Arrrrgh…Pirate booty
I have to admit that I had a little head start here on this week’s piece. I started it about 5 days ago, when I knew I was signing up for this season. After browsing through Iza’s gallery with both admiration and envy, I decided to try my hand at something inspired by her style. Normally I don’t like to buy tutorials or really attempt other people’s styles, but I just love Iza’s style and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I don’t have a chain yet for this piece, which I will make at some point in the future when I have enough silver wire, something I am running dangerously low on.
It is a mixture of many different things..All fine silver wire, 18, 20, 26, and 28 gauge wire and some half round wire that I had never really found a use for. The center is a cab of teal dichroic glass, framed by silver wire with small glass beads and two Swarovski crystals. There is a peridot brio at the top next to two lime colored aquamarines. At the bottom is an amethyst brio with two light pink aquamarine brios next to it.
I don’t want to take up too much room here complaining about what went wrong…I’ll just post that in my blog. Blog here.
Pirates Treasure
The Curse Of The Black Pearl
"As Governor Weatherby Swann and his daughter, Elizabeth, sail to Port Royal, Jamaica, their vessel, HMS Dauntless encounters a shipwreck with a sole survivor, the young Will Turner, floating among the wreckage. Elizabeth finds and takes a gold skull medallion from around the unconscious Will’s neck and hides it, fearing he will be accused of piracy. She then glimpses a ghostly pirate ship (the Black Pearl) as it disappears into the mist"
I hadn’t implemented Iza’s bead cap tutorial from the Summer 2007 Step by Step Wire magazine. Off I went to dig through my stash…wanting something near rough…and I found the Blue Opal. At least I think it’s Blue Opal. =D Looking at the stone I saw black mixed in…hmmm could a Tahitian Pearl go with that?
So I decided to use Perri’s awesome bead cap tutorial to highlight the Pearl…which floats from the bottom of the Blue Opal. =)
I completed the necklace with additional stations of the Blue Opal flanked with Sterling Silver and Onyx…which are linked together with 18 gauge 10mm rings and 3.5mm rings. A decorative toggle allows for simple closure. =)
Thank you,
Deborah aka Sneekbead
Opposites Attract
When opposites attract beautiful things come to be. My inspiration for this piece once again my handmade glass lampwork beads in black and white. These beads are filled with specks of silver foil and pressed into a raised flower shape on the exterior of the beads. The coating of clear give these beads so much depth. I am very happy with these.
The center focal has been wired Eni Oken style with solid sterling silver wire and small faceted labradorite rondelles along the last row. The necklace strands were also hand wrapped of solid sterling silver wire, alternating freshwater coin pearls and my glass lampwork beads finished with sterling caps. Clustered in the center of each connection are beautiful faceted twist spiral rock crystal briolettes, freshwater keshi pearls, black spinel and smooth round labradorite. The necklace is finished with a solid sterling silver and black onyx fancy hook clasp.
Thank you and as always comments are welcome. Oh- I am always tortured by the “to oxidize or not to oxidize” dilemma. I love oxidized pieces yet I am always torn when deciding if I should… would love your thoughts on this piece. ~Laura
For more pictures and details visit my shop at: http:www.jewelsbyldesigns.etsy.com
MOMMAKAT: catching up!
Really simple pendant, with 20 GA sterling silver and snowflake obsidian.
MOMMAKAT: Amethyst Cab
I’m behind, so it’s time to get caught up. The amethyst cab in this pendant is very special, my friend Anne’s Dad cut and polished it. She gave it to me last year, and it’s taken til now to wrap it. This is a pattern from Step by Step Jewelry, by Liza Niven Kelly. This first picture is pre- LOS, I usually prefer bright silver, but in this case it looks very nice with the patina.
Opposites Attract-Hoops n Weaves-Week 26
It’s the halfway point of YOJ2008 and am so pleased to be part of this group of talented artists for the past 6 months. I’m looking forward to completing my goal of being disciplined enough to submit something each week until the end of 2008.
This week I made a pair of hoop earrings and then wove a portion of them. The frame was made with 14 ga copper wire and the weaving with 24 ga copper wire. I oxidized it and polished it up. The challenge for me was getting my hoops the same size and shape.
Kitty
New Member
Greetings! I am much in need of a pair of spurs applied to my backside to get me going! I am eager and excited to be allowed to participate. Thanks, Robbie for the invite. Now, how do I open the attachments on your invitation?’
Karen
Week 23 – The Boss
I couldn’t figure out who the boss should be… until I got this huge 30 mm flawless crystal round. This was definitely the boss of all stones!! It’s my great aunt’s ‘crystal ball’ she uses it for doing her yoga meditations and she wanted to be able to hang it on her neck. She wanted it to be trapped safely enough that it wouldn’t come out when she went hiking to waterfalls but uncovered enough so that she could still do her meditation exercises with it. This was the first time I made something with an undrilled stone, so it was quite a challenge for me. I did a simple caged bead, added some flair to the top with some wrapping and spirals, and then I secured the cage wires from moving apart by weaving some silver tiny beads (which you can’t see in the pic very well) It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to photograph, so sorry for the lack of details!
Opposites attract….Kazuri……”small and beautiful”
Kazuri…..Swahili for "small and beautiful". The Kazuri bead company was started in 1975 by Lady Susan Wood in a small shed in the back garden of her coffee plantation. She hired two women to begin and now over 150 women are providing an income to support their families. I like to use these beads. Look up the Kazuri Bead story, it is fascinating.
Opposites, round and flat, flat and curved, tan and black, silver and bronze, all complementing each other making a lovely necklace and earring set. I used the Fat Wrap turorial from Eni Oken to make the ethnic looking wrap. Except for the Bali daisy spacers and the Kazuri beads, everything else is make by me. Opposites most of the time complete each other.
Carolyn aka Lily and Iris
The Miracle of the Mekong
Madness reigns up and down the banks of the Mekong River as Cambodia’s annual Retreat of the Waters Festival celebrates the miracle of the Mekong, which spends half the year pouring into the Tonle Sap, making the puddle on the outskirts of the Cambodian capital the largest lake in Southeast Asia. When the monsoons end, the river reverses its flow, and the natural reservoir sends water back into the rice fields that feed the entire region. This is according to Ron Gluckman/Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
The gemstones I have used in this necklace are Peruvian Opal and Amazonite reminding me of the colors, shades and swirls of a great lake. Ammonites are found throughout of earth, fossils of sea creatures from the squid and octopus family. I have interpreted the Ammonite in the pendant in silver wire.20 ga. and 21 ga. The Peruvian Opal rondelles are hugged with silver dapped saucers that were very tiny to cut and dap and drill. Holding the silver bead caps apart are 3 mm. Amazonite faceted beads. The clasp is an S clasp holding onto silver rings. Please share with me the celebration of the Cambodian culture and also the God Who Provides.
Carolyn aka Lily and Iris
Cwj's Year of Jewelry Blog 