A new Seed ring

What happens between this moment.....

... and this moment?

A lot, that's why tomorrow I will show you a sequence of photos. 

This ring is called Ruby Seed. It's a bean that has sprouted and its roots grow coiling around the finger.

Some years ago I made this same ring but the first version of Seed had two roots instead of three.

Unfortunately that first ring was stolen so my friends asked me to make a new one. This new version is made of 18k gold, the roots are made of sterling silver and a ruby with the most spectacular color.

It's this...

 

This fragile form was melting next to me on a park bench.

What's this?

It's been a long time... but it looks like the sun will shine again and I will have the chance to take new photos for this section.

What's this?

 

If you know the answer, please write it down in the comments. I will tell you what it is on Saturday.

The Red Neptune

Last year a friend of mine requested a ring for his girlfriend. He liked the Neptune but wanted a thinner version of it with a red stone: her favorite color.

Here it is: The Red Neptune.

 

The stone is a beautiful ruby, of intense color and a very nice cut.

 

The Neptune is inspired in the corals of the picture: the holes, soft borders and texture. 

The stone makes me think of a submarine seed.

The first step to create a ring like this is to carve it out of a wax block using special files. Carving is something that I enjoy very much. It's like making a small sculpture. Then comes the moment to submerge the wax model in plaster and wait for it to dry. After that, the wax must be melted. This technique is called "lost wax" because there's no way back, you only have one chance. If the plaster mold turns out defective or the metal that is poured in the hole left by the wax has bubbles, you are lost!.

I don't have the required equipment to make this casting procedure, besides, it's so messy and demanding that you need years to master it properly. I prefer to leave it to the specialists. When the casting is ready I get the model in silver and give it the final form and texture.

While working on this ring I learned that it's necessary to count with the best team of specialists there is to get the results I strive for. It's no use to make fine wax carvings if  I can't rely on a good casting specialist or  a good stone setter.

In Bogota, after years of trial and error, I found my dream team:  a great casting specialist, even if he takes his time, and a fantastic stone setter who works impeccably  and understands the spirit of my designs. I haven't found that kind of team here, therefore I can't be quite sure how long is it going to take finishing a piece and I suffer a lot  every time I have to try the work of a new stone setter. Sometimes the language and the differences in the culture of work constitute an obstacle for me. But, I'm learning.

In spite of the delays, the corrections and the heavy snow that kept this ring at a post office somewhere between Germany and Spain for too many days, The Red Neptune arrived to her owner.

Fragments of Budapest. Last Part.

To finish my tour of Budapest I will leave you with some fragments of color, texture and time from that wonderful city.

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

Photos by P. Abitbol and Lili

Budapest is too cool. Third part.

These are some details that make of Budapest a city full of life and movement. Nice to her inhabitants, she makes you want to discover her.

 

The cafés. Every neighborhood has many of them, in different styles. Some small,

and some grand. Check out the pianist!

Like this is easy to talk about art and philosophy, even politics ... I was ready to draft a referendum ...

And then, something for the body:

An outdoor hot spring bath in the middle of winter. While the body is submerged in mineral water at 100˚F your head remains cold at 28˚F. With luck that day the sun will shine a little and the rays will penetrate the clouds of mist covering the water surface and when you look at the sky, the pigeons will fly over the statue of a gaseous Venus and it absolutely will be a great moment .

 

In a city like this you can walk along the river even in a gray day and check whether they advance in the restoration work of the church on the hill

or you can stroll around the synagoge.

And fortunately when you don't want to walk there is the tram. It goes to the hills and through the neighborhoods.

 

A city with lots of stone lions is too cool.

Next, in the fourth part: Budapest, a city of textures.

Strolling around Budapest, second part

In the seven days of walking around we fell in love with Budapest. To discover a city it's necessary to stay more time than that, specially if it's one as full of details and styles as this one.

These melancholic rooftops made me dream of an atelier right under one of those domes and a piano, so my lover can play some Liszt while we drink the flavorful national wines.

 

One day we went to walk around the Jewish district. So wild and apparently decadent but full of life.

This day it was raining. Budapest looks so good when it rains.

This are photos of the Liberty Square, with enormous buildings of different styles and layers of time  that have turned the domes green and some walls black. Exactly there is the last monument of the communist era.

 

 

 Street after street of beautiful buildings.

 

Here a banker's caprice: his own palace.

And now, the night:

 

 This is how the Parliament looks from Buda's shore

 

 and this is how Buda looks from the side of Pest. The Royal Palace at the distance.

 

We crossed the bridge the first night we arrived, surrounded by the fog rising from the river we were lost in time.

In the third part: Budapest is too cool!

Strolling around Budapest

Hi. I'm back from vacations and ready to begin working on new designs for Lirio, new projects, some study and to continue my very intense physical training (more on that in following days).

But first I want to show you some photos of Budapest. A fantastically beautiful city.

I'll be showing you my trip images in 4 parts so you won't get annoyed with too many photos.

Let's begin.

Budapest, January  2010.

A brilliant day to go up the hill and watch the city in all her splendor from the Royal Palace.

At the feet of the Palace Hill the Danube. This is the Chain Bridge, one of the many bridges that comunicate Buda and its hills with Pest at the other shore. The art nouveau building in front of the bridge is the Gresham Palace, nowadays a hotel.
I loved to cross that bridge, at day and at night time.

The city extends along the Danube with impressive buildings like this one:

The Parliament

To my left the Fishermen's Bastion, a fairy tale - like construction built solely as a viewing platform. Behind that... the Buda hills.

Tomorrow I will show you some streets and squares of Budapest.

Happy 2010!!

HAPPY 2010

Is this year already a delight?

I salute you from a silent and snow covered Germany. My first days of the year are being spent listening to history podcasts, eating homemade pizza and watching the snow fall down.

For the first time in years I am excited about the idea of a new year and I have faith in this 2010. There are many decisions to make, some fun projects in my head and in a few days I will begin a demanding fitness challenge with a trainer from Japan on the web (hence the pizza abuse).

But before I begin with full energy I am taking a trip to Budapest. My love and I in a romantic episode by the Danube.

Soon I will post some photos of two rings I made in December and I will tell you my adventures with the stone setters and the mail.

Have a fantastic year, filled with plans and action, adventures and music.
What projects do you have? What dreams would you like to see come true?