Creating

The earrings I’m featuring this week use materials found from different places. The chain is from an old $3 necklace I found at a thrift store, the rose pin pendants were a gift from a friend, and the green glass beads came from the Bead Factory in Tacoma.  I believe by using different components to create earrings generate interest and texture.

How to make a simple chain earring:

Step One: CHAIN:
I begin by measuring 1” - 3” of the chain after considering the style of earrings I want to create.
It’s a good idea to measure how long the earring will hang when worn before cutting too much or not enough chain. I hate wasting materials. After determining the absolute length of the earring including the beads and pendants I then cut both pieces of chain.

Step two: CONNECTION:
After the chain is ready to use I choose wire to connect the components of the earrings together.
My favorite wire at the moment is this 22 gage gold wire I got from a bead festival in Seattle last December.
I begin by cutting 4” of wire, and then folding it in half to create the “o” shape. By using two small needle nose pliers I pull both sides of the wire together to create the shape. After creating this shape I pull tight to make the “o” shape smaller. Before I coil the ‘’o” I attach the chain to the wire.
To finish the “o” shape I coil the wire around the shape two times.
I then add the bead and repeat the same steps I used to start the coil.

Step Three: HOOKED:
All earrings need an earring hook to be able to wear it. This is really the easiest part of creating earrings. I use the “o” ring attached to the earring hook to attach it to the chain by opening the “o” ring and attaching it to the chain. I then finish by closing the “o” ring to secure the chain. Make sure the ring is securely closed to wear. 

After I finish the earrings I place them on a stand to double check my work.
Some other important aspects of the earrings to consider are :

1. Are the earrings the same length?
2. Are the “o” shapes the same size throughout the earrings?
3. Is the coil clean and equal?
4. Are the earrings too heavy to wear?
5. Does the style of the earring go well with the materials?

The Art of Crafting

When designing jewelry sometimes I take a moment to sketch out what kind of style or shape I want to create, and other times I just grab the first stone I see and start crafting. If it’s a necklace the first thing I do is measure the length of the chain or chord by wrapping it around my neck and pulling down to wear to find where the pendant should hit. It’s a smart idea to cut a little more chain or chord than you measure in case of error. While making earrings I pick the stone first, and then cut the first piece of chain for the first part of the earring set. After I use a 22 gage wire to wrap and attach the stone to the chain, I add the earring hook that holds the earring to your ear.  Then I repeat the same steps to make the second part of the earrings. It’s usually a lot faster to make the second earring because the real design has already been established.  In the nine years I’ve been wire wrapping I’m just now beginning to feel like I’m getting good at it. My Dad always says the key to a good finished product is in the tools. And a good needle nose plier is very important to jewelry crafting. My father got me a set of 6 different types of needle nose pliers, and their all necessary for cutting, wrapping, and finishing the jewelry. I’ve been partial to gold lately, and obsessed with frilled gold caps I took from an old gaudy necklace I found at a value village. The caps highlight the top part of the facetted round stones used in the earring, and the chain allows the pendant to dangle from the ear subtly making a strong statement. I love long earrings, and these are my favorite pair at the moment. 

What do you think of my design statement for the Rose Jewelry website I’m building?

“Rose Jewelry is a handcrafted statement that evokes the subtlety in beauty.
All earrings and necklaces are one of kind pieces of art created to accentuate the elegance in the woman who wears it.  The pieces combine materials from both recycled antique costume jewelry, and semi-precious stones found from the Earth.”

Chain, chain, and more chain!

Making jewelry has always been one of my favorite hobbies. I've been crafting earrings and necklaces since I was a teenager, but it wasn't until I lost my job last October have I had enough time to fully dedicate myself to creating something one of a kind.
Currently I'm obsessed with chain. I find a lot of chain at thrift stores which I think adds a vintage quality to my work. I mostly use semi-precious beads that are free of plastic, but I'm also a sucker for reconstructing old costume jewelry for new applications. The line of earrings I'm currently slaving over are inspired by heavy meets delicate, in the idea of balancing the two extremes. The heavy with these earrings are represented by the large hoop antique gold chain, and the delicate is in the light citrine beads.