Bakelite Pins & Brooches from Elvenkrafte Studios, page 3

For several years I have wished I had the know how and time to make molds of, and cast copies of some of my carvings. I've carved and sold a LOT of one of a kind art jewelry and buttons over the years, and a great many of them were pieces that I wish now I had made molds of. In the spring of 2011 I decided that I just couldn't afford to wait any longer. After much research and listening to advice from others who were casting jewelry, I bought equipment and materials, and began experimenting. Many of my first molds and castings, and indeed my first choice of materials, can only be valued in learning experience. I first tried casting with polyester but the end result was sticky and hard to cure, and it wasn't durable. SO....back to the research and I discovered a very high quality polyurethane. It takes color well (although achieving nice marbling effects is more accidental than something that can be predicted) and is durable both to heat and wear. It is a bit lighter than bakelite weight-wise but its appearance and other characteristics are quite comparable. So here we are, I'm finally able to make molds of and cast limited edition copies of my carvings! Currently I am mainly casting bracelets but I do have some pins and buttons molded and ready to cast as well. Due to the fast curing of the polyurethane and small capacity of my casting equipment, I am only able to cast these one piece at a time. So... unless I hire a few more hands and buy a lot more equipment, these truly will be limited editions. Copies of each design will number less than one hundred each I'm sure (probably less than 50 for most designs and less than 20 for some others). Each piece is signed and dated with the date of the original carving, then inscribed with either Polyurethane or Poly and the number of edition.

I will gladly take orders for special colors/combinations but can not guarantee marbling effects. At least half of such attempts end up with more blending of the two colors than with marbling. Solid, non-marbled colors, I am willing to cast for a bit lower price. Also, if you would like to purchase more than one piece or several, I am willing to give price breaks.

Tortoise and Hare Bracelet Bangle

Edition #1

Edition #1 Marbled Red and Yellow with inlaid bakelite eyes. A wonderful marbled effect shows in this edition and it looks very much like what you would imagine such a color mixture would in vintage bakelite. Inner diameter is 2 9/16. The walls are 1 1/2 inches wide and about 1/2 inches thick in most areas. My signature, the date of the original carving (1-9-10), and Polyurethane #1, are inscribed on the inner surface.

Price....$150.00

Valentines Day Children & Hearts

Edition #1

This is another gorgeous casting in which the marbling of colors turned out very nicely with a mixture of reds, cream and yellow blending to pink in areas. The bracelet features a young boy giving a bouquet of flowers and a Valentine's day card to a pretty young girl, with a background of hearts of various sizes. The boy and girl both have inlaid bakelite eyes and I've also used enamel to add eyebrows. I believe I like this polyurethane edition better than I do the bakelite original that I carved! Inner diameter is a hair over 2 1/2 inches and the walls are 1 1/2 inches wide, about 3/8 of an inch thick. My signature and the date of the original carving, 1-15-11, as well as Polyurethane #1 are inscribed on the inner surface.

Price....$150.00

Red Riding Hood and Wolf Bracelet

Edition #1

Cast from an original design that I carved from bakelite in April of 2011, this polyurethane #1 edition is a gorgeous mixture of reds and black, nicely marbled with lighter areas showing up to highlight may key areas of the design. Both the wolf and Red Riding Hood have inlaid bakelite eyes and some highlights and definition added with black enamel paint. The design features Red Riding Hood in full flight before the wolf, her basket of goodies (breads, cookies, and a jar of JAM) spilling out behind her. The wolf chases hungrily after, mouth agape and his Grandma outfit blowing off of him as he leaps after Red. The bracelet has an inner diameter of 2 9/16 inches. The walls are about 1 1/2 inches wide average and about 1/2 inches thick. My signature and the date of the original carving are inscribed on the inner surface, as is Polyurethane #1.

Price ....150.00

Red Riding Hood and Wolf Bracelet

Edition #2

Cast from an original design that I carved from bakelite in April of 2011, this polyurethane #2 edition is a warm, sunny mixture of yellows and oranges. Both the wolf and Red Riding Hood have inlaid bakelite eyes and some highlights and definition added with black enamel paint. The design features Red Riding Hood in full flight before the wolf, her basket of goodies (breads, cookies, and a jar of JAM) spilling out behind her. The wolf chases hungrily after, mouth agape and his Grandma outfit blowing off of him as he leaps after Red. The bracelet has an inner diameter of 2 9/16 inches. The walls are about 1 1/2 inches wide average and about 1/2 inches thick. My signature and the date of the original carving are inscribed on the inner surface, as is Poly #2.

Price....$100.00

Red Riding Hood and Wolf Bracelet

Edition #3

Cast from an original design that I carved from bakelite in April of 2011, this polyurethane #3 edition is a gorgeous mixture of dark red and black, nicely marbled with the darker areas showing in the wolf portion of the design. Both the wolf and Red Riding Hood have inlaid bakelite eyes and some highlights and definition added with black enamel paint. The design features Red Riding Hood in full flight before the wolf, her basket of goodies (breads, cookies, and a jar of JAM) spilling out behind her. The wolf chases hungrily after, mouth agape and his Grandma outfit blowing off of him as he leaps after Red. The bracelet has an inner diameter of 2 9/16 inches. The walls are about 1 1/2 inches wide average and about 1/2 inches thick. My signature and the date of the original carving are inscribed on the inner surface, as is Poly #3.

Price....$100.00

Hansel & Gretel Bracelet

Edition #1

Here is a lovely design that I created and carved originally in November of 2010. It features the story of Hansel and Gretel, depicting the children as they discover the house made of treats. Following Hansel and Gretel, and eating up their trail of bread crumbs, is an old crow. On the other side of the yummy house is the old witch, plying the children with a cupcake in one outstretched hand and an armful of cookies and other goodies held back to further tempt them. I couldn't resist adding the gingerbread man running off behind the witch. Of course he's not originally part of this story but....why not. The bracelet is a very nicely colored marbled mixture of reds with a bit of creamy under-tone in a few spots (oddly it showed up on the bottom of the cupcake which was perfect!). The inner diameter is 2 9/16 inches. The walls are 1 3/8 inches wide and about 1/2 inch thick. The witch's eyes and the eyes of the children are inlaid with bakelite and I also used a bit of enamel to add some other details and shadows. My signature, the date of the original carving, and Polyurethane #1 are inscribed on the inner surface.

Price....$200.00

Mermaid Luring Sailor Bracelet

Edition #1

Here is a great mermaid and sailor design that I created to be reminiscent of old nautical tales of sailors being lured to jump into the sea from their ships by visions of mermaids. In this original design, a sailor wearing old style uniform dives after an attractive mermaid who stares back at him over her shoulder, swimming just out of his reach. The sailor in my design is perhaps a bit more recent in historic dress than what the mariners would have been wearing in the old tales. My sailor could easily be a US sailor in uniform circa WW2. The colors of the bracelet are very "bakelite-y" in a marbled blue and cream which I added just a bit of amber color to to mimic oxidization in bakelite. Both the mermad and sailor have bakelite eyes inlaid and I've used a bit of enamel in places to deepen shadows and emphasize details. The bracelet has an inner diameter of 2 1/2 inches. The walls are 1 1/2 inches wide at the wider points and about 5/8 of an inch thick in most areas. My signature and the date of the original carving are inscribed on the inner surface, as is Polyurethane #1.

Price....$150.00

Seashells by the Seashore Bracelet

Edition #3

This design is one of my favorite summer pieces that I created in 2011, a bracelet made up of different seashells all piled together. The #3 edition is a gorgeous coral orange-pink and cream marbled that turned out quite nicely. It is deeply carved in relief and a true eye catcher, great for vacationing on the beach! The walls are a bit over 1 1/4 inches wide and about 3/8 of an inch thick in most spots. The inner diameter is 2 9/16 inches. My signature, the date of the original carving, and Poly #3, are inscribed on the inner surface.

Price....$75.00

Seashells by the Seashore Bracelet

Edition #4

This design is one of my favorite summer pieces that I created in 2011, a bracelet made up of different seashells all piled together. The #4 edition is a gorgeous coral pink and cream marbled that turned out quite nicely. It is deeply carved in relief and a true eye catcher, great for vacationing on the beach! The walls are a bit over 1 1/4 inches wide and about 3/8 of an inch thick in most spots. The inner diameter is 2 9/16 inches. My signature, the date of the original carving, and Poly #4, are inscribed on the inner surface.

Price....$100.00

Beauty Shop and Fashion Items Bracelet

I must have been a bit off of my rocker when I designed this bracelet and carved the original! I don't mind saying that it was a lot of work and time that went into finishing it, so I'm very glad to be able to offer you limited edition castings of the design! As you can see, the bracelet includes everything from jars of rouge and cold cream to sunglasses and a cell phone. It's all here, everything that a lady might need in her purse and then some.... This #3 edition is a gorgeous marbled red that I've washed in some detail with dark enamel to add emphasis to the finer lines. The bracelet has a wall that is 1 3/8 inches wide, about 3/8 of an inch thick in most areas, and has an inner diameter of 2 9/16 inches. My signature, the date of the original carving, and Poly #3 are inscribed on the inner surface.

Price....$150.00

Snakesssssssss

I've made several snake bracelets over the years, all different, but the few designs that I did end up making molds of and casting are some of the nicest I have created, even though they are some of the more simple. Below is a picture of two differently colored snake bracelets together, just to show what they might look like when worn in pairs. A very handsome grouping in my opinion and the polyurethane editions are quite nice. So far I've added inlaid bakelite eyes of various colors to each bracelet.

A single Winding Snake Bracelet in orange and yellow

Edition #3

Here is one of my favorite snake bracelet designs, just a single serpant winding around the wrist. All of the scales are carefully carved to make the snake appear realistic. The bracelet has a wide wall at nearly 1 1/2 inches wide, and the bracelet is a nice sturdy piece being about 1/2 inch thick. The inner diameter is 2 1/2 inches. This edition, #3, is a marbled orange and yellow mix with a red and black bakelite eye inlaid. On the inner surface is inscribed my signature, the date of the original carving and Poly #3.

SOLD

A single Winding Snake Bracelet in green & cream

Edition #4

Here is one of my favorite snake bracelet designs, just a single serpant winding around the wrist. All of the scales are carefully carved to make the snake appear realistic. The bracelet has a wide wall at nearly 1 1/2 inches wide, and the bracelet is a nice sturdy piece being about 1/2 inch thick. The inner diameter is 2 1/2 inches. This edition, #4, is a lightly marbled green and cream mix with a yellow and black bakelite eye inlaid. On the inner surface is inscribed my signature, the date of the original carving and Poly #4.

SOLD

A single Winding Snake Bracelet in dark red

Edition #5

Here is one of my favorite snake bracelet designs, just a single serpant winding around the wrist. All of the scales are carefully carved to make the snake appear realistic. The bracelet has a wide wall at nearly 1 1/2 inches wide, and the bracelet is a nice sturdy piece being about 1/2 inch thick. The inner diameter is 2 1/2 inches. This edition, #5, is a dark red with some faint marbling and has a yellow and black bakelite eye inlaid. On the inner surface is inscribed my signature, the date of the original carving and Poly #5.

SOLD

A single Winding Snake Bracelet in marbled browns

Edition #6

Here is one of my favorite snake bracelet designs, just a single serpant winding around the wrist. All of the scales are carefully carved to make the snake appear realistic. The bracelet has a wide wall at nearly 1 1/2 inches wide, and the bracelet is a nice sturdy piece being about 1/2 inch thick. The inner diameter is 2 1/2 inches. This edition, #6, is a wonderful and earthy mixture of faintly marbled brown, with the main marbling appearing on the top of the head. The eye is inlaid green and black bakelite. On the inner surface is inscribed my signature, the date of the original carving and Poly #6.

SOLD

A Pair of Snakes Wrapped Around Each Other Bracelet

Edition #1

Here are a pair of snakes with their tails wrapped around each others necks. The bracelet has a wall of a bit less width than most of my bracelets, measuring only 1 1/8 inches, but it is still a nice thick bangle at about 5/8 of an inch thick in the thicker areas. As are all of my snake designs, this one is carefully carved with individual scales to appear realistic. The color is a dark marbled red and it has inlaid bakelite eyes in yellow and black. The inner diameter is 2 9/16 inches. My signature and the date of the original carving are inscribed on the inner surface, as is Poly #1.

SOLD