All jewelry designers find inspiration somewhere. For Taiwanese metal smith, Iona Liu of Iona Silver, it is her two beloved cats, Rourou and Pidan. She does have other designs but cat pieces predominate her shop.
Iona uses the lost wax casting method of making her sterling silver designs. See my past post which explains the process. She explains before she does that, "I would do many design sketches and pick the best one among them. Sometimes I would directly carve on the wax. After, wax models are sent to casting workshops, all of my creation are cast in 925 sterling silver as I love the tender and soft sparkle of this metal. Finally, I would polish them in detail, to enhance that sparkle." She also solders jump rings and so on if necessary.
What I love about her designs is how she manages to capture the different postures of cats.
Iona started her cat themed silver jewelry business back in 2012. She still had a white collar day job. Making her designs was merely a hobby which she pursued in her free time. She did publish pictures of her work on her blog and received good responses. Two years ago, she took the plunge and quit her day job to concentrate on Iona Silver! How inspiring!
Anyone who has ever had cats will appreciate Iona's caption for the design photo below which appeared on her Facebook : "Good bye my kitty, you will have a new servant."
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She also has cat silhouette design pendants :
Before You Go:
- Enamel Pins by Niaski Celebrates Famous Artists
- How to Make a Wire Wrapped Cat Ring
- Clever Use of Stud Earrings and Wire for this Polymer Clay Pair!
Disclosure
This blog may contain affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation.
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
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You are right, Pearl - the postures are different and very true to life :) I love the expression of the cat (ring) in the second picture! And I love the new design of your site!
ReplyDeleteShe does capture cats very well!! Thanks for the kudos on the site. I will be letting other readers know more about its features soon.
DeleteWe know how much you love cats Pearl and I can see why Iona caught your eye!
ReplyDeleteThat one - it made me cry.
Awww. You must miss your cats so much.
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