Teresa Lathem

Title of Ring:
Heredity
Materials:
mixed metal, iron, brass, steel, silver, garnet, resin
Size:
8
Dimensions:
1 1/2″ tall, 1/2″ band
Artist Statement:
I was 50 before I found metalsmithing. I took one class and was obsessed. I then self taught by watching every youtube video known to man. It was baptism by fire, literally. As a child, I adored my grandfather and wanted to do everything he did. I spent many hours in his barn. When he recently died of Alzheimers, I found buckets of old metal “treasures”. He never threw anything away. I am sure he thought one day he would use the pieces. Since he didn’t get a chance, I did it for him. I took random parts and put them together to form this ring. The band is an old hinge from a cabinet that I cut in half, heated and formed. It has “ITALY” stamped on it. I have no idea if it was really made there. The base is a huge washer. The center is a brass knob. I made the stamen out of silver and crushed garnet to put around the stamen. I tried to leave as much of the natural patina as possible but still give the piece some highlights and depth. Work on this evoked so many memories. My ❤ is happy.

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