Opal is best worn as a necklace as it gets brighter picking up body oils. but think of it like a charm bracelet as a necklace.
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It always bothered me to melt down a previous work, I remember every laborious step as I watch it reduce. 
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Yes, but if the earring is hanging it can hang on a chain as easily.
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Man, all of that craft was labor intensive. You put the tool down and things stopped happening.
I love being able to design digitally, push a button and let the robot do the work. 
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That was my expectation. Unfortunately that is not my experience. Hanging earrings on findings has been the least work. Start talking about an engraved box and the three hours of Glowforge time is the least of it,
Your “fauxchons” are SPECTACULAR!!! Absolutely STUNNING!!!
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Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
arrowmont.org -
Penland School of Craft
Penland, North Carolina
penland.org -
John C. Campbell Folk School
Brasstown, North Carolina
Folkschool.org
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I can send you a set. We inherited some when Eric’s dad passed on and Eric does not wear them.
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I can vouch for the Campbell Folk School - I’ve probably taken 10+ classes there (ranging from pottery to silversmithing to stained glass to enameling) and they were all fantastic.
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I spent a summer there blowing Glass.
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I have never been but have always wanted to go. I do not remember what the circumstance was but the school impressed me many years ago.
I no longer drive a car without assistance due to a home accident. Someone from the school was literally going to drive to Knoxville and come pick me up so I can attend one of the classes.
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So you are Dale Chihuly’s competition.
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Hardly. He was the major competition to Penland perhaps as his school in Washington State(?) was the major decision many of my co-students were making and many of those had done both.
I did “invent” a wind bell based on the Angel’s Trumpet type flower that had a donut type hole at the top so the glass hung from the hole in the outside and the clapper part hung from the inside hole. Having the design and making them was extremely problematic as that part was fragile and hard to punty. In response, I created a “punty mold” that provided a very thin ring of hot glass that was even more fragile but that became its own problem as just touching anything with the back of the punty would have the piece shattered on the floor 
If I had been able to create and run my own glass studio I might have been able to practice enough to turn them out, but very few survived from that time.
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I am not familiar with a punty mold. I also did not know he had a school.
Years ago, I saw a television interview with him and he was very arrogant. Is that his normal personality?
Was at John C. Cambell the week of 1 Feb. In a class for 10 hours a day, communal dining, and bunked with other students from across the country and even Canada. (I’m cheap). A respiratory virus swept through our class and I assume other classes. Fairly long recovery, wiped me out for 2 weeks. All the symptoms typical of a severe flu but I tested negative for flu. If it had been 3 weeks later I would have been worried but the pandemic was not likely to be the cause that early. That said, it was a great learning experience. Have built several good sounding banjos from rough lumber since then.
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A frequent need for artists even if only a face. The best alternative is a spouse who will provide that arrogance for you.
If I say “I am the greatest so my work is worth a fortune” I am considered arrogant and my work devalued. But if my wife says that I am the greatest and they would be very lucky to buy from me at any price, she will be believed far more often.
Dale Chihuly carries that off better than most folk and you know his name and Harvey Littleton who virtually invented the concept much less so,
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This artist is using a domed point to make a ring Punty which is very cool. Mine was similar but I had a ring of aluminium that made the resulting ring much thinner (but more fragile)
The trick is to attach the punty to the bottom of the vase in such a way that it will come off at the end leaving a minimum mark
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This is one of the areas in NC that we’re looking at to move to. (Murphy) The other is up near Asheville. Campbell is an exceptionally cool place.
Brasstown is the home of the annual New Year’s Possum Drop. Instead of a crystal globe it’s a possum in a cage dropping.
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All east coast. Thanks for the links, I’ll check them out.
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‘I’ll hush up my mug if you’ll fill up my jug with that good ole mountain dew”
I am not kidding this is absolutely the truth!! I love bluegrass music. If you call my phone my voicemail greeting is me singing part of the lyrics of Mountain Dew.
Did you build the banjo or play the banjo at the school? Oh I love listening to a banjo!!
In the past, when I told family and friends that I love the dulcimer and the banjo everyone immediately burst out laughing. They think I am joking.
Many years ago, I wrote the lyrics for a Bluegrass ballad. In 2008, someone got me an appointment with a Nashville music producer. The gentleman was very nice and he explained the entire process about writing a song. Since I had only written the lyrics —-I would need someone to write the music, I would need a band, I would need a singer, I would need an attorney, I would need an agent etc. Basically if 100,000 people purchased the song I would make one dollar. The music producer told me the singers and bands make their money from touring.
I was so disappointed but I still have dream —-I want someone to take my song, sing it and play the banjo at the Opry.
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