Hot Pink!

These amazing briolettes are from my recent trip to the Tucson bead and gem shows.  I introduced them to you here.  I used a few pairs to make earrings the other day and this pair is currently listed in my etsy shop.

They're hot.  They're pink.  They're bright.  They're sizable.  I love them!

Asymmetry Rules

These necklaces were quite a hit at my shows this fall. It was a new design for me this season and it appealed to customers with an eclectic sensibility. The design is a bit out of the ordinary and more rustic than most of my pieces.

I currently have 2 of them listed in my etsy shop. This first one is the longer of the 2, at 19 1/2". It features iridescent green freshwater pearls.


This second necklace is shorter. It is about 17 1/2" long and has peacock colored pearls -- a mix of purple, gray and a bit of blue.



Click on either of the photos to go directly to the listings and find out a little more about these pieces.

Faceted Pearls

It's no secret that I love pearls. Faceted pearls have become a bit difficult to find. I think they may have gone out of fashion in the world of beads, but that never bothers me. I still crave them.

This pair of earrings features faceted pearls in a deep teal color. I fused the circles from fine silver wire and textured them with a riveting hammer.

The earwires are handmade by me. I oxidized all of the silver and selectively hand sanded it to highlight the high spots.

These earrings are for sale in my etsy shop.


*Note - I will be at a 2 day craft show this weekend in Wasilla. Yes, that Wasilla. I'll be back to posting here on Sunday or Monday!

Fine Silver Headpins

Fine silver headpins can be made quite easily with a small butane torch.

This photo shows my simple set up for making headpins. I use those disposable aluminum cookie sheets for a base and backdrop. I also have a small firebrick that I use mainly when fusing fine silver. It's not really necessary for making headpins. In the foreground is a pair of cross-lock tweezers. Off to the right are 4" lengths of 22 ga fine silver.

Holding a piece of wire with the tweezers, place the bottom end of the wire in the hottest part of the flame. That spot is at the very end of the blue section of the flame. You can see how that cookie sheet comes in handy as a backdrop.

The fine silver will begin to ball up after a few seconds. You will need to slowly lower the wire as this happens. As soon as the ball is the size you want, remove it from the flame and put it on the cookie sheet. It will be hot.

If you leave the wire in the flame too long, the ball will most likely fall off. Then you will be glad you started with 4" of wire, because you still have enough to make another headpin!

The resulting headpins are about 3 1/2" long. If you use 24 ga wire, this will be different. It will take a bit more wire to achieve an adequate size ball.

Here are the completed headpins. This can also be done with sterling silver, but the copper content in sterling silver will cause it to darken (firescale). Also, whenever I've done this with sterling, the balls on the end have been pitted. I suspect that using flux would minimize this problem, but I'm not set up for that in my studio.


Please be sure to read the instructions that come with your butane torch and follow all safety precautions.

Double Blue Earrings

You've seen these plump gray-blue quartz briolettes before -- in various pairs of earrings. This time, I've paired them with medium blue freshwater pearls.

The circle that they hang from is fused from fine silver wire and the sterling silver earwires are handmade, by me.

I don't know about you, but I wear jeans nearly every day. These earrings are perfect for jeans!

They are for sale in my etsy shop. Click on the photo to go directly to the listing and see these earrings from some different angles.

Another New Pair of Earrings

I just love smoky quartz. My collection includes 4mm faceted rounds, fat twists, several sizes of coin shapes, rectangles, countless briolettes and these special pyramids.

I've tried using them with the pointy part up, but they didn't look right. I guess I consider the way I've used them to be "upside down", but I like the resulting flat surface that I can then build upon.

The smoky quartz is topped with a sterling spacer bead and a short, fat rondelle of pink tourmaline. The silver circle is one I fused from 16 ga wire and hammered and textured. The earwires are one of the several styles I make myself.

These earrings are for sale in my etsy shop.

Carnelian

I'm quickly becoming a carnelian lover. I've always liked the stone, but lately my like has evolved into a love. In my early days of jewelry making, I used lots of round carnelian beads and mixed it often with poppy jasper. While I still like that combination, I now more often opt to leave out any other stones and simply focus on the spiciness of the carnelian itself.

I've sold quite a few pairs of carnelian earrings since my focus has changed with this stone.

These earrings feature great faceted coin shaped carnelian beads and are brand new in my etsy shop. This second pair of earrings is a lot simpler.




Recently, I purchased a strand of these 4mm faceted carnelian from my friend Deb. You should check out her gem shop on etsy, Crysallis Gems. She has some gorgeous strands of gems and pearls.

Iolite and Keshi Pearl Necklace

I just listed this brand new necklace in my etsy shop. I love the simplicity of it. The blue colors -- think jeans -- make this a necklace you can wear everyday.

Faceted rondelles and faceted rectangles of pale blue iolite are joined by peacock keshi pearls to form the cluster. This is suspended from a circle that I fused from fine silver wire. The chain is sterling silver. I oxidized all of the silver and then tumbled it for that shiny steel gay finish.

Click on the photo to go directly to the listing and see more photos of this necklace. Or, click here to go to my etsy shop.

Asymmetry in Motion

For a long time, all of my jewelry designs were symmetrical, controlled and orderly. Then I took some classes where I learned that designs needn't be symmetrical to be beautiful. Hey, I'll attribute this symmetry obsession to my engineering background.

Here's a necklace with a bit of asymmetry that works wonderfully. The big olive green pearl at the bottom reminds me of an irregular egg.

The pearl is suspended from a fused circle of fine silver. Trailing up one side of the chain is a line of smaller pearls. The other side is pure chain. All of the silver has been oxidized and tumbled for that shiny steel gray finish I love.

This necklace is for sale in my etsy shop. If you haven't signed up for my newsletter yet, you can do so by filling in the form at the right.

Marcasite & Keshi Pearls

Recently listed in my etsy shop is this lovely necklace featuring olive green keshi pearls and perfectly round marcasite beads.

The keshi pearls are in a cup-like shape and the headpins that hold them in place have a ball at the end that makes the combination look a little like a flower. The grayish green color of the marcasite beads is a perfect complement to the pearls. This cluster hangs from a circle of fine silver wire that I shaped and fused from wire.

I purchased the marcasite beads from my friend Deb at Crysallis Creations. I had never seen marcasite in bead form before -- only as little sparkling elements.

Rolo style chain is my latest favorite. The links are round and substantial. I oxidized all of the silver and tumbled it for a sleek, polished gray finish.

A Trio of Greens

Today I'm featuring a pair of earrings that use the color green in three forms. Green aventurine is a pale, translucent shade of green. A rondelle of apple green variscite comes next. It is often mistaken for turquoise, but these particular beads are greener than any turquoise in my collection. The third green bead here is a faceted teardrop of green topaz.

These greens work so well together. Here, they are hanging from a textured circle of fine silver and gracefully arced sterling silver earwires.

I have oxidized and tumbled the silver for a shiny, steel gray finish. Sophisticated ... and sweet all at the same time.

They are for sale in my etsy shop.

Carnelian Earrings

To continue with the fall themed colors, I'm highlighting these sterling silver earrings featuring Carnelain beads in a faceted coin shape. Carnelian is a deep rusty orange color that looks great with browns, beige and all shades of green.

I forged the earrings from sterling silver wire and I fused the circles from fine silver wire. All of the silver has been oxidized and tumbled for a shiny gray sophisticated look. These long earrings will swing freely and look dramatic.

They are for sale in my etsy shop.

Owyhee Blue Opal

Discovered in 2003 in the opal rich area of eastern Oregon near the sacred Indian springs of Owyhee, Oregon, this stone is stunning! While most opals have a characteristic "opal fire", this stone's beauty is found more in depth of color and subtle opalescence. It has a pale blue coloring that is almost milky in appearance.

I've featured this stone in a new pair of earrings. I have put them on handmade headpins and allow them to dangle from a circle of fused fine silver. The earwires are sterling. All of the silver has been oxidized and tumbled for that sleek gray finish I love.

These unique earrings are for sale in my etsy shop.

New Lariat Style Necklace

Starting with sterling silver rolo chain, I created this lariat necklace. I love rolo chain for it's sturdiness -- it can carry substantial designs, using large pearls and stones. I oxidized the chain and the other silver components, then tumbled them for this highly polished steel gray finish.

I created the textured circle by fusing a length of fine silver wire and then hammering the resulting circle. It acts as one part of the toggle closure and the stick pearl acts as the other part. The pearls I selected for this necklace begin with a deep midnight blue, transitioning to a paler blue and then gray, and finishing with stark white. The asymmetrical aspect of the necklace has huge appeal and really works with this style.

This necklace is available for sale in my etsy store.

Cascading Lilac Quartz

My new line of oxidized and mostly asymmetrical necklaces is providing me with plenty of opportunity to use some of my lovely finds from the Tucson gem shows. Here, I feature lilac quartz in 2 shapes -- flat faceted rectangles and faceted briolettes. Accompanying them are some freshwater pearls in a complementary shade of lavender.

Available for sale in my etsy shop.

Smoky Quartz ... with a twist

I adore smoky quartz in all shapes and sizes. These beads are quite large and have a unique cut. The many facets and the twisted shape make them super sparkly. The circle from which the beads hang was fused from 16 gauge fine silver wire. I then flattened it and hammered for texture. I also made the earwires. All of the silver was oxidized and then tumbled. I love the resulting shiny, steel gray finish this of this process.

A New Line of Necklaces

I made a bunch of fine silver loops (rings? circles?) the other day of varying diameters. Using different hammers, I gave them texture and made some earrings. The larger diameter rings were just too big for earrings so I made some necklaces, with the rings as focal points. Here are two of them. I love the rolo chain I used. I think it's my new favorite: it's substantial without being too heavy. I oxidized all of the silver and tumbled it. This results in a steel gray, sleek and modern finish. I'm also loving the gray handmade paper I used as the backdrop for these photos.

Both of these pieces are for sale in my etsy shop.

Metal Working Classes

This past weekend I was in class all day Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday I attended a soldering class with Iris Sandkuhler, who is a guest teacher at my local bead store, The Alaska Bead Company.
I made these 2 pendants. I know, they're not very beautiful, but I've learned the basic techniques of soldering sterling silver and gold filled elements to a sterling silver base.




The class on Sunday was much more to my liking. I learned how to fuse fine silver and make a chain bracelet. This is a technique that I really think I will continue to do. My mind is full of ideas for variations on this basic chain composition.





Our instructor, Iris Sandkuhler, lives in San Francisco. She has a website where she offers distance education. Later this year, she will be offering online classes through Lisa Niven-Kelly's Beaducation.