Monday, November 17, 2008

Latest Jewelry

I had some friends over the other night, and we did some beading together. I've wanted to do a wire and bead necklace for awhile, and I finally made it happen. This necklace is made entirely with 18 guage wire. You cut a length of wire, then twist and bend it to the shape you want. The beads are Italian glass, given to me by my neighbor who bought them on a vacation in Venice. I love the bright colors, but what's really interesting is their size. Usually I'll use one large bead like this as a focal point, but I like the idea of using them all in one necklace. I'll be offering this for sale at the Wellington Fall Fling this weekend.

The Fall Fling is an outdoor art show hosted by the Wellington Art Society. I recently became a member of this group, and am jumping in by participating in my first art show. I've been making jewelry every day for the past month! Here's another one of my metal creations. This pendant is made from bronze and copper sheets and is wrapped with copper wire, and held by silver wire. I love the mixture of materials.

I used raku pottery beads in this necklace, and highlighted them in copper. I raku pottery takes on interesting colors while it is fired, and you're not sure of the colors until it cools.

This next necklace is a combination of glass and ceramic beads.

This final necklace combines it all -- raku beads, glass, ceramic, and copper. I made the pendant first, and sat on it for a month or so until I found the right beads to go with it. I love long, bold pieces like this. I hope the people of Wellington like bold pieces as much as I do!