copper jewelry

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

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.

November 9, 2015 By Karin M

It’s almost here!

Lately I haven’t written much. That’s because I am in the last few days getting ready for the biggest event of the year for my jewelry adventure, the Second Annual Echoes of Ela Jewelry Showcase and Open House in my own abode! I can hardly believe it’s almost here!

Last year was the first time and the closer I got the more stressed out I was. Would I have enough pieces to even have a showcase? Would anyone like my creations? Are they going to laugh at my stuff? What if there isn’t enough food for everyone? What if there is too much food, because nobody showed!? Oh the self doubt! Well, it turned out to be nonsense – all of it!

It was a lovely evening – better than I could have ever imagined. And now my second event is less than 2 days away! If you are local, I hope you’ll join us! If not, my Etsy shop will soon feature new and fun creations. I hope you understand that with all the creating up to the last minute, taking great photos of it all has had to fall by the wayside for right now. But here are a few snapshots of some of the new items…

A fun necklace featuring my friend Marti’s bead:

Some of my newest earrings…

Lots of sparkly goodies!

Copper pairs amazingly well with sparkly crystal beads, don’t you agree?

This is one of my very favorite bracelets to make and to wear!

Last year I was working on my displays up to the minute the first guests walked in the door and completely forgot to take pictures! This year I will definitely take time to photograph everything!

Can’t wait to let you know how it all turned out!

If you live close, stop by and join us for an evening of fun, food and drink and lots of jewelry!

Just like last year my friend Marti will also showcase her amazing lamp work beads, many of which I have included in my jewelry creations!

See you there!

Hop on over to facebook.com/echoesofela for more details!

Karin

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*!!!

September 9, 2015 By Karin M

Fall Fashion Forecast

As someone who designs and creates jewelry it behooves me to have at least an inkling of a clue of what is happening in the world of fashion. You know colors, that are “in” textures and finishes of the moment. Then I do my own thing:)

When I wrote about Pantone’s Color of the Year “Marsala” earlier this Spring, I wondered how it would pan out for such a Autumn hue. I had hopes, but to be quite honest, my suspicions were pretty much confirmed. It appears to have been a little bit of a dud.

You can familiarize yourself with the rest of Pantone’s Fall palette here.

Not that it deserves to be, but it just didn’t create the same level of buzz as “Radiant Orchid” did last year, at least not that I could tell. And if I can’t tell, well that means nobody’s heard much of it.

So, I decided to do a little quote-unquote research of my own to learn what lies in this year’s Fall Fashion Forecast, lest I miss out on the latest trend to ~~follow~~ ignore.

Copper jewelry is my wheel house and with its warm hues and feel it just screams Fall, to me anyway. I do not, however, mind if you choose to wear it all year round;) You can check out some of my designs by clicking on the link to my Etsy shop above.

I decided to poke around the web to see what would look exceptionally well worn with it. And here is what I came up with.

For a good, hardy belly laugh I am including this link, because we all know NOBODY ever wears this ~~crap~~ type of fashion. Ridiculously long sleeves? Really? I doubt that is going to be a thing. Just try washing your hands ONE time or grab for a toddler trying to run off. And why do the models always look so angry? I digress…

So, anywhoo. Fall fashion. I picked through the heap and here goes the stuff I could actually see real people wear:

*please be sure to pin from the original source

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Now, just to be sure, I didn’t see boot bling listed anywhere per se and I don’t own a pair of cowboy boots, but this might just get me in the mood! And I do so hope you will take a look at some of the amazing bead jewelry in this shop, because this is the kind of stuff that I think should be shown on the runways!

ForgottenCotton is an Etsy shop that features all kinds of fun accessories, but I thought this scarf fits the Plaid fad bill perfectly! For this and many more just click on the link below the picture!

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Another statement that caught my attention was that “bling is back” – when did bling leave? So, if it’s bling they want you to wear, bling you shall have:) This is the amazing creation of one of my instructors and friend Sandra Picciano-Brand of Mythic Silver.

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The next trend kind of caught me by surprise: lady loafers. Hmm, like seriously old lady shoes. That, I thought, would likely not become my thing, until I found these at DSW.com. The best of both worlds don’t you think? It’s a three-fer: plaid, loafers and stylish pumps all in one!

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Next up, another recycled trend: car wash pleats. I found a great way to create your own on this new favorite blog of mine! Pop on over to see some of her other trendy hacks!

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Honorable mention goes to: patterned tights, gray suits of all kinds, skinny scarves, short skirts, flouncy hemlines, long gloves a la Downton Abbey, waaay over the knee boots, higher waistlines…

So, what do you think you will add to your wardrobe this Fall? Do you follow fashion trends or do you blaze your own trail? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Semi-fashionably yours,

Karin

Be sure to *Like* my Facebook page for regular updates!

*disclaimer: this post does not contain any affiliate links. I was not reimbursed in any way for any of the statements made.

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!

copper jewelry

Patterned wire – a new crush

Karin

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Why I love my disc cutter

Karin

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It’s almost here!

Karin

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Work in progress…

Karin

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Fall Fashion Forecast

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Karin

*disclaimer: this post does not contain any affiliate links. I was not reimbursed in any way for any of the statements made.

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Fold forming – a new (to me) technique

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copper jewelry

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