Why do bees make honey?

Do bees hibernate?  

No. They keep on living and doing, building, cleaning and creating through the winter... In fact, this is why they actually make honey! 

I've been fascinated with bees for some time now; and recently, I've had the opportunity to begin studying pollinators.  I will be reading and writing, drawing and sculpting on bees for the next few months.  I hope you enjoy the process and look forward to sharing the final creations at Studio Colfax, Denver Colorado in a solo drawing exhibition opening this April 11th, 2015.

wahoooo!!! 

Xx

Crystal Hartman

Art Jewelry

Setting Stones

A handful of new jewelry is cast and now we are setting mountains of beauty!  Natural stones, turquoise from Nevada, Arizona and Colorado, high grade turquoise! Chrysoprase, Blue Chalcedony, Watermelon Tourmaline and Pearls in Colorado handmade silver jewelry.

Stay posted, pictures of the new handmade jewelry coming soon! 

xo

Crystal Hartman

Art Jewelry

Durango Colorado

Lost Wax Casting Process

We are busy bees in the studio making investment molds around carved wax that will be melted out and filled with recycled sterling silver and bronze... the traditional lost wax casting process.  After carving our new designs, we build a wax tree with them and then, create an investment mold around that tree in an iron flask.  Here is a picture of this part of the jewelery making process.

Mold making in the traditional Lost Wax Proces

Next, we will melt out the colorful wax, heat the molds overnight in a kiln and in the morning, pour liquid silver or bronze into these flasks, filling the spaces where wax used to be and creating handmade silver jewelry and artisan bronze jewelry.... 

Investment molds in the kiln... 

After silver is poured into the flasks, it looks like this...   Cooling for about an hour we keep our metals stron and happy before breaking the mold and beginning the metal clean up and finishing process. 

Silver Casting Temperature: 1910 degrees F,

Bronze Casting Temperature: 1960 degrees F

xo

Crystal Hartman

Durango Colorado