting process. My classmates were smart this way and came out with some gorgeous models. Mine? Well… we’ll see.

Anyway, we started by drawing some guidelines on our wax. From there, we measured around the sides to allow for the ’sculptural’ part of the ring on the top and also the width of the sides/bottom.

Then came the cutting again. You want to stay outside your line and definitely don’t want to nick into the wax inside the line. I of course did that anyway and managed to make a few adjustments to save the ring, but trust me, it’s easy to stay outside the line! Once you’ve got the excess cut away leaving your basic shape, it’s time for more filing.

You first want to get the band down to size. You want it to be smooth and not too thick. After I got the basic band down, I went to work on the little sculptural part on the top. The process won’t necessarily always be the same. It just so happens that I ended up with a design that involved a band and a decorative piece on top. Two of my classmates went in different directions, as you’ll see. Getting the top worked out encorporates more than just filing. Carving, as well. And then not just carving, but the chance to work with a flex shaft. A flex shaft is a tool that many jewelers use. It’s purposes are many, but in this case, we used small burs that are attached and rotate at a high speed when tool’s pedal is pushed. When applied to the wax, it shaves off excess and helps shape the ring as needed. I used it to help round my edges and cut away excess wax. Michael used it to carve out the shape of a bow. Check out the photo of him using the flex shaft below!

And the filing process continues. You use smaller and smaller files until it’s finally time to move on to sandpaper. First fine, then super fine. There is also something called ‘orange peel’ that is a citrus cleaner. You apply it to the wax with a Q-tip to clean it up and take off any of the fine shavings that have accumulated from all of the filing and sanding. The goal is to get the wax as smooth as possible. The less issue in the wax, the less issue in the Silver.

Once the pieces were finished, we handed them over to Nicole who dropped them off at the caster. I spoke with her today and she is picking the rings up tomorrow. Class number three is on Tuesday. I’ll get new pictures of the Silver rings to compare with the wax models. I would HIGHLY recommend this class to anyone who has ever been curious about ring-making. It’s super fun and completely do-able on your own outside the class. I may even be making rings for friends for the holidays… is that weird?

Anyway, here are a few of the rings. My photos are horrible, but apparently Nicole took some great ones before she handed them off to the caster. As soon as she sends them my way, I’ll get them posted for your viewing pleasure. Also, I’m missing Lia’s ring here…

Jesse’s Ring

Erin’s ring

Michael’s Ring

Have a happy Sunday all!!

Erin

ps - it’s FREEEZING in here. The heat isn’t on in the building and it’s 52 degrees out today. I’ve had to retype half of this post because my fingers are so cold I keep messing up;). I’m even wearing a wool sweater, but honestly, the skirt was not the best choice today.

I don’t do it often, but with various holidays approaching, I wanted to give you all a heads up on when Clarabella will be closed.

HALLOWEEN
Closed on Wednesday, October 31
(not normally a holiday that requires a day off, but when an opportunity to see my cousin’s 4 month old daughter on her very first Halloween in a turtle costume presents itself, I’ve got to take it!)

THANKSGIVING
Closed from Monday, November 19 through Thursday November 22. Shop will reopen with extended the extended hours of 11 - 9 on Friday and Saturday and 12 - 8 on Sunday.

CHRISTMAS
Closed from Sunday, December 23 through Wednesday December 26. Shop will reopen with regular hours on Thursday.

NEW YEARS
Closed on New Years Eve (as a Monday it’s a normal closed day anyway) and New Years Day

To offset all of these closures, there will be loads of fun things happening over the next few months including another shop night, trunk shows, jewelry classes, special sales, spiked cider, the introduction of gift certificates and wish lists and a very special ‘birthday club’.

See you soon!

That’s right, we’re trying to give back, just a little bit;). Have you seen the statistics on plastic bag use in the US? Did you know that the average family brings home 1,000 bags every year? According to my friends at Baggu, most of those bags end up in land fills. It adds up quickly. 100 billion plastic bags are sent to landfill in the US each year. It can take up to 1000 years for a bag to decompose in a landfill. Plastics don’t biodegrade, they photo-degrade, breaking down into tiny toxic pieces that contaminate soil and water or harm wildlife.

How do we help? Start using reusable bags for your shopping, trips to the gym, etc…
I recently discovered Baggu Bags. The folks at coolhunting.com led me there. I just received my personal order and starting today, I’m not taking plastic bags anymore! Baggu was created and designed in California by Joan and Emily, a mother/daughter duo. They wanted to create a reusable bag that was functional, easy to stow in a handbag or a pocket and stylish all at the same time. The Baggu bag was the result. Made of super strong rip-stop nylon (holds 25 lbs), they are light and compact. They fold into a flat 5 x 5 inch pouch that easily slips into a purse or a pocket. They are available in an array of fantastic colors including teal, fuschia, red and the NY stand-by, black.

Starting in about 1 week, Clarabella will carry Baggu Bags. It’s not your typical trendy handbag, but it make a nice complement to one. It retails for only $8 and by purchasing and then using one, you’re able to give back a little as well!

[images and ‘about’ info courtesy of Baggu Bags]

Is it a Melanie Dizon, a Deere Colhoun, or maybe an Andrea Brueckner? There are so many covetable bags here at the shop right now, it’s nearly impossible not to take at least one home! Check them out! All are available as of today and there are many more in the shop! Come on by or give a call if you see one you just can’t live without;).

Melanie Dizon - Poppy in Cassis ($510), Bronze ($580) and Black ($510)

Melanie Dizon - Fabrizia in Green Suede and Black Leather ($770)

Modus Rio Patent Leather Totes - Black ($470) and Burgundy ($470)

Corrente Collection - Lg. Brown Tote ($280) [also available in Sm. Blue - $240], Red Tote ($280) [also available in Black - $280]

 
Andrea Brueckner - Tierney Tote ($430), Luxembourg Satchel ($630)

Andrea Brueckner - Hamptons Voyageur ($725) [this one isn’t new, but it’s so fantastic I didn’t want to leave it out… plus, it’s also great for the fellas!]

Crystalyn Kae - Soiree Drawstring in Black ($198) [also available in Tan - $198]

Deere Colhoun - Lg. Sienna in Plum ($610), Carter Messenger in Grey ($620)

 
Deere Colhoun - Sm. Sienna in Olive ($490), Jessie Tote in Black Snakeprint ($580)

We. Love. Bags.

:)

Cheyenne from ‘Tashkent by Cheyenne’ sent me a little surprise this morning:). One of her boot styles, the Meadow, is featured as a part of an article on boots at Refinery 29. It was the ‘cover’ boot on the mailer that went out this afternoon and is the main featured style on the webpage as well. Cheyenne was kind enough to list Clarabella as the carrier for this boot. Check it out!!

If you’re interested in securing a pair of these boots for yourself, come quick. I’ve got limited quantities available and they’re going fast!

No, I’m not talking about all of the people who have fallen under my charm;). I’m talking about the latest round of jewelry classes that we’re offering here at Clarabella. The class is called “Wrapped Around My Finger” and it’s taught my Nicole Gagne of Leoworks, also part of the Clarabella family. The class focuses on the basic technique for “Lost Wax Casting” and after 3 2-hr classes, students will take home a Sterling Silver ring that they made.

Never one to miss out, I had to take the class along with 3 others - 2 new students and 1 returning (she also took Nicole’s earring class). I’ll post pictures and a little bit of info about the process after each class, but if you’re *really* curious, touch base with me and sign up for the next class!!

DAY ONE:

Our first class began at 7pm last night. Nicole showed up a little early and we moved one of the work tables from the back room up to the front of the shop. She took out all of her tools, we arranged a few work lights and she set up stations for each student. We started out by discussing general idea of ‘Lost Wax Casting’.

Nicole discussed the different types of wax that are used and showed us the tools that we’d have at our disposal. If you’re looking to buy casters wax or the associated tools, check out Metalliferous on 46th street in Manhattan. It’s a jewelers haven and carries just about everything you’ll need. We started out with a tube of wax. I ended up using the purple, which is slightly less firm while the rest of the class set to work with the blue, a more firm wax.

We cut through the wax and started filing the edges. You want your piece to be as flaw free as possible. When creating the model (the wax version of your ring) you want it to be as perfect as possible. It’s much easier to fix flaws on the wax than to fix them on the metal. Once our edges were set, we started in on sizing. The wax comes as a tube. The opening in the center is roughly a size 5. Nicole showed us the process of sizing, which involves more filing and regular checks on the ring sizer (also available at Metalliferous). By the end of the class, we had each finished our sizing. We’re ready to start the design, which will be the focus of the next class.

The class hard at work - the empty chair is where I was sitting.

Nicole demonstrates one of the processes used in smoothing the surface of the wax… very very fine sandpaper.

Jesse checks sizing on his wax model

Michael and Lia continue with the smoothing process, checking for nicks and imperfections.

My ‘moody’ shot;).

Stay tuned for the next post Thursday or Friday early afaternoon.

xx

Erin

Good Afternoon:) Can you believe it’s actually October? It’s 75 degrees out here in sunny NYC… hard to believe!

Anyway, this weekend I’m participating in a citywide event that aims to revitalize New York’s schools. Everything is organized through New York Cares. The event is annual and it will be my second year. We’ve got a team of 24 people (maybe more) and we’re headed out to Queens to paint murals and do some gardening. It should be a great day and I know that the kids love it. Imagine leaving a drab school on a Friday afternoon only to return to a colorful exciting one on Monday morning! Anyway, as is common with these things, we’re raising money to contribute to the New York Cares cause. No donation is too small and it’s tax deductible;). If you’d like to contribute, check out my page and go from there. Thanks so much for your support!

To see photos from last year, click here

and here is last year’s team: