So Many Stones, So Little Time

Ahhh Summer . . . the slowest time of the year from a retail perspective, but a great time to work on all the projects I've been dreaming about.  One of my goals this year was to expand my inventory of stones and I'm very happy with the results. 

Now all I need is an extra 8 hours a day to keep up with all the ideas swirling in my brain!  Here's what I put together so far:

Sweet rainbow moonstone and tanzanite pendant with handmade sterling silver leaf design mounting.  

This pendant turned out so cool and I love the beautiful twig accent.  It was a bugger to get soldered so it looks natural, but well worth the effort in the end.

Sterling Silver Herringbone Bangles

Seems like I just can't get enough of wrapping wire.  I decided to try my hand at the herringbone wrap, which was downright fun once I got the hang of it.  My early attempts were clumsy and misshapen, but that's what copper wire and bulk beads are for.  It took several tries to get the wire gauge and the beads to match up.  And yes, I could have paid for the tutorial and gotten the instructions for how to do that, but where's the sense of adventure in that??

So now I was ready to create an actual bracelet using this design.  I made individual herringbone links using emerald green bulk beads and 22 gauge raw copper wire, then connected them with jump rings.  I have a tendency to eyeball measurements and this resulted in uneven sizes for the links.  I have the same issue when I cook.  It works great for main dishes like meats that benefit from winging it with spices and sauces, but for baking it's a bit of a disaster.  *sigh* 

My theory is that if you want jewelry that is perfectly uniform, you need to buy factory made Chinese jewelry, not artisan handmade jewelry.  

The obvious problem for me was all those jump rings.  Since I'm not able to solder them (not in my repertoire yet) I worried about the rings pulling apart.  Granted, the piece would be work hardened by tumbling, but that's just never going to be as secure as soldered.  Better yet, solid.  It turned out well, but as a future design, I felt the need to solve the jump ring dilemma.  I wondered if my 20 gauge sterling half hard wire would fit through the drill holes of the beads I wanted to use - some really nice vintage carved Sleeping Beauty turquoise.  Luckily they did, so I created the basic form of the bracelet strung with the turquoise beads on a single 20 ga Argentium sterling wire, then made the wrappings around that single base wire using 24 gauge Argentium silver.  

I love the result.  It fits more like a bangle with the stones facing up at all times. Granted, it gives it a bit more formal look, but that's ok.  This is the same design done in black onyx.  The clasp is a simple hook and eye, all from the same base wire. 

VISIT SHE'S SO WITTE BRACELETS IN MY ETSY SHOP