Spectrum Scopes !
This page displays the different scope designs which I make in multiples.....sort of.....
All my enameled cases are different, some quite similar in style and color, and some are noticeably unique. Each kaleidoscope is hand-crafted in my studio from start to finish.
I use materials ranging from humble copper plumbing pipe as an enamel base, to sterling silver constructed end caps, sometimes embellished with precious or semi-precious stones. The object chambers hold lamp worked glass stringers, as well as shards of dichroic glass, minute enamel stringers, tiny glass beads and sometimes tiny brass gears or other interesting found objects. The mirror systems are made with first surface mirrors only, and I use custom magnification lenses appropriate for the focal length of the case.
It takes a long time to design each kaleidoscope, and I cannot possibly make too many of one design, or I would lose interest in it as an art form, so I've decided to limit all of my designs to a reasonable number....then close the edition.
I call these little darlings my "Spring Scopes".
They measure 1&1/2inches-1&3/4inches in length, depending on the lens used. The end caps are constructed from sterling silver with a drawn sterling spring attachment which connects to a long sterling chain.
$350.00 each
Similar to their cousins but without springs and worn horizontally, this design is my least expensive jewelry scope...the
"Baby Branch Bottom".
Again, the end caps are sterling with an integral loop on each end to hold a sterling chain.
$250.00 each
These Kaleidoscopes are examples of what I call the "Branch Bottom" style.
Here in North Carolina, a brook is called a branch, and we have a lovely little branch flowing through our property. The play of color and light within the enamel reminds me of looking at the branch bottom as the water perks along....bits of fine silver float within the glass like shimmering water over sunken stones, and the transparency of the colors reveal hidden secrets below.
Pictured are 2 separate kaleidoscope designs....one is 2&3/8 inches long and worn as either a vertical or a horizontal pendant with sterling caps and removable chain.
The other is 4 inches long with sterling caps and a sterling stand which is not pictured here.
Both designs are $450.00 each
Red Crackle Scopes
I love these ! The enamel I use for them is obsolete....and it works so well in this combination. I have a "stash" of it which I save for this design style, and when it's gone....I'll be sad.
Each scope is definitely unique in design, but executed with the same enamels and same technique style. The base coat is a soft fusing turquoise. Once it is fired, I paint a liquid red over it and let it dry.....then I wipe away areas to reveal the turquoise, and dry brush a little yellow figure into one space.....fire again, and finally add a very light coat of transparent dark blue in a zephyr all around the cylinder. The little yellow figure normally resides in my mind.....but I let it come out to play on the "Red Crackle Scopes".
Prices range from $450.00 up, depending on the size and setting....
Black & White
The most graphic combination of all !
I like to employ the sgrafitto technique with black & white. The first firing is solid hard black enamel, then I apply a special mesh of medium fusing white in powder form and scribe through it with a fine stylus for the design. This is done free hand....so mistakes simply cannot happen !
Prices range from $450.00 up, depending on the design difficulty, size and setting.....some designs are similar, but all are B&W .
Flora scopes
The process I use for these lovely kaleidoscopes is a simple stencil, but one using the fronds of ferns or leaves of other beautiful plants in my environment. The color combinations are my choice, and the finish is usually matte, although sometimes I use a metallic luster for highlights. The 4 inch long model comes with a sterling stand which is not pictured here, and the 6 inch scope is made with an integral stand built into the sterling end caps as a tripod. The picture on the left shows an end cap with one "foot", the other end has two, and the scope rests horizontally.
4" with stand: $450.00
6" with tripod: $650.00
Silver & Stone
Twin semi-precious stones are chosen to act as catches for a tunic length sterling snake chain, and then they are set into the window end cap of a 2 inch kaleidoscope. I make liberal use of fine silver foil fired over the enamel colors and covered with a clear transparent. The colors chosen resemble the colors in the stones, and each scope is named for that combination....like the scope on the left, which is called "Blue Star" because of the starry blue goldstones used.
Price $450.00 each