Ballerina Bell

Inside of the skirt before setting the bell

The top of the bell with tab

the bell is set

the bell is finished

images taken 17/06/11...This is one of 3 bells that I want to make as part of my Ballerina series, trying to get this bell together was probably the best challenge I have had in a while....and as usual because things were very intense during this process, I did not document all the things that happened. The setting of the Ballerina on to her skirt was a design issue that I sorted out when I made the spin ring. The inserting of the bell was another story.

I tried so many things, riveting, jump rings... etc I even considered jewellers 'adhesive'... but in the end even though is will never be seen, I made a pierced unit with claws, that is set in place by the tube that comes through the centre of the skirt and sets the ballerina and skirt together. I set a dome on top of the bell, with a tab which has the 925 and my scv stamp on it, and then set it with the claws on the inside of the skirt. I will get better and neater by the third bell...I'm sure. And it works... the knocker, is a silver heart which comes from earrings that I make.

I little background on these elements, the skirt my friend Carla made, and the bell was a brass-bell (which I silver plated) from a strand of bells that I have had since I was a teenager living at home. The ballerina was cast and adapted from one of those plastic cake decorations. So each object has become a found object that I have combined together. Even though I had the skirts made for this series they feel like found objects to me.

The reason for bells in this series, sound...music...the bell to mark the beginning and end of my ballet exams as a child... and I have always had a variety of bell in my life for some reason...