Some new pieces....

I have been a very busy bee on many fronts lately.  Jewelry is included in those.  I've created a whole flock of new pieces.  I would like to take some time to feature a few of them here.  For the sake of picture sanity, I'll divide them into multiple posts.

This cameo is a tortoise shell vintage cameo surounded by a rose gold colored copper wire crocheted into a sort of basket.  I then wove colored freshwater pearls around it in two layers.  I have plans to do a Viking crocheted copper chain to accompany it.

In stark contrast to the above piece, here are is a simple pair of earrings.  I used swarovski bicones, freshwater pearls and faceted glass beads along with the silver plated wire and findings to create these lovely drop earrings.



The muse is still visiting!

I am still creating new pieces.... lots of them.  I seem to be inspired and motivated and these are the results.

    
      
All these pieces and MORE can be found at my Artfire Studio. http://www.artfire.com/users/divapixie

More new pieces

I have been a whirlwind of creating recently... and I want to share some new pieces with you, my readers.

 

I have big plans to start working on some new pendants and rings this evening as well.  I have started making pieces for a lady with a fashion website that offers clothing, jewelry and accesories for dwarves.  I thought it was a great idea and agreed to do larger bulk orders for her.  She wanted rings that are more adjustable for that exact purpose.  I am planning to work on those shortly.

New pieces!

I have been busy creating and listing new pieces in my studio all weekend.  Here's just a few samples of what's new.

Come on over to my Artfire studio and see what else is new!  Fools and Jewels

Wire Wrapping~ How did it all begin?

 Photo by Mandala Rain

I am a novice wire wrapper.  I look at some of the artists out there that also work with wire and I am ASTOUNDED by their work.  Absolutely astounded.  However, this does lead me to ponder how and where the art of wire wrapping started.  I plan to explore some of my wanderings through the history of wire wrapping with you today... only some.
Photo from Bohemian Wire Wrapped Jewelry on the Rocks
Upon beginning my research I was astounded to see that many sources site that the earliest surviving examples of wire wrapped jewelry have been dated back to 1000 BC.  I also discovered that many of these early wire wrapped pieces showed signs that soddering had not yet been discovered.  So, essentially these craftsmen had to rely on their skills in their wrapping to hold the piece together.  And the fact that they have survived as long as they have is a true testament to the quality of their work and level of their skills.
Original wire work was done with thin strips of metal.  Metalsmiths would hammer bits if metal into thin sheets and then cut those sheets in strips, thus creating wire.  Filigree was the most common use for this 'wire'.  Bits of it were woven much like baskets are woven to create settings for stones.
Interesting links for further wire wrapping history information: http://www.creationsbycarolladine.com/history.html
http://www.url.biz/Articles/Article-3051.html
http://www.ehow.com/facts_6745842_history-wire_wrapped-jewelry.html

Many cultures have some form of wire wrapped jewelry in their history.  I was fascinated to discover how world wide the artform has been and still is. 
I plan to continue to study and perfect and expand on my wire wrapping designs and techniques in the hopw of someday being half as good as some of the artists whose work I have shown here.  This last picture is my latest wire wrapped creation.

Piece in progress....

... but now I need help.  I need some input about what to make this piece into.  A pendant?  Necklace?  Brooch?  Something else?

Any ideas out there in blogger land?

A new piece in progress

So, I haven't done a piece in progress post in a while.  And now I have a piece in progress to share.

A friend of mine from back in MN was looking over one of my recent steampunk pieces and remarked that it was lovely.  She then lamented that she has longed to see a steampunk necklace, pendant or brooch that has a skull and cross bones and wings.  Her Steampunk costume persona is that of an airship pirate.  I decided that day to order some brass embellishments and get after that idea. 
I started with an old vintage rhinestone buckle.  A lot of the rhinestones are missing but it still has a lot of shine to it.  I then wired swarovski crystals around the oustide.  I added the brass charms and am now about halfway through adding cogs and other watch parts to it.  I haven't decided yet if it should be a pendant or a brooch.  I also think it needs some additional wire work and perhaps some more beads....

Recycled Vintage piece

I took care of my sick bf all weekend.  But in between fetching him water and making meals I did manage to create another new piece.  This one is made around a piece of broken vintage costume jewelry.  I simply took the rhinestone encrusted piece and did some wire magic around it adding various crystals and beads.  Then I added some antiqued brass chain and voila!  More vintage bling.

New Steampunk/vintage inspired offering

I sat down last night and created this lovely bit from a great copper filigree setting with a large rootbeer rhinestone and LOTS of wire, cogs and other beads.  Steampunk meets vintage bling! 
This piece has been listed in my Artfire Studio and is also on sale, like everything else, for 25% off!

New "steamy" pieces to come

I have had a longing to find some new way to steampunk out my wire wrapping... create some kind of new pieces for my shop.  I tried my hand at one this week and the result is now listed in my Artfire studio.  I am hoping to take and expand on these ideas and designs in the near future.  It feels like it's been AGES since I created something new.

WOOHOO!

I am the featured artist for this week from the AJDJSS Guild!  SUPER excited about that but haven't had time to blog about it till right now.
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=forums&op=view_topic&tid=6650

And I have some new pieces to show off as well.  Not all are listed in my studio yet but I'm hoping to get that done this week.

The pictures you see are just a sample.

More new pieces!

I have been trying to keep my hands busy so my mind won't focus on the miserable head cold that has struck me down. And thus, I have many more new pieces to show you all!This lovely pair of chandalier earrings have been waiting to happen it seems. I bought the lovely green cubic zirconia drops in Santa Fe this past Thanksgiving and haven't had the opportunity to use them yet. I paired them with earthy brown swarovski crystal bicones as well as antiqued brass earring components and brass wire. This pair of earrings once again showcase swarovski crystal bicones but also uses swarovski crystalized pearls. I used silver toned components and wire to add to teh sparkle of these chandelier earrings.

I absolutely LOVE this necklace. I saw this metal flower component with rhinestones and knew I just HAD to use it. I also happened to have these lovely faceted glass beads and silver toned spacers sitting in my stock and it was a perfect combination. I also am in love with the asymetrical design that is popular nowadays. Its classy and elegant and really stands out in a crowd, just like this lovely necklace!

New pictures of old pieces....

These are some pieces that have been in my collection for a while but haven't had decent pictures taken of them. So yesterday I took some time and photographed them and am listing the ones that are not already listed. Just a sample.... I'll show you more later.

New pieces!

I have been a very busy bee creating lots of new pieces! Here are some sample pictures or two new pairs of earrings and a large statement pendant based on a "challenge" someone suggested to me in the Artfire forums.

The earrings are simple sterling silver chain and wire with faceted gemstone briolettes. Briolettes are one of my favorite things and I love the cascading effect the chain allows me to create with them.

The pendant is based on an idea given to me by a couple of artists on Artfire in the forums. I was looking for some inspiration and they provided it. With the idea of using briolettes in a new fashion (though on that count I'm not sure I succeeded) and giving it a Brazilian Carnival flair I came up with this wild looking square pendant that reminds me a little of confetti being thrown in the air.

End of the torch

Here's what's been at the end of my torch thus far this week.

This is my new favorite color combination... and these beads are some of my new favorites. I tried to make a few more this evening but over torched the teal glass so it changed color. But these.... these are GREAT! Well, in my opinion they are great.

I'm still working on finding the perfect balance in my flame to not over torch the colored glass but its difficult only using a hot head torch. I think I can do it but need more practice.

I will have more lampwork pendants and other jewelry listed in my shop withint the next few days so be sure to drop by and check it out! You aren't going to want to miss these.

The entire purpose of this blog post is to give you a sample of the beads I've been working on. Mind you these haven't been kiln annealed yet so some may not make it through to being finished beads but... its a sneak peek at what has come off my torch lately.

A couple close-ups here... I did these to represent a few of the 4 elements.

More new pieces!

I have been very busy the past week or making new items with a bunch of lampwork beads I had created a few years ago. They have been sitting in my stock for what seems like ages with no inspiration to utilize them anyway. Then I saw some ideas at the art auction walking around on other women and I discovered what to do. Simple chain pices with mismatched lampwork beads.... how bohemian! And fabulous!

I also did a a few pendants from some of the larger and more abstract beads. I think they turned out pretty cool. I am hoping to get them listed today as well... sometime after lunch but before I get upstaris to torch some more beads.

This one looks like a glowing heart. I wrapped it with brass wire and added an AB faceted glass drop for added color.

This one is a littl more fiery looking.

Again I added some faceted glass beads at the top and bottom for color and wrapped it with brass wire.

This is one of favorite beads becauseit uses a stacked dot technique that imitates fish scales or the petals of a flower. I use silver toned artist wire on this one to enhance the color of the blues and also added more faceted glass beads, this time for sparkle.