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!

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!

New Letter & Number Stamps

I purchased a new set of letter and number stamps for metal stamping from Evies Tool Emporium. I already had a 4mm set, and those were fine for my metal book covers. But I found them to be too large for my jewelry designs. The set I purchased from Michelle at Evie's is 2.5mm -- just right!


These pendants are copper. I cut the pieces of metal using my new brake and sheer combo tool that I scored at a yard sale a few weeks ago. The cuts made by the sheer are so much cleaner than I was getting from my handheld scissor-like shears. This made the finishing of the edges much less labor intensive. It's all about the right tools.

I also used my texture hammers that Rick made for some of these pendants. I used a metal oxidized liquid to tone down the super shiny bright copper finish on the raw metal. After sanding with 400 grit paper, the results are a mellow, slightly rosy copper color. Again, just right!

Simple Necklaces

Remember this post? How about this post? Well, I decided I like the look of a single drop so much, that I've made some necklaces along the same lines. I made a big batch of them, but so far have only listed this one in my etsy shop.

I chose one of my favorite pearls to feature in this necklace. It's big, it's got lots of luster and it bumpy! What more could I ask for?




Click on the photo to go directly to the listing and see the necklace from some other angles.

And now for something completely different ... again!

I had a little more luck with the design I blogged about here. When I started this piece, I actually planned ahead a bit (not my strong suit) and thought to texture the silver disc before doing anything else to it.

Using my rolling mill and my Secret Material, I achieved a very nice leaf texture. I also used my rolling mill to deboss the stems. Brass wire is just the right hardness to leave a nice impression in the silver.

I used some different silver beads as the flowers for a little variety. Hence the name of the piece: One Daisy . Two Poppies.

There are some more pieces in progress with this same theme. I also plan on getting better at melting the back end of the silver wire. Practice, practice, practice.

New Earring Design

Before I left for Tucson, I started a series of new earrings that represent a departure in style for me. While I have been leaning towards metal work for some time now, these earrings are the first leg on a new journey.

The twisted loops are copper that I hand formed and hammered for textural interest. I attached the sterling silver puffy lentil bead (at the bottom) with brass wire. The earwires are hand forged from sterling silver wire -- my signature earwires.

A friend asked: "What was the inspiration for these earrings". The only answer I could come up with was: "the spool of 16 gauge copper wire staring at me"!

I have a series of these earrings in progress on my worktable. Most of them have variations in the bottom embellishment, and some of them have different earwires, depending on the look I want to achieve.

Click the photo to go directly to the listing in my etsy shop. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter by filling out the form on the right. I'm preparing to send another one soon, with a special offer for subscribers only!