Friday, July 18, 2008

Matching Earrings











What is it about the combination of copper and turquoise that is so eye catching? These hand hammered, copper, 16 gauge, wire earrings seem to do just that. When I finished these earrings , I had a hard time deciding whether or not to antique them because the turquoise ceramic rounds looked so pretty on bright shiny copper. I decided that antiquing them would give a richer look and contrast just as nicely with the turquoise. Hope you like the results!

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Great Instruction is the Key







I have been talking quite a bit on this blog about the wonderful Wild Wire Woman's retreat where I studied under master teacher Sharilyn Miller at her home in Idywilld,Ca. Even though some of the techniques we learned were challenging and frustrating, my persistence has certainly paid off. Practice really does make a big difference and having Sharilyn's DVDS has helped tremendously.
Although I still enjoy working with genuine gemstones to make some feminine and delicate jewelry pieces, wire working has been so much fun and I find that I love wearing the bold, chunky pieces as much as the delicate ones. Working with wire is a very satisfying experience and I particularly love antiquing my pieces in liver of sulpher. Check my blog to see my current metal pieces.