Silver-Ring Slate Blue Necklace

I was feeling the need for a necklace with a particular look. Don't ask me what that "look" is called though. I wanted it to be a necklace people would notice, but that I wouldn't feel odd wearing. I'm not a BIG necklace kind of person. I love blue, especially slate blue, so my daughter (yes, I stole from her!) had a package of glass beads I had bought for her to make creations out of. However, she's a girl and girls like pink! Her loss is my gain.

I hit Michael's and found these really cute silver rings with the holes in the correct position for these beads. I used seed beads from the same set to fill in where the bigger beads didn't fill the silver rings in. I certainly didn't want anyone to see the wire in between and think I was a newbie (even though I am)!




The spirals I had made while practicing my wire-wrapping technique. My goal is to eventually purchase real sterling silver wire to duplicate these spirals and replace them in this necklace. I was really happy the way it came out, but the copper-filled wire I used is cheap and brings the look of the necklace down a notch. Live and learn, right?

Hope you like it too.

Wire Jig Chandelier Earrings

Well, today I'm back to making jewelry. I recently bought a wire jig from Michaels to try out. I eventually want to get good enough at using it so I can buy some sterling silver wire. It would be a little too expensive to say "oops" every time I bent something the wrong way!

So, here it goes...

The wire I'm using is copper-filled and 18 gauge. The lower the number the thicker the wire is, the higher the number the thinner the wire is. The pegs for this jig can be placed wherever you want in the holes to create the design you're looking for.

Once you've got your design complete, pull the wire gently off the pegs and use wire cutters to snip the end off before you tuck it under or make your final loop.

Like my "anvil" below? ha ha! Here I'm hammering my wire form flat. It helps to strengthen it.

I chose my Swarovski crystals that I'd like to hang from the chandelier earrings. I'm using three 4mm bicones and one 6mm bicone for each earring. The findings I need are an earwire, three headpins and five jumprings. I'm making loops on each headpin. Here are varying stages on the dangles I'm making...

Below I am attaching the earwire to the chandelier with two jumprings...this way it will hang the proper way from my ear.

And here is the finished earring with dangles attached. Hope you like it. Off I go to make the second one...see you later!