Update - The BIG rose!

So it's been awhile since my last post regarding the big wax rose. Well here is the final product in silver!

I'm very proud indeed, though I still need to add the bangle to finish this statement rose bracelet. Will post pics when it's ready. Unfortuantely, this rose cannot be replicated in mold so each time the rose will need to be made from scratch. But it will be unique every single time. The problem is that it takes about 4 hours to clean the rose after it comes out from the casting process. And it's not light at all (good quality sterling silver!) So I've decided that I will not sell this bracelet afterall.

Now don't be disappointed if you like it a lot. I can make this in a smaller scale on request so it's both manageable for me and affordable for you. If you are interested, just email me, convo me, or leave a comment with your info here. This will be available only through Harlequin & Lionhead ;) More pictures there too so check it out!

Debute of the rose collection (finally) and behind-the-scene of the photoshoot!

Following the last few postings of the carved wax sterling silver rose collection, finally the finished products are available for preview!

This new collection is going to be launched under a different brand from Bunnies Can Dream. The new brand will be called "Harlequin & Lionhead". If you are more familiar with rabbits, you would probably notice that these are two specific rabbit breeds. Yes, they are the breeds of my 2 babies, Toffee and Charcoal.

Similar to Bunnies Can Dream, this line of jewelry is also inspired by nature. The main differences are that the focal material is sterling silver, and more than 90% of each piece of jewelry is fabricated entirely by myself in the studio. Another characteristic of Harlequin & Lionhead is that most pieces are "sculptured" from various materials instead of an integration of different elements, making its collection organic in nature.

The new collection will be available in a new Etsy store in November. But I can accept pre-order right now. Just email me and I'll provide you a quote. Currently, custom-made designs are not available but I could do that probably from Spring next year onwards.

Click on the picture below and you will be redirected to the blog of Harlequin & Lionhead, where you can see more pictures of the whole collection. I will be posting more next week on the new blog so stay tuned.

Full Rose Ring, Harlequin & Lionhead

 
This blog will continue to exist for Bunnies Can Dream, and as a more personal blog for me, the designer of Harlequin & Lionhead (because I just love dreamy bunnies and what this blog represents!)

Here is something for you readers exclusively - a quick behind-the-scene of my product photoshoot.

This is actually my little photoshooting booth for both brands. I use it for product close-ups. It's basically my bedroom dresser top with a specific photoshooting light set up, color paper backdrop, and specific props or tabletop. I don't use it as much for Bunnies Can Dream because it's a brand more of natural sunlight and colors. But this would be a must-have for Harlequin & Lionhead moving forward!

I do all photoshoot by myself, including the ones with model. And yes, I am always the model (a struggling designer has no capital to hire expensive fashion models!) To help me shoot, a full body mirror or a small hand mirror is important so I can see how the shoot looks like on the camera.

That's how I did the latest photos of Harlequin & Lionhead. A stark contrast is added to the picture to take out the background of my bedroom, leaving only the pale skin, black hair and black background.
ok, that's all for now! Come back soon for other stories ;)

Behind the scene of the upcoming sterling silver collection

You may remember my earlier posting on the wax rose, well, it came out really nice but I'm working on the finishing so you'll see it soon. Meanwhile, I'm giving you a sneak peek into my workstation and the rest of the rose collection, debuting October! I work with wax to create models for the silver pieces. And my survival tools are 1) tile (as the tabletop), 2) alcohol lamp, 3) 1-2 key dental tools, 4) wax. That's it! Then it's skills, patience and imagination! My collection is all about details. Except for the full bloom rose bracelet, the other pieces are made of small roses. Each rose is probably about quarter inch wide. The roses are put together to form different pieces. The lower bottom of the little case is a pair of 3-rose earrings that can be worn along your earlops curving up, or hang down from your ears. It's an elegant piece. The most stunning piece is probably the full rose ring. It showcases 15 or so roses in a full circle. I also made another ring that is adjustable with the opening on the front that is part of the design. It does not look like an adjustable ring at all. In fact, I like it more when it's opened up! This last piece is a rose wreath pendant made of 6 roses. I'll be posting the sterling silver pieces in the next posting. It's going to be available in store in Oct but pre-order can be accepted! Stay tuned ;)

Look again, this is wax!

Yes, this is a black rose made with wax. It's my first attempt at making a big sheet-wax rose. It's pretty realistic looking in its current wax form it actually looks like a corsage.


Inspired by Philip Treacy's Rose hat which appeared recently on Project Runway, I want to make a large full bloom rose bracelet. The flower is made of sheet wax, and the band will be in the form of a rose stem with one thorn. The final piece will be cast in sterling silver with oxidation to mimick blackness of the real rose.


Working with sheet-wax is not that easy. It softens with human body heat and hardens in room temperature. With uneven temperature on the same sheet, the wax is easy to crack or form fold line.


The one I have is 20G (over 1mm thick). To create the pedals with the natural edges, I mold the wax into thinner layers. The problem however, is that when wax model is thinner than 1mm, it's hard for precious metal to form successfully during the casting process.


Another problem is that the piece will become heavy with metal. This flower is under 2 inches wide in diameter and about 1 inch tall. As it is, the bracelet in sterling silver will weigh over 50grams! Of course, that also means it will be an expensive piece! But then again, what's a bit of weight on your wrist for a really beautiful piece of statement jewelry ;)

Well, we'll see if I can overcome these issues somehow. I'm still working on it and I'm hoping to finish it next week. Meanwhile, a collection featuring small roses are being done. I'll see how my baby looks like on Thur and if it works out, I'll update you with the picture of both the wax and metal pieces in the coming post!

The new precious metal pieces will be available for purchase at a new Etsy store I'm opening. More info to come so stay tune!