Year of Jewelry 2013 Week 1 - "Renewal"

Once again, I am embarking on the year long project called Year of Jewelry.  I participated a few years ago and found that it instilled some discipline in my creative process, well as much as you can discipline creativity, as well as keeping me on track just simply designing, making, and more importantly, finishing a piece.  At the end of the year it's always interesting to take a look back and see how my work has grown and changed from the challenge.

The theme of the week is "Renewal".  I walked around saying the word and trying to envision what it meant to me. The recurring thought for me was "Spring" (possible because it's winter and all around me is bare trees and frosted grass!).  So, when I finally had the opportunity I sat at the bench, pulled out the beads and copper and came up with this design.

Renewal

I cut a leaf shape out of my copper sheet, shaped it, domed it and etched it

used some of my 12 or 14 gauge wire to make some swirly connectors 

wrapped some beautiful blue Peruvian opal beads and some luscious wine fluorite rondells 

crafted a nice clasp for it (again with the 12/14 gauge copper wire)

It's been patinaed with Perma Blue which adds a really nice contrast.

Renewal

Copper and Magnesite Set

Still loving the hammering of copper - using some 12 gauge copper wire, I made some over sized jump rings and hammered them flat. To add some depth to the flattened links I coiled some 20 gauge wire around them to hide the join, then connected them using some 18 gauge square copper wire (love it - it works with everything!). I had some large faceted magnesite rondelles which I wrapped with copper wire and joined with some large twisted copper rings. I made a chain with some square copper wire and some small coiled copper rings (got the twisted and coiled links at Magpie Gemstones), added the hammered pieces and the beaded pieces in an asymmetrical design...........a handcrafted copper "S"clasp serves as closure. Although the bracelet has different copper components, it still works as a set.

YOJ 2008 week 3 - Australian Culture

This piece is my interpretation of the Rainbow Serpent - a mythological figure of the Aboriginal tribes of Australia. This being figures prominently in their stories and culture. (you can read about the Rainbow Serpent here)

Using 22 gauge copper wire, I created a Viking Knit necklace as the body of the snake. (I used a 1/2 dowel as a mandrel to create the viking knit and then drew it down to 3/16"). Using some 18 gauge copper wire I created some end caps (I used a knitting needle as a mandrel which gave me a nice cone shape) and then strung some seed beads in rainbow colors as an addition to the viking knit. The necklace clasps in front, measures 26" long and is a nice fluid piece. It feels great on, sits at a good length and has some weight to it. That being said, though, I am not entirely happy with the way the necklace looks as a whole......the clasp doesn't really looks like it belongs and I am experimenting with a different way to close it - and as so often happens, because I am not happy with one thing, the rest of the piece is not safe from deconstruction. Does this happen to anybody else?

Week 43 - Harvest Time

This is my submission for week 43 of the 'Year of Jewelry' - Harvest Time. I have wanted to try Viking Knit for a while and decided this would be the time to try it. After reading all I could find on 'how to', and after having found an online tutorial complete with pictures (http://www.fineartbyrocio.com/vikingknitdirections.html), I sat down one morning and tried it. After using yards and yards of copper wire (in this case 24 gauge, although I see 24, 26 and 28 are the most recommended wire to use)the weaving part was done. From there, the piece has to be pulled through a drawplate (which I didn't have, of course - and a SPECIAL thanks to my dear SO who - after laughing at my attempt to create one from a piece of pine - made one for me out of teflon) of successively smaller holes which compacts the weave and lengthens the necklace. This was the most difficult part for me. Through trial and error, I found that the pulling has to be consistent so that bumps and bulges do not occur. Once the necklace was finished I sat down to try to create a grape leaf out of copper. I sketched a grape leaf and then traced around the sketch with 18gauge copper wire to create the armature. I then used 26 gauge copper to weave the wire and sew on the garnets (which represent grapes......not nearly enough of them I see - ah hindsight!) - and once the leaf was done, I sewed it onto the necklace, again using the 26 gauge copper wire. I didn't want the leaf to be a free moving pendant, so I positioned it to the left of center so that it sits asymmetrically, which I think makes it look like it's still on the vine and ready to be picked.