Silver skull rings a bell.

 

 

I’ve been moving about a dozen new projects across the bench this weekend and I though there were at least a few pieces that I’d want to showcase.  It’s been a busy Summer, but things have started to slow down this past week and I finally have time for a post or two.

 

 

 

I’ve been hinting at some major changes to the line in the next few months and one of them will be the tragic death and retirement of the Heidi skull.

 

This is one I just wrapped up for a client.  Perhaps the last one I’ll ever make.  Frankly, this model hasn’t really sold like the others and I’m not sure why.  Maybe a little too cute?  Too simple?  Who knows.  At any rate, with the new rings coming online soon, I’m going to be cutting the fat and this ring- although one of my personal favorites- is getting the boot.

Below we have a new sugar’d up Little Voodoo for Eric.  I’m happy to say that the Little Voodoo will be sticking around for a while.  I don’t get too many requests to sugar these little guys up.  Usually it’s the big skull rings that get all the custom work.  But I designed these little F’ers to take stones and sculpting like a champ.

Eric designed that centerpiece on his own and sent it to me as a sketch.  Fit great.  Some of my favorite sugar treatments have been applied to these little guys.  Remember Mike’s Japanese ring?

 I love that thing.  And what about my recent lightning bolt job?

Anyway, I probably sell 5 classic jobs for every 1 custom on this model.  Still, it’s popular, so he’ll be sticking around for at least a few more seasons.

I’ve also completed Brian’s Masonic skull ring.  A King Skull with some dimensional carving.

This one includes some pillars on either side with numbers and some text.  Overall a LOT of information packed onto this ring.  It’s full of meaning.

Aaaand last of al I’ve completed a guru skull bead for a wrist mala for a special friend.

This will be part of a collaboration piece with my pal Jason over at the Custom Mala Shop.  His shop, incidentally, is just about ready to update its website.  I’ve seen the new page and it looks freakin’ beautiful.  Much easier to navigate and offers more bead options than before.  Love it.  So check back with him at the link above in a few days or so and feast your eyes.  Remember that he is the only place that carries my custom-made solid sterling silver guru skull bead.

Okay, enough.  I’m going to smoke a cigar and go to bed.

Skull Ring Central

Put a whole bag of goods in the mail tonight.  Finished rings for Brian, Albert, and Matt.

First up was a Big Voodoo with a gunmetal brushed patina and silver teeth.  I can’t wait to see this one after it’s been worn for a bit.  Wicked.  I love a good gunmetal skull ring.  Feel like I should make myself one at some point.

 

Then I was able to finish up Albert’s Aztec ring.

 

This bad boy got a cool crackle-pattern around the eyes and that symbol Albert had sent me engraved on the forehead.

 

 

Every once and a while, I do a ring that’s hard to send away to its rightful owner and this was one of ’em.  Made it easier  that it has someone else’s name carved into the shank.

 

I was also able to get Brian’s Iron Cross Ring finished up.  Came out like a dream.  Glad to do a custom Little Voodoo again – especially one so classically customized.  How can you go wrong with an iron cross?

 

 

Thing is, I fuckin’ forgot that Brian wanted to investigate a possible black patina on this one.  Shit.  I guess it’s because the ring looked so freakin’ great with the high polish and black cross.  Well, I guess if he wants the patina, it’s on the house.  Send ‘er on back, Brian, if you don’t dig the high polish.   I wanted to keep this ring too…..

So having sold three perfectly good skull rings that I would have loved to have kept for myself, I decided to sooth myself by making a ring just for yours truly.  Well…..at least for now.  I’ll probably sell it when I wake up tomorrow and come to my senses.

And if this weren’t enough, I’ve got a whole new batch of skull rings coming up for that Hellions project.  I’ve had  a mold made of the master wax  and now we’re on to the individual rings for the officers.  Stay tuned: this one is going to be awesome.

Iron Crossing

Wow, a late night in the studio.

Don’t get excited, that’s just hookah tobacco.

Just about finished with the wax for Brian’s Little Voodoo with the Iron Cross and text on the shank.  Posting some pics for a status check.

Thing about this kind of image is that the points of the cross have to be extremely sharp.  I’ve taken the wax as far as it can go.  What I’m going to do now is cast and finish the points with my scribe to get them needle-sharp.

Brian, drop me a line and let me know if we’re ready to cast this sonofabitch.

Iron Skull

I haven’t posted a Little Voodoo piece in a while and I figured it’s due time.  Got a request from Brian to make a custom LVD with an Iron Cross on the forehead and the word “Tribe” scribed out along the shank.

We’ve still gotta work out the style of the cross.  We want to work in a circle somehow.    The three cross samples show different ways of using it.  First one doesn’t have an actual carved circle, but the cross itself is so circular that it doesn’t really need it.  The second version is placed inside the circle and the third shows the circle behind the cross and smaller.

Once Brian lets me know which direction to take this sucker, we’ll go on to wax carving.