New Chain Maille Necklace

Tuesday I posted about a new pair of earrings I made. With those finished, I decided to start something else new. Poking around in my stash of rings I found three large copper rings I received from Urban Maille when I ordered a kit for a half persian bracelet. The ID for the rings is about 15mm. Large! My next thought went to the recent project of the Japanese Bulls-Eye earrings. So, I then found an 8mm sterling silver ring to put in the middle. (Like the Bulls-Eye) I then tried to put some little rings to connect the two large rings as in the Bulls-Eye. (Picture on the left)


It looked fine on my work surface but wouldn't hold its shape when picked up. My plan was to make earrings. Even pulling them up a bit to look like Mickey Mouse didn't seem to work. (Picture on right)
Next, I thought a necklace form might help hold the design. It did a little bit better. (See this picture.)




Well, it isn't exactly a Bulls-Eye but not a bad look. Since I only had three copper rings, the first part of the design was finished. Next, I added a simple chain of 2 and 1 rings and I ended it with a lobster claw clasp and a small extender chain. It measures about 18 inches long. Here is the finished design:



It is fun to see how an idea changes from start to finish. I may think about it some more and maybe the real finished project will be different but so far I like it.

B

www.bevsjewelry.com and www.bevsjewelry.1000markets.com

Veterans Day: Who Will Stand // Bloggers Unite

Today is Veteran's Day. I've been fortunate to never have a family person who served in the military other than an Uncle in WWII who served state side.
But lately there are so many serving, you can't help but meet many who do have friends and family serving.

Let's take some time to Thank those who are and have served.



Also, check this site out too.

Veterans Day: Who Will Stand // Bloggers Unite

Posted using ShareThis


B

Japanese Bulls-Eye Earrings

I often surf the internet just looking for new ideas. The other day I ended up on the Blue Buddah Boutique website. (That is the one that I used for the Jacob's DNA Ladder necklace I made recently).

I saw a pattern for Japanese Bulls-Eye earrings that caught my eye. So I purchased the pdf file of instructions. (I admit, I tried to do it myself from the picture first - but gave up)

The instructions were good and except for the fact that I did not have the exact sizes of rings on hand, they went together fairly easily. I did not make them as long as the instructions suggested. I really don't like long earrings. So these are only two segments long and not three.

I can see that using the size rings recommended would have resulted in a better fitting pattern. This pattern is a bit more forgiving that some patterns are for that, however.

I was very pleased with the results. Tomorrow, I'll share the next step I took after learning the Japanese Bulls-Eye pattern. Stay tuned.

B

www.bevsjewelry.com and www.bevsjewelry.1000markets.com

New wrap bracelet(s)

I have a message in to my buddy, Melanie about this bracelet. We have a joke between the two of us about my "thinking". It is just one of those things we laugh about.

I usually say "I'll have to think about it" when she comes up with one of her new ideas. Or "I woke up this morning and I've been thinking ..." The thinking usually results in a new design or improvement.

This is a combination of thinking about a new design for a Lexie jewelry piece and my making a memory wire bracelet recently. See post here. Also, it uses several items I have on hand. (I'm not going to any more bead shows until I clear out some of my inventory!)

I had the curved silver plate tube and the silver Awarness ribbon all on hand. Of course I have the Lexie Swarovski pearls on hand as well as the Bali silver daisy spacers. It all went together fairly quickly once the idea was there. The only decision is how long to make the bracelet.

The above picture is just one wrap. It looked a bit "thin". So I made another one with three wraps. Actually, it is a bit shy of three full wraps so I may make another longer one. Here is the 3- wrap one:



What opinions can you share with these two bracelet? (I'll let you know what Melanie says too)

B


www.bevsjewelry.com and www.bevsjewelry.1000markets.com

New Metal Stamped Earrings

Last Saturday two of my beading friends and I went to Swede's Beads in West Bridgewater to take a class in Metal Stamping. We were given 5 copper circles to practice with and then we could purchase some other shapes and metals to use what we had learned.

You can see the picture of my sample pieces.




Hammering is a great way to get out some frustrations. The funny thing is that the first ones (top) seem more planned than the lower two where I was trying to make something. Interesting phenomenon don't you think? They just need ear wires to make nice earrings. Well, interesting ones anyhow.

I like the silver and copper earrings that I finally made.




They clink when you wear them. They are a little longer than I like but not too bad. I need to measure the holes better so I don't have to use such a large jump ring to attach to the ear wires..

They were all oxidized to show the the detail in the stamping. I think I should polish the silver a bit more but for a picture that is not a bad thing. (Not so shiny) I used my initials and a squiggle stamp. Then for "interest" I hit the silver pieces with the ball of the hammer. Makes dents. The oxidation makes them show a bit. On the square copper pieces I just made lots of hits with an "interesting" design.

With the "interesting" design stamp, I bounced a bit and liked the results, so I bounced several hits to make it look as if I did it on purpose. (I'll never tell that I didn't do it on purpose)

Anyhow, I've discovered a new technique and need to explore it more. Lots of different possibilities.

Next I'd like to make a bracelet with the squares and different stamps on each one. As with most new techniques, it requires some new tools. They are on order and I hope I remember everything when they get here.

B

www.bevsjewelry.com and www.bevsjewelry.1000markets.com

Memory Wire Bracelet

Memory wire, in this case, really has another meaning beside the bracelet having "memory" to hold its shape. When I first started making jewelry, memory wire bracelets were almost the first type I made.

They are great in that, one size fits all and they don't require a clasp. Simple stringing is all. Once you have chosen your beads and pattern, just string, turn the ends and you're done. Choosing the beads and deciding on the pattern is the fun part. The possibilities are endless.

You can make just one coil, three coils or in this case five. In looking over some of my older inventory, I found several that I still have. Not sure why they did not sell but that is for another time and discussion.




Here is one that I really like. (Hmm... I've gotten better at taking pictures too. This one seems out of focus)

I think I'll get out some of my stash and see what I can come up with. I'm really liking this technique again.

What do you think?

Jacob's DNA Ladder Finished!

In my last post, I shared about learning a new Chain Maille weave. Mostly about the problems I was having with it. I knew that it would only be a matter of time until I was able to do it well. At least that was the thought. I received some encouragement from Rebeca at Blue Budda (where I purchased the kit)

You can see from the above picture that I was able to get a good start fairly soon. I was beginning to see the little things to do that make the weave easier to do. Actually, the things I was NOT doing that would make it easier. This pattern, to me, seems to require some spacial ability. (I learned a long time ago that is not my strong suit) But I persevered and finally "saw" the way it should go together. After that, the weave seemed to come together for me and I started to wonder "What was your problem, Bev?"



So, here is the finished necklace. It is about 24 inches long, just a great length for this time of year.

I especially like the clasp that was provided and how the whole necklace finished.




I'm looking forward to making some variations.

How do you like the finished product?

B

www.bevsjewelry.com and www.bevsjewelry.1000markets.com

New Chain Maille Pattern

Last week I purchased a Chain Maille kit from Blue Budda Boutique. I've known about Blue Budda for quite awhile. However, I learned most of my Chain Maille techniques from Urban Maille. One of the differences between the two is how they measure their rings. Yep, the measurements. Urban Maille uses millimeters and Blue Budda uses inches. It makes it hard to go back and forth and compare one set of measurements with the other.

Because of that I've not purchased anything from Blue Budda before. (I like using millimeters.) They have really nice designs, however, and the other day one of their kits caught my eye. (There is not problem of ring size conversions in a kit as you buy the whole kit and caboodle) Anyhow, the kit I chose for a necklace, is called Jacob's DNA Ladder. It has both aluminum and anodized (colored) aluminum rings. The colored rings are "captive" rings in that no other rings go through them. They just sit there, tightly held in the pattern.

The picture above shows how far I got the first DAY. The directions are fine, very clear. They even give two different methods of approaching the weave. OK, I can do this! Well, truth be told, sometimes I can and sometimes I'm all thumbs. Darn little rings! (Or words to that effect!)

Here is how far I've gotten by Sunday evening. About 7 inches.


But isn't it pretty? I can see lots of possibilities for different variations.

It is not a fast weave, by any means. At least by my means. I find it frustrating. I do expect that some time, fairly soon, I hope, it will go together faster. Right now I keep it near my computer and do a few (or one) round while I wait for things to load. This method has worked well for me when I have frustrating things to work on.

I'll post again when it is finished. What do you think of the weave so far?

B

www.bevsjewelry.com and www.bevsjewelry.1000markets.com

South Shore Beader - Eilen Lipkind, EML Designs

I met Eileen at Homespun Treasures where we both had our jewelry designs. We immediately became friends and I remember asking her if she would like to join a group of Jewelry Designers? She said yes and we've been part of the group ever since.

Eileen, in my opinion is one of our more prolific designers. She tries anything and is always learning new techniques. The one above shows her wire wrapping talents but also her talent with fused glass. She was the first one to buy a kiln and make fused glass. She also does PMC pieces.


This is one of her "special" pieces made from a picture, fused in glass and made into a book mark. What a special gift.



Here she has taken special pictures and made them into pendants. Grandson and favorite dog!

You can see Eileen's special designs at her site and on 1000 Markets. Check them out.


B

www.bevsjewelry.com and www.bevsjewelry.1000markets.com

Beaded Kumihimo bracelet

This is one of the unfinished pieces I found with my Kumihimo necklaces on my card table recently.

Awhile ago I had a post on teaching beaded Kumihimo. To teach the class, I started a bracelet that was like one I had made before. The purpose was to demonstrate the technique. The picture I showed in my recent post was of the one I made before.



Since I made that one, I have found a different type of ending that I really prefer and that is what I showed my student. So, this time, I took a picture of the finished bracelet with these endings. I found these at Rings and Things but have also seen them in my local bead store. They "crimp" and do not require glue. Glue is always so messy. At least when I use glue. They are much easier to use, a real plus.

New style:
Former style:


What do you think of the different types of endings?
It can be purchased at 1000 Markets.com

B


www.bevsjewelry.com and www.bevsjewelry.1000markets.com