Gemstones round the hoop

Among my latest work, these three pairs of earrings are currently for sale at Chartreuse Art Gallery. From the left, the first pair was created with blue topaz and smokey quartz gemstones. The second pair features different shades of citrine gemstones. And the third pair has moody, dark labradorite and iolite gemstones. The earring hoops were created from sterling wire and hammered to give them strength. The gemstones were wired into place with sterling wire and the earrings were given an oxidized patina for a vintage look.

Bead and Button - Steel Wire Intensive

Another class that I took in June at the Bead and Button Show was the Steel Wire Intensive by Brenda Schweder. I like the look of the wire; it has the industrial, hard aesthetic that I love. I also like the fact that it is a fraction of the cost of sterling wire. I also think that there is the potential for more unisex styling. So said I, as I surveyed the class description. The fact is, as I am thinking about it, is that I worked with steel craft wire years ago, and I was ready to reintroduce it to my repertoire.

The first piece that I completed utilized a large piece of beach glass from my collection of innumerable found objects. Brenda gave valuable info on how to plan out the finished product and tips on how achieve the desired results. Also, I created the wire choker for the piece, utilizing her techniques, which was the first time I created this kind of thing.

The next piece that I created with a transistor tube provided by Brenda, utilizing a caged technique where the object moves freely within the wire frame. The pendant is quite a large piece but it looks good and is comfortable on a long, adjustable leather cord.

Fortunately, I had leather cord in stock that was about the same diameter as the wire, so it works well with the design of the piece.

I am ready to do some more designing with the wire and I am really glad that I took this class!