Twined Carnelian Necklace

  Another design that was 'not as planned'. I'll be doing another necklace soon that will include the mistake part of this design:)

  I didn't want to redo the other component so I changed my design to something easier. I think maybe it turned out better this way:)

  My photography is pretty bad, I know, but I'm too lazy to fix it. Sorry!

Not What I Wanted

 I'm being less controlling this month. I'm not trying to get my way about everything. I let my other needs and living my life get in the way of my wire agenda more often.

  In some ways I am more content, even though my longing to do more wire has not lessened. I am trying to make peace with my life as it is, and I have been successful.
  So I don't get much done:)

  And I have begun a strange, for me, way of working. Which is to have multiple projects going at once. I flit like a butterfly from one idea to the next but that method gets nothing done also.

So I guess this brooch is a good example of my frame of mind. This design was "not the plan". Very far off from the original plan in fact. I usually recycle the work that falls too far from the design idea.

I just couldn't stand to not rescue this design and get something done. So this is me, not getting my way but rescuing the situation:) It's growing on me. I like it's whimsical quirkiness.

The vintage abalone button is much nicer and shinier than it appears in my photo work.

Victorian Jewelry

  It's very busy at the office right now and I am not making any jewelry at the moment. I'll try to do something simple over the weekend so that I can submit to Year of Jewelry.

  If you need some inspiration, I recommend this video by Mona Hair on Victorian Jewelry. I had a lot of ideas when I watched it a few weeks back.

  She doesn't really get started until about 10 minutes into the video, you can scroll it forward a bit.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/14732547

Coral Sterling Necklace

    The first challenge I had to overcome to make this necklace was simply to remove my frugality from the design process. Once that was out of the way it all moved along at a good clip until I got to the beaded bead:

  It took me 4 evenings to get it done and work out all the details. Should I make it in wire? Or thread? Do I tumble it? or assemble later? Will it be a round ball or a link?   Do I even have wire small enough to weave 2mm coral beads? Do I have thread small enough? No I don't.

  The beaded coral components used up an entire strand of 2mm coral beads and than I had to search my local bead stores for a somewhat close match to finish it. It was a good reminder that bead weaving takes longer than wire weaving. My hat is off to all those bead weavers who make such extravagant works!

Now that I have the supplies and the know how I really want to make another link.  I used 'right angle weave' to made the bead and 32 gauge wire. I think the wire is steel or some sort of base metal. But the rest of the necklace is sterling.

This and That

  I didn't get any finished pieces of jewelry done this week. One of my designs did not turn out as I hoped. Here are the remains:

  It looks better on camera than it does in person. It has no strong focal and the light bounces off at myriad places and the eye get's confused. It will eventually get unwound for some future project.
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  My 26ga weaving wire keeps breaking on me and between that and the sad project above I discovered a renewed interest in house cleaning:) It was a good way to avoid the wire:) Have clean home now:)
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  I did make a tiny 1.25" diameter practice basket. It's perfectly useful if you are a Barbie doll. I practiced the starting method, and also tested out what 30ga double twined wire looks like.
  This is what the 30ga looks like:

  I am perfectly pleased with myself for getting 20 whole spokes in that little basket!!

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  Here is something you will really like!!  Here is a link to a gallery of Berlin Iron and Silesian Wirework Jewelry.  Be sure to scroll all the way down the page to see all the wirework they have. 
  All these jewelry pieces were made during the early 1800's, possibly by the same company. There doesn't seem to be any clear history available regarding the wirework especially.
  The Germans actually traded in their gold for these pieces of iron jewelry in order to help their country pay for the war with Napoleon.

http://imageevent.com/bluboi/ironandwirework

Moroccan Double Twined Earrings

 Another double twined weave.Very pleasurable to create, even though I took great care with every turn of the wire.

  I only wish you could touch it for yourself, the texture is amazing!!

Yummy carnelians!!

Oh and, I bought new glasses:) Eye sight being such an important tool:))

Jewelry: Concepts and Techniques Book

   I just purchased this book,  "Jewelry:Concepts and Techniques", and it arrived two days ago. It is absolutely wonderful and inspiring and full of information about wire that I have never seen in any other book. It's very expensive but you can search around and get a used copy like I did.

  You can search through the book if you want to have a look and see if it is for you. Go here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=r81z6oAOIowC&pg=PR17&lpg=PR17&dq=jewelry+concepts+and+techniques&source=bl&ots=ySMqscmLJL&sig=Z7lxHf2n4Im7eI8akPbHRnnuCVk&hl=en&ei=b8H4Ta-RCsSKhQftu6mpDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=jewelry%20concepts%20and%20techniques&f=false

Roughly pages 160-225 are all about wire, and the chapter after that is about chain mail. There are lots of examples of wire techniques being shown by Mary Lee Hu.

The entire book is stuffed with gorgeous jewelry and valuable information, and did I say inspiring?  Yes, Very!!!

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  This is the first time I have tried twining with double wire.

 I hope to do an earring design using this weave over the weekend. I love the double weave and I hope I can get through an entire weave without twisting my wires on the earring pair. Crossing my fingers.

  Errr... probably I will go buy new glasses first, I'm struggling again with my eyes going blurry from the work...it's maddening!!!!