Conquered platinum, but shortly thereafter melted into a puddle

Dearest readers.  I am hot.  But I love it.  I would rather be hot than cold any day.  At least in the heat your muscles can relax.  Cold just ties me into knots.

So, I finally finished my first project in platinum.  See below:

I don't know why I was so reluctant to start making things in platinum.  It just seemed intimidating for some reason.  I remember when I first opened up shop.  I had so little experience!  It is shocking when I look back on it.  I was so nervous about EVERYTHING.  Everything was a cause for worry.  There was just so much I didn't know (it's still that way, incidentally) and it made it hard to know what to expect.  I like to know what to expect.  I'm not a nervous person, not at all.  But I NEED to know what to expect, even if it what to expect is bad and hard and intimidating.  As long as I have a general idea of how it will go, I'm fine.   

Anyhoo, I shouldn't have been nervous.  It was bit harder to finish (i.e. polish), but the stone setting was very similar to palladium.  I really liked the color as well.  It was very white, and the weight!  I love the weight of platinum.  I'm toying with making this ring in platinum for my wedding band:

All right, I think I need to wrap things up here, Mr. Gunter is trying to give me a hint about his needs and desires:

(That is the door that he is leaning against.  Subtle, very subtle.)


p.s.  I had my first fitting for my wedding dress yesterday (I'm having it made by a Cambodian tailor).  It is going to turn out fantastic.  Almost exactly what I was picturing!  It's a bit excessively pretty, pretty princess, but I'm throwing caution to the wind (along with my radical feminism, apparently).

Jewelry maker finds it hard to return to work, decides to read a fantasy novel instead

Damn you George R.R. Martin.  I might be able to make a living if you didn't write such beguiling tales of epic/tragic heroism.

So, I am finally back into the swing of things, having just finished the newest Martin book.  Yes, I'm a huge and geeky fan.  Luckily, I'm also a quick reader, so when I fall into a fantasy induced stupor it doesn't last very long (I think bought it on Sunday, finished it last night.  I can't believe it!  So and so can't be dead!)  I think I might start from the beginning (again).  Or maybe I should save that for the month before the 6th book comes out. (Unrelated, but was anyone else terribly disappointed by the final Harry Potter?  What a let down.)

All right.  This is what I've been meaning share with you all:

In case you were wondering

I enjoyed my vacation.

I think I will schedule one for every two or three months.  I just feel so much more positive about my life and my job after having a bit of a break from both.