Nettie Kent Video Interview: Following Jewelry Design Dreams

Many of our Sheffield School students in Jewelry Design are pursuing their creative dreams while working fulltime. Imagine my delight when I came across the following video interview of New Yorker Nettie Kent, who talks about how she pursued her goal of designing her own jewelry while working three other jobs - and her delight when she was able to leave all three! Nettie shows off her work space, which I also thought tied in perfectly with a new article we just posted in Designer Monthly on setting up your work space to maximize creativity; read Carve Your Niche: Create a Creative Work Space for Jewelry Design.

Interested in learning more about jewelry design? Explore the Sheffield School, New York, NY. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

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Copper: Why the Green?

Fernanda Sibilia "Confite" Patina CuffCopper can be gorgeous in its rosy untarnished hue but often doesn't stay that way.  Smudges, tarnish, oxidation and patina all change the look of copper if left untreated.  Ever noticed how anything copper that is left outside turns a bluish-green color in some places?  And also, with jewelry made of copper, sometimes it leaves a greenish mark on the skin?  

Fernanda Sibilia "Ceibo Hiluan" Mixed Metal EarringsSo why the green?  The reaction is between the natural acids, salt and moisture from skin + sweat combining with the copper.  Think about the patina (a surface reaction) that appears on copper roofs turning them this same frosty color.  This comes from the cupric acid naturally found in the metal which comes to the surface through oxidation (reacting with oxygen) and is triggered by moisture + salt.  This is the same reaction that happens on the skin due to natural perspiration.  

FYI:  The reaction of one individual to copper on their skin varies from person to person depending on the pH of the individual's skin.

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