Just finished a second wire-wrapped ring, this time experimenting with multiple beads. This one turned out more like I expected the first, Harvest Festival, to--the wraps to hold the ring together are more stacked on each other than beside, and I couldn't get the beads on top to stay level, but neither are extremely notable.
This ring is named for the pale colors that show at dawn before the spectacular colors kick in. The stars begin to fade, and the sky gets kind of silvery. The focal bead for this ring is a lavender-striped star, with two lavender faceted beads framing it, on silver wire I just bought today while running an errand. I even prepped it so it would be bigger than the last one, but it still wound up a size 5 (prepped for a size 7). The nice thing is, I can make multiples of most of my stuff, suited to the size someone wants.
Name: Dawn ring
Price: $8
Size: 5
I did it! I never thought I'd ever be able to say that with any sort of satisfaction, but I officially made a ring I'm happy with! My sister is big on wearing rings, but I'd not been confident enough with my wirework to attempt one other than buying the ring base and wire-wrapping crystals or other beads to it. I've seen all sorts of neat rings other people have made, but never had the courage to dive in and try any of the techniques.
This attempt is actually two-fold. 1: I wanted to be able to make rings for my sister in the future and 2: a lady at work asked me to wire-wrap a tumbled, dyed quartz for her that didn't have any holes drilled in it, and I wanted some practice before I did it. Given I'm not at all comfortable with my wirework (and therefore don't post my attempts), I told her it would take a while, and I've been doing some research on the right gauge of wire to use, and how to actually cage a tumbled stone without holes in it. About a year ago, I bought a wire jig setup on sale and three different, brightly-colored rolls of 20-gauge wire (copper-orange, blue-teal, and lime) so I could officially start wirework. I made several attempts, none of which made me happy, and gave up for a while. Turns out, the wire recommended for caging a tumbled stone and for ring work is 20-gauge, so I figured today I'd make another attempt. Since I've really wanted to make a ring, that's what I tackled.
Usually, a first attempt like this makes me frustrated and disappointed, but this one turned out to surprise me! I used a piece of leftover cane glass from a bracelet I made my sister when she got her yoga instructor certification, and the copper-orange wire since it matched the stripes in the glass.
It's really hard to photograph such shiny glass, so pardon some of the lack of focus.
Another note: this ring is named after a ring in one of my favorite games--Dragon Age Origins. I thought the name fit the colors really well.
Name: Harvest Festival ring
Price: $8
Size: a little larger than 5, but not quite 5 1/2
Just finished this necklace today. I've been working on it for probably a month, simply because it takes a long time to string four strands of beads over two feet long each! I'd get bored or burned out from hand stringing them on the heavy-duty fishing line and take a break. I originally planned for five strands, not four, but when I set the first end one of the strands didn't crimp in with the rest, so I had to make do with four.
This necklace is the longest I've done, I think--over two feet long! I'd seen the bead mix at one of the supply places I frequent, and decided I needed to do a multi-strand necklace with it, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to mix in larger beads like I did with the brown/green/cream and purple/lime/turquoise ones I did a couple of years ago. I went ahead and bought the standard-sized mix, then decided I'd just use them. The colors are black, hematite gray, pearlescent semi-transparent white, icy teal, and pearlescent transparent clear, reminiscent of the aurora borealis in wintertime. They're also very difficult colors to photograph on a sunny day!
The wearer can either let the strands hang free for a simple, classic look, or knot them for a shorter, more contemporary look.
Name: Northern Lights
Price: $25
Length: 28.5 inches
Finished a new project today: a surfer-style heishi necklace. It's made of lapis lazuli and silver (I know, I know; lapis has real gold flecks in it, but the silver suited the style better). It's hard to find heishi beads made out of stone, but I happened upon a seller last year and had to get these. He's the same guy I got the pendants and rounds from in previous projects (the lapis cross-weave necklace and the one I made for a cousin's little niece). I had also originally intended to use a Maori fish hook pendant with this, but when it arrived it was huge, so it's still in my to-do box until I come up with an idea for it.
This piece appeals to both guys and girls, and is long enough for both at about twenty inches. I put it on heavy, durable, coated wire and used a simple lobster clasp and jump ring to fasten it.
Name: Lapis Surf
Price: $20 (original has been sold to Dale T.)
Length: 20 inches
I once worked in the floral department at my local Hobby Lobby back in Lafayette. It was just out of college, and I worked there about two years before leaving to focus on my Masters. I think while I worked there about half my paycheck stayed because of what I spent on jewelry supplies. This is one of the necklaces I made while I was there; I used dark green 6mm pearls, silver size 11 seed beads, and 4mm rice hematite beads I bought there, and dark teal 4mm potato pearls I bought online. The result was a necklace of very rich, cool colors. I made an identical one for a friend there when I left (I made necklaces for two other friends as well).
Name: Forest and Starlight
Price: $20 (personal collection)
Length: approx. 18"
I made this necklace for myself shortly out of college. I found this beautiful lepidolite carved pendant at Von's up by Purdue campus, and kept it in my bead box a long time before I settled on what I wanted to do with it. This is the result. I used lepidolite rounds, tiny seed beads, and fire-polished glass to add sparkle, as well as dark purple pearls.
Name: Orchid Blossom
Price: $20 (reason: cost of lepidolite and pendant; personal collection)
Length: approx. 16"; pendant is about 1.5" across
These were done for my sister's birthday a couple of years ago (does it seem like I make very little other than for her?). She told me right before that birthday she never wanted any other gift than jewelry from me, so I make her quite a bit every year, both for birthdays and Christmas. The one was only partially done when I took the picture; I can't find a completed one. They used size 8 seed bead mixes from Fusionbeads.com--sporty and jewel. These were probably the first memory wire bracelets I ever did, besides my first kit.
Name: N/A
Price: $8 ea (originals given to Margot R.)
Length: approx. 6 loops each
This is one of the projects I did for myself. I had imagined up this necklace, only with the Swarovski color Volcano (even wrote a short story about it), but I liked the Light Vitrail color better. It's one of the first chain / wirework pieces I've done, and I wore it out--it's currently in my repair box. I used Light Vitrail cosmic rings and bicones, and Figaro chain, then wire-wrapped the rings into the chain. I liked how it turned out, but I should have used heavier wire or jump rings (I was having a hard time finding thin enough jump rings that would still fit around the cosmic rings). I really need to fix this one...
Name: Cosmic Light
Price: $30 (reason: Swarovski crystals, time involved with chain and wirework; this necklace is currently in pieces in my bead box and unavailable)
Length: approx. 20" to 24"; can't remember for sure
This was one of the last Etsy projects I did; this, as with the Cheery Cherry Choker and Crystallized Ginger Choker, went to my "niece" for her birthday a couple of years ago since she loves jewelry almost as much as my sister.
Name: Lavender Shimmer
Price: $10 (original given to my niece, Aubrey)
Length: approx. 16"
Yep, another Etsy project. At the time, I was trying to do a variety of colors and styles, so this was one of three illusion necklaces I did (the others being Shades of Shadow and Night Pearl). I didn't like this one as well. I mean, it turned out well enough, so I can't quite place why I don't like it--especially since green is my favorite color. Maybe it's because the measuring and crimping for the different sections was tedious and frustrating.
Name: Emerald Butterflies
Price: $15 (reason: time involved)
Length: I think approx. 18"; it is now in my redo bin
Another former Etsy project. I was experimenting with different illusion necklace ideas and techniques, using a variety of Czech glass, pearls, and semiprecious stones. This one turned out all right, though measuring to keep both sides equal so it would hang right drove me crazy!
Name: Shades of Shadow Illusion Necklace
Price: $20 (reason: time involved)
Length: I think approx. 18" to 20"; it's around here somewhere still, but I can't remember
Another birthday project for my sister a couple of years ago; just rediscovered the photos on my FaceBook page while fixing photos for earlier posts that mysteriously disappeared. I used sodalite, aventurine, and Russian amazonite. Originally, there were two other strands of chips--blue goldstone and another green stone I can't remember--but the chips were a lot larger and heavier than anticipated, so even heavy-duty fishing line couldn't support that much weight at the clasp crowded together. I made her a matching necklace as well.
Name: N/A
Price: $15 (original given to Margot R.)
Length: approx. 8"
Another piece I made for Etsy several years ago. The pendant on this is an absolutely huge oval of crab fire agate. I had no idea when I originally purchased it that it would be so big. I wanted to keep the focus on the pendant, so I used simple black seed beads and orange fiber optic (also called cat's eye) 6mm rice beads to draw out the color without detracting from the stone.
My sister expressed an interest in it, so I gave it to her for her birthday the year following its lack of sale. As you can see, the colors can go with a variety of things; the fabric I used for the picture is a batik Mom had spare from a quilt block.
Name: N/A
Price: $20 (given to Margot R.)
Length: can't remember; probably around 18"
I made this piece a long time ago, back when I tried selling jewelry on Etsy. This was made alongside my Cheery Cherry Choker, and though I really liked it, I didn't have anything I could wear it with when it didn't sell.
So, since my little "niece" (actually a second-cousin, but she calls me her aunt) loves jewelry, I gave her my Etsy cherry choker--I have a matching one, as does my cousin Britni--and this necklace. I used orange aventurine cubes and puffed squares, and seed beads.
Name: Crystallized Ginger Choker
Price: $20 (given to my niece, Aubrey)
Length: approx. 16"
I'm posting this today, now that my sister's birthday is over and she already has her gift. A couple of years ago, she bought me a beading loom, and I've only just begun to experiment with it. I purchased a pattern to start with since I was getting frustrated with the design process, and changed the color scheme to better suit my sister, choosing browns and oranges instead of black and green and blue. I also chose silver-lined Delica seed beads instead of the opaque, more common seed beads because they add a little sparkle and a richer color, and are more equal and consistent in shape, which makes it easier to loom. This was the second beading project I've done on a loom. I like how the pattern turned out, but as of yet I'm not particularly happy with finishing it--I don't like knotting, though the knots I used are very sturdy.
I was fortunate to find a scarf (my sister loves scarves almost as much as jewelry) at the place where I work that matched the flowers in the piece. Pardon the bad pictures...I'm going to try to get my sister to take better ones, as she is the professional photographer who owns the blog Whimsicals by Margot. Make sure to check out her blog! Happy 29th birthday!
Name: Fall Poppies
Price: $30 (reason: time involved, quality of beads and thread used)
Length: approximately 9"
So...
It's been a really long time since I've updated either of my blogs. That should be changing very shortly. Reason? I have a new computer (after two long years without), and have settled into new living arrangements, a new job, and, in essence, a new life.
Stay tuned!
We celebrated our immediate family Christmas this afternoon, and while my sister and Mom were making candy afterward, I sat at the table listening to music and putting this together. The pendant is wire-wrapped agate, dyed blue. I found faux pearls that matched it, and interspersed silver beads with them to add a little sparkle. The clasp is an S-hook version that is reminiscent of the wire-wrap's pattern. Given the coloration and the fact that today's Christmas Eve, I thought the name was fitting. I will get better pictures when I have better lighting; necklace is wrapped around the stand in photos so the pendant would be where I could photograph it easily.
Name: Midnight Clear
Price: $25
Length: 23.5 inches long; pendant 2 inches tall (including bail) by 1.5 inches wide
Decided, given the gloomy, drizzly weather outside, to toy around with necklace ideas this afternoon. I finally got the dragon blood jasper pendant I ordered last month, and the brainstorming came to fruition. It took about 3 hours of hand-beading (about an hour per strand), but it's done now! I used FlexWire for added stability, dragon blood jasper 6mm rounds to go with the pendant, forest iris round and peanut seed beads, red twisted bugle beads, copper freshwater pearls, teeny tiny seed beads in two colors, and yellow-green seed beads. Once each of the strands was done, I roped the three together over each other in a loose spiral to hold them together. The clasp is a sunflower toggle (not shown) big enough to suit the project.
Name: Dragon's Blood
Price: $40 (reason: cost of materials, time involved)
Length: 22 inches; pendant 1.75 inches wide x 1.75 inches tall
This is the project I actually bought the lapis lazuli for: a cross-weave necklace. I used 6mm rounds, gold metal seed beads, and two strands of FlexWire. The clasp was just something neat I decided to use; it's base metal, brass plated. I'm out of gold ones for now. Given the thickness of the wire I used, I had to extrapolate at the center and the ends of the piece, since the lapis rounds wouldn't fit four pieces of wire through them--the center stone needed four strands through it, the ends two wires folded back through to make four. I had some large-hole seed beads that were of similar color, so that worked. Note: I would have made this a little longer, but I have no more lapis rounds--pattern used up two strands as it is.
Name: Lapis Lazuli cross-weave necklace
Price: $40 (reason: lapis lazuli price, time involved)
Length: 18 inches; pendant 1.25 inches long
Lapis lazuli is one of those hard-to-find-good-quality stones that dates back to Biblical times. It brings to mind Egyptian splendor to me. In quality lapis, you should be able to see gold flecked in its surface. Maybe that's why royalty seemed to like it so much back then.
Anyway, I got some fantastic lapis from a dealer, and when my cousin challenged me to come up with a gift befitting a 10-year-old girl, I toyed around with some ideas and this is one of them. It has rich colors that can be worn to fancy outings, yet can go with simple, everyday outfits. Girls like sparkle, and the gold in the stones and the transparent gold seed beads I picked to go with it add to that effect.
It says I like a piece when it's one I'd consider keeping for myself!
Name: Egyptian Royalty necklace
Price: $20 (reason: lapis lazuli price, gold findings; sold to my cousin, Britney)
Length: 18 inches; pendant 1.25 inches long
Was looking through my personal jewelry this evening, trying to get ideas and cull stuff I don't wear to either sell or take apart for new projects, when I came across this little piece. I made it on inspiration from FusionBeads a long time ago, and when I'd ordered the supplies I'd had no idea the pendant wasn't very big. There were supposed to be two strands of cord, but when I folded over the crimps on the ends, the other strand squirted out, so I just kept the one. I used antique brass findings, pistachio-green waxed cord, and a blacklip shell pendant etched with pistachio-green leaves. I still like the effect.
Name: n/a
Price: $15 (personal collection)
Length: 17 inches
A couple of years ago, my sister bought me a beading loom for Christmas. I started a pattern right away, but fought with knots and wildly differing sizes in my beads, and gave up. I kept taking it out and trying to work on it, come up with a new idea to work on, etc. This is the final result.
General thoughts: think I'm going to change the type of thread I use. The loom's thread is thin and though the bracelet feels silky, it seems awfully loose and almost what I would venture to call cheap. I had to redesign the clasp because the one in the instructions didn't work. The nice thing about having a loom is it goes far quicker than by hand, and there are a lot of free patterns out there.
Name: First Loom Bracelet
Price: $5 to $10, depending on beads used, size and complexity of pattern, time spent
Length: about 8 inches or so
This is Dan's other necklace. I made this when we first started hanging out three years ago, because of a story he told me. He and his dad did a mission trip to Papua New Guinea, where he was given a handmade bagi (think that's how it's spelled)--a long necklace of hand-carved red shell heishi beads and bits of the shells the tribe used as their currency, strung on hand-woven palm-root twine. He wore it all the time in memory of the trip, until it broke at work and spayed tiny beads everywhere. He picked up what he could, but he worked the machine floor at Caterpillar, so there wasn't a whole lot of hope to get the thing repaired.
I hunted down some blacklip shell heishi beads that had a little gold to them because he's a Purdue fan (and I only had a vague description of the bagi; I got all the details on how it was made, but, ironically, not a lot on its actual color and style), and strung them on hemp thread with a few hematite rounds to make bit of a pattern. I kept it short so he could wear it at work and not get it caught on anything--though by that point he was working for Ivy Tech, not Cat. I told him I knew it wouldn't replace the valuable treasure he'd lost, but I hoped it would still remind him of it, and wouldn't be so costly if it broke.
Well...he wore it out. The hemp just couldn't stand up to the constant wear and tear. So I replaced it with heavy fishing line. Twice. Then wire. Knowing the wire was only a temporary fix, I hunted for an extremely durable stringing material and ran across SoftFlex wire, which is stainless steel coated with nylon so it doesn't rust, and the wire is braided for more stability.
Last night I convinced him to let me have the necklace back, so I could perform my preventative adjustment, and gave him back the shard tribal necklace from a previous post. This is the first time I've gotten pictures of it. It's nothing fancy, just a surfer-style necklace because I knew he also likes to swim.
I should note that for his birthday this year, his parents contacted the missionaries he and his Dad worked with years ago and commissioned a new bagi (pronounced boggie). They brought it with them when they came up to visit our church this summer. Dan's decided with the new one he's going to frame it for display instead of wear it.
Name: Blacklip and Hematite Surfer necklace
Price: original not for sale; can do similar for about $15 to $25
Length: 19 inches
Okay, so in anticipation of Thanksgiving, I made a bracelet for myself. For Christmas last year, my sister bought me a mini-skirt (an article of clothing I always feel self-conscious in), and I haven't had a lot of opportunity to wear it. Since Thanksgiving was at her house, I wanted to show her I do wear it, so I started to plot out a new outfit, which revolved around one of my favorite stones: seraphinite. Seraphinite is a dark green stone with silver swirls in it. The outfit came together after a long day of hunting (apparently, dark green is "going out of style" despite it being the holiday season!), and since I had a very small amount of seraphinite rounds available, I decided to make a bracelet to go with an older seraphinite donut pendant necklace I already had. I dug in my bead boxes and found some sterling silver leaf beads I've had since I worked at Hobby Lobby, and a sterling clasp I had lying around, and wound up with this.
Name: n/a
Price: $20 (reason: seraphinite is rare and expensive; sterling is expensive; personal collection)
Length: 7.5 inches
I don't do men's jewelry very often, and this is actually a repair of one I made about a year ago (the wire I used wasn't strong enough to keep up with Dan's heavy wear and tear). I guess that's the good thing about my sister and a guy that wear the stuff I make them all the time--I get to see how durable my work is. In this case, the weight of the African green jasper chips and the Celtic pendant stretched out the wire I'd strung it on; I upgraded to SoftFlex wire, which has a weight tolerance that's considerably more.
Originally, this piece was meant to be two different ones. I actually bought the pendant for myself. I bought the stone chips late last year (years after the pendant), and the pendant just seemed to suit the piece I had in mind. If the chips had been smaller, I still would've kept it, but they're large (and heavy!) enough they suit a guy better. Dan liked it, so it became his. I used gunmetal findings to keep with the more natural/rugged look, and still like the effect. The pendant is actually etched porcelain.
Name: Tribal Shard Necklace
Price: $35 (original given to Dan V.)
Length: 19.5 inches; pendant 1.75 inch diameter
