Steampunk Jewelry on WIRED Magazine - Etsy, Technology & ClockworkZero's steampunk jewelry

So there's this Geek Magazine i've read for the last decade: WIRED has a very positive article on ETSY. For all you etsy people out there - do take a look. Share it around - its nice to have some super positive ETSY articles - and WIRED is so well read. Consider yourselves as part of the revolution!

Clive Thompson who wrote the article bought one of my steampunk/cyberpunk vacuum tubes last year. Although I'd read his stuff for years I didn't know he was The Clive Thompson. Months and months later he contacted me and said he'd like to mention my work in an article. I was thrilled - but thought it would be a lot less - something minor - and he said in April maybe.
Except it is NOW - LOL omgbbqwtfomg I've had a few sales.. and so much positive little emails from strangers. It's been great. Now i've grabbed somehow a little bit of web fame.

If anyone here DIGGs stuff or Stumbles - can you do me a fav and stumble/digg the article? please? pretty please? shugar?

So chances are good .. i'm quitting my day job.
what do you think of that?! craaaaaaaaazy

Time Crunches a Steampunk Jeweler's Brain

Finally! an update.. but not a huge one. Time crunches my brain, but I'm planning on changing that. Although I've been working on a time traveller device that would allow me to actually go back to the days when i had more time to make jewelry, the device is sadly missing something vital. All it does is just sit there! ;)

So I'm thinking of quitting my day job. The one that pays the rent and bills, and making this a full(er) time venture. its madness. The economy sucks. The sales are a bit slow. but my well paying job... sucks. i get home so depressed and sad, usually with a headache. Sometimes with a migraine.

Between my husband and I we will... be okay if i quit. They won't give me a leave and there are no other positions in the company now. They are asking us to work longer hours (without pay), dress up in Business clothes (no idea why), do more and more. The end result is some hard misery.

So although it seems madness, I told my supervisor this week I'm going to leave the job in April. I'll be doing some hours for my brother, helping people set up web stats (something i'm really good at), and basically... making steampunk jewelry. crazy but true.In other news!

I finally finished my Steampunk Bee design, and I'm really happy with the elements. My husband suggested the price, but I think its a bit too high. I'll be eventually changing it a bit to something slightly more affordable I hope. I love bees........... i should do more bees! And i will too.

So here's the photo. Let me know what you think. There's a few more photos up on etsy - my clockworkzero.etsy site: steampunk bee



The silver bee has been adorned with some simple gears taken from a vintage watch. She is connected to these absolutely gorgeous pocket watch pieces by faceted iolite set into sterling silver. Iolite is a pretty stone - a blue grey colour. I've also added some tiny iolite beads in between the links.

Now the pocket watch pieces are just incredible. It took a long time to find a nice pair that both had some damaskeening (that is the patterning in the metal) and the elaborate engraving. They aren't quite a matched set - since the engraving is a bit different - but they are almost a perfect match in size. Do have a look at the close ups I've provided - since they really show off the fine quality. As you can see these pocketwatch pieces come from Waltham pocketwatches. Based on a guesstimate and a comment from the watch repairman that I got the orignal watches from they were made around 1900-1920 or so.

Steampunk in Toronto!

wow, a long time since i have been here.. i'll be better at posting in 2009. most of my posts go up to my livejournal. Anyway...t hings are going like crazy in the Steampunk Jewelry department. I'm really excited to see how Toronto is growing into loving Steampunk. Yay Toronto :D

I spent the holidays working on some new designs and finishing some special projects.One of the nice things that happened was that my jewelry got used in a photo shoot. I had no idea what to expect though, so it was rather difficult to get all excited about it. Anyway, I got a few of the photos yesterday. I'm totally amazed. They were a lot better than I expected or hoped for.

there's a bigger version on my Flickr. anyway, its thrilling to see my jewlry being worn :D

CREDITS:
ClockworkZero (steampunk jewelry): www.clockworkzero.etsy.com
Tasha (stylist) pretty.deadly.stylz@gmail.com and http://www.modelmayhem.com/708099

Bella (blonde model) http://www.modelmayhem.com/208464

Elyse (purple-haired model) http://www.modelmayhem.com/698146

Jenni (make-up artist) http://www.modelmayhem.com/193703

Starkers (wardrobe) http://www.modelmayhem.com/402135

And Danielle King (photographer): http://www.modelmayhem.com/593390 and www.danielleking.ca

creating steampunk - a personal history

yes, 2 posts in one day!
I'm stuck at work.. can you tell? :D
Anyway someone asked me about how I got into making steampunk jewelry and its rather funny. i have been making jewelry now for ... a long time. Since highschool actually. Then in the 90s when I was living in Montreal, I opened a tiny bead shop. At that time I had a strong interest in Victorian jewelry - in particular jewelry made with hair, and keepsakes. I made some really awful stuff then - but some nicer things that got sold in a gallery as well. One of the first pieces was a pendant with my BF's photo - set into a watch case - and covered in gears. I found it just recently... lol.

By the mid-90s though i had to give up jewelry. I made an attempt to become a silver smith - took courses etc - but my hands/wrists were getting wrecked. Carpel tunnel! Finally by '99 I quit it entirely and got into tech support.

I'm sure there is some direct relationship between goth, steampunk, SF and Geeks. Heck, I know what it is - cause that's me. Aging goth who has written SF forever becomes Tech support Geek, finds other geeks, phases out of Gothdom and transitions into ... steampunk.

I started hearing about steampunk as a more modern goth alternative a few years back. Then, a friend used to send me a bunch of links and we would chat about it, and I continued my non-jewelry making life. Then one day he sent me a photo of some steampunk jewelry that was really, really terrible. Just - poorly made, cheap and well.. ugly. Even in the photo I could see the glistening glue glob, the fact that the jump-rings weren't closed and that the weight (which appeared considerable) would cause the necklace to hang crooked AND break.

so i started making my own stuff.

I feel lucky actually - because most of my customers are amazing people. Sweet, interesting and so far, pretty happy. I always try and correct any issues (and trust me, even I can make some mistakes when making jewelry even after all this time) and they seem happy.

What more can i ask?
Maybe one day to do it full time. Call it a steampunk jeweler's dream. Though, i must admit, I love the cyberpunk stuff too.

i guess, really, it isn't that interesting a story after all.

New Steampunk Jewelry update

I'm finally getting the chance to write and update my etsy site with some new steampunk jewelry. Its not been easy. I'm getting over bronchitis. yuck.

Still, I've got some wonderful new materials, and have started using some of my treasures. Treasures you say? yes, steampunk jewelry treasures! I have some great materials - but finding the time and inspiration has been a challenge.

This piece feels really inspired though to be honest. It is made with a wonderful fused quartz glass tube that was originally used in stop-motion photography. Although it is glass - it is very sturdy because originally a current was used to trigger this bright flash. The shape of it makes for a stunning pendant. I've already sold 2 of a similar design....... and omg! one of my customers was so thrilled she sent me a present!!! how cool is that? Amazing! heh. AND the other lady wrote today to say she loves it very much and has sent me a commission.

::does a happy dance::

I designed a very silvery based chain made with bits of industrial hardware, similar to the designs of my Vacuum Tube pendants.

Steampunk Fashion - working Gear Jewelry!

So here is my first "moving movement" = actual moving jewelry !
I'm really really happy with it. I think it really brings my own feelings about steampunk jewelry and the steampunk aesthetic to a new level for me on a personal basis. Its a really nice feeling to fix something - lots of repair work was done - fix it enough to make it "work".

Scary Steampunk Halloween jewelry by clockworkzero

something scary for Hallowe'en... tiny jaws from some unknown animal that were quite old.
The watch parts already reminded me of jaws or claws. Since I did the "Art that scares you" fundraiser I thought of these.

Anyway, there is something very cyborg like in these pieces. what is nice about these crazy, scary pendants is that they are 2 sided. so you can wear them either way. something like a bone sculpture.

Ah well... can you tell I'm a fan of the Terminator movies.. the first 2 anyway. And yeup, the series as well.

I've got a friend who is looking up what kind of bone. I'll let you know.

Steampunk sculpture

I've finally had the time to create one of the sculptures that have been in my head for ages. Steampunk sculptures - small mock up models of what certainly would be a functioning Time Machine. It would be fantastic to make one that was large enough for a person to walk through!

The dial on this is very clean and lovely... and i love the roman numerals. the pointer can be moved as well.

I've posted this up at my flickr account.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_clockwork_zero/

Steampunk Jewelry and sculptues here in Toronto

The Royal Sarcophagus Society's
The Bazaar of the Bizarre
Sunday, Oct 19 ~ 11am-6pm
6 Noble St. (Queen W. & Dufferin)

Our first Halloween & Holiday Marketplace! Over 40 artists, clothing designers, craft-folk, publishers and other independent makers of all things exotic and macabre will assemble for this eccentric emporium of curious crafts. Admission is Free!

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this will be great! I've been making so many things for this event - steampunk time Travel sculptures, steampunk necklaces and jewelry... all kinds of things. There will be new steamy earrings and pendants, brooches oh my!

as i've got time at work.. i'll make another post or two.

New steampunk jewelry!

wow! been an age since I've had the time to post here.
I've been really really working hard on a lot of new steampunk jewelry. Yes, clockworkzero's been a very very busy grrl. In addition to my steampunk earrings, brooches and necklaces I've been designing a line of cyberpunk jewelry.

You just don't see enough cyberpunk styled jewelry in my corner of the world :D
I love playing with all the beautiful machined parts - not just cogs, wheels and gears but actual part of computer and various equipment - thats what I adore about using electronic parts in my work.

This particular vacuum tube is really lovely. I made/ designed a special chain for it that really works. There is something very cyberpunk imho about it.

In addition to the Cyberpunk jewelry I've been making more "traditional" steampunk jewelry too. For some reason though, I'm not able to put up any more photos right now. :D so looks like I'll be posting again soon!