Textured Copper Necklaces

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We had a bunch of new snow, which was great because it covered up all of that nasty ice!  Plus the house smelled great all day and we had a nice quiet dinner -- just the two of us.  Perfection.

OK -- BACK TO WORK!

Recently added to my etsy shop, these two necklaces are made from copper sheet that I cut, filed, hammered and patinated.  This first one is pretty simple, so I added the 3 metallic burgundy glass beads in front, for a little accent.

Next up, a similar copper panel.  This time I used my alphabet stamps to add the word peace along the lower right hand side.  A simple yet important message.

These necklaces are super affordable and will really appeal to a wide range of ages.  You can go directly to the listings in my etsy shop by clicking on the photos.  Don't forget to use coupon code NOV2010DISCOUNT to get 15% off your entire order!

A Custom Order ....

... turns into a staple product.

I made a pair of these earrings by special request from a customer at my Bad Girls of the North show in early November. I've done plenty of these hoops in sterling and copper, but I usually feel the need to add a dangle or a wrap to the bottom of the circle. This customer wanted it plain. Could I do that? Of course!


My customer was already an etsy buyer, so she agreed to purchase these in my shop. Now they are relisted and ready to go again.

A Series of Textured Metal Pendants

I completed a good sized batch of metal pendants last week. Starting with copper and brass sheet, I set up a little assembly line type operation: cut shapes, file, sand w/280, sand w/360, sand w/600, texture, patina, assemble. See, I really can work efficiently when I put my mind to it!

The only really fun parts were the texture and assemble steps of the above list. The remainder of the process was quite tedious.



I used two different patinas: liver of sulfur and an antiquing solution which works only on base metals like copper and brass. Lightly sanding with 400 grit polishing paper after applying a patina provides a great contrast, as it leaves the low spots dark, while effectively erasing the patina from the high spots.


It was interesting to see how the antiquing solution gave such different results on the copper and brass. I also practiced my letter stamping on a few pieces. I think I need much more practice with that stop.




Assembling and adding beads was quite a bit of fun. Trying to match the mood of the metal pendant to appropriate beads and charms took quite a bit of time.


And my favorite piece is the brass panel embossed (with the rolling mill) with a leaf pattern, and embellished with a brass dragonfly element. I may just keep this one.

Using the Hammers!

After spending so much time prepping the metal for hammering, I didn't want to hide very much of it. In the spirit of keeping it simple, I used the same copper leaf charm as an embellishment on both necklaces. The charm is from The Beadin' Path, where I always manage to find unique elements to include in my jewelry.

This first necklace is brass -- the same piece from yesterday's blog post. I removed most of the heat patina and started over with Woodfinishers Antiquing Solution, which works wonderfully on base metals such as brass, copper and nickel silver. I sanded it with 400 grit paper to highlight the high spots. The bead is etched black onyx. I used copper chain, which I also patinated and selectively sanded.

This next necklace is copper. I used a different hammer to texture this piece of metal, but the rest of the treatment was the same. I drilled the hole for the chain on the corner, just because. The bead is Czech glass with an iris green metallic finish. I've always liked the way copper looks with green.
There you have it! My first adventure with the new hammers is now complete.

More Mixed Metals

I started the pair of earrings with pre-made and very shiny hammered brass disks. I drilled some off-center holes in which to "plant" the Bali silver spacer beads. They look like little daisies. They are held in place by handmade ball-end headpins that act like rivets.

Making the headpins requires the use of a torch. The heat of the torch colored the brass to charcoal gray color. I used some fine polishing paper to highlight the high spots on the brass, resulting in a warm, rich almost coppery color.

These very lightweight earrings are suspended from sterling silver earwires that have been antiqued and hand sanded.