Category: jewelry

Bench Cat Bodhi is celebrating 1 year in the studio

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Celebrating 1 year with a studio bench cat named Bodhi
Dan Balk Jewelry and Studio bench cat Bodhi

Bodhi joined the family here at the Greenhaus last year. He kinda likes hanging in the studio when the polishing machines are not on.

So, Bodhi and I have a game that he likes to play. I will put my bristle brush burs away in the holders on my bench, and he will take them out, run and hide them somewhere in the haus.  Not really cool when you are looking for your bristle brush burs, or walking barefoot around the haus. (the shafts of the burs are made of steel and slightly akin to stepping on a lego block, hot coal or other hurtful object.)

Anyway, we like having him around the studio, despite his kleptomaniacal ways, and have taken to growing some catnip among the other organic herbs we grow here. He seems to enjoy being with us while we create art and craft.  

A Play Thing

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Handcrafted unique contemporary designer art jewelry by Dan Balk
Silver Art Ring

The word jewellery comes from jewel, from the old French jouel, which in turn comes from the latin jocale, which means ‘plaything’.

This piece is made in sterling silver that was hand fabricated from raw materials. I recycled old silver from former pieces and added (14K) green gold accent. I alloy my own metals, and really love the color of gold I am able to achieve with the right combinations of gold, silver and copper. A cobalt druzy, black pearls, a peach button pearl, amethyst and blue topaz are set in this wearable sculpture that I made by hand from design to finished piece from my jewelry studio in Tampa, Florida.

Dan Balk Jewelry Studio at The Greenhaus

Seperation anxiety

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I have taught many classes on anatomy, physiology, bodywork, and manual therapies. During which time I logged a few thousand clinical hours performing rehabilitative manual therapies on people  afflicted by a wide variety of pathologies, from sprains to multiple sclerosis.  I have come to the conclusion, that through a process of miseducation we (for the most part) have come to believe that we are separate, somehow, from our bodies. And in believing such, tend to treat them as something we have, rather than something we are. Needless to say, this feeling of separation is a hallucination that has led to disastrous consequences, particularly in regards to our relationship with our natural environment and our fellow human beings. If our beliefs separate our consciousness from our bodies, how could we hope to feel a connection of our body to the external environment or to other people. I am not saying I have this all worked out, but we as planet need to adopt a new cosmology, and begin to think about ourselves and each other differently. For everyone’s sake. And we had better get around to it pretty quickly,…

Dan Balk Jewelry Ring 15RSS

Welcome

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Just getting this blog set up. I am an artist, goldsmith, and designer. I enjoy working with noble metals like gold and silver. I like designing with precious gemstones. There is a connection between artists and the materials they choose to work with. It is humbling to work with these geological wonders that have been formed by the earth over millions of years….