Year of Jewelry Week 8 - Multiples

Yeah, yeah I missed a week.  Actually, I didn't miss it, it's just late.  So since week 8 is done, I wanted to post it.  Multiples.  This necklace is multiple red agate rounds wrapped in 20 gauge fine silver. 

 

 

A fine silver heart fashioned out of 14 gauge wire;  embellished with 20 gauge fine silver

 

 

Also from 14 gauge fine silver a fancy hook closure

 

 

Necklace is sold!





Year of Jewelry 2013 Week 6 - Embrace

I work at a machine shop - not a conventional job I admit, but it runs paralell with my passion of metal and the things that you can do with metal.  One of my cohorts at the shop was forming some brass tubes - tiny brass tubes.  After checking the parts, as is almost always the case, some do not measure up for one reason or another.  I was offered the parts that didn't make it - and I just knew they would be perfect for a chain.

I used silver wire to wrap them with - I like the contrast of metals.  Once I had the chain completed, using some 10 gauge brass wire I fashioned a heart (also wrapped with a touch of silver) and hammered it:

 

 

I added some large crystal rondelles I had (12mm I think) for color and created a hook clasp out of some 16 gauge brass wire.

 

 

 





Year of Jewelery - Week 5 - Deja Vu

The challenge this week is deja vu.  This bracelet is a design I originally did for the blog hop Memories and Thanks - for that bracelet I used aquamarine rondelles and the fine silver coated pennies. My sister loved the bracelet and asked me to make one for her using the colors of the Baltimore Ravens football team.  I made that for her last week and she wore it to work for her firms "Spirit Day" - which netted two more orders. (for those that may not know, the Baltimore Ravens are playing in the Super Bowl this coming Sunday - which may or may not be attributed to the wearing of this very special bracelet)

I used pennies once again - this time I used fine silver wire to coat the top of the pennies - I think I like this treatment much better than the PMC coating.

I used 18 gauge sterling silver wire for the coil connectors

I wrapped about 1,000 (okay not really - more like 50) 4mm and 6mm Swarovski crystals in black and purple (I made the head pins using 22 gauge sterling silver wire)

 

I created a clasp using 16 gauge stering silver wire - I balled both ends of one piece of wire and made a hook and out of the other piece made a ring; hammered it for texture and strength.

 

I hope the recipient loves it - more imprtantly I hope it brings the Baltimore Ravens much luck in their football game on Sunday.

 

 



Year of Jewelry 2013 - Week 4 - "Not from the Mall"

This weeks challenge was to make a piece that you wouldn't be able to buy at the mall.  I had been percolating an idea all week about links - big giant copper links - something that involved hammering and fire.  I tried a few different designs, used a LOT of 14 gauge copper wire and finally came up with this link.  It is a simple design but it's elegant in its simplicity.

I cut the wire to length, torched one end of each piece - then (using one of the arms on my wine opener - yes really!) formed each ring. 

 

 

I then connected each link

 

 

 

created an hook clasp and "O" ring for closure

 

 

 





Finally I gave it a bath in Perma Blu to patina it, buffed the bracelet to highlight the copper and it was done.  I had great fun creating this piece that surely you would never find in a mall!

Year of Jewelry 2013 - Week 3 "Music"

I am woefully behind on this weekly challenge.............I am still working on week 2 - "Grace" - but until I have it done, here is week 3 "Music".

This bracelet is musical.  It is almost like a charm bracelet in that it makes "music" as you move.  I used 5 pieces of leather cording (to represent the Staff lines present on sheet music), I added some 14 gauge copper rings that I had torched to create balls on each end, twisted them into a ring and strung them on.

 I added two of these rings to each cord, some small copper beads and then made spring coil ends and a hand forged "S" clasp.