Marc Henry Kerger's Homepage

My Jewelry creations

Here are my jewelry creations, I designed and made them myself. Some are just prototypes ,proof of concept , others are made by order , others again were inspired by some special person I wanted to make something for. I work best if I do it for someone in particular, it is one of my main sources of inspiration, to make other people happy, and please them and I express it by making things for and giving things to them. That is probably why I started making jewelry, it is the most personal thing I thought of, that would be appreciated, If I give something to someone I design it especially around that certain person. I hope that I succeed to reflect the way I see that person in the creation.

The creations are listed more or less in chronological order.

Sorry about the bad picture quality but since I don't have most of these creations anymore I can't make any new photos.
p.s. none of the women mentionned below ever became my real girlfriend :( darn

p.s. If somebody is interested in having me make or design some jewelry just let me know.

Prototype Bracelet and Ring

This is the first bracelet and ring I made. They are just prototypes to see how it would turn out. I still have both at home. they are made of brass and the silvery parts are electroplated with nickel. People said they like them but the ring turned out too small to wear. I wanted to make a whole assorted collection ring, bracelet, earrings, pendant, all the same , but I abandoned it.

Sharky pendants

I really got started making jewelry with these little sharkys out of aluminum and brass. They are a miniature copy of the big red key holder I found in a flower shop once, I thought it was cool so I made them in small. I made about 26 or so of them and handed them out to my female friends. The key holder also works as a bottle opener even though it wasn't designed to do so. I should still have one or another. I tried many different materials, brass, aluminum, some gold plated, some silver plated.

Whale tail pendants

These were also prototypes to see how it would look. I made 3 of them, one aluminum, one I gave to my cousine Anne because she like it so much. I have mixed feeling about these ,I don't know why ,I don't really feel like giving these to anyone, they weren't made for anybody in particular, but I think I found someone I can dedicate them to, Michelle. I still have 2, one aluminum, one brass. They symbolize the place they hang. and the curves are clothes cuts I like.

Conny's earrings

I made these earrings especially for Conny, a friend I got to know in Hospital in Germany. She was always talking about how much she liked stars and moon earrings, so I said I would design her a pair. Later at home I made them out of brass and sent them to her. I think they turned out too heavy though.

Joelle's Ring/Bracelet

This is the first ring/bracelet I made. I wanted to make a very special present to Joelle but since I couldn't find this kind of bracelet anywhere (my sister bought one like it but Indian style) I decided to make one according to way I see Joelle. Does it suit her? It is out of brass and wire. People often think I invented this type of bracelet because they don't know it. It is rather special that's what makes it so interesting. I never found out the real name for it, but it seems to come from India. can anyone help?

See more info..

Carina's 1st ring

She asked me to make her a ring after she saw my previous jewelry so I let myself be inspired by her to make this ring (she's pretty ;). It is out of brass and electroplated with silver. It is one of my favorite pieces, it turned out so good her mom took it from her, but the silver came off again.

See more info..

Carina's 2nd ring

Since her mom took the other one she could get another. It is very similar to this prototype, also out of aluminum. The idea was to make a pretty ring that closes without soldering. And somehow I like puzzles. I still have the prototype at home.

Puzzle ring

I made this ring for one of Carina's friends, she also wanted one when she saw hers. It turned out very good even though it was only for money, I don't know her, and I can't remember her name either.

The Goutte d'or ring/bracelet

This was inspired by a very pretty Iranian girl out of my class, Yalda, she asked me to make her something, but then didn't want it for boyfriend reasons(?)or something. So the design was lying around. Later I decided to make it for Josiane , the coolest girl I knew at that time. She is more or less the same type, also long straight black hair...I sent it to her but never heard from her since, too bad she has a boyfriend. yeahp. Man when I see her, Wow. The shapes are inspired from this stupid book we had to read in school about the goutte d'or, the gold drop, an oriental symbol for freedom(?), I thought that would fit.

See more info..

The gold drop

This was a test again, I just wanted to make a gold drop the way I imagined it in the book. It was not planned for anybody, but when I showed it to Yalda, she liked it so much I gave it to her, because it seemed to fit, it suited her style I guess. It is made out of wood, with a nail in the middle so I could turn the shape and also so I could solder a loop on it to attach it. Then it was coated with a conducting paint, and electroplated with copper and then 24 carat gold. I hope it didn't wear off.

See more info..

The bracelet with no name

This one was inspired by some girl I wanted to impress with this, but somehow everything went wrong and I never got to know her (I found out her name was Daphne). I worked long on this one and it was very complicated to solder 4 parts on one spot, once the one was ok the other one fell off again. And polishing was also a pain, all the little cracks and wires. it is made out of brass, wires and steel cables. Later I was going to try it on her friend, Veronique (wow, she didn't even want to get to know me :(( ) but same thing, so I don't really like it anymore. Well it suits my sister so well I gave it to her for Christmas and for her engagement.

See more info..

Button sharkos

This is what I like to call my logo, so I made some really small ones to hang on a shirt button (see the middle one) or to hang on a zipper since I don't wear a chain. It's cool and discrete I think. I made 3, a brass one, aluminum and copper. For me only

Facial jewelry

My latest project was an adaptation to me of this super most coolest and most rarest facial jewelry, man if you want people to look at you wear one of these, I tried it once. The initial concept is from the Firma Leon in Mönchengladbach, Germany and is available in platinum ,with gems... This has to be made to size.

See more info..

Puzzle Piece Pendants

I replaced the sharkys by my little puzzle pieces. They are faster and easier to make and I find them really neat. So far I made 7, 4 aluminum, and 3 brass. I gave 3 aluminum away already, to my cousine Anne , and 2 Michelle's. Little puzzle pieces of my life.

Neat bracelet

Made of brass, I made this as a prototype somehow but with a vague image of someone in mind, I'm not sure who but I want to believe it was Michelle. This was another design I imagined during holidays at the Mediterranean ocean, just like the motorized ring box before. I think this would also look good as an assorted ring, it was supposed to be in 2 metals, gold with silver.

The motorized ring box

I made this one for Myriam. The idea came when I found that the proportion between jewelry price and package price was strange. You don't by a very very expensive piece of jewelry in a plastic box. So I figured out some boxes that open and close electrically, on the switch of a button or RC. Made of precious wood. You can incorporate all kinds of funny things, a melody ,little wheels, a reach-out mechanism...., and neat part is the micro machinery, that can be hidden in the box, so small, you think it's magic. You can also make the box in shape of a flower, with an according lid. I made this about the same time as the little sharkys.

Michele's earrings

Here are some earrings I made, they are especially for Michele's 22nd birthday, I gave them to her together with the gold whale tale. Unfortunately she doesn't have her ears pierced so I had to put some clips on. Luckily I found a little shop in Liege that have all kinds of DIY jewelry accessories so I just got some and put them on. Well I must say they don't really fit in the concept of the earring, and the final result is somewhat different of what I expected but it was a neat experience, it is the first time I made a negative form to fill with colored epoxy-resin. These earrings are somewhat inspired by the manga Nausicaä ,where the main figure wears some similar ones.( I must say I don't really know much about Nausicaä, but only she can be the owner of them) I think I like the purity of this shape, a droplike shape, simple yet very complex. I still don't know if the size of the top ball is right , it is supposed to be like a ball-articulation ,a total freedom of movement in all directions. Too bad I had to change it for the clips.

See more info..

Pin-on necklace

Another creation, a pin-on necklace, well it is supposed to be chest jewelry and is made to be pinned into the straps of a bra. I like this because it isn't so close to the neck, but points to the shoulders instead. well I think you'll have to wear something to hide the straps otherwise it probably looks weird. so far it is untested, because I don't know anybody who runs around with very cutout tops. This is made out of brass wires. Further on it should keep the bra straps from falling.

Laetitia's Meteorite pendant

After a long time of no jewelry making I made another pendant. The idea was to integrate a piece of meteorite, which I like a lot. So I bought a whole meteorite stone at a newly opened store in town an cut it up to make this. I hope you recognize the shape of the "stone", it is Corsica. This shape is the unaltered cross-section of the meteorite. The brass plate is supposed to be some sort of stylized heart and also present 2 loops for the necklace to pass through, all in one piece so it wont break. The iron meteorite slice is etched but doesn't present any nice streaks, it is soldered to the brass plate. The meteorite is a fragment of the "Sikhote Alin" meteorite that fell in Siberia 1947. And who comes from Corsica? One of the most attractive women I know of, Laetitia Casta, and since I was a fan of hers ,I sent it to her. I wonder if she ever got it, I never got an answer. About 10 years later now I met her father, isn't the world small?

Solo pin

Being single is becoming a major fact around here, and I don't know about you but I am one of the unwillingly singles, I do not choose to be one, (that does seen to exist) so I was wondering if people would wear jewelry with a symbol that shows that one is such an unwillingly single person, and that there is still the possibility to get together with someone. I always find it uncool if you try to make a pass at someone who is already together with a partner, but how would you know? (it is a compliment to other person though). Well I can't flirt, so I'm single. See the problem? I would guess there are other people too who don't want to flirt with people who might be in a relationship, so they just wait until someone comes to them. It is just too uncertain. that's why I thought maybe a "solo" symbol could be interesting.... weird huh?

Tanja's Angelwings

This was one special pendant I made for Tanja. It was meant for Valentines day but I didn't get it done for then and for other reasons I didn't finish it for that day. It is about 8cm wide gold plated brass, the necklace exits at the points of the wings.

Tanja's Interlacing hands ring

I made this for her birthday. It should be like 2 hands that interlace. Goldplated but it always rubbed of. She liked it a lot but couldn't wear it because the brass went blue on her finger and after several tries to coat it with gold, even at a jewelers, her finger always went blue again after a few days. Even special laquers and nail polish only helped a few days at best.

Tanja's Titanium butterfly ring

This is my first Titanium jewelry. Since the goldplating didn't last I figured that titanium should not have such problems. It didn't turn out as it should have but it looks nice. I wanted to have a contrast between polished and sandblasted. However it was supposed to be latched together in the notches but then it was much too small and the stiff titanium was not so easy to shape or polish. It is so stiff soldering is not necessary (which I couldn't do anyway). I like special materials, not just the shape makes it interesting but also the material that was used, it gives it a nice story and touch.

Sikhote Aline Meteorite

Small complete stone of the Sikhote Aline Meteorite

See more info..

Gibeon Meteorite slice

Slice of a Gibeon meteorite with visible structure
See more info..

Complete small Gibeon fragment

This is the latest meteorite I bought at the mineral expo. I didn't make anything yet but I just got a few ideas I will see to make it on time for a very special persons birthday or valentines day. I hope this meteorite has more structure like the big slice above, it is from the same meteorite field. (bottom photo is of the re-entry side which melted a bit.)

My Sharko ring/bracelet

I made this one for myself with some shark ideas .it's made of aluminum and steel cable. I use aluminum because once it is polished it stays nice even in water, not like silver, nickel is allergenic, and it is very easy to manipulate, except polishing is tricky. I wear it sometimes, but it is not very easy to put on or take of. I'm not in the right mood very often to be extravagant.

See more info..

My Great White Pendant with titanium

This is a real tooth of a Great White shark found in Florida. They can be found while diving since sharks loose their teeth when eating. I bought this one though and it is over 1 inch long. I made the other parts of Titanium. The closing system is very simple yet effective, with leather band.

Mereorite cufflinks

Cufflinks made of meteorite slices. I used the meteorite I bought once in a whole. ( you can see it further up, a fragment of the Sikhote Alin meteorite). Too bad it was so small, there is no structure visible after etching. The mechanism is from some other cufflinks I cut up. I left the crust, as you can see there is also some other inclusions in the metal, like a hole filled with some other metal. I gave these to my cousine Anne for as a present for her Husband.

My Meteorite cufflinks

These are my cufflinks made of meteorite crust. From the same meteorite I bought once in a whole. ( you can see it further up, a fragment of the Sikhote Alin meteorite). Too bad there is no structure visible after etching. But you can see a lot of crust.

Cadia's Hidden Heart Ti. Meteorite Pendant

This the last jewely I made, especially for a special person called Cadia, I made it for her birthday. I got a Gibeon Meteorite and I found a cross-section that is in shape of a heart. I was wondering for a long time how to attach it as a pendant, after etching and analysing, I found out it has a high Nickel content, this made me change the design so the meteorite would not touch the skin, so I made a titanium enclosure around. I wanted it to be very plain, modern, simple. Polished inside and sandblasted outside. It regroups many symbolic meanings as I find. I like the contrast of shiny and dull of one same material. The hidden heart inside, the unique meteorite section, shiny inside, outside is just plain, simple shape. I had to rush and had quite tendinitis in both arms to make this otherwise it could have been better maybe. Titanium is very hard and stiff.





My Jewelry creations Here are my jewelry creations, I designed and made them myself. Some are just prototypes ,proof of concept , others are made by order , others again were inspired by some special person I wanted to make something for. I work best if I do it for someone in particular, it is one of my main sources of inspiration, to make other people happy, and please them and I express it by making things for and giving things to them. That is probably why I started making jewelry, it is the most personal thing I thought of, that would be appreciated, If I give something to someone I design it especially around that certain person. I hope that I succeed to reflect the way I see that person in the creation. The creations are listed more or less in chronological order. Sorry about the bad picture quality but since I don't have most of these creations anymore I can't make any new photos. p.s. none of the women mentionned below ever became my real girlfriend :( darn p.s. If somebody is interested in having me make or design some jewelry just let me know. Prototype Bracelet and Ring This is the first bracelet and ring I made. They are just prototypes to see how it would turn out. I still have both at home. they are made of brass and the silvery parts are electroplated with nickel. People said they like them but the ring turned out too small to wear. I wanted to make a whole assorted collection ring, bracelet, earrings, pendant, all the same , but I abandoned it. Sharky pendants I really got started making jewelry with these little sharkys out of aluminum and brass. They are a miniature copy of the big red key holder I found in a flower shop once, I thought it was cool so I made them in small. I made about 26 or so of them and handed them out to my female friends. The key holder also works as a bottle opener even though it wasn't designed to do so. I should still have one or another. I tried many different materials, brass, aluminum, some gold plated, some silver plated. Whale tail pendants These were also prototypes to see how it would look. I made 3 of them, one aluminum, one I gave to my cousine Anne because she like it so much. I have mixed feeling about these ,I don't know why ,I don't really feel like giving these to anyone, they weren't made for anybody in particular, but I think I found someone I can dedicate them to, Michelle. I still have 2, one aluminum, one brass. They symbolize the place they hang. and the curves are clothes cuts I like. Conny's earrings I made these earrings especially for Conny, a friend I got to know in Hospital in Germany. She was always talking about how much she liked stars and moon earrings, so I said I would design her a pair. Later at home I made them out of brass and sent them to her. I think they turned out too heavy though. Joelle's Ring/Bracelet This is the first ring/bracelet I made. I wanted to make a very special present to Joelle but since I couldn't find this kind of bracelet anywhere (my sister bought one like it but Indian style) I decided to make one according to way I see Joelle. Does it suit her? It is out of brass and wire. People often think I invented this type of bracelet because they don't know it. It is rather special that's what makes it so interesting. I never found out the real name for it, but it seems to come from India. can anyone help? See more info.. Carina's 1st ring She asked me to make her a ring after she saw my previous jewelry so I let myself be inspired by her to make this ring (she's pretty ;). It is out of brass and electroplated with silver. It is one of my favorite pieces, it turned out so good her mom took it from her, but the silver came off again. See more info.. Carina's 2nd ring Since her mom took the other one she could get another. It is very similar to this prototype, also out of aluminum. The idea was to make a pretty ring that closes without soldering. And somehow I like puzzles. I still have the prototype at home. Puzzle ring I made this ring for one of Carina's friends, she also wanted one when she saw hers. It turned out very good even though it was only for money, I don't know her, and I can't remember her name either. The Goutte d'or ring/bracelet This was inspired by a very pretty Iranian girl out of my class, Yalda, she asked me to make her something, but then didn't want it for boyfriend reasons(?)or something. So the design was lying around. Later I decided to make it for Josiane , the coolest girl I knew at that time. She is more or less the same type, also long straight black hair...I sent it to her but never heard from her since, too bad she has a boyfriend. yeahp. Man when I see her, Wow. The shapes are inspired from this stupid book we had to read in school about the goutte d'or, the gold drop, an oriental symbol for freedom(?), I thought that would fit. See more info.. The gold drop This was a test again, I just wanted to make a gold drop the way I imagined it in the book. It was not planned for anybody, but when I showed it to Yalda, she liked it so much I gave it to her, because it seemed to fit, it suited her style I guess. It is made out of wood, with a nail in the middle so I could turn the shape and also so I could solder a loop on it to attach it. Then it was coated with a conducting paint, and electroplated with copper and then 24 carat gold. I hope it didn't wear off. See more info.. The bracelet with no name This one was inspired by some girl I wanted to impress with this, but somehow everything went wrong and I never got to know her (I found out her name was Daphne). I worked long on this one and it was very complicated to solder 4 parts on one spot, once the one was ok the other one fell off again. And polishing was also a pain, all the little cracks and wires. it is made out of brass, wires and steel cables. Later I was going to try it on her friend, Veronique (wow, she didn't even want to get to know me :(( ) but same thing, so I don't really like it anymore. Well it suits my sister so well I gave it to her for Christmas and for her engagement. See more info.. Button sharkos This is what I like to call my logo, so I made some really small ones to hang on a shirt button (see the middle one) or to hang on a zipper since I don't wear a chain. It's cool and discrete I think. I made 3, a brass one, aluminum and copper. For me only Facial jewelry My latest project was an adaptation to me of this super most coolest and most rarest facial jewelry, man if you want people to look at you wear one of these, I tried it once. The initial concept is from the Firma Leon in Mönchengladbach, Germany and is available in platinum ,with gems... This has to be made to size. See more info.. Puzzle Piece Pendants I replaced the sharkys by my little puzzle pieces. They are faster and easier to make and I find them really neat. So far I made 7, 4 aluminum, and 3 brass. I gave 3 aluminum away already, to my cousine Anne , and 2 Michelle's. Little puzzle pieces of my life. Neat bracelet Made of brass, I made this as a prototype somehow but with a vague image of someone in mind, I'm not sure who but I want to believe it was Michelle. This was another design I imagined during holidays at the Mediterranean ocean, just like the motorized ring box before. I think this would also look good as an assorted ring, it was supposed to be in 2 metals, gold with silver. The motorized ring box I made this one for Myriam. The idea came when I found that the proportion between jewelry price and package price was strange. You don't by a very very expensive piece of jewelry in a plastic box. So I figured out some boxes that open and close electrically, on the switch of a button or RC. Made of precious wood. You can incorporate all kinds of funny things, a melody ,little wheels, a reach-out mechanism...., and neat part is the micro machinery, that can be hidden in the box, so small, you think it's magic. You can also make the box in shape of a flower, with an according lid. I made this about the same time as the little sharkys. Michele's earrings Here are some earrings I made, they are especially for Michele's 22nd birthday, I gave them to her together with the gold whale tale. Unfortunately she doesn't have her ears pierced so I had to put some clips on. Luckily I found a little shop in Liege that have all kinds of DIY jewelry accessories so I just got some and put them on. Well I must say they don't really fit in the concept of the earring, and the final result is somewhat different of what I expected but it was a neat experience, it is the first time I made a negative form to fill with colored epoxy-resin. These earrings are somewhat inspired by the manga Nausicaä ,where the main figure wears some similar ones.( I must say I don't really know much about Nausicaä, but only she can be the owner of them) I think I like the purity of this shape, a droplike shape, simple yet very complex. I still don't know if the size of the top ball is right , it is supposed to be like a ball-articulation ,a total freedom of movement in all directions. Too bad I had to change it for the clips. See more info.. Pin-on necklace Another creation, a pin-on necklace, well it is supposed to be chest jewelry and is made to be pinned into the straps of a bra. I like this because it isn't so close to the neck, but points to the shoulders instead. well I think you'll have to wear something to hide the straps otherwise it probably looks weird. so far it is untested, because I don't know anybody who runs around with very cutout tops. This is made out of brass wires. Further on it should keep the bra straps from falling. Laetitia's Meteorite pendant After a long time of no jewelry making I made another pendant. The idea was to integrate a piece of meteorite, which I like a lot. So I bought a whole meteorite stone at a newly opened store in town an cut it up to make this. I hope you recognize the shape of the "stone", it is Corsica. This shape is the unaltered cross-section of the meteorite. The brass plate is supposed to be some sort of stylized heart and also present 2 loops for the necklace to pass through, all in one piece so it wont break. The iron meteorite slice is etched but doesn't present any nice streaks, it is soldered to the brass plate. The meteorite is a fragment of the "Sikhote Alin" meteorite that fell in Siberia 1947. And who comes from Corsica? One of the most attractive women I know of, Laetitia Casta, and since I was a fan of hers ,I sent it to her. I wonder if she ever got it, I never got an answer. About 10 years later now I met her father, isn't the world small? Solo pin Being single is becoming a major fact around here, and I don't know about you but I am one of the unwillingly singles, I do not choose to be one, (that does seen to exist) so I was wondering if people would wear jewelry with a symbol that shows that one is such an unwillingly single person, and that there is still the possibility to get together with someone. I always find it uncool if you try to make a pass at someone who is already together with a partner, but how would you know? (it is a compliment to other person though). Well I can't flirt, so I'm single. See the problem? I would guess there are other people too who don't want to flirt with people who might be in a relationship, so they just wait until someone comes to them. It is just too uncertain. that's why I thought maybe a "solo" symbol could be interesting.... weird huh? Tanja's Angelwings This was one special pendant I made for Tanja. It was meant for Valentines day but I didn't get it done for then and for other reasons I didn't finish it for that day. It is about 8cm wide gold plated brass, the necklace exits at the points of the wings. Tanja's Interlacing hands ring I made this for her birthday. It should be like 2 hands that interlace. Goldplated but it always rubbed of. She liked it a lot but couldn't wear it because the brass went blue on her finger and after several tries to coat it with gold, even at a jewelers, her finger always went blue again after a few days. Even special laquers and nail polish only helped a few days at best. Tanja's Titanium butterfly ring This is my first Titanium jewelry. Since the goldplating didn't last I figured that titanium should not have such problems. It didn't turn out as it should have but it looks nice. I wanted to have a contrast between polished and sandblasted. However it was supposed to be latched together in the notches but then it was much too small and the stiff titanium was not so easy to shape or polish. It is so stiff soldering is not necessary (which I couldn't do anyway). I like special materials, not just the shape makes it interesting but also the material that was used, it gives it a nice story and touch. Sikhote Aline Meteorite Small complete stone of the Sikhote Aline Meteorite See more info.. Gibeon Meteorite slice Slice of a Gibeon meteorite with visible structure See more info.. Complete small Gibeon fragment This is the latest meteorite I bought at the mineral expo. I didn't make anything yet but I just got a few ideas I will see to make it on time for a very special persons birthday or valentines day. I hope this meteorite has more structure like the big slice above, it is from the same meteorite field. (bottom photo is of the re-entry side which melted a bit.) My Sharko ring/bracelet I made this one for myself with some shark ideas .it's made of aluminum and steel cable. I use aluminum because once it is polished it stays nice even in water, not like silver, nickel is allergenic, and it is very easy to manipulate, except polishing is tricky. I wear it sometimes, but it is not very easy to put on or take of. I'm not in the right mood very often to be extravagant. See more info.. My Great White Pendant with titanium This is a real tooth of a Great White shark found in Florida. They can be found while diving since sharks loose their teeth when eating. I bought this one though and it is over 1 inch long. I made the other parts of Titanium. The closing system is very simple yet effective, with leather band. Mereorite cufflinks Cufflinks made of meteorite slices. I used the meteorite I bought once in a whole. ( you can see it further up, a fragment of the Sikhote Alin meteorite). Too bad it was so small, there is no structure visible after etching. The mechanism is from some other cufflinks I cut up. I left the crust, as you can see there is also some other inclusions in the metal, like a hole filled with some other metal. I gave these to my cousine Anne for as a present for her Husband. My Meteorite cufflinks These are my cufflinks made of meteorite crust. From the same meteorite I bought once in a whole. ( you can see it further up, a fragment of the Sikhote Alin meteorite). Too bad there is no structure visible after etching. But you can see a lot of crust. Cadia's Hidden Heart Ti. Meteorite Pendant This the last jewely I made, especially for a special person called Cadia, I made it for her birthday. I got a Gibeon Meteorite and I found a cross-section that is in shape of a heart. I was wondering for a long time how to attach it as a pendant, after etching and analysing, I found out it has a high Nickel content, this made me change the design so the meteorite would not touch the skin, so I made a titanium enclosure around. I wanted it to be very plain, modern, simple. Polished inside and sandblasted outside. It regroups many symbolic meanings as I find. I like the contrast of shiny and dull of one same material. The hidden heart inside, the unique meteorite section, shiny inside, outside is just plain, simple shape. I had to rush and had quite tendinitis in both arms to make this otherwise it could have been better maybe. Titanium is very hard and stiff.