Fave materials

May 21, 2016 By Karin M

Rings and fears

Been hiding away in my shop, I have:) Working on fun stuff!

Up until very recently, if you browsed my shop, there were no rings. Not that I don’t love them. I admire them in other people’s shops and on Pinterest all the time, but and this is a big BUT for me, making them and more specifically making ones that will fit, has been a major hangup for me.

Don’t ask me why, but the thought of angry customers beating down my door, demanding their money back because I am too stupid to make a ring in the size that fits them, gave me the shivers. The fears were real!

Of course I am being overly dramatic and having a terrific imagination doesn’t always work in my favor. They make tools for that. And if used as intended, you will actually wind up with a ring that is the correct size. I know that – now. And since that revelation and a little nudging by the universe, I haven’t been able to stop myself.

So I eased myself into the process by creating these:

Mixed-metal-stacking-rings14ga2 — Mixed metal, various textures

Then I was on a roll and moved on to a bigger stack

Mixed-metal-stacking-rings16ga7 — Stack of 7 mixed metal rings

I got a lot of nice feedback and an order for these:

sterling-silver-14gauge-stacking-rings3 — Sterling silver stack, various textures

Naturally I was curious to see what they would look like in a thinner gauge and larger stack, as well as a single texture.

Personalize the stack? Why not…

Personalized dainty stacking ring in mixed metal

What fun to be able to make something all your own and being able to change it from day to day!

I may have unleashed a monster;) As of this writing, I am eagerly awaiting my order from Rio, which will include thicker gauge sterling silver sheet, so I can create this style ring in all silver. I already own jeweler’s brass sheet and cannot wait to make them in it as well.

So, what do you think? Are you a fan of stacking rings? I can consider myself a convert, that’s for sure.

Which design is your favorite? Do you have a certain kind of project or design you’ve been intimidated by?

I say go for it! Personally speaking, the designs that are the most difficult in your mind are also the most rewarding when they turn out well.

Oh, and yes, they are all available for purchase in my shop right now:)

Have a great day!

Karin

April 22, 2016 By Karin M

Patterned wire – a new crush

Recently I read about patterned wire on the Love my Art Jewelry blog. Then, when I was browsing to order silver bezel wire, I came across some really pretty patterned copper wire and I decided to give it a go. Oh my.

Floral anything is a huge trend this year, so this certainly ties in nicely with that, especially if you are not a big fan of big bold floral patterns, but still want to include something floral in your wardrobe.

First, I have to say that the wire I ordered is a lot sturdier than I had anticipated, and that is fantastic! My initial plan was to solder it flat onto some copper or silver sheet for added interest – I have yet to do that. Let me show you why:)

Here is the first pair of earrings I came up with.

When I posted them on my Facebook page, it was pretty obvious right away that I hit “pay dirt”. I love them so much I will have to make my self a pair.

And as it so often goes, I came up with another simple design as I was working on the mixed metal pair:

The pattern on this wire is very reminiscent of the gorgeous floral ribbons that are often used in traditional clothing in my native Bavaria.

When I was playing with my beloved Czech glass beads yesterday, I thought it would be fun to pair them with the ribbon wire in a bracelet. I formed small sections into tubes and created these elements.

They are not soldered, because they are purely decorative, but you most certainly can. It can be a bit tricky to meet up the seams exactly on such a small diameter tube, so I would not advise you to try to do this if you’re in a rush!

Here’s another, simpler bracelet:)

I have a few more designs in mind for this particular type of wire and I am already shopping for new patterns. The 3 feet I ordered are going fast!

Be sure to follow me on Facebook or Instagram for the latest updates!

Have you worked with patterned wire? Any tips or suggestions? I’d love to hear about your experiences with it!

Have a great weekend. Hope you get to enjoy some sunshine, no matter where you are:)

Karin

April 7, 2016 By Karin M

Czech glass – the little beads that could

My name is Karin and I am a bead addict.

I am not ashamed to admit it.

A few weeks ago I went to our local bead store. Little did I know that what started out as an innocent trip to exchange beads with my friend Marti, who was attending a beading session at the store, would launch me into a full-blown obsession with Czech glass. It was bead love at first sight!

The ammonite fossil bead reminds me so much of home!(I grew up in the area where Archeopteryx was found)

Czech glass beads come in a dazzling array of unusual colors, shapes and finishes. Czech bead making tradition is deeply steeped in history. The area, with its abundant resources, among them the high quality quartz and soda ash needed for glass production, ample wood to fire the glass furnaces, rivers to facilitate shipping and of course skilled glass workers was ideal for the production of superior glass articles of all kinds.

When choosing my materials, one of the most important criteria is not only the quality of the product, but also the manufacturing process. And Czech glass beads are a perfect fit for me. They continue to be produced in small scale cottage industries today, just as they have for ages. These small scale producers work from home to supply larger companies with superior quality beads, often with molds that have not changed in decades, still utilizing local materials.

Once part of the Habsburg Empire (Austria), the region, then known as Bohemia, and Sudetenland encompassed a large chunk of what is the Czech Republic today. The brilliant, dazzling quality of Czech lead glass lead to the production of affordable alternatives to priceless jewels, previously reserved for royalty and nobility. And with the birth of costume jewelry the production of glass beads really took off. Travelling salesmen not only sold their beads world wide, but were also able to return with specific knowledge of which kinds of beads were particularly popular and the glass makers adjusted their designs and production accordingly, giving them a huge market advantage.

czech-glass-beads2 — unusual shapes and finished make these beads stand out from the rest

Sadly, the need for seemingly frivolous and unnecessary items like beads, declined during the Great Depression that was followed by World War II. The subsequent communist government did not recognize the need for making glass beads and shifted production towards utilitarian household items. That is, until they realized the potential of the high quality beads as a major income source that would bring much needed foreign currency into the country once again.

But I have a personal connection as well…

You see, most of the German speaking population, and with them a large number of glass makers, were expelled from the Czech Republic during the tumultuous years following World War II – my mother’s family among them in 1946. While they were not glass makers, I do feel a strong connection to what is essentially part of my ancestry. I hope to be able to visit on my next trip to Germany!

I grew up roughly a two hour drive from the German/Czech border and was fortunate to be able to visit the area of Bavaria along the border, where the glass making continued to thrive, despite being cut off from the region to the east for many years. It wasn’t until 1989/90, when the iron curtain fell, that Germans had the opportunity to travel freely into the Czech Republic. I always found it so sad that my grandmother “Oma” had passed away just three short years before she would have been able to visit the places of her childhood once again.

Here are a few of the pieces I have created with them…

Czech glass beads should be dubbed “the little beads that could”, as it is nothing shy of a miracle that they still exist at all. They have survived political upheavals leading to war, communism, the introduction of highly competitive overseas manufacturers and yet today they are going stronger than ever. Truly like Phoenix from the ashes!

The individual families producing the beads today have often been involved in glass making for generations. And I, for one, certainly don’t mind paying a little more for their product, knowing it supports a craft so deeply steeped in tradition.

Have you created anything with these fabulous bead gems? If not, I hope you give them a try!

Karin

Here is a list of sources I found interesting and helpful:

My online bead museum

Bigbeadlittlebead.com

Harlequinbeads.com

March 31, 2016 By Karin M

Why I love my disc cutter

Few things are more exciting than getting new tools – that is if you are as obsessed with creating jewelry as I am:)

But some of those tools can be a little pricey. So if you are sitting on the fence about whether or not it makes sense for you to buy one of your own, let me tell you why I decided to purchase my disc cutter and why I now cannot imagine my shop without it.

I had discovered the usefulness of ordinary copper washers as jewelry components a while back, but if you know me, I like nothing less than running out of a certain size component whilst being in creative mode, as detailed here. And copper washers, I have found, can be difficult to come by.

Not every hardware store carries them and then they are frequently sold as assortments – speak, you get some in the size you need and want and a whole bunch you don’t. Ordering through jewelry supply companies was cost prohibitive for me. Besides, buying all of these ready-made components goes against my make-everything-yourself-if-possible grain. And I prefer US copper.

At one point I purchased a little disc cutter from a local craft store on impulse. Don’t do that. It was $$$ not well spent and had to be returned on the double.

After researching my options, I decided on taking the middle road and ordered the Pepe Tools disc cutter from Contenti. Would I have loved the Swanstrom one? You bet. But budgetary constraints are a bit of a factor. If you are up for a solid investment and have the funds, l’d say go for the Swanstrom.

So, why do I love this tool so much? One word: versatility.

Here a summary of some of the benefits of using a disc cutter:

– consistency
– allows creation of professional quality components like discs, washers, bead caps etc.
-can create a number of different shapes
-time saver
-saves money by letting you create many different items from more reasonably priced sheet metal
-requires no special training

Not only does it allow me to consistently produce high quality discs in gauges up to 18 for non-ferrous metals and 22 for stainless steel (if using a mallet or hammer), but also lets me cut my own washers. I use the smaller dies for cutting holes into pendants, take advantage of various size holes to add interest to components, such as these in my mixed metal bracelet. Certain diameters also match up with copper tubing, which makes it a very useful tool for riveting.

Here are a few examples of discs I cut:

And other shapes…

If you plan it just right you can accomplish two things at once, create a fun cuff and cut circles to use for other projects, as I did here.

My half moon designs like this bracelet,

result in little leaf shapes that I have chosen to use as tags for my bracelets and necklaces. But bigger leaf shapes can be filed and stamped and used as organic elements in their own right, as I did in this fun bracelet:

I’ll leave you with one more example of bracelets I couldn’t have created without my trusty disc cutter.

Do you have a disc cutter? Have you been wondering if it’s a worthwhile investment? Are you using one to create unusual shapes? I sure would be interested in knowing if you like yours as much as I do mine!

Karin

*disclaimer: I was not reimbursed in any way for the statements made in this post and all opinions expressed are my own.

September 22, 2015 By Karin M

Work in progress…

Were have I been?

Hiding in my little studio, if you must know.

Funny thing is that I have figured out that the best way to have any creative idea sucked right out of my head.

All I need to do is sit down at my work table and poof – everything goes blank!!! Lamented about this the other day didn’t I? Oh, there are plenty of awesome designs I want to turn into reality, when I’m in the shower, while cooking dinner, when I sit in my cushy chair in the living room, but walk down five steps to my work shop and they fly right out the window!

I may need to make sure there is a sketch pad next to me at all times…

The other thing is that I somehow seem to drift towards the same colors over and over again, and I am getting bored looking at them. Want more RED! and yellow and, you know, life, variety etc.

So I came across this combo randomly strewn on my work table the other day:

Hey, I said I am a work in progress! Don’t judge me by my messy table!

I knew I was going to make something with them, but wasn’t quite sure exactly what. Then I saw these hanging and BINGO!

And since I don’t usually sit down to make just one pair of earrings, I added another pair to make it worth my while:)

Here they are after taking a dip in the patina and before getting their polish. I have to add that these earrings are my favorite to make and wear. Yep, I had to actually make myself a few pairs – ’cause I can!

After a little buff with the pro polishing pad, they were ready for lights, camera, action…

But…

Well, by the time I was all done and ready to shoot, my beautiful filtered daylight was a goner. And I just didn’t have the nerve/patience to photoshop them into beautiful images. I will get to my light earlier tomorrow! I am in the process of setting up a dedicated area down by my workshop to shoot my jewelry images and to make the entire process less dependent on the outside light. But before I can do that I need to move oldest son out into his new apartment next week so I can actually have some room down there to do that, alrighty?

And then I can talk photography.

So, that’s my little snippet of the universe for today!

Hope my little blog post finds you having a fantastic day!

Karin

I’d love you to pieces for a Facebook *Like*!!!

June 23, 2015 By Karin M

Fold forming – a new (to me) technique

One of the things that drew me to jewelry making, and continues to keep me hooked, is the fact that I can make good use of the many different types of crafting techniques I have learned through the years. So far I have made good use of loom and basket weaving, cutting, sewing techniques, even knitting and embroidery to some extent. But nothing beats learning something completely new!

My latest fascination? Fold forming – a new (to me) technique. When I first encountered jewelry created this way, I was smitten. I feel an instant connection with the organic flowing designs that create the illusion that the metal isn’t metal, but fabric, leather, even bark or leaves. The texturing techniques I wrote about here not so long ago are perfect for embellishing fold formed jewelry pieces!

While it certainly looks like a technique that has been around for ages, it turns out to be a relatively new invention by Charles Lewton-Brain, a master goldsmith born in Great Britain, raised in Tasmania then trained in Germany, the US and Canada, who pioneered fold forming in the 80’s. Fold forming essentially combines the traditional Japanese art of origami with metal smithing techniques.

At the time this new way of forming metal was considered the first significant new development in metal smithing since ancient times, an accomplishment that was officially recognized in 1990 by Paul Craddock, head of the British Museum Research Lab! You can read a more detailed description here and here.

So what exactly is “fold forming”? Well, in a nut shell it involves a combination of folding, hammering, annealing, more hammering and texturing, annealing, hammering, filing, pickling, polishing, antiquing and some more polishing.

While it seems a bit of a labor intensive process, it is oh so worth it! I generally have a basic design, a direction, if you will, in mind at the start The fun part is to let the metal “tell” you what it wants to do or be. It is so satisfying to see a piece slowly evolve as you continue to work on it. And the end result somehow always seems to turn out even better than you envisioned it! No two pieces ever turn out the same way, which only adds more charm and uniqueness to this type of jewelry.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know I love to gush on about copper. It is an ideal material for this technique. The antiquing process adds an extra dimension to fold formed pieces that makes this a real winner.

Here are some of the pieces I have created using this technique so far:

I have so many more ideas how I would like to incorporate fold forming techniques into my jewelry creations, but here is a little teaser for you!

This necklace took me much longer than I have ever worked on a piece, because I kept changing out little details. Not until I was able to add the small fold formed pieces, did the necklace finally “hit its stride”. What do you think? Isn’t that lamp work bead, another gorgeous creation by my friend, amazing?

Find these and my other pieces created using fold forming in my Etsy Shop!

I would love to know what you think about this technique!

Fave materials

Rings and fears

Like this:

Patterned wire – a new crush

Karin

Like this:

Czech glass – the little beads that could

My name is Karin and I am a bead addict.

The ammonite fossil bead reminds me so much of home!(I grew up in the area where Archeopteryx was found)

Karin

Like this:

Why I love my disc cutter

Karin

Like this:

Work in progress…

Karin

Like this:

Fold forming – a new (to me) technique

Karin

Like this:

Fave materials

Share this:

Like this:

Karin

Share this:

Like this:

My name is Karin and I am a bead addict.

The ammonite fossil bead reminds me so much of home!(I grew up in the area where Archeopteryx was found)

Karin

Share this:

Like this:

Karin

Share this:

Like this:

Karin

Share this:

Like this:

Karin

Share this:

Like this:

Footer