I was MIA from here yesterday because (a) it was the last day of school so I was turning in grades and wrapping things up there for my 6 week vacation (woot!); and (b) when I got home, we started celebrating 20 years of wedded bliss!

One of the cool elements of my jewelry hobby is that, for the most part, I am able to share it with my husband. He was the photographer for Picture Yourself Creating Metal Clay Jewelery, and he makes jewelry as well, though he’s not into beads all that much. One project he’s been working on for awhile has been perfecting the technique of turning a metal coin into either a ring or a bracelet. He made his first coin-cuff bracelet back in January and then donated to an auction for the local Humane Society. Since then, he’s been out banging away on his work bench making more of these coin turned jewelry masterpieces. I thought he was making one for his mom for Christmas, but it turns out he was making a few for moi! Pictured is a pinky ring he made for me out of a platinum coin and a cuff bracelet he made from a 22kt gold coin.

For his gift from me, I plan (when I get my next book check in) to purchase this flex shaft (pictured from the Rio Grande catalog above) for him, as well as a jump ring maker kit, that you attach to the flex shaft. He took a chain makig class a few years back and made some killer chains using zillions of jump rings and has wanted this set up ever since.

So perhaps our jewelry geekiness is one reason we have been so lucky and able to tally up 20 years of marriage. I know that very often this is not the case with married couples, but jewelry is really a craft that is not gender specific. So think about this the next time you get the eye-roll when you head out to your jewelry shop in the garage or pull out that bead tray. Maybe you can bring your better-half into the jewelry fold and find a technique he or she will enjoy as well.