Leaf Green Earrings - phrenite and silver

About Me :
Daniel Proulx is from Montreal. He makes wire-wrapped Steampunk jewelry with brass, copper and gemstones

‘In April of 2008 I started to make rings just for fun ... I spent several hours every day perfecting and developing my own technique to create an original design. I quickly started to make very retro-futurist model of rings. At that time I decided to embark on this adventure, quit my job and try to live on my jewelry full-time. One day a friend told me what I was doing wasSteampunk. I researched the subject and fell in love with this culture. I always liked Steampunk but I didn't know there was a name for it.’

Find my jewelry for sale on ETSY : www.CatherinetteRings.Etsy.com

I rarely used rubies in my steampunk jewelry , luckily i recently found some that fits perfectly in my designs . They range a lot in color so each ring is different . Most of the rubies i offer are of an opaque Medium red Mauve color with some translucence. They are natural and cut by hand .

Here's some picture of the new steampunk jewelry with Ruby :

Steampunk Ring - 10.5

Steampunk Ring - 9

Pyrite is a very interesting new material for my steampunk design . I found a dark khaki pyrite which match perfectly with the gunmetal color of the ring .

Here's some picture of the new steampunk jewelry with PYRITE :

Here's some for the most recent item's

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade CatherinetteRings.etsy.com

The first of July we are moving to a new apartment where i will have a new workshop . In my new apartment the Living room and the kitchen are connected together , i will use that space for my workshop and at the same time it will be a showroom decorated steampunk style . Every Sunday i will try to go to the nearest Flea Market and see what i can get for my future studio .

This weekend i have found an antique looking Victorian style storing furniture . It will be my treasury box , This is where i will stores some of my precious jewelry making material . The furniture is nicely plated in copper with engraved patterns . Even if the furniture is a replica it will fit nicely in my steampunk home .

You can search your shop's name and find screenshot of your Frontpagers on Flickr.

Purple orbit steampunk ring
Originally uploaded by Catherinette Rings

This is my 2nd ring in this model . I used new purple beads i just received .

Now listed on ETSY

Steampunk Madness Ring #2
Originally uploaded by Catherinette Rings

I decided to make a mega ring . A ring that is 2 X larger than my original design . I mixed a dozen different features and techniques i developed over the year into one ring . It represent a mechanical gadget powered by a mysterious stone .

CatherinetteRings's Shop Announcement *** HAPPY ETSY ANNIVERSARY DEAL ***

BUY 2 items and GET a 3rd items for FREE !!!!
The free item must be of 35$ or under .
Just indicate in note to seller which item you would like for free . For a limited time .

✈ FREE SHIPPING EVERYWHERE ✈

If you would like a ring in a different size , a custom order or a ring from my sold item just convo me . Your order will be shipped in less than 48 hours .

Thanks for taking the time to visit our shop

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade CatherinetteRings.etsy.com

Last year when i first opened my ETSY shop , i wasn't part of so many social networks .
Now i have over 3333 followers on twitter : http://twitter.com/SteampunkRings
At first i didn't know anything about it and now it has become a part of every days life.

Here's a few where you can make a portfolio :

Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielproulx/
I really like flickr because you can make you photo gallery with your best photos and see how the public react and comment . I recently ordered some nice moo business cards using my most popular pictures .



Indie Public : With more that 12000 people , indiepublic was one of the first community i subscribed to.


Visit Indiepublic


The talent database : With the talent database i had some people contact me to take part of local events and craft shows. You can make your portfolio and there's a local search to find talent near you.





Deviant Art : This is a very nice community where you can share your best deviations , i also have a portfolio there http://catherinetterings.deviantart.com/
Really love this site .

Steampunk Copper wire ring with Indian Moss Agate bead
Originally uploaded by Catherinette Rings

This is my most popular ring on flickr

About Agate :
Agate (pronounced ['ægət]) is a microcrystalline variety of quartz (silica), chiefly chalcedony, characterised by its fineness of grain and brightness of color. Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are classically associated with volcanic rocks but can be common in certain metamorphic rocks.

Colorful agates and other chalcedonies were obtained over 3,000 years ago from the Achates River, now called Dirillo, in Sicily.

The stone was given its name by Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher and naturalist, who discovered the stone along the shore line of the river Achates (Greek: Αχάτης) sometime between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC.The agate has been recovered at a number of ancient sites, indicating its widespread use in the ancient world; for example, archaeological recovery at the Knossos site on Crete illustrates its role in Bronze Age Minoan culture.

READ MORE :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agate

STEAMED - 9 - Artistic STEAMPUNK wire ring with BOULDER MATRIX OPAL bead
Originally uploaded by Catherinette Rings

This is one of my most popular photo on Flickr

About OPAL :
Opal is a mineraloid gel which is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most commonly found with limonite, sandstone, rhyolite, and basalt. The word opal comes from the Latin opalus, by Greek opallios, and is from the same root as Sanskrit upálá[s] for "stone", originally a millstone with upárá[s] for slab.

The water content is usually between three and ten percent, but can be as high as twenty percent. Opal ranges from clear through white, gray, red, orange, yellow, green, shore, blue, magenta, rose, pink, slate, olive, brown, and black. Of these hues, the reds against black are the most rare, whereas white and greens are the most common. These color variations are a function of growth size into the red and infrared wavelengths. Common opal is truly amorphous, but precious opal does have a structural element. (see Upal). Opals are also Australia's national gemstone. Opal is one of the mineraloids that can form or replace fossils. The resulting fossils appeal to collectors, although remain less significant for many scientists.

READ MORE :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opal

CatherinetteRings rings Steampunk with borosilicate bead
Originally uploaded by Catherinette Rings

Borosilicate glass is a type of glass with the main glass-forming constituents silica and boron oxide. Borosilicate glasses are most well known for having very low coefficient of thermal expansion (~5 × 10-6 /°C at 20°C), making them resistant to thermal shock, more so than any other common glass. Borosilicate glass was first developed by German glassmaker Otto Schott in the late 19th century and sold under the brand name "Duran" in 1893. After Corning Glass Works introduced Pyrex in 1915, it became a synonym for borosilicate glass in the English-speaking world. Kimble-Kontessee sells its own line of Kimax brand borosilicate glass products.

The European manufacturer of Pyrex, Arc International, uses borosilicate glass in its Pyrex glass kitchen products, however the U.S. manufacturer of Pyrex kitchenware uses soda-lime glass. Thus Pyrex can refer to either soda-lime glass or borosilicate glass when discussing kitchen glassware, while Pyrex, Duran and Kimax all refer to borosilicate glass when discussing laboratory glassware.

Most borosilicate glass is clear. Colored borosilicate, for the art glass trade, was first widely brought onto the market in 1986 when Paul Trautman founded Northstar Glassworks[citation needed]. There are now a number of small companies in the U.S. and abroad that manufacture and sell colored borosilicate glass for the art glass market.

In addition to the quartz, sodium carbonate, and calcium carbonate traditionally used in glassmaking, boron is used in the manufacture of borosilicate glass. Typically, the resulting glass composition is about 70% silica, 10% boron oxide, 8% sodium oxide, 8% potassium oxide, and 1% calcium oxide (lime). Though somewhat more difficult to make than traditional glass (Corning conducted a major revamp of their operations to make it), it is economical to produce because its superior durability, chemical and heat resistance finds excellent use in chemical laboratory equipment, cookware, lighting, and in certain cases, windows.

READ MORE :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borosilicate_glass

I'm making a new colorful collection of rings . It is a variation of the Steampunk ring that i usually make with copper , brass and gun metal color . I have used colored wire and swarovski crystal . I don't have a lot of this material at this time .I only have the blue , purple , turquoise , orange , red, black and orange swarovski crystal beads . I plan to make a wider range of colors including brown, burgundy, green, yellow, peach, silver and more. I'm going to order new colors of swarovski tomorrow.

I remember a few months ago when my best friend told me 'have you heard about steampunk?’ I had no idea what he was talking about. He explained it to me because he saw that I was making rings that were very similar to that style. With a little research and experiment with different materials, I created a unique style of rings. I wanted it to look like something mechanical with gears. I also used material of natural copper and gun metal color to give it an antique aura.

The technique I used includes a lot of precise coiling and twisting of 2 pieces of wire. I used about 1 meter of copper wire per ring. Originally I only had antique metal and borosilicate glass bead for the centerpiece. Recently I have included some interesting semi-precious stones: Indian Agate, Leopardskin jasper,red coral, smoky agate and tiger eye beads. Part of the fun in making these rings is in selecting the perfect centerpiece.


My favorite :


This is my favorite because of the gear that perfectly fits in the center.

I took this picture on a reflective frosted black surface to create a soft reflection.

This is my original model with and antique copper bead.



What is Steampunk ?
What is Borosilicate ?