The Story of My Bracelets
My staple always-sell pieces are bracelets using memory wire, a stiff wire that retains its circular shape,and beads. For some reason women really love them and are willing to pay $35 to $50 for one. They are comfortable and easy to wear. The technique for making the bracelets is very easy and usually takes about two hours. Simply cut the wire, make a loop with pliers at one end, slide the beads onto the wire, finish with another loop. The real work is in creating a one of a kind unique piece each time.
I usually decide on a base color palette and select a primary bead. These tend to be six or eight millimeter and either round or rondelle, a slightly flattened bead, usually a gemstone such as agate or jasper. I typically use a mixture of metals including sterling silver, pewter, copper, and gold. I… Continue reading
Working With Silver Clay – Part II
I continued to explore working with precious metal clay (PMC). totally untutored relying on reading and trying, my preferred learning method. 
There are plenty of detailed instructions both online and in magazines and books. I got some good results with this piece which included setting a cubic zirconia in the silver leaf. Zirconia works beautifully in metal clay. I misjudged the size of the piece and it is probably a bit smaller than it should be in this necklace.
This piece was actually unsuccessful. It was designed as a leaf with a bit of it broken off. I then wrapped lemon Swarovski crystals on the leaf as moisture drops. It was intended to be a pin. However, shortly after I photo graphed it I broke it. It turns out that I had made it too thin. So, lessons learned was that I made one too thick and one too thin… Continue reading
Working With Silver Clay
In the previous post I mentioned metal clay as one of the jewelry media that I like working with. One comment asked about it. This post chronicles my first attempts with precious metal clay (PMC). Metal clay seems to be a mistake when one first hears of it. 
Briefly, it is actual powdered metals, most often silver because of the cost but also gold and most recently bronze, mixed with clay and water. The clay can be molded, shaped, and carved then dried. It is then fired in a kiln or with a handheld torch or small gas fired stove depending on the type of clay. The clay burns away leaving sterling silver or 14k gold. The clay can be combined with wire and with some very hard gemstones. The ring at left, Twisted Twig Ring, is made from sterling silver wire and precious metal clay. The wire… Continue reading
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