Week 7-Vine Necklaces

I'm a huge fan of Gosia Domanshiej and her work was the inspiration for my attempt at making this vining pendant out of copper. I liked it enough to add some silver beads and chain, and a green CZ drop. So the next one I did in fine silver and I took it a bit farther-maybe too far. The briolette on the bottom is pink anethyst. I then added some spinel rondelles in various shades of pink and lilac. Next I might attempt a pair of earrings. Getting them to match will be a challenge.

Week 6-Copper Leaf Earrings

I've been raiding my spare parts box again. I'm fortunate that there is a very talented metalmsith and jewelry artist, Debbie Fehrenbach, who teaches occasional workshops in my area. Last year I took a fold forming class from Debbie and the first thing I tried was a couple of fold formed and corrugated copper leaf shapes. In keeping with my resolution (that I only occasionally follow) to use the supplies that I have and quit buying new ones, I got these out the other day, trimmed them up to match, oxidized them and wired pearls to them. I really like them but as soon as I finished them, I was kicking myself for not using oxidized silver wire instead. On the other hand, I like them enough that I hesitate to take them apart and redo them for fear that they won't come out as well. Sometimes I just need to learn to leave well enough alone. Be sure and check out Debbie's work at www.fehrenbachjewelry.com

Week 5-New Old Earrings

I made these earrings a couple of years ago with white pearls for the girls in my neice's wedding. The girls really liked them so I made some more to add to my low inventory of earrings, this time with different colored pearls. I call them my Bic earrings because I use a Bic lighter as a mandrel. Then I solder them, hammer them, and twist them. They're fun to wear because they spin a bit and catch the light from all angles.

New Tutorial-Enhanced Prong Set Gem Pendant

I finally finished a new tutorial. I've figured out that I wait so long between tutorials because MS Word gives me such a headache. This lesson teaches how to make consistently perfect prongs to set an 18x13mm oval faceted stone. You then create a beaded frame around the stone that is not only beautiful but solves the problem of faceted stones rolling from side to side when worn on the neck. Once mastered, the techniques can be used to set any size stone. The bail allows this to worn with even your largest omega chains. The finished size of the pendant is approximately 1 ½” tall by 1” wide. I now have it listed in my Artfire shop.

Week 3-The Color Turquoise

The theme for this week was men's jewelry. But that didn't inspire me this week. Instead I went with a color which, according to Pantone is supposed to be the hot shade for spring 2010. I was happy about that as it already is a favorite color of mine. This necklace uses a large aqua hydro quartz drop topped with two different colors of apatite, purple amethyst, silvery blue keishi pearls, a filigree bead and a hand woven bail.

This one is a hand forged and soldered copper flower shape. I filled the center with the same blue keishi pearls and two colors of apatite. Very summery.

Week 2-Some Copper Bracelets

I love using Kazuri beads in my jewelry. Kazuri beads are fair trade beads from Kenya. The factory is on part of the old Karen Blixen coffee plantation (remember the movie Out of Africa) and provides employment opportunities for 350 disadvantaged women who would otherwise be living in extreme poverty. I connected these beads with some coiled copper links to make a chunky and bold bracelet.

This bracelet was made by raiding my spare parts box. I connected the parts with some beautiful 12mm sea green glass beads to make kind of a fun bracelet.

Week 1-Happy New Year!

Year of Jewelry 2010 is officially underway. I was bionic Saturday and spent the day making four pairs of earrings while watching a horror movie marathon on the SyFy Channel. But none of these earrings were inspired by the movies fortunately. On the contrary, some of them are downright romantic which is unusual for someone who has been accused of not having a romatic bone in her body. :D

These are tanzanite, pink amethyst, and golden mystic quartz over a rose hydro quartz drop. The silver roses were connectors that I soldered a post to after removing one of the loops.

Smoky quartz and multi-colored spinel.

Iolite briolettes suspended from a sterling silver beaded quatrefoil.

And finally, coin pearls framed with sterling silver and beads with a pink amethyst accent.