Ruby hand-crafted jewelry commissioned for 40th Anniversary
Cleveland Daily Banner, TN
By SAMANTHA JONES Lifestyles Editor
Published September 29, 2007 7:32 PM EDT
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Nillie Bipper Festival, the Cleveland Creative Arts Guild commissioned a local artist, Avery McNeese, to work rubies into two pieces of handcrafted jewelry to be given each day of the Nillie Bipper Festival.
Originally, the representatives from the guild were seeking a craftsman from out of state, but loyal to their local roots, they selected Avery to do the piece.
Avery crafted each pendant using a clay that consists of 80 percent pure silver and 20 percent organic material.
After he crafts the piece, he fires the piece. This can be done with a torch, kiln or hot plate. McNeese uses a torch. When the piece is being heated, a temperature hot enough to burn the composite material, but cool enough not to melt the piece must be maintained. Each piece is made larger to compensate for the 20 percent loss firing produces.
The final product is pure silver, not sterling as most commercial jewelry is.
After the piece is fired, extensive polishing is required. Then McNeese set the stones in the piece. The rustic, faceted cut of the ruby makes it an appropriate prize for the Nillie Bipper festival, which eschews any commercial crafts. The pieces, though skillfully tooled, are craft jewelry, not fine jewelry — their handcrafted nature is a part of their appeal.
McNeese is owner of the Eager Beader, where he produces many beads. He would like to do more work that “falls between traditional fine jewelry and craft jewelry†as these pieces do.
