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My name is Benjamin Dickey. I receieved my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Metals/Jewelry/CAD-CAM from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, PA in May of 2010. This is my current portfolio of works from summer 2007 to present. For those of you that like what they see, I do custom commission work on a person to person basis in the traditional jewelry field and the cutting edge CAD field. Contact me if you are interested.
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College Metals Class, first project that our class had to do. The Assignment: incorporate chain into a piece. I don't think I'll ever want to saw another piece of titanium in my life!
It all fits neatly into the palm of my hand and it detaches from its connection point on the copper ring.
Metals:
-Bronze Sheet
-Sterling Silver sheet & wire
-Fine Silver wire
-Copper Wire
-14k Gold Filled wire
-Titanium Wire
Stones:
-Completely Pyritized Ammonite (Colorado)
-3 6mm Tiger's Eyes
-2 8mm Moss Agates
-2 Quartz Laser Points
-6mm Blue CZ
(2 images)
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I got this beautiful malachite point at a store near where I was attending night school for bartending. It was just too good looking to pass up.
Metal:
-Sterling Silver Sheet & Wire
-Brass Sheet
-Fine Silver Wire
-14k Gold Filled Wire
-Copper Tubing
Stones:
-93mm Malachite Point
-3 small Quarts Laser Points
-12mm x 16mm Rectangular Cut Tiger's Eye
-5mm Lapis Lazuli Cabochon (Brazil)
-5mm Amethyst Cabochon
-12mm x 16mm Oval Snowflake Obsidian Cab
-Unknown Iridescent Irregular Cab
(9 images)
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This is the final finished piece that came from the wax model which was so big that it had to be cut into 3 separate pieces in order to cast.
Anatomically correct with the concept being something like a suit of armor or a car engine. I antiqued the leather a bit so that it would have a kind of ancient feel to it. It gets attached to clothing via magnets & is worn in the center of the chest. This piece will continue to evolve a little bit more in the next month or so, into a neck piece I think. The pewter side is the side of the heart where deoxygenated blood pumps into from the body, and the brass side is where oxygenated blood pumps out of & back into the body.
Materials:
-Cast Bronze
-Pewter Sheet
-Brass Sheet
-Brown Suede Leather
-Brass Hex Bolts
-Rare Earth Magnets
(4 images)
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My first blacksmithing attempt.
When I was in Scotland for the month of June I had the privilege of working with John Creed, a prominent silversmith and blacksmith in the UK. So I made a knife that ended up looking very Albert Paley-ish.
Not bad for an afternoon's worth of work.
Materials:
-Mild Steel
(2 images)
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I am an die hard Alien fan and I look at a lot of HR Giger's work for inspiration. I was watching Alien 3 one day and looking at the cover for the movie and decided that the infant Alien creature - or "Chestburster" - would make a perfect ring. So I created this piece as a tribute to HR Giger and got in contact with his agent Les Barany and got the go ahead to produce this piece.
This piece is an extremely limited production as there are only 4 of them in existence, one for HR Giger himself, one for his wife Carmen Giger, one for Les Barany, and one for myself. Giger & Carmen's rings were presented to them in June on the 30th anniversary of the HR Giger Museum in Switzerland.
Each ring bears my name, trademark, "STERLING", a copyright, an edition number, and the year 2008 inscribed on the inside of the shank, and a corresponding certificate of authenticity.
There will be no more of these produced.
Carmen is currently wearing hers.
(9 images)
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Something wearable for myself. Contrasting finishes and a tube set stone.
-Sterling Silver Sheet & Wire
-Copper Tubing
-6mm Blue CZ
(6 images)
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Dr. Mockett's Steam Powered Ethereal Storage Device
"It slices, it dices, it makes Julian Fries! This very small steam driven* device will store any piece of information that you so choose to etherealize."
Did I mention how much I love the Steampunk movement?
Materials:
-C... tubing
-Brass sheet & tubing
-Bronze wire
-Silicone
-Leather
... USB drive guts.
Will build on commission, $55.00 for one, allow a week for manufacture; can do customized designs as well.
*no actual steam involved.
(7 images)
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Another CAD ring for you, This time I got my inspiration from a flywheel. A true flywheel is a massive wheel of heavy material that takes a lot of effort to keep going, but once it is in motion it is hard to stop. That's what was going through my mind when I did this one because I liked working on it so much that I had trouble stopping.
Rendered here at a size 10 in 14K yellow gold with diamonds.
Price Pending weight analysis.
(2 images)
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Metalsmithing midterm project and the first thing that I've ever raised. Took about 6 weeks to raise the top form from a flat bronze disc. One of my friends referred to it as "The Blood of Mine Enemies" chalice. Majestic and standing at about 12-1/2 inches tall.
Materials:
-Bronze sheet
-Nickel Silver sheet
-Deer Antler
-Leather
(3 images)
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I needed a new pair of sunglasses and i decided that I didn't want to pay $175 to Oakley for them. So I made my own pair of custom drill mount sunglasses for a fraction of the cost. And the best part is that they can be used for safety goggles and the lenses are cheap to cut and replace.
-Brass Sheet & Hardware
-Sterling Silver Sheet
-Nickel Silver Wire
-Stainless Steel Machine Screws
-Lexan Polycarbonate Sheet
-20% VLT Limo Tinting
(4 images)
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A pendant I made as a gift to my sister for her High School Graduation. It started off very simple but due to the fact that I don't have a tumbler to polish all the very tight spaces in my work, it got complex in a quick fashion. The chain attaches just behind the topmost point of the piece. This is the first Tube Setting that I've done.
-Sterling Silver Wire, Sheet, and Tubing
-14k Gold Filled Wire
-Brass Sheet
-6mm Blue CZ
-2 6mm Green CZs
-6mm Synthetic Tourmaline
-6mm Smokey Quartz
(5 images)
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I had a watch movement (watch guts)similar to a Rolex Perpetual Calendar lying around my studio. I'm trying to design a piece around it at the moment but before I really got into it I wanted to know how hard it was gonna be to make a mount for it. This is trickier than it looks as this movement is a little on the fragile side, and I wanted the mount to allow for the kinetics of the movement to still function. It turned out to be surprisingly quick to do, but as this was just a test, I wanted to figure out how to do it right the first time without paying much attention to the overall aesthetics of the piece. The mount may be a quick & crude one but it holds this heavy movement in place rock solid! this mount will probably be discarded once I finish the preliminary sketches for the piece that I'll be using this movement in.
Materials:
-Sterling Silver wire
-22 Jewel Mechanical Automatic watch movement
(3 images)
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This was just something that I did to see if I still had the gift when it comes to CAD as I haven't really used CAD for jewelry in a while. By quick I mean that it took me about 3 hours to create and half an hour to render.
This ring does not exist in its physical form as of yet. It is in Actual form and ready to be printed, cast and the stones acquired and set whenever anyone requests.
Shown here rendered as a size 7 (but can be made any size) in 14 K brushed white gold and 14 K polished yellow gold with a Diamond, 2 Smokey Quartz's, and 2 smaller Emeralds.
For sale on request, $2500.
(1 image)
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First Wallhanging piece that I've ever done. Measures 15 inches x 42 inches will eventually be turned into a sconce once I get the money for side glow fiber optics.
Materials:
-Mild Steel Sheet
-Copper Tubing
-Aluminum Sheet & Rivets
(1 image)
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I got a rough idea in my head so I put it down on paper... and turned it into this piece! I decided to only slightly buff the sheet in it because I liked the antique look that it gave. I used HR Giger as an influence as seen in the "hoses" as well as my own mechanical geometric style of creation. This piece is as of this moment finished, however the straight on back view is pretty ugly and I'm considering creating a brass backing for it which will mimic the quartz laser point in the center.
-Sterling Silver sheet and wire
-Brass sheet
-14k Gold Filled wire
-5mm White Spinnel
-6mm Green CZ
-6mm Yellow CZ
-6mm Peridot
-6mm Synthetic Tourmaline
-6mm Smokey Quartz
-Quartz Laser Point (Utah)
(4 images)
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Another CAD project for you. This is kinda like the Gun Creature Series of work that I did not too terribly long ago. The difference is that this new creature has a new skull geometry and a longer tapered body (11 vertebrae instead of 7).
This project is an actual in its current state, rendered to look like sterling silver cast from a Solidscape model. These little guys can be printed to order should you decide that you want one.
FOR SALE!!! Call (610) 295-7437 for pricing.
Please allow 2 weeks manufacturing time.
Materials:
-Rhino 4.0
-Flamingo 1.1
Materials in Tangible Parts:
-Sterling Silver cast from a Perfactory Model.
(2 images)
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I do CAD work on the side as well. I know it's not exactly metal work, and that it's heresy, but I'm actually starting to enjoy it more and more as the year keeps progressing. This particular project is a 2 part bracelet with movable components. The 2 spines come around to lock the piece in place around your wrist. All the components will be held to the wrist by rare earth magnets.
These images are what are known as "Actuals" which are renderings of the actual model. This particular actual will be printed on a ZCorp plaster printer and will then be strengthened with epoxy or cyanoacrylate. This process lends itself to some extremely interesting jewelry applications in that there are some things that can be done more precise and easier than can normally be done at the bench.
I'll have the tangible piece up as soon as it gets done building.
Materials:
-C... 4.0
-Flamingo 1.1
-Photoshop
Materializ...
(2 images)
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This is another super cool CAD piece that I've done recently. The assignment that I got was to create a kinetic piece that incorporated seven movable components. This piece has eight movable parts including two tracks.
To operate it, you simply place this object flat in the palm of your hand and then place a fingertip from your opposite hand in the center hole of one of the three eye-like ends of the large arms, then rotate the piece. The central hubcap object stays stationary while the rest of the piece moves. The three arms move as one and the three disc-like objects move with them. The three balls in the middles of the three discs catch the underside of the stationary piece and rotate vertically as they go around. This piece will give you hours of enjoyment especially if you have ADD or a short attention span [like me =)].
FOR SALE!!!
-$70 for a plain white model
-$100 for a Silver or Copper Patina paintjob
-$300 for a white SLS print (Nylon, More durable)
-$350 for a white GFN SLS print (Glass Filled Nylon, high durability)
*All models will be printed on a ZCorporation Plaster Printer and infiltrated with epoxy resin, or on an SLS Laser Sintering 3D printer.
(3 images)
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If you think that I haven't posted a piece up in a while, you'd be right! Here's why!
This is a watch that I've executed to look like an artifact from the steam age (mid 1800s to the early 1900s). It comes from the era where aesthetics were just as important as overall functionality.
This piece was drawn in CAD and then executed by hand with extreme attention to detail right down to the teeth on the gears. This is definitely a tribute to the tradesman and artisans of old!
The watch keeps perfect time too!
Materials:
-Brass sheet & screws
-Copper sheet & tubing
-Nickel Silver sheet
-Titanium wire
-Brass pin
-Gold plated 19 jewel wind up Watch Movement
-Acrylic and Mineral glass watch crystals
-Brass Crown with Inset Black Stone
(1 image)
* Featured Page *
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This was a project that I finished last semester but didn't get a chance to document it until now. I have a new respect for the people that make these style of knives & swords because the process is very long, grueling, and must be done completely by hand. There is no machine in the world that can form the blade into the complex cutting device that it is. This project took a week of research on traditional japanese blades, and 3 weeks of non stop work. Ten of those days were spent grinding the blade geometry on an oil stone. Every single part of this knife was made by me from scratch.
The blade itself started out as a file because I didn't have a month to forge it out of the traditional tamahagane steel, but it was taken through the same exact process that you would take a normal blade through after the forging process was complete. After the normalization process the back 2/3 of it was coated in a special clay mixture. It was then heated to critical point (~1500°F) and then plunged into a bucket of water. This is called differential hardening which is how you get these things to sweep upwards in an elegant curve, and gives you a hard, razor sharp edge and a softer shock absorbing spine. It was then tempered in an oil bath.
This thing was a definite endurance trial and I would love to do another! So contact me if you want one of these done custom for you to your specifications. Base price starts at $275.00
Specs:
-Blade... long with a 4.5" tang and around a .25" sori (curvature); between 1/8" & 5/32" thick. Barely visible Hamon line. Visible Kissaki (tip differentiation). Nihon-to blade geometry configuration. Convex Moran Edge. Laminated copper/bronze (high phosphorus content) Habaki. The tang is signed with my trademark.
-Koshirae:
S... red oak construction hilt. Bronze Tsuba with fine silver implants. Bronze Fuchi & Kashira. Sterling silver Menukis with titanium implants & cast in place red CZs. Faux black rayskin scales underneath synthetic black ito (wrap). Brass Seppas. Red oak mekugi.
-Saya:
Solid red oak construction. Black lacquered selectively sanded for aesthetic purposes. Oak Kurikata. Synthetic black sageo.
The stand that the knife is resting on is red oak with black felt in the cradles.
(8 images)
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This little beauty evolved out of copper pipe connectors. The security guy at Home Depot thought it was some kind of bomb detonator because of the balance wheel's constant movement. CAD drawn parts and designed on the fly, this piece is simple and elegant. It is very easy to disassemble in the event of the movement needing maintenance.
I will definitely be making more of these!!
$150 if you wish to acquire one.
Materials:
-Copper pipe fittings & copper sheet
-Brass sheet & nuts
-Nickel silver sheet
-Stainless Steel Screws
-Chrome chain
-Gold plated 19j wind up watch movement
-Mineral glass crystal
(4 images)
* Featured Page *
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I decided to take my work to the next level. Put a Pin Backing on it for the buyer.
Sterling Silver, 14k Gold Filled, 5mm Citrine, Teardrop Garnet
(2 images)
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This is a custom commission that my dad propositioned me with back in September 2008. He gave me these 3 rhodochrosites when he got back from Argentina that time and said that he wanted me to make something for my mother with them. This idea for it popped into my head over months of deliberation on trying to come up with the best way to do this. My mother is crazy about orchids, rhodochrosite, and gold so I decided to take all 3 and run with it. The orchid was CAD drawn (for perfection), built and finished by my hand, and then sealed to keep it from ever changing color again and to keep that awesome texture that it picked up.
This was also the first time that I was able to work with gold!
First finished project of 2009; SOLD!
Materials:
-10K Gold wire
-Fine Silver wire
-Sterling Silver sheet & wire
-Copper Sheet & Wire
-3 Rhodochrosite cabs (Argentina)
(5 images)
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As tribute to Heikki Seppa, who worked at our school for a while and developed the monoshell form, all students of the metals program must create a spiculum and incorporate it into a project.
Instead of doing just one, I chose to do three. They are joined together to make a massive brooch. The center spiculum has been given a blue patina using the ammonia/salt technique.
Materials:
-... sheet
-Brass tubing
-Stainless Steel wire
(3 images)
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Just a simple band ring that I made using trick solders and interesting textures. The copper and the piece with holes rest on a sterling silver bridge that I constructed to gap the shank. Size 12¼
-Sterling Silver sheet, wire, & tubing
-Copper Tubing
-Nickel-Silver wire
(5 images)
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Just an easy day project for the hell of it.
I got tired of looking at my plain old brass pipe zippo. Even though it has a different mantle in the fact that it is a pipe lighter and has to be tilted sideways to light, it still wasn't different enough for my tastes so I put two almost identical red tiger's eyes on either side. And then to top it off, I threw a wire brush wheel on my buffer and gave it an interesting brush texture that I might have to explore with my next pieces.
Materials:
-Brass Zippo Pipe Lighter
-20ga Sterling silver sheet
-2 x 15mm Red Tiger's Eyes (Chemically Dyed)
(5 images)
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Working a material allows you to become the material...
Benjamin Dickey
7760 B Penrose Ave
Elkins Park PA 19027 US
Phone: (610) 295-7437
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