Green stone Cross and Beads

I was asked to restring a friend's necklace since it originally came on a wire neck ring that was too small. I wanted to keep with the simplicity of the nice green stone beads and cross and make it a simple, yet longer necklace. I like this look, pending approval from my friend.


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Copper Rectangle

This is a another copper pendant I finished this morning. I am having fun with the dapping and doming set and my hammer! I added a macro shot of the pendant for a closer view.

I wore the Copper and Brass pendant (below)to the Arizona Artists Guild meeting last night and the pendant was noticed quite a bit. I think I am on to something with these copper pieces, I know I sure enjoy wearing them when I road-test and market-test them!



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Artisan Jewelry Sale

Last Saturday I participated for one day in an art sale at the Sun City Grand Art Club. I was pleasantly surprised with my successful sales that day and even more that I sold more of the mid to high end pieces than the less expensive line of jewelry I had on display also. I met so many people who were interested in hand made jewelry, and interested in the process of how it is created. It was a good day!

The Valentine's Bear was one of my presents from my honey for Valentine's. I thought he added such a fun air to the scene!

Copper Blossoms

This is one of the pair of earrings I made yesterday to go with the copper and brass pendant made earlier this week. The other one did not show the colors well and was in shadow and, rather than retake the photo, I decided to just show this one. I do love the colors that the torch brought out on this sheet of copper.

I road-tested these yesterday afternoon and they are comfy and have lots of movement; which I like for earrings.

Note the almost rough edges on the bell, I am inspired to make them more so to suggest petals of a blossom next time. These are filed smooth on the edges and I like the dips and flares, for some reason, instead of hammering them smooth in the doming block. Next time, I think I will make the disks larger and just hammer the center of them and let the edges be what they want to be. Interesting!

Copper and Torched Brass

Wow, this one was fun! I cut out a rectangular shape from the torched copper sheet from before, then cut out a smaller rectangle from a torched brass sheet I had played with. I cold-fused them together with a copper grommet and then added a dangle of copper and brass. I loved doing this, it was great fun and seemed to speak to me while I was making it. I love it when that happens!

First Domed Piece

About a month ago, I purchased a doming and dapping set at Harbor Freight. I knew I wanted this but hadn't thought through just what I would do with it. Well, I found out what! A few days ago, assisted by my husband, I torched (yes, I was trusted with my handy-dandy butane torch) a sheet of copper. I brought out the lovely reds, greens and gold from the copper and dropped it immediately into a cold water bath. I loved it. I got out my Harbor Freight tin snips and cut out an approximately round shape. I domed it with the tool set and it formed this lovely, petal shape. I paired it, today, with some pure copper beads from A2Z Beads and...wa-la! I love this piece! This is such fun! What do you think?


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When I found this lovely leaves chain in copper at A2Z Beads I loved it and imagined it in flowing earring dangles or something like that. In taking it apart in this endeavor, I found that the individual leaves were with rings that would make them lovely on their own, albeit tiny. So, these are the dangles I made from this chain as well as the simple, small earrings...maybe for a young girl?

This is a bracelet I have been working on for months, literally! I made the original bead components from 1/4-inch copper tubing with spiral silver wire, but hadn't quite decided how to finish it. It is finished now and I like it!

This is a bracelet I formed using charms formed from the beads bought at A2Z Beads. I had thought, originally, of making only earring dangles from these beautiful beads, but saved five of them for this bracelet....I am glad I did!

While at the Quartzsite show, I found a great deal on beautiful turquoise beads so indulged myself and bought quite a few strands. One cannot have too much turquoise, especially when one lives in the Southwest! I like this design for its simplicity.


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Quartz and Jasper Pendant

I found this stone while out rockhounding near Deming, New Mexico. I suspect it is quartz with jasper inclusions. I tumbled and polished it and think it is such a pretty color. I wrapped it with twisted copper wire and suspended it from a copper neck ring.


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Cloisonne Earrings Again

I wanted to show you a close-up of these earrings. I have now used all of these special beads I bought. I will miss them! Aren't they beauties?

Turquoise and Copper Swirl

This turquoise pendant is another I found at the Quartzsite show. I thought its simple shape demanded a simple swirl of copper. I still love these neck wires, they keep things securely simple.


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Mauve Set

I made this set of mauve-colored stone beads and a stone pendant from the Quartzsite show. I have a mauve cotton sweater in this color so I decided to try it on with that. It makes a nice look when they are the same color. I hope someone also has an outfit that would match this, I love the color!

Bracelet Trio

This is a trio of bracelets I recently completed. I found these pure copper and sterling beads at A 2 Z Beads and loved them, now I am sad that there are so few left! The two copper bracelets are an experiment. I love the oxidized look and the one on the right was dipped in Liver of Sulphur to speed the oxidation and the other one has been left to oxidize on its own. In the photo, they look to be much the same color, but you can see the darkened little nooks and crannies in the LOS bracelet, which is nice. I may polish the non-LOS bracelet or let it oxidize more.

The bracelet on the right has what I believe are either magnasite or howlite beads. They are a gift from a good friend's mothers things after her mother passed away. They are very interesting and very appreciated.

Center bracelet SOLD

Pendants and Earrings

When in Quartzsite in January, I visited my fav bead store there during the Gem and Mineral Show, Gem World. George, there, has so many great beads and findings, all at super prices for the show. I bought many pendants, both drilled and plain for wire wrap like cabochons and have had fun making some of these pendants. I also bought, there, some wire neck rings that I think set off the simplicity of these pendants well. I like the size and flexibility of them instead of the stiffer, wider Omegas that I usually use.

While spending my gift certificate at A 2 Z beads in Glendale I spied these lovely, almost cloisonne-looking beads and bought enough to make a few pairs of oriental earrings. They just spoke to me!

I'll post more later, I have been happily painting and making jewelry, doesn't get much better than that!


Green jasper arrowhead SOLD