Busy

been busy.........
but I made this........
I call it Java Necklace. It's handmade oval chain links of heat-oxidized sterling.

Pursuit Chain Necklace

Maybe with the economic "downturn"*, I've been going back to basics. Here's a simple, elegant design, but a bit heavier/chunkier. Sterling rings linked by 3 lengths of rolo chain. It's long, 32", so it slips right over the head and doesn't have a clasp. It can be worn several ways: just as it is; over one shoulder; looped several times around the wrist for a fab bracelet; and (in the photo) I've tied it up on itself with a bit of ribbon. Called the Pursuit Necklace, it's available in my Etsy shop.

*eu⋅phe⋅mism  /ˈyufəˌmɪzəm/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [yoo-fuh-miz-uhm]
the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.

Persie Earrings

Chains Chains Chains...

Although time consuming, I really enjoy making chains. There's something about creating each link, watching the chain grow. I like seeing how the links work together and how it sits against the wrist or neck. Is exact repetition the way to go? or different sized links? My brain seems to like these challenges. Here's my newest chain, a bracelet. What I really enjoy about this piece is the dichotomy between the organic shapes and heat-formed balls, and the high shine polish finish giving it a very modern feel too. To be truthful, I wasn't really sure about this design until I had made many links and could see how they worked together. I'm very pleased with the outcome. Currently there is only the bracelet and earrings (seen in the background of the photo), but next burst of chain-making energy, I'm going to make a necklace too. The Persie Bracelet and Persie Earrings, as well as other chains I've created, are available in my Etsy shop.

Trickle Earrings

On a whim, I bought this rolo chain when putting in a supply order. It's small gauge, but because it's rolo, it's got a really nice weight to it. I stared at it for a while, played with it in my hand, trying to decide what to do with it. I finally chose just to let it be, to let the tight sparkly links speak for themselves. So I made simple, long, dangly post earrings that I'm calling Trickle. The small links make them lightweight, but they have a little heft giving them a nice swing. Simple and elegant and fun and sparkly. Available in my Etsy shop.

Comet Tail Necklace

The links in this chain necklace are based on the links in my Cipher Necklace. Cut short on one side, I solder on an open ring. The ring is fed through the drilled hole in the "tail" of the next link and then the ring is soldered shut.


Filed clean, then hand polished, the whole thing is then tumbled to a bright shine. I thought they looked like leeetle individual comets chasing each other's tails, that's why I call it Comet Tail Necklace. It's my new love and is available for sale in my Etsy shop.

Cascade Necklace

I have finally finished my newest necklace, Cascade. The last change I made was to decide against using sterling chain and contrast the metal with a softer, black leather cord. It's now listed for sale in my Etsy shop. I'm very pleased with it (and I'm glad it's done).

Jewelry: Evolution or Intelligent Design?

Jewelry design ideas are a funny thing. Sometimes they develop from sitting with materials and playing with them until they gradually start taking shape. Sometimes they come to me basically fully formed; concept, materials, color, etc. All at once in a flash. It could be from something I've heard or seen or just out of the blue. Most of the time, these ideas still need to be futzed with to make them work both aesthetically and practically. Recently, I've been working on one of those 'out of the blue' ideas and thought I'd (semi)document the process. This is a necklace I'm currently calling Cascade.

Here is the cut sheet sterling. It's been polished a bit. The holes for the jump rings have been measured, marked and drilled. As part of this concept is about movement, I felt that a bit of an arc in the sheet would work well here. In the photo on the right, I've cut a bunch of jumprings and I'm cleaning them up, making sure the edges meet well and they have a good, round circlosity. The jumprings are then placed in the holes and I cut the lengths of chain. The original chain I picked for this necklace didn't work for me, so I went with this great rectangular cable chain. The shape of the links reflects and echoes the larger rectangular piece. My compositional eye tends to like echoing shapes. Below you see the jumprings in place and the chain strung in them. On the right, the whole piece has been fluxed and is ready for me to solder the tiny rings. Behind the piece on the solder block you can see the leeeettle pieces of cut solder.

So, I'm not quite done with Cascade yet. Here at Curly Girl Glass, we reserve the right to change any jewelry piece we are working on right up to the time it is photographed, so there is still time for me to change several design elements! Check back soon to see the finished piece shown off. Same bat time, same bat station.