Salayi Designs Jewelry

Bowie is not actually allowed on the sofa 😂

Finished a few new pieces this week- all cast in sterling silver in my studio ❤️

#jewelrysky #handmadejewelry #skulljewelry #organicjewelry #ooakjewelry #silversmith #lostwaxcasting #jewelrydesigner

Two new bronze bracelets: Peperomia and Pilea. I molded the leaves first to duplicate in wax, and then cast in metal.

#houseplants #handmadejewelry #organicjewelry #bracelets #plants #plantjewelry #ooakjewelry #jewelry #jeweler #lostwaxcasting

Made a sample bracelet to prep for a student’s project. She’s making a long necklace in the same sailor’s chain style. Fused fine silver links, each formed and hammered before shaping into a chain.

#jewelry #jewelrysky #handmade #silverjewelry #ooakjewelry #metalsmith #jewelrymaking

Pilea leaf pendant! These leaves have a very “plain” side, and a really gorgeous underside, showing off their texture.

This one is in bronze, with a fabricated silver bail.

#pilea #houseplants #plants #moneyplant #organicjewelry #handmadejewelry #organicjewelry #bayarea

🐍 so cute!

#jewelry #handmadejewelry #snake #snakesky #reptiles #snakecharm #silverjewelry #lostwaxcasting #jewelrymaking

This little snake is something you could make in my Lost Wax Casting class. I have two dates this fall; both on my website now.

#lostwaxcasting #jewelrymaking #jewelrycasting #snakes #snakejeweley #snakecharm #snakesky #jeweler #bayarea

It’s fun to try, but definitely not my preferred way of working. I’ll always go for fabrication or casting over clay. It’s just very limited.

Last time I tried #PMC was.. 15 years ago? It’s about the same- fun, but crumbly and kinda tricky to work with. Parts broke off after firing, and it’s hard to solder bc of how porous it is.

I have a few students that want to try it though, so I’m making some sample pieces.

#jewleymaking #jeweler

Here’s a Dusty Miller leaf, in silver. I made a silicone mold with ICE rtv, and then cast the wax.

My goal is to be able to cast my favorite organic reliably, and casting directly from organic is wildly unpredictable.

#lostwaxcasting #jewelrymaking #handmadejewelry #gardening #dustymiller

Casting today, still waiting for the bronze to melt but my silver pieces came out great! Peperomia and dusty miller leaves. Plus a student piece; she carved the ring in wax, and we cast it today.

#lostwaxcasting #jewelrymaking #jeweler #handmadejewelry #peperomia #houseplants

Here’s a pliea leaf in bronze, with a silver fabricated bail.

I had cracks on a few of my last bronze casts, caused by the metal shrinking as it cools. Hopefully alleviated by adding a gate right at the center of the leaf on the “boring” side.

#pliea #houseplants #lostwaxcasting #handmadejewelry

This little bee was die-struck; I hammered metal into a steel mold, and then hand fabricated the circle and setting. Fire opal, peridot, ruby and a faceted pyrite, along with a tourmaline gemstone strand necklace.

#bees #handmadejewelry #jeweler #fireopal #opal #silverjewelry #ooakjewelry #bayarea

Garden skull, in silver. I used a cicada wing on this one, along with a Rollie pollie bug, flowers and a bee.

#handmadejewelry #mementomori #skulls #cicada #bugsky #isopods #insects #bayareaart #contemporaryjewelry #artjewelry #skulljewelry #finejewelry

Here’s how I made this silver Peperomia bracelet!

#lostwaxcasting #handmadejewelry #plantjewelry #houseplants #indoorplants #peperomia #jewelrydesigner #jeweler

Amazing mold putty is fun! It’s a two part putty, so only good for things you can press the putty around. It doesn’t work well for really delicate, dimensional objects.

I use rio’s ice rtv silicone for most things.

Thank you! I used amazing mold putty- the wing is an open pour mold, not an injection mold. I am going to try another one with the clear rtv silicone Rio has (Ice?) too.

I cast a few cicada wings in bronze. I made a mold of the wing first, before duplicating it first in wax and then metal through Lost Wax Casting.

#handmadejewelry #jewelry #jewelrysky #ooakjewelry #bugsky #insects #cicada #organicjewelry

Casting progress- here’s a maple seed pod cast in sterling silver, with a hessonite garnet strand. It’s listed on my website now, and will bring it to the San Mateo Art and Culture fest on September 28, unless you snag it first!

#handmadejewelry #plantjewelry #maple #silverjewelry #jeweler

Thank you!!

Castings from yesterday, all finishes up!

#lostwaxcasting #silverjewelry #jewelrysky #houseplants #bees #skulls #ooakjewelry #handmadejewelry #bayarea #sanfransiscoart

A little moon ring 🌙

#jewelry #ooakjewelry #handmadejewelry #silverring #moon #moonjewelry #silverrings #silversmith #jeweler #jeweleydesigner #shopsmall

Thank you!! I love coordinating the beads for each piece 🤍

Cicada pendant, cast in sterling silver. I molded a cicada my mom collected in North Carolina, injected wax into that mold, and then used lost wax casting to duplicate it in silver.

#insect #cicada #bugsky #bugfeed #silversmith #lostwaxcasting #jewerly #handmadejewelry #jeweler #jewelryforsale

New Hippuris pendant; brass and silver. $60, listed in my shop now

#jewelryforsale #handmadejewelry #houseplants #gardening #horticulture #gardener #organicjewelry

Teaching a summer camp this week at Woodland School. So far we’ve done marbled paper, 2d mixed media, and polymer clay miniatures.

#bayareaart #bayareaartclasses #artteacher #marbledpaper #bayarea #redwoodcity

It’s plum time 💛

#gardening #california #stonefruit #permaculture #bayarea #redwoodcity

Getting ready to cast. My kiln is arriving today. This flask is all ready for a burnout, and I’ll be investing one more flask today with some wax pieces.

I’m really hoping programming the kiln isn’t too hard, it’s literally the only part of this whole thing I’m worried about!

#jewelrymaking

I cast some orchid petals in sterling silver, and added jump rings to make these pendants. I love how the very subtle textures of the petals really pop when the light changes.

#orchids #orchid #plantsky #houseplants #plants #jewelry #organicjewelry #handmadejewelry #bayarea #plantjewelry

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