Portlandia Video "She's Making Jewelry Now"

I have all ready shared this video on my Facebook so some of you may have all ready seen this. It is from an American television show called Portlandia. This show is very unusual, strange, weird, and funny. I have an unusual sense of humor so I really like this video. I hope you like it too.

***(Remember, this is humor. The show is making fun out of what you and I are persueing as our livelihoods.)

Chainmail Earrings Tutorial

I found another cool jewelry tutorial, this one by Marilyn Gardiner, called Mobius Flowers.  This is being called a beginning level chainmail project.  I think this tutorial makes a really pretty pair of earrings. And you can make these in silver, gold, copper or some other pretty, colored jump rings to add additional interest.  

To begin, Marilyn is describe the wire used and the jump rings. Here goes...

Wire

"First, the wire used to make the jump rings comes in different "tempers", from dead soft, through half-hard, to hard. I like to use half-hard wire because it gets harder as it is coiled and made into rings, and it gets harder still as the rings are tumbled to clean and polish them. My goal is to have rings that won't pull open."

Wire comes in different thicknesses—or diameter.   The wire for this project measures 1.0 mm in diameter.

Chainmail Weaves

This Japanese 6 in 1 chainmail pattern has its roots in Japanese armour from the middle ages. The Japanese weaves look best with small rings for the vertical connector rings and large rings for the horizontal rings. Both rings can be doubled up, as in this project, for a tight, stable weave.

Step 1 Close one large ring and open 5 large rings. Open 4 small rings. Insert a large ring through the closed large ring and close it. Slide the 2 rings together so the top of ring #2 lies behind ring #1. Keep holding...
Step 2 Put ring #3 through the centre of the first 2 rings, close it, & slide it sideways so the top of ring #3 lies behind ring #2. If you MUST set the cluster down, do it carefully so the order of the rings stays the same. I have been known to drop it on the floor, and I've found that it's faster to start the cluster over from scratch than try to put the rings back in the right order.

Step 3 Put ring #4 through the centre of the first 3 rings, close it, and slide it sideways so the top of ring #4 lies behind ring #3.
Step 4 Follow this pattern to add rings #5 and 6. This completes one mobius ball or flower.

Step 5 Insert a small ring through the centre of the mobius ball. and close it. (Now the cluster is secure & the rings are locked into position!!!) Add a second small ring. Step 6 Insert 2 small rings into the previous small rings. This is the partial segment for one earring. Repeat Steps 1 to 6 to make another segment for the second earring.

Step 7

Now it's time to join the two segments to the earring findings.
Carefully open the loop on an earring finding. (Remember to use 2 pairs of pliers and open it the same way you would open a jump ring.) Slide the open loop around the two top rings and then gently close it.
Finish the second earring the same way.

by Marilyn Gardiner www.MarilynGardiner.com Hope you enjoy!

Finally

Oh my God... I finally had some time and initiative to make a piece of jewelry. I also got to get in touch with how much I miss being creative. This is the necklace I finished...



This necklace is made with amazonite and sterling beads and the cable chain is also sterling. I made it so that it can be worn as a necklace 18", or anywhere up to 20" long.

I have more ideas for necklaces so stay tuned.

Wire Wrap Earrings Tutorial

This is a free tutorial of some very pretty wire wrap earrings made by Aniolek-maly. She is a 23 year old jewelry designer from Poland. I mention her age only because I wish I was creating beautiful jewelry like her's at her age. Of course, at 23, I was focused on painting watercolors and only watercolor paintings.

And here is a link to a gallery of her work. If you are a wire wrap artist, you will find her jewelry very inspirational. Beautiful, very beautiful.

Looking for Wire Wrap Jewelry Artists

I have just started a "Top 100" list for wire wrap jewelry artists. It is essentially a directory where people can look for wire wrap artists all in one place. You can attach your blog or your website and I am hoping to create more traffic for you, and me.

If you are interested, please go to http://WireWrapJewelry.goTop100.com. And if you know other wire wrap artists that maybe interested, please pass the word. I believe the more talent listed will help everyone get more exposure.

New Necklaces

Whenever I buy new beads for Tiger Beads, I almost always have to keep a strand for myself. I have been collecting for a while now, not knowing how I wanted to use them. This weekend, I took the time just to be creative and to make myself some new jewelry pieces. This is what I came up with.

Lavender Pearls and Sugilite

Ebony Twist Beads and Amazonite

Cool Ebony Triangle Beads and Yellow Jade

Wire Wrap Jewelry Website Recommendation

I happened upon this website awhile ago and wanted to pass it on. It is called Jewelry Lessons by Eni Oken and friends. There are lots of tips, tutorials, and photos of some beautiful wire wrap jewelry made by students of Eni Oken. And if you are familiar with Eni's work, which is gorgeous, you will also be very impressed with her students work. There are even free tutorials there too. Just checking out the site is very inspirational.

If you like beautiful jewelry and like wire wrap in particular, take a look. You will be inspired too. http://jewelrylessons.com/jewel/

Cat Jewelry

If you are a cat lover like myself, you may be interested in some of the jewelry I have made. I have pins, earrings, bracelets and a necklace. Take a look at my other blog, The Very Best Cats, and on the right side there is a section called "cat jewelry." Take a look. You might find just the right gift for yourself or a friend or family member.

New Necklaces

These are 2 recent creations. These necklaces were inspired by the beautiful wood beads that are in both. When I received this order from my supplier, I knew I wanted to create SOMETHING from them. This is it.



For more information, just visit my Etsy jewelry store.

Beginning Holiday Sale

I just finished new listings in my Etsy jewelry store and I am beginning a Holiday Sale. Take a look when you have some time.



These are a couple of the earrings I finished recently. They are sterling wire and pretty, shiny pearls, and sterling beads. Very lightweight and very comfortable to wear.

A Group Posting of My Jewelry

2 Necklaces, 3 Pairs of Earrings

I had a pretty good creative day today. I made 2 necklaces that incorporate some of my new wood beads, beautiful gemstone beads, and sterling silver chain. I like the combination of the different elements together. As soon as I get photos, I will share them here.

I purchased a new tool called a bead reamer that enlarges bead holes. It is battery powered and works a whole lot better than the 2 other hand tools I have for the same purpose. I have wanted this tool for a long time so that I could use the beautiful pearls I have in a new way. Usually I wire wrap pearls. Their holes are so small only a very thin wire will go through it. Now I have more of a choice in how I can use the pearls. Hooray!

I made 3 new pairs of earrings, with pearls, that I will also share as soon as I take photos.

A Commission

One of my customers asked me to modify a pair of earrings she saw that I made. She likes pineapple quartz so this is what I made for her. We were both very pleased with how they turned out.

Finally I'm Back Again

Now that I have 2 blogs, if you do not see recent blog entries, check out The Very Best Cats blog.

I have tried a few different ecommerce sites and some I have decided not to keep using and some to continue using. I just opened a new internet jewelry store at Shop Handmade. Take a look at the site. The owners/designers of the site have sponsors helping out with their costs. One of the things that I really like is that when you make a purchase from my store, a percentage of the price goes to help save the rainforests. The artists selling on the site get to decide if they want to do that or not. I think that is a very important thing for us to do. I just watched a show on the National Geographic channel that told about how interwoven the rainforests are to global warming. As more and more trees are cut down, the earth's temperature gets warmer. And another reason it is important to save the rainforests is because there are many species of animals that would be lost forever without that environment. So if you like my work and are interested in making a purchase, possibly for a holiday gift for a special friend or family member, check out my Shop Handmade site. I still have more items listed at my Etsy jewelry site, but I will continue to list more and more on Shop Handmade as I can.

More New Earrings

If you have not been to my jewelry site lately, then you have not seen these 2 new pair of earrings. This is not an original design of mine. The choice of stones, chain and beads were mine. I like this design. They look really nice on.

This first pair is and with purple metallic pearls, sterling silver chain and other parts, and a light blue chalcedony briolette.


This second pair is made with sterling silver chain and findings, lime green pearls and african jade briolettes.

While I Was Away

Sorry I've been away so long. As I stated, I am trying to integrate my new kitten Motor (who just happens to be on my lap) into our household. What that really means is needing to watch how he and Tiger are together. I can tell you it is wrestle mania here. If you are interested in more about how the cats are doing, please go to my new blog, "The Very Best Cats."

So I am in my first Showcase at Etsy today. A Showcase is a way to have your work stand out from the crowd for a day. There are MANY artists trying to sell their art work there so it is important to somehow stand out.

Wanted to share some new earrings I have made lately.




The top 2 are beaded with crystals and the last one is crystals and glass. Of course, I call that pair "Cherries."

New Wire Wrapped Earrings

Sorry I've been gone so long. I have been busy lately with my new kitten and integrating him into our home. You can find out more about Motor the cat on my new blog.

I FINALLY have taken photos of new earrings I have made. This first pair, all handmade of course, has garnets wire wrapped to the outside of the larger ring, and rhodonite beads wire wrapped to the inside of the smaller ring. The ear wire was also handmade and has a spiral on one end.




If you are interested, these earrings will be listed in my Etsy store by next monday at the latest. Hope you like!

A New Pendant, Antiqued

I have all ready shown this pendant but I decided to go ahead and antique it. It's a subtle difference, but I like the change. I just wanted to share it again.




I'm always trying new ways to photograph my pieces. I like these 2 with the rock background.

New Wire Wrapped Pendant

This is my latest. I call this piece "Isabella." A beautiful name for a pretty piece of jewelry. Sometimes the name just comes to me for a certain piece. That is how this pendant was named.


Believe it or not, this pendant was going to be an earring. When I wired the green beads to the outside of the design, I knew it was too big for an earring and so it became a pendant. The design also became more elaborate at that time.

I wanted to use green and purple as my colors because that is a favorite color combination for me. So on the outside we have green adventurine beads and 2 different green pearls. On the inside of the inner "leaf" shape, there are pearls, garnets and crystals. There is a marquee amethyst and a amethyst briolette in the pendant. And all of the wire is sterling silver. When I was all finished with the wiring, I lightly antiqued the pendant.


"Isabella" is available right now in my jewelry store, Testagrossa Designs Jewelry.

Freebies at Testagrossa Designs Jewelry

For every jewelry purchase made at my online jewelry store, I will include a 16" strand of cultured rice pearls in a light green color while my supplies last. These would be great to use to make a piece of jewelry for the upcoming holidays, or to give as a gift to someone you know that beads.

I am also including gift wrapping for my jewelry. If you purchase any number of jewelry pieces and you would like them gift wrapped, that would be FREE with it's purchase. And I can even ship the jewelry directly to the person the gift is for if that would be better for you, with a gift card attached.



My shipping time is ASAP. Generally, I get orders out within 2 days, not including weekends.

I would like to make purchasing from my jewelry store as convenient as possible. All jewelry is guaranteed 100% for workmanship and can be returned for any reason. It would just need to be returned in resellable condition.