What are you wearing to Christmas parties?

What are you wearing to Christmas parties this season? That was the inspiration to this necklace. This year there is no company Christmas party to go to for us, but I thought I would play make believe like when I was a young child.

The first thing I think of when wearing something to a Christmas party is something that sparkles. I found these great cubic zirconia briolettes in an olive green color. Now I know why some men like to sneak this manufactured stone as a diamond. These little beauties sure do sparkle. I wrapped them with gold filled wire and then I was stuck. I was stuck because I really wanted to use gold chain, a large link gold chain. With the price of gold I wasn't going to be able to do that, but found this brass chain that works perfect and the vision in my head was implemented. Don't you love when that happens?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. This tune has been singing in my head since I saw my first Christmas commercial a couple of weeks ago. Is it starting early this week or is it just me? Shoot, the folks behind us already have their Christmas lights hung AND on and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet. Makes me think I am behind so it is time to bring out the festive look beads and get cracking.

These little pretties consist of garnets and freshwater pearls on gold chain. I never used to like red with gold, but lately I am digging this look.

This is more of that thick plasic coated wire that dh got for the work site. I stripped it which is no fun job and then wrapped it around different gauges of round dowels at my bench. Another fun job. This stuff is strong, but what the heck I hammered it to give it more strength and to hold its shape. I then played with all the different ways to hang from the cable chain after the pearls were wrapped and this is what I came up with.

I like how it flows smoothly and the long chain makes it a perfect for the trend of those long necklaces that are in vogue right now.

Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear?

Do you ever create something that you like so much that the birds stop chirping, the sky clears itself of clouds and the faint sound of angels singing with a harp can be heard? This is what happened with these earrings for me. No, these is no new design to me and I have used these tourmaline gemstones before, but it just love them all the same.

I love the delicate gold filled chain used. Ya I realize in this photo you can't really see it, but it is there. I love how the gold works so well with the varied colors of the gemstones. I love how the gemstones are faceted that they catch all the the colors inside the gems. It just works. Like the beer commercial of years past. It doesn't get better than this.

Festive

How fun it is to start creating more festive looking earrings. I got these Cubic Zironians at a steal along with some olive green colored ones. I wire wrapped them with gold filled wire and hung them from 14k gold filled chain. These lovely earrings will gently sway from catching the light emphasizing their sparkle. I just received an order of gold wire today so look out I may be on a gold roll like I have been with the copper lately.

What is Cubic Zirconia? It is a synthetic gemstone that very closely resembles diamonds. It can be created to resemble any color. It sparkles like a diamond, is harder than a crystal and is an inexpensive alternative to diamonds.

Purple People Eater

I will take any opportunity to use the name purple people eater. I have loved that song since I was a small child. These earrings seemed to suit it well.

These fun earrings were created using copper wire that I formed into hoops and then wrapped very thin wire around them to create the coil affect. Round, amethyst beads are wrapped around the bottom of the hoops and a faceted amethyst briolette dangles in the middle. Lever back earrings finish these earrings off.

Ring of Chains

Here is another use of found copper. Found in my garage that is. If you remember my husband is an electrician and he had some pieces of plastic coated copper that I stripped. This ring was made from that stripped copper that I forged with Big Betty (my big torch) and hammered for interest and durability.

I had some different styles of copper chain in varied sizes that I hung and added different sizes of round amethysts. With long necklaces making a strong come back (ya, I'm dating myself and I am okay with that) this puppy sits mid chest a little longer for you little skinny things out there.

What's round,red and sparkly all over?

A nasty cold has put me out of commission for awhile, but at last I have something new to share. You may remember the labradorite pendant that I shared with you. This pendant necklace is the same design, but with garnets.

I keep thinking about red with Christmas right around the corner. I know it is hard for some of us to think about Christmas when we are still in our capris and tank tops, but trust me it comes faster every year. Perhaps it just seems that way with the whole denial of shopping thing that some of us have.

With this pendant I wire wrapped a very fine gage of sterling silver wire all around the hoop to give it texture for interest. Then I went around the hoop a second time wrapping tiny garnets. I then had this great garnet nuggets that I have had on my table for a year. I go back and forth with what to do with them. It just seemed perfect to have one in the center as the star attraction.

I hung the pendant on a short cable chain so the necklace sits high on your chest just at the base of your neck and ba da boom, you have something festive for Christmas to wear with a fancy outfit or with a turtleneck with your every day outfits.

I'm Feeling Beige Today

I found these stunning Australian crystals last week and snatched them up quickly. They are an odd shape and that is what attracted me to them. Ahh, who am I kidding? It was the blinding sparkle from across the street that attracted me, but you have to admit the color or lack of is kind of cool.

They are a light beige or taupe. Here in the greater Seattle area we may call them latte for the coolness factor. Anyway, I didn't have to design anything too elaborate because the cheese, er the crystals stand alone. Hanging from strands of sterling silver wire, these earring will gently move blinding your friends with their sparkle.

The Giveaway

I can see the doors are busting down with all the comments, or lack there of in my case, about the jewelry giveaway. I know you are just shy and don't want to comment. Ya, that must be it. Of course it must be it. I hope you three people that follow my blog know how much your mean to me. Seriously, three people that follow your blog can make a girl's head swell. I am feeling all verklempt.

Talk amongst yourselves. I will give you a topic. Jewelry.

Okay, for those that do not know, that it my lame attempt of reenacting a SNL skit. Enough already, what about this giveaway. Well, it is a jewelry giveaway and if you like humor that is better written and delivered better than mine than you will love this blog. The Creative Junkie http://thecreativejunkie.com/. I invite you to read her blog and enter the giveaway. If this is your first time visiting me here, check me out again. I plan on hosting a giveaway here in the very near future.

Jewelry Giveaway!

I will be featured in another blog and there is going to be a jewelry giveaway. Stay tuned for the link to the article and a chance to win a piece of jewelry from my shop.

Autumn Is In The Air

I enjoy the hearty colors of fall, the golds, browns and the turning colors of fallen fruit. No really the fallen fruit looks pretty cool to. This is what inspired me with this "Y" necklace. "Y" necklace? What the heck is a "Y" necklace? Well my dear Watson it is a necklace in the shape of a "Y". Think of it as a necklace with a stem.

That stem here is the part that is jam backed with citrine, crystals, amethyst and freshwater pearls. Just follow the large citrine nugget down.

The copper works well with the colors of beads. I did a combination of oxidized copper that you can see in the chain to plain copper wire. Over time that copper wire will dull and you can keep that look or freshen it up by cleaning it.

Here We Go Loopty Loop

I didn't feel like getting the torch out today and I was out of sterling silver hoop so I improvised. I created hoops with wire. I think they add some interest to these teal green earrings.
With faceted crystals, freshwater pearls and a few apatite gemstones I was able to make some monochromatic earrings. I am sorting getting back into that with being a little burnt out with coming up with unusual color combinations.

Rock Star

We all have a little rock star in us. Some of us more than others. I hand cut this disc from a sheet of sterling silver, filed and buffed the edges and stamped the letters. To get the letters darker I had to dunk the piece in liver of sulfa. This process is called oxidizing and must be done outside. Why you ask? It smells like rotten eggs in the worse way.

After you wash that stench off you are left with a black piece of metal that doesn't look like much of anything. This is when the real work comes. I took steel wool and buffed the heck out of it to reveal the beautiful, sterling silver finish. The neat part is the stamped image remains black.

To optimized the shine and to clean the charm well, I tumbled the piece. Hung on a leather cord with a hand wire wrapped hook and eye clasp and it is ready to go.

Framed Gemstones

I had fun with these earrings. I about squealed with joy when I found these beads at the bead store. I was perusing the gemstones and I found these dyed jade gems. I like how they are long and rectangle in shape. With bits of orange and red mixed in with the fuchsia they are stunning so I wanted to frame them.



I shaped some copper wire into frames larger than the stone and soldered the ends together. Then I grabbed my hammer and let my frustrations out with it (try it you might like it and so therapeutic). The hammering gives the nice texture and also strengthens the metal.



Well, that wasn't enough to I wrapped some more copper up on top for added interest and then hung the gemstone from the frame finished off with a coil. Ba da boom, it is done.

Organically Beautiful

Labradorite are such interesting stones. That is the center gemstone in this pendant. Depending on the way the light catches them they can look blue, purple or green. I thought the teal blue color in these faceted apatite gemstones brought the color best in this pendant necklace. If I didn't run out of apatite I would have made two for a pair of earrings. I see a new gemstone order in the near future.

Freeform and Organic

These were fun to make. I can't tell you how long it took me to get the right shape I wanted. It helps when Big Brother After Dark is on in the background to keep me moving.

I wrapped light, teal colored, freshwater pearls around the form. I'm in this copper kick again. Perhaps it is fall just around the corner and it's time to put aways the bright summer colors or at least think about it and thinking about earthy, fall colors.

Not your daddy's gun metal

I have been a busy little bee this weekend which is no easy feat because my son knocked off the wireless antenna of my computer and I am running on limited Internet access do to my computer not reading the new software. I shall persevere though.

I love black and bright colors together and that is what I did with this gun metal necklace. I created it with blue chalcedony gemstones and Swarovski crystals that hang from this odd shaped freshwater pearl. Its a fun every day necklace with a lot of punch.

Burn rubber burn!

Well, I am bummed. I was hardening ear wires that I created today in my tumbler and the belt snapped in my tumbler. This piece of rubber that sells for $2.99 isn't sold close to me. I can either send for it and spend $6.95 on shipping or I can drive forty five minutes to get. Guess where I am going tomorrow?

I just finished creating three sets of earrings that I want to oxidized and then I was going to tumble them tonight to bring out some of the shine of the silver underneath the black for a cool Gothic look, but noooooo. So, no pretties to show you today. Just a blue tumbler (mine is red and of course prettier because of it) and a piece of black rubber.

Chunk a chunk

This chunky, charm bracelet took forever to make with all the wire wrapping of each and every stinking bead. I got all of them on FINALLY. I wrapped faceted carnelian between strands of sterling silver chain. Then I hung orange dyed jade, amethyst in two sizes and freshwater pearls in a fun teal blue color. Ta da!

A touch of elegance

Stunning, faceted, black spinel gemstones are wire wrapped in 14k gold filled wire. These little beauties hang from ear wires that I wrapped myself. I wrap practically all of my ear wires so not sure why I need to say that.

Trying something new

I thought I would take a break from sterling silver and try my hand with gun metal for a little change. Ya I know I haven't posted in eons. I have been putting a lot of work into my Etsy shop with trying new things and working at getting better photos. I hate that part.