The Things We're Forced to Do

As many of you probably know, the economy's bad. People are losing their jobs. Gas is expensive and grocery prices have gone up, too. Well, those of you who don't work with metal might not know this, but metal has gotten expensive, too.

It's not just gold that's gone up. Sterling silver has gone up, too. Both of them didn't just go up a little, either. They went up A LOT!!! So jewelers are getting creative. You're starting to see a lot more of the types of metal that we learned to use in college. Brass, bronze and copper are making a comeback in a MAJOR way.

So yesterday, I spent an hour or so at a home improvement store. I wasn't getting items to improve my home. I was looking through the plumbing department at copper tubing. I looked for brass, too, but they only had brass and bronze fittings, not tubing. Kind of disappointing! I have found brass at hobby stores, though. The gauges of metal are kind of limited, but beggars can't be choosers!

I walked out of the home improvement store with some small pieces of copper tubing, which come in a bag of ten. Now for the inspiration. Using new materials forces you to think outside of your comfort zone. It forces you to come up with all new designs. It's sort of like being back in college. I'm so excited! Too bad there isn't a critique at the end of all of this! That might be fun, too. Now, back to the bench! New creations, coming soon!

Originally posted on October 10, 2009