Bumblebee and Sunflower Cuff

Bumblebees are often forgotten as one of our most important pollinators. They are so docile, hard working, and adorable! It has been a long disputed fight claiming that bumblebees, because of their chubby bodies and small wing size, really shouldn't be able to fly. But they do! It was finally found that because of the way they move their wings, back and forth versus the normal up and down, allows them to do so. I once saw it explained as "a crappy tiny helicopter" and it has made me laugh every time I think of that since. Bumblebees are also unique in the way they pollinate "vibrationally". Because of their size and the way they buzz so much trying to keep their bodies from falling from midair, they cause a lot of air disturbance around the flowers they are drinking from. Those vibrations help plants to become what is called "buzz pollinated"! It is not at all hard to see why these tiny fuzzy beings are some of our favorites!

This little lady was carved from scratch. The manner in which I create my jewelry is best described as carved from the silver itself. Meaning, I melt scraps of sterling silver into rough shapes of the object I am aiming to create. I fused together three different sized balls of silver to replicate her head, thorax, and abdomen. They then need to be carved down so that her abdomen comes to a bit of a point and the proportions between the three is to my liking. She then gets two big eyes fused to her head. Carve them down a bit so that they are perfect. Each tiny pieces of fuzz for her body was drawn down to some of the thinnest I can make and cut into the smallest pieces to look like her soft fuzz. I heat her body to the perfect temperature so that her body is red hot but not hot long enough to melt the fuzz into little balls instead of the fuzz shape I need. It is such a fine dance with my torch to do this! You want both her larger body AND her tiny fuzz pieces to be the same temperature (without melting!) so that they fuse together and become one piece instead of totally melting everything into a ball again. Patience. Her legs are shaped to a point each, and I cut her two tiny toes on the end of each foot to cling to her flower. Her wings are rolled out through my mill so that they are nice and thick. After, I use tiny carving tools to leave the veining pattern within her wings. Lastly her wings and legs are then carefully fused to her body. Creating her in this way brings me joy because I can see her come to life as I am making her. There will never be another in the world like her because she is not cast and made to be replicated over and over again. She will forever have a home on the multi layered sunflower below her tiny feet. The sunflower measures about 2.5 inches across and high. The entire piece is made from solid sterling silver and one of a kind. There is an opening in the back of the bracelet that allows you to slide it onto your wrist and makes it slightly adjustable. Normally all it takes is one time to put the cuff on, size it to your comfort, and it will allow you to then take the bracelet off and on again without having to bend the bracelet at all. 

Already completed one of a kind designs such as this bracelet will be packaged up sweetly and mailed off to you within 3-5 business days.