BTW: Studio Time!

Today's bead table: Keeping it simple and focusing on wirework. (I traded textbooks for sterling wire - thanks, Amazon!)

(I really need to scour my bench block.)

It's Bead Table Wednesday, and I'm doing wirework today (along with coursework and gardening, of course). I still haven't taken the initiative to teach myself metalwork, but as the weather warms up I'm spending a bit of time out in my little studio (which I still think of as Mom's studio), where I can do messy projects and leave stuff out rather than cleaning up every time I have to leave something unfinished. When I clean up, I lose things like tools and components and forget what I was trying to do, whereas if it's all spread out on the table, I know exactly what I was doing and where to start up again. It's really more efficient not to clean up.

(That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.)


Gourd experiments in progress (note goggles & dust mask)

Last weekend we had howling winds that made gardening and hiking impossible, but I wanted to be outside so I stepped into the studio to start doing something with my gourds from two summers ago. I got a notion to make little bird baths and hanging planters with a few of them, so out came the Dremel (which was also Mom's) and paints, and when they're done I'll lacquer them and put them around the garden. Today I'm also making earrings for a custom order I have long neglected because I was out of the sterling wire I needed and couldn't get my hands on more at a reasonable price. My order finally came in yesterday, so I get to play with the hammer today!

A New View: The Fire Within

Mexican green apatite chunk in sterling silver with crystal quartz and peridot

I created and photographed this necklace in April but today decided to re-photograph it with my new DSLR, and WOW what a difference. Spectacular resolution aside, this camera (a Nikon D-3000, just their "entry-level" DSLR but a huge step up for me) grabs the light in a way my old point-and-shoots never could. Notice the flash of rainbow in the stone's center? That is no surface reflection but actually comes from within the stone. I had to do way less Photoshopping on these images than the earlier ones; the colors on the originals of the images here are much truer and the focus and clarity are exactly where *I* want them, not where the camera's "brain" decided they should be.

Now to get busy making more jewelry. And plotting another photo trip... maybe just into my backyard to capture the late-summer fiesta of wildflowers stirred up by the rains.

Memo to Self: Objects in Macro View are Closer than They Appear.

Blooming Cholla (Opuntia imbricata), Magdalena, NM, June 2010

I was so excited to see the first cholla blooms out on my parents' property when I took Lucy for a walk this evening; the setting sun lit the blooms and thorns up perfectly. As I was getting this shot, though, I didn't realize I was almost on top of the plant... till I felt the thorns, right in my chest. OUCH. After I got the shot (this must make me a true photographer, right?) I pulled out no less than two dozen thorns, some over an inch long. Good thing I always wear jeans and a heavy denim shirt in the field...

Dad and I go back up to Albuquerque tomorrow to see Mom, so I took today off from just about everything and just enjoyed the day. I took a few moments this afternoon to finish off my little Maggie's Bead Soup contribution; using the clasp that Bead Soup partner Wanda sent, I turned it into a necklace that Maggie can either wear or hang up as the intended "ornament," as she calls it. The green and copper-colored rounds and the blue glass beads are also from Wanda; Maggie added the copper snails, glass heart drops, and seed beads, and I wirewrapped Wanda's beautiful agate slice for her to use as the focal piece. I really like it, and I know Maggie is very proud of her latest creation!

I missed today's Bead Soup reveals but will catch up tomorrow if I can; so much talent and beauty...

April Showers

April Showers, Wirewrapped Apatite and Peridot Necklace

I seem to have made this wirewrapped bail (adapted from an Eni Oken tutorial) a standard focal builder because it works for so many kinds of beads, from gemstone to glass, polished to rough. This piece uses a rough apatite crystal from Mexico, one of a handful gifted to me by Two Cranes' Dean Crane, and although the photo doesn't show it well this specimen has some beautiful fluorescence inside. I put this pendant on a necklace of peridot, crystal quartz, and sterling silver and finished it with a clasp using a Creekmore-Durham glass button. It will be for sale in my Etsy shop soon, along with four other necklaces I've made this week.

That's it for now; after several cold, windy days we finally have nice weather, so although I'm under the weather and can't garden, outside I go for a spot of sunshine. Happy Easter to all who celebrate it!

Smithsonite Necklaces, Part 2: A Kelly Treasure {Sold!}

What to do with that beautiful piece of Smithsonite gifted to me a few months ago by friends Dean and Conne? I wirewrapped it, as reported earlier, and finally decided to put the pendant on a simple necklace of apatite, seed pearls, Swarovski crystals, and Thai silver. That's it -- no multistrand opulence, just a single mixed strand of similar colors and textures, because the Smithsonite itself is the focus, and I seem to be in a minimalist mood lately. I kept trying to add in more, such as a strand of the seed pearls and some larger, fancier Balinese silver beads, but it didn't seem to work. So, although I might try again later, this is it for now, and when my current brain-busting quarter of coursework is over I hope to make a few more of these freeform Smithsonite wirewraps. Kelly Smithsonite is a storied treasure around here, and specimens like this one, with the exquisite quartz crystallization in the center, are pretty rare. I'm fortunate to have a few fascinating pieces to work with and hope I'm doing them some justice in my work.

More Seasonal

This is more like it... a seasonal offering of one of my wirewrapped pendants of that cool nameless jasper from Mama's Minerals, with russet and green rainbow jasper teardrops, faceted Tsavorite garnet rondelles, pearls, and lots of Balinese silver. My "Fire and Rain" necklace sold recently (no, I didn't end up keeping it; my bluebird necklace has supplanted it), so I used the third of these jasper pendants (at right; can you tell I love making this style?) for a similar necklace that I'll post once I get a picture. I pulled out the wire loops at the bottom for a more freeform look and attached drops of wirewrapped crystal quartz briolettes to them... yum. This piece has a nice little pocket of crystallization on the left side that doesn't show up well here but works well with the crystal quartz accents.

I seem to be in necklace mode lately, which generally means my creativity is in full swing... though I've been struggling lately with earrings. How strange, that something so simple can elude me sometimes. I could just copy my current designs or follow some of my bazillion "recipes" in my beading books and magazines, but that's too... pedestrian. Not to sound like a snob; I just like coming up with my own ideas, which are surely derivative but still feel more authentic.

Smithsonite Necklaces (Part 1)

Here's the Smithsonite I mentioned earlier, done up freeform into another woven-bail pendant (28-gauge on 24-gauge sterling wire). Sorry for the less-than-optimal photo; I took it at home in poor lighting because I just had to share this tonight. Dean (of Two Cranes) generously gifted this to me recently, perhaps because my eyes bugged out when I saw the amazing crystallization in the piece's center. These calcite crystals often grow in, on, or around Smithsonite, sometimes forming rosettes such as that in this piece (not very well shown here). I'll put this 1.5-inch pendant (yes, it's small) on a necklace of apatite, seed pearls, and small Thai silver cornerless cubes, perhaps with some multi-strand sections but otherwise fairly simple.

Dean has been bargaining for Smithsonite from Magdalena's old-timers, who now seem inclined to pull out at least a few samples from their "back-room collections" that most people never see. Smithsonite is a source of pride, secrecy, and family lore around here; generations-old specimens from the nearby Kelly mine comprise an important part of the mineralogical collection and are sometimes called "copper smithsonite" because their turquoise-blue coloration comes from, yes, copper. Other forms are purple, yellow, pink, or green depending on the minerals that "contaminate" the zinc carbonate (ZnCO3) base. The piece at right (another gift from Dean) shows this gemstone's globular formation that typically grows as a sort of crust on base rock. On this piece, which makes me think of a rain cloud, I'll do a different kind of freeform wirewrap, perhaps with small crystal quartz briolettes to evoke, what else, rain.

 I've made two more of these nameless-jasper (the "African turquoise" I wrote of a while back) pendants with the sterling silver basket-weave bail and like how they turned out. I kept them simple -- no crystal quartz briolettes this time -- and am thinking of putting them on simple necklaces of mixed-size glass beads with some combination of bronzite, smoky quartz, and jade accents. On the second piece (at left) I might unwrap the bottom swirls a bit to loosen up the look; I like how the first one came out. It's all about experimentation, which is a good bit of the fun in making anything. For these woven bails I used 22-gauge and 28-gauge sterling wire, which is a good combination but does require a fair-sized hole through the focal bead. I'm also trying a spine of 24-gauge wire in a new, entirely different sort of piece and it's working well... more on that one in a few days.

Fire and Rain {sold!}

My latest jewelry creation is often my new favorite, and I may need to spirit this necklace away into my permanent collection. The focal piece is a 20-cm jasper stone that reminds me of a waterfall or rain against a fiery sunset, hence the piece's name. I made a modified basketweave bail using a "spine" of 22-gauge sterling wire wrapped with 28-gauge sterling wire, and on the three ends of the "spine" I then added five wirewrapped crystal quartz briolettes. The necklace is a simple composition of dyed pearls, Thai silver cornerless cubes, and more of the briolettes.

I'd never seen this stone before; after some Googling I learned it is sometimes called "African turquoise", although it is unrelated to turquoise in any way except appearance and is usually found in Australia or North America, not Africa. It's not a common find, unfortunately; two weeks after purchasing a strand of these at Mama's Minerals I returned to find the whole hank gone, with no more on the way. I have maybe a dozen more of these beads (at left is a bracelet I made with [real] Mexican turquoise rounds to enhance the blues) and will probably make several more of these pendants. This one, though, seems most special; although I currently have it for sale in my new gallery, I might need to wear it home one day.

Summer eye candy {sold!}

More treasures from February's Tucson trip have made their way into the showcase: cane glass! Lots of it, in summer brights, hand-wired onto sterling silver with Swarovski crystal and finished with a sterling sun clasp. I had never quite known what to do with cane glass until I added them, sparingly, into the bracelets posted earlier; this time I didn't stop at a few but just kept going, and going... I haven't counted but figure I have a few dozen on this bracelet. This piece is not exactly sophisticated. Like summer, it is bold (almost overbearing, yes) and unabashedly colorful, and looking at it makes me smile.

Celestial {sold!}

Turquoise and copper appeared on my workbench again recently and this time came together in a charm bracelet of sorts. The turquoise is from all over, mostly from China (the source of most commercial turquoise these days). It is stabilized (impregnated with resin, a common treatment for mid- to low-grade stones) but not dyed. The copper came from the local hardware store; it's so much cheaper there than at many jewelry suppliers for exactly the same stuff. I also used some handmade copper headpins from a favorite Etsy supplier and pure copper spacers I had found at the 2007 Albuquerque Fiber Arts Fiesta. Copper wears nicely for most people (I wear it fairly often and haven't ever turned green), and this bracelet will darken a bit as it ages. Buffing would keep it bright, but I like the darker patina and would, at most, buff some highlights to enhance the contrast.

That's all for now... final projects for my fall quarter are coming due soon.

Turquoise and copper, again {all sold!}

This Mexican turquoise bead from Two Cranes has a lovely green-tinged hue and rich brown matrix that work very well with copper. I kept the necklace simple, using more Mexican turquoise along with some rough copper spacers and a copper clasp that I scratched up a bit on purpose so it will darken up more quickly during wear.

I love turquoise with copper (obviously) and have sold several pieces that I've been tempted to keep but, well, when I sell one, I can buy stuff to make more. The piece at left is another Two Cranes Mexican turquoise pendant that I put on an adjustable leather cord finished with copper wire and some handmade copper headpins. This pendant has a more striking green hue which, to be honest, I couldn't figure out how to match, hence the leather rather than beaded necklace. Turquoise with leather and copper seems a quintessentially Southwestern combination, though, and I'm surprised that I don't see it more often. I have one piece made in this style that I've kept for myself (despite the frequent temptation this is actually a rare occurence), and the leather has worn very well for well over a year, darkening along with the copper as I wear it. I use a high-grade Greek leather, which surely makes a difference.

The necklace at right uses a Chinese turquoise pendant (not Two Cranes) with a beautiful "cascading" matrix. Turquoise matrix features so often look like water features, which is apropos given how the stone is created. I set this one on 16-gauge copper with wirewrapped leather and a front clasp that I shaped and hammered myself. I've used this clasp style in several pieces (including the aforementioned piece in my personal collection), but I later found (after conferring with the buyer) that it doesn't work well with a smaller, lighter stone: it pulls it off balance. I re-balanced this necklace for the buyer by adding some small copper-wrapped turquoise "charms" to the other side; she was pleased, especially when I threw in some matching earrings for free.

A little lapidary: "A fragment of the starry firmament" {sold... alas...}

I have very little time for lapidary work or anything else now that I've started school full-time (an MS program in counseling, my answer to the question pondered earlier this year), but I do believe my limited time at Dean and Conne's workshop is well spent. Still in practice mode, I worked this freeform lapis lazuli piece from a scrap left over from a recent batch of beautiful Two Cranes beads. I made it expressly for wirewrapping, and the gold-fill wire was an obvious choice given the beautiful pyrite that emerged as I ground and then polished the stone. I kept the wirework simple (improvising as usual) because, really, the stone is what we all want to see. The pendant measures a little over 1.5 inches (33 mm) and is on a necklace of lapis chips and rounds with vermeil (sterling silver plated with 18-karat gold) spacers and beads.

(BTW, the quote in this entry's title comes from Pliny the Elder, referring, of course, to lapis lazuli. Such an apt description.)

Bangled up in blue

Here's an interesting wirewrapping technique I adapted from a tutorial I can't find now (I would like to reference it, of course): using 24-gauge sterling wire on a core of 16-gauge half-hard sterling wire, I wrapped high-grade lapis heishe and fancy Balinese silver rondelles around the edge of the bangle. This makes the bracelet sturdy enough to keep its shape, and it goes on and comes off easily with the integral hammered S-hook clasp. I've made several of these now, including one in mookaite and sterling, one in "African Jade" (actually a grossular garnet) and sterling, and one in black onyx and copper.

Embers

One night, feeling the urge to try something new, I threw some sterling silver findings and just-finished jewelry in a stinky solution of Liver of Sulfur (an oxidizing agent), stirred it around for a while, pulled the mess out and rinsed it off, and stared at the dull grey pieces wondering what on earth I was thinking.... But then I started polishing and came up with this:



Now that's some cool transformation. It's entirely absorbing and meditative, too, to polish the pieces by hand... although I suspect that a Dremel or some such mechanized tool would speed along production of multiple pieces.

Rethinking the Clasp

Putting things on leather has challenged my ideas on how to finish a necklace because my usual crimping methods won't work on the leather ends. I've bought a few different kinds of end caps and crimp ends, but I haven't been happy with them, and some have turned out to be entirely unreliable. So, in yet another wire-wrapping experiment, I came up with the above solution... and since it's so interesting and works well with the organic nature of this piece, I decided to put the clasp in front instead of hiding it in back. The best part is that I make the whole end-cap-and-clasp configuration myself -- no purchased ready-made parts -- which makes my pieces just that much more personal.

Inspired by...

I have several basketry works in my store by a wonderful artist, Holly Modine, and I'm often awed by her use of natural forms such as deer antlers and cholla cactus skeletons in her pieces. Basket weaving is generally considered a "fiber art," a collection of media recently (and deservedly) elevated from craft to art status among Those Who Know.

Once again, I have found a way bring a seemingly unrequitable obsession to my jewelry and come up with something I love. Eni Oken, a wildly unique and fabulous jewelry designer, has created an essentially new jewelrymaking form by adapting basketry concepts and techniques to wireworking. I made the pendant above using one of her tutorials, adapting it to a front-drilled turquoise slab and using 24-gauge on 20-gauge sterling wire. Eni recommends using 28- or even 30-gauge wire for her intense, fine wirewrapping, and after wrestling with a few pieces I understand why -- but it's hard to find. So I'm on a quest, yet again -- I think I've found it *at a good price* at Artbeads.com, but if anyone knows of other sources, please let me know.

An Experiment

From my "personal collection" (a.k.a. Not Ready for Prime Time Pieces), here's the woven copper cuff I mentioned the other day. I haven't polished it since I made it six or so months ago, and I wear it almost every day, so it's gradually taking some patina that gives the wirework more depth. When it gets a bit darker I'll buff the highlights to give it nice contrast and shine.

This was a fun piece to make -- pure experiment with only the vaguest notion of what I might end up with. Actually, I was trying for something else but couldn't figure the pattern out, and so I kept going with this and just loved it. Notes to self: don't cut wire down to size until the weaving is complete (the cuff ended up a bit too short, and uneven), and don't hammer the ends till I've scrolled them (scrolling flattened, hardened wire is much harder). That's it for now.

Fun with Copper

It all started with a simple suncatcher a few years ago, dangling in a shop window down in Seal Beach, California. Heavy-gauge copper wire, just like you see at the hardware store or on the job site, twisted into swirls and coils with some luscious glass beads dangling just so. I kept thinking about it, so one day I rummaged through my husband's tool boxes for some wire and started twisting -- I can't say I came up with anything artistic, but I had fun and filed that exercise away under "try again someday."

Behold my "someday" bangle, one that I sold a few weeks ago and will definitely make a new version of -- copper is "in" now in the jewelry world, so much so that I saw a whole table of copper findings at my favorite gemstone supplier yesterday, and even before that had managed to scrounge together a respectable collection of headpins, jumprings, earwires, and even crimp covers not to mention some amazing, very earthy-looking copper beads. This malleable metal makes for easy twisting and weaving, and although it's not for everyone, it offers a warm contrast to turquoise's cool blues and veiny matrix. It takes on a patina naturally and quickly but polishes up nicely, too, though I'm experimenting with a woven cuff I made just for me to see how cool a patina I'll end up with if I wear it every day and neglect to polish it.

Copper is showing up in more and more suppliers' inventory, but you can start easily and cheaply by picking some up at your local hardware store.