Beading for Kids

I'm blessed to be spending two weeks with my grandkids over the holidays.  I have six grandchildren ages 16, 15, 13, 4, 2 and 9 days old.  A mixed bunch!!  Needless to say, it's important to have some activities planned to keep them occupied.  This idea is simple and keeps the 4-year-old occupied for about an hour at a time, the 2-year-old for about 10-15 minutes. 




I picked up a package of brightly colored pipe cleaners and two tubs of assorted plastic beads at the Hobby Lobby nearby.  I spread a white bath towel on the table to keep the beads from rolling to the floor and dumped the tubs carefully onto the towel.

The pipe cleaners work well because they work for the varying sizes of drill holes in the beads, and they keep your little one's creations from sliding off. Since they're bendable, you can make bracelets, rings and necklaces that hold their shape too!

You can work in other activities like sorting and counting as well.  When you're finished, simply pull up the edges of the towel to make the beads pile up for easy pickup!

Of course, common sense cautions are a must.  Little ones must be supervised during the entire process to avoid eating the beads and stuffing them up their noses . . . but hey, you already knew that.  :)

E2R Turning Vintage Earrings into Rings

I had a blast recently tearing apart a shoe box full of "onesies" earrings from the 80s and 90s.  Bold gem tones and animal prints and big loud shapes . . . ah, glory days. 

A half tube of E6000 and 48 hours later, I had nearly two dozen fun fashion rings that are sure to chase away the winter blahs.

Available here.

Artisan Created Jewelry: Not Made in China

I discovered Regretsy recently, thanks to the suggestion of my friend and comrade, Thelma Farrah Diaz.  If you haven't seen it yet and you want a good laugh, check it out. 

It got me thinking about the most challenging aspects of my business:

1. People want me to make another artist's design.  Only cheaper . . . AND
2. Competing with cheaply made Chinese goods at rock bottom prices which make my stuff appear "expensive".

By the way, that's NOT the world's tiniest violin playing in the background, and I'm honestly not whining. But how are people going to know the difference between something that is artisan-created and something someone bought on eBay from China for resale, unless the artists educate their clients??

Here's an example of challenge #1.

One of my potential customers saw this design and wanted me to make one like this.  I was hugely flattered that the client thought of me and wanted to give me the business.

 Problem is, it's not my idea.  This idea was the creation of Moon Raven Designs. If you love it you should by it from Michael Doyle, who thought it up and then created it (after who knows how many hours of trial and error!)  It's only $59 which is very reasonable for such a unique design and quality workmanship. 



Now THIS is my idea.  I have the original drawings and the prototypes created in copper to test drive the design before attempting it in silver. I named it the Growing Family™ Charm Holder Pendant.  I copyrighted the design - not that that will stop someone from copying it.  It's virtually impossible to prevent the theft of an idea, unless you have a team of lawyers and a healthy bank account.
Shameless Plug:
It's available for order in my Etsy shop or on my Facebook page.  It's cheaper on Facebook because I don't have to pay commission, that simple. 

Here's an example of challenge #2

The  charm shapes I use to represent children for these pendants are gender-distinct and include the birthstone for the child, a design I also created.  Each one is made by hand in sterling silver and must be formed, soldered, pickled, tumbled and buffed before delivery to the customer.




They're $6 each or 3/$15.  Sad thing is that you can get a sterling silver "boy" or "girl" charm online (made in China) for half that price.

Check out what it takes to make ONE of my charms:

I start by cutting uniform lengths of sterling silver wire and bending them roughly in half.

I wrap the wire evenly around my round nose pliers to create the "head" of the boy or girl charm - an improvement on my original design that allows for more uniformity and faster processing time. 










Next, I bend the "shoulders" which will eventually be square for boys and rounded for girls. 

Now the charm is ready to be fused using a butane micro torch.  Since the wire is a smaller gauge, it easily fuses with a medium pinpoint flame. 

Once the soldering is completed, the charms are placed in an acid bath to remove firescale, and given a good scrub with a brass brush and Dawn.  I use pliers to create the final shape (girl/boy) before putting them into the tumbler for 2 hours to burnish and work harden. 

Of course, there are some items I simply can't afford to make myself and I buy them from a supplier - but I do make every attempt to purchase from a US manufacturer.  (For example, the tiny 8mm x 5mm sterling alphabet charms I use on my charm rings and most of my finer chains are from a supplier.)  But the vast majority of what I make is created with my own two hands.

Don't get me wrong . . . I understand the desire for cheap goods in this economy or any other.

Like China's.     Which seems to be doing really well lately . . . . .

Introducing the Growing Family™ Charm Holder Pendant

My latest creation, the Growing Family™ Charm Holder pendant, with gender-distinct birthstone charms.

Completely customizable to represent your family.  Add gender-distinct charms with birthstones - even add parents' wedding month stone on a charm in the shape of a heart or bell.

Charms are a breeze to add!

This necklace expands with your family for a lifetime.  Add children as they arrive, then later add their spouses.  When the grandchildren arrive, you can add those too!

Technician or Artist?

Last week someone asked if I felt like more of a technician than an artist, meaning do I spend more time focusing on techniques or designing.  Sometimes it takes me a while to discover what I actually think (I blame it on menopause) but I've been rolling the question around in my mind.  I honestly can't remember how I answered the question . . . again with the menopause . . . but now I think that I should have answered "both".  And here's why.

The ring pictured above is the one I started with, the one that my customer loved.  But she likes mixed metal and she wondered if I could do the same ring in mixed metals. 

To the left is a photo of a piece I created as a result of this special request.  The only reason I was able to create this ring is because I have the technique of how to solder two kinds of metal together in my bag of tricks.  Notice that despite the two different colors of metal (copper and phosphor bronze), the piece appears to be all the same color. 


Also the aquamarine stone - while genuine and the actual birthstone of the client who ordered the ring - was pale and washed out and just plain not working.  Here's where a bag of tricks, or techniques, comes in handy.  I added some texture, oxidized the piece and swapped out the aquamarine for an Amazonite.  The the difference is huge, and the reaction of the client was likewise far more enthusiastic.   

Bottom line?  I don't think the two can be separated . . . to achieve an artistic end requires me to be a skilled technician in enough areas to make my vision (or my client's ) a reality.

ShesSoWitte Behind the Scenes

I thought it might be fun to share the steps involved in creating and finishing my jewelry . . . especially since I'm awaiting an order for sterling wire and I have people w.a.i.t.i.n.g. for their orders - YIKES!!  So if you're wondering why your order might take a little while to arrive, here's a look at the process your piece goes through before you receive it.

This is my view while I'm creating.  I keep my paid orders posted where I can see them, so I can plan my strategy for each work session.  Because so much of my work requires multiple steps, it's more efficient to lump similar jobs together. 

When I take an order, I record it on an index card with all the pertinent information: piece ordered, type of metal, size, length, stones etc.  When I'm ready to sit down at my bench, I organize the cards by like jobs.  I've learned that I can get a lot more accomplished if I break the process into chunks of similar steps.  There are four processes that I use fairly regularly: fabricating, tumbling/buffing, adding patina, and sealing metal.

Fabricating is simply making the piece by hand.  It might be a wire name ring, a charm holder pendant, ring or handmade chain with charms.  Pretty much everything I create starts with wire of some kind, which gets bent, twisted, hammered, and/or soldered to make whatever piece I'm working on. I do use some ready made chains and findings, but for the most part I like to make everything by hand.  The vast majority of the wire I use is what's known as dead soft or annealed, meaning it's very pliable and easy to bend.  As the metal is worked it hardens, but not enough to securely hold its form when worn.  Which brings me to my second process . . . tumbling.

 I use a Lortone 3A 3lb tumbler with about 1lb of stainless steel jewelry shot mix. I add the completed pieces and let them tumble for 2 hours to work harden and burnish.  It doesn't take much to reach the 3 lb maximum weight limit which includes the weight of the drum, the shot and the jewelry to be tumbled.  I'm seriously considering upgrading to a larger capacity model, but that's still in the research phase.  Needless to say since it takes two hours to tumble, you really want to get several pieces ready before you run a batch or you'll find yourself up way past midnight!  I've also discovered that it's best to set a timer when I turn it on so I get the full two hours and no more.  And no, it's not a good idea to run to the store and leave it on  *ahem*    *whistling*

Once the pieces come out of the tumbler, I give them a good wash with Dawn and a soft bristle toothbrush, looking them over carefully to check for tool marks or dull spots. If it's sterling or it doesn't get a patina added, it goes straight to the polishing table where I use my electric Dremel with a 520 wheel to polish. If it's copper or a piece that needs oxidation, then it goes into the patina jar.

Original finish (left), dipped once (middle), raw copper (right)

Patina and oxidation are fancy words for tarnish.  Yep, patina is purposely tarnishing the metal to give it depth and character.  It brings out the texture of hammered pieces and accents wire work beautifully. I use Midas Liver of Sulfur from Rio Grande.  It's simple and produces reliable results.  I use distilled water since we have a well and our water is very hard.  A tiny piece about the size of my pinky nail in 4 to 6 oz of water does the trick.  The warmer the water or the piece, the faster and darker the patina forms. The customer who purchased the bracelet in the above photo needed a different style clasp, so I customized it for a perfect fit. It needed patina to match the original bracelet, so I made up some LOS. 

Did I mention that Liver of Sulfur smells like rotten eggs??  Yeah . . . you want to have some good ventilation or at a minimum have a dog or a husband around to blame it on.

So once the metal is oxidized to the desired level, it's time for another cleaning with Dawn and onto sealing.  Raw copper and brass oxidize rapidly and produce a green residue on the skin if not sealed - aluminum and phosphor bronze will turn the skin black - so yeah, you want that sealed. Another advantage to sealing the metal is that the patina stays consistent over time even in humid conditions and with frequent wear.

I use Everbrite ProtectaClear to seal all my non-sterling metal, as well as sterling that has been oxidized.  It might seem a bit pricey, but believe me a little goes a long way and it's worth its weight in gold for making pesky metals behave themselves!  The trick to this stuff is preparation.  The piece needs to be immaculately clean and completely free of oils or residue from buffing . . . thus the numerous washings with Dawn.  Once the piece is clean and dry, I use Xylene/Xylol (which smells like Magic Marker in a can) to remove any remnants of oil or buffing compound that I might have missed.  Once it dries I use a combination of dipping and brushing off the excess with a natural bristle brush.  The manufacturer recommends 2-3 coats for most items, waiting approximately 30 minutes between applications.  I use the oven method (180°F for at least one hour) to cure it quickly, otherwise it requires 4-5 days to cure . . . and I don't have that long!

ProtectaClear is a great product, but it definitely takes some getting used to. I've used the liquid and the aerosol, but I much prefer the liquid and I find that now I almost always dip, then remove the excess with the brush.  If you're doing something with lots of links or wire wrapping, it's important to check for pooling (see photo left). While ProtectaClear is self-leveling, excessive application will still produce a run or stuck links.

Shaking the chain at every stage including fresh out of the oven is crucial for good coverage with free movement of the parts.  I hang my pieces with the areas of heaviest potential use pointing downward for heavier coverage and theoretically better protection.  So far I've been well pleased, and have had no complaints about skin discoloration.  Once it comes out of the oven, the piece gets one more inspection to make sure everything looks right and then it's ready for photos.  Bet you didn't realize how involved it was, huh?? 

Custom clasp with ProtectaClear drying between coats.

Agate bead rosary chain bracelets in brass and phosphor bronze.

Ladies and Gentlemen . . . . Countess Nymphaea

I didn't realize I was developing a series until I created Countess Nymphaea.  Princess Rugosa was my inkling, but this beauty sealed the deal.  I had been working with some wonderfully textured and colored agate beads (aka Mexican onyx), creating rosary chain bracelets in fine brass and p-bronze, so those were on the radar.  Then the mail arrived . . .

I opened the package and lost my breath.  My wonderful new friend, Jude, of Jude's Jujus, was kind enough to barter for some lovely Donna Millard beads, and I truly feel that I got the better end of that deal.  (Muahhhh to both of you!)  But I digress . . . .

I had the focal in one of my "stuffz" drawers and would take it out from time to time to ponder its fate, but nothing really came to me.  Until the beads arrived.  Each one is like a tiny Monet, encased in glass.  I visited his gardens in Giverny in the late 90's.  I have no words to describe the impressions that such lovliness etches in the psyche, but these beads transported me to that magical place once again. 

And then I knew.

I pulled out the focal and began laying out beads . . . five hours and three re-makes later, I had my own masterpiece.  Ladies and gentlemen, Countess Nymphaea!

Countess Nymphaea, fourth in the Jardin Destinchance series, features a lovely Art Nouveau maiden rising from a lily pad, framed by lampwork glass and agate beads on handmade rosary chain. 

I think it's probably difficult for people to imagine that something containing just 20 beads and a single focal element could take five hours to create.  If I had simply seen this in a magazine or on someone's website and copied it, it would have taken me about an hour to put together.  But that's not what a jewelry designer does. 

When I post a piece to Facebook or in my Etsy shop, it's the culmination of hours - sometimes days or weeks - of collecting, storing, organizing, pondering, planning, creating, testing, revising, photographing, editing, describing, and posting.  After it posts (and hopefully sells!) I do the packing, wrapping and shipping.  If it doesn't sell right away, I display or store the piece until it finds a new home. 

I design and create the jewelry I sell.  Sure, I use some ready-made things like clasps and I use bits & pieces from broken or vintage jewelry.  But I create my own designs and I make as many of the elements in my finished work as possible by hand.

When you consider all this, $100 doesn't seem like much for Countess Nymphaea, does it?

I could copy other artisan designs and undercut their prices.  I could purchase cheap Chinese-made jewelry and findings on eBay and pass them off as my own at 10 times my cost.  But then my clients would be wearing what everyone else has, and I wouldn't sleep well at night.

So when your oooohs and aaaahhhhs turn to "WTH!!" when you see the pricetag on a piece of artisan jewelry . . . . remember that you're buying a tiny piece of art.  You're buying an original, consisting of hours of imagination, planning and fabrication.  Remember that you're purchasing something that is designed to last for years, not something produced in a sweatshop in China that's designed to last for a single fashion season . . . . or less.  With cheap Chinese mass-produced jewelry, you get what you pay for.  When you buy from an artist, you get far more than what you pay for. 

Her Royal Highness Princess Rugosa

The name of this piece comes from a story that keeps running around in my head. Princess Rugosa has knobby knees and freckles that match her auburn hair, which refuses to behave itself! She is surrounded by her imaginary friends, her toys and the animals in the woods behind her formerly fabulous and now crumbling estate. The way she sees herself is in stark contrast to her actual appearance . . . when she looks in the mirror she sees silky straight hair and lovely, perfect skin. She lives in a world of beauty created from ordinary things that no one values much nowadays.

Princess Rugosa has been traipsing through my mind quite a bit lately.  The necklace came first, but the story keeps building.  I had no idea that this piece would lead me to her decrepit mansion, but there I find myself almost daily!

I fell in love with the main brooch in this piece, a vintage Crown Trifari enamel rose with chippy edges.  The color is the most perfect powder pink and the layers of petals are an amazing testament to a level of craftsmanship that is sorely lacking in costume jewelry today.  The shortest layer of pearls and chain are part of a vintage Monet necklace.  The other chain and findings are from who knows what old necklaces . . . I have containers full of bits and bobs that looked interesting once upon a time.  A bit like Princess Rugosa . . . she finds things that look like trash to others and turns them into fabulous - even regal - trappings and decorations.

I'm not sure, but I think there might be an entire line developing here . . . .

How to Wear It: Druzy Quartz Gunmetal Asymmetrical Long Necklace

How to Wear It: Druzy Quartz Gunmetal Asymmetrical Long Necklace by bythetimeim50 featuring high heels

What to Wear with My Necklace

What to Wear with My Necklace by bythetimeim50 featuring markus lupfer

A Pop of Coral

A Pop of Coral by bythetimeim50 featuring raquel allegra

Glitter, Puffy Paint, and Pennies

I had a pleasant surprise yesterday in the form of my niece, who stopped by to do some crafting with me.  She brought a cap and headband that she wanted to "glitterize" and puffy paint Class of 2013. 

We started withe the headband which worked great.  That spray adhesive really sticks!  We found that it worked better if we pressed the glitter on thickly, then shook off the excess. 

Time to attack the cap.  We did one layer of puffy paint, which takes 4 hours to dry, according to the label.  (Much faster if you put a small fan set on low directly on it.)  This gave us plenty of time to catch up and work on jewelry for my trunk show and for her to do her homework. 

 A tip for those who like to plan and use resources sparingly . . . spray the item to be glitterized in an area separate from the area where you will be sprinkling the glitter.  We were sharp enough to think of putting something down to catch the excess for reuse, but we didn't think about the overspray of the adhesive getting on the paper.  So a lot of our excess glitter got stuck to the paper! 



She showed me a penny ring she had seen on Pinterest and asked if I could make one.  I had a box of old pennies at my bench, already sorted by date for experimenting with torch fired enamel. (Post-1982 pennies are zinc-coated copper, earlier ones are 95% copper.) I figured what the heck I could give it a try!

I started by using dead soft 16 ga sterling silver and cut the wire to a size 4.  I soldered the band, then popped it in the pickle (acid bath) to remove the fire scale from the torch.  Then, a good rinse under the faucet and a scrub with a wire brush, followed by some hammering for texture and I was ready to work with the penny.  My first attempt I bent it the wrong way - she wanted Lincoln's head on the back of the coin, and I bent it so it would be on front. 

The most difficult part was getting the fit right between the sterling band and the curve of the coin.  There can be no space between the two points to be soldered, so it had to be quite flush.  Tough to do on a curved surface!  I first heated the penny to glowing red with my torch to anneal (soften) the copper.  Then I used two sets of pliers to bend the coin to fit the curve of the band. I had the curve right but the raised design made it impossible to get a good seat between the two surfaces.  I used my Dremel to cut a channel in the back of the penny and it fit perfectly. 

The next challenge was getting the band to stay seated in the channel while I soldered.  I must have spent 15 minutes rigging up a system to get the correct pressure on the solder points. I recently saw a tutorial video where the jeweler said sometimes it takes longer to set something up than it does to perform the actual job.  This was certainly the case and well worth the effort in hindsight, as my solder joint was absolutely perfect on the first attempt! 

A quick quench and a trip to the pickle, then it was time for the tumbler, which I use to burnish and work harden my pieces.  I add a drop of Dawn dish soap and distilled water just covering the shot, then set it on the tumbler for 2 hours.  This produced the results you see above, sparkling and shiny.  I then added patina by dipping the entire ring in liver of sulfur, which turned the penny completely black.  I used my Dremel to buff the top to bring out the design on the coin and to bring the silver back up to a high polish.  Another trip to the sink to scrub off the black gunk from buffing, then a shot of hot air with the hair dryer to make sure it's fully dry.  Next I brush the entire ring with xylene to make sure that absolutely any trace residue is removed before sealing.  If the copper isn't sealed, it will react with the skin, producing an unsightly green mark wherever it meets a finger.  I use ProtectaClear by Everbrite which is simple to use and does an excellent job.  I used 2 coats, each applied 30 minutes apart, then bake it in the oven at 180°F for an hour.  This sets the seal immediately and prevents the optional 4-5 day wait required otherwise for it to cure.

Great fun and awesome results all the way around!