A plethora of pendants

Just looking at my newest batch of pendants makes me smile. I said I'd let my own style guide what I make and damn if this isn't dead on -

Going from left to right there's a Swarovski crystal, a matte finish carnelian rondelle with gold beads, also wired in gold, a malachite bead wired in gold and a turquoise rondelle wired in brass with a little square bead on the front as a button to secure it. I wired it in brass just to see if the technique would work and I think it will. It adds a bit of a steampunk feel to the piece. And I LOVE the red leather cord. I knew when I found them that I'd pair them with turquoise. The malachite is on a sterling box chain, but I think it's a little too thick for the pendant so I'll swap it out for a smaller one the next time I put in an order. The carnelian is on some faux leather and the crystal is on some silk. All the frames are pure silver and are fused and shaped rings.

So that's what I've been working on besides the line for the salon. It's been pretty fun at the bench. More to come!

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Less than a week

Lately I've been devoting my time to producing work for sale in a spa that's opening soon. It's tough to know what will sell ahead of time in this market, so I'm making a variety of things (many photos posted to my portfolio here). This means my online shops have been quiet and nothing new has hit them for a while. If business takes off, I'll know better where to spend my time, but for now it's tough filling all the mouths. Here's some shots of some new things for the spa - I just love my little hang tags and stuff. I'm using 26ga brass wire to hold them onto the bracelets and stuff. Kind of funny and I don't know that I'll continue, but I was at a loss the other day and duh - I'm the Wire Smith for heaven's sake. Anyway...I'm off to my mom's. She's helping me make a bracelet display for the spa.

The Secrets of Hangtags

Thanks ladies (Janice and Sherice) for the compliments on my tags. I tried the mass-produced little flocked ones, but my earrings always hung too low and it just looked generic. I want people to know and have a way to remember who made their jewelry and a way to contact me if they want more. I thought about stickers (you know, the Moo stickers), but again I was shackled to the size of the pre-fab plastic ones. Have to keep both stickers and cards on hand. No freedom there and it would run me more money, which until business picks up, this unemployed duck just doesn't have. So, after working with someone to come up with my logo, I thought that the easiest way to print tags myself was to produce a graphic that is business card sized so I can use sheets of the kind available in home office stores and not have to go to the extra expense of having them printed special. Now I can slide them into a little card rack on the counter, or punch a hole in the top to hang on pegs...whateve

Jewelry Making Tools

Part of the mystique of jewelry manufacture is the tools. I admit it, I love new tools. I love good tools. Finely worked tools that have special and often obscure purpose. Sometimes I just go through catalogs looking at stuff and wonder what the hell a person does with such a gadget. I remember spending a lot of time as a little girl at my dad's workbench, messing with his tools (lord help me if I misplaced any). A while back while on a visit to my folks' house I spied dad's coping saw (frame saw/jeweler's saw) in his workshop and told him I coveted it. He laughed and said I could buy one for about $10 at Lowes. He's right of course, but that old one looked sweet. My own tool collection is modest and consists largely of the inexpensive variety. Until this craft starts to pay off, I can't justify the expense when money is put to better use buying materials (Christmas is coming and you never know what Santa will bring – Lindstrom, hint hint). But every

Adventures in Handmade Jewelry

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