Monday, March 26, 2012

Bunches of bananas and confidence


Hmm, well that gem shopping expedition didn’t quite go as planned.

I couldn’t face the schlep down to Chinatown on Saturday so I went to Amarin mall where there were several stalls and shops peddling gem and stones. I found a lovely shop where I told the man that I was learning to set stones and wanted something cheap but pretty that I could practice with. We started with amethysts and we moved through a host of stones whose names I’ve forgotten. Each time he brought something out I got more and more panicked: so TINY, shiny and perfectly cut. In my head I saw myself trying to measure and set them with my bunches of bananas and I felt a bit sick.  I knew they could look gorgeous. But probably only if someone else made them. He showed me all sorts of stones but I’d completely lost my confidence that I could do anything with them.

I found another stall. In a basket there were pieces of agate. I bought this one: it’s 4 cm long. I think even my bananas can make a reasonable job of setting them.

(Here’s the finished crown setting from the last post. I don’t know what the disc thing is that we’ve set but it feels like resin or even just plastic. Because it’s nicer with light behind it, I cut out a mad pattern on the back to let the light in.)


3 comments:

Carol said...

You know what? Your doing what I did when I first started Uni...your not giving yourself the space to learn. No-one starts anything being totally and completely brilliant at it...it takes time! So what if its not perfect the first time...the next time it will be better and then the time after that even better than the last etc. Give yourself permission to make mistakes! If you were teaching me something and I made a mistake you would support me to have another go and you wouldn't think I was rubbish for not getting it right first time...don't be so hard on yourself lovely! Your already producing stuff that I would wear so I think your doing brilliantly!

C x

Malte Zeeck said...
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Jenny Beattie said...

Thanks Carol. I'm such a beater upper.

Malte, thank you. I'll check out internations.org.