Category Archives: Necklaces

Creativity, Necklaces, Pendants, Techniques, Wire Work

Look for Connections

I’m still “gone to the dogs” today. doggie Dovetails sent the dog in the picture home with me to use for a necklace. The dog is a pin and we thought it might be cute in another design. Sherry, from my wire work group, showed me how to create a wire coil with loops that will fit around the pin for attaching it. Thanks Sherry!

After finishing the doggie necklace, complete with handmade copper wire dog bones, I donned it to be sure it would hang correctly. OOPS! That silly little dog wanted to flip over and lay on it’s stomach. Now What? 

I had been to the Bead Jamboree in San Antonio and talked with a vendor selling plated charms, etc. She showed me how she glued filigrees on to the back of the charms that didn’t have holes in order to make a hanger. I more or less disregarded her suggestion thinking I would just drill a hole for the hangers I needed. But, when that puppy did its flip, I realized that her idea might be golden. back dog Using E 6000 glue, I attached the dog pin to the handmade filigree and “hurray” now he’s a dog on his feet.

While I can’t proclaim that this is a major “aha” and some would say it was obvious all along, I do know that we must remain open to connections. Although I often disregard a technique someone it showing me, I do try to pay attention and store it in the back of my mind. You just never know when someone’s idea can be adapted to your own problem.

I guess that’s really what listening is all about – making connections for the now or for the future. Part of listening is honoring the person who is talking by giving him or her your attention. I’ve always thought it was my job to applaud the person for their discovery even if I didn’t value it for myself. Yet, someone else’s idea may later combine with your own adaptation when you least expect it.

Just think about the Wright Brothers who could fly their plane, but couldn’t make it turn. Watching an eagle tip its wings one day while making a turn is said to have provided them with the idea for making that first airplane turn. I’m sure glad they were paying attention or we all might be flying straight into mountains were it not for that great connection.

I’m looking forward to using this technique again on the bird pin that’s next on the queue. We’ll see what hatches.

By the way, you’ll soon find these necklaces at Dovetail of Wimberley just waiting to be adopted.

Bracelets, Color, Necklaces

Spurts

Most of us are well aware that things come in spurts. There are growth spurts that are usually good for children and bad for adults. There are spurts of energy that may result in good things such as getting that closet cleaned out or rearranging the desk.

It seems lately that the jewelry designs I sell come in spurts also. For example, I first made the peyote peyote necklace in the picture shown and a similar bracelet about five years ago. At that time, I sold several, more bracelets than necklaces, and then the sales slowed. Now, after about three months of not making any, I’ve filled three requests in the last two weeks and have another on the queue. Since there is no pattern for the pieces, each of these is different, yet, the technique and colors remain stable. Some of these pieces have more browns and golds while others, like the one shown, use black as the dominant color. All of them, however, use turquoise and red/coral. It’s rewarding to know that a design can endure for several years.

There has been another spurt of folks wanting the wave bracelet. I use recycled copperbracelet for most of this piece. Sometimes I embellish it with turquoise and pearls as shown here. I’ve also used turquoise and carnelian and think a variety of other choices would work.

Spurts are certainly welcome in the jewelry design business. I just wish I could predict what the buying spurt will be in time to more quickly meet the demand. Unfortunately, sometimes by the time I round up the needed supplies, the spurt has passed.

Oh well, if I could predict the future I might be tempted to enter some less reputable occupation.

Here’s hoping all your spurts are good ones.

Diversions, Necklaces, Pendants, Wire Work

Listen to Your Mother

I heard this repeatedly as I was growing up, but thought I was past it since my Mom is 88 and I’m . . . growing out instead of up. Last week, however, I realized my Mom still has her bluff in on me. During a nursing home visit, I mentioned that a group of beaders was coming to my house the next day to work on some things. Mamaw immediately said, “what are you going to feed them?” “They’re not coming to eat.” I said. “They’re coming to work on jewelry.” “Well,” she replied, “I’ve found that things always go better with food.” I left the nursing home determined not to pay attention browniesto her suggestion, but in the end . . . I could say the pictured brownies just happened to be left over from the group of men I fed at lunch that same day, but that might be a big story. I guess I’m still doing what my Mother says.

During the same visit, several folks stopped by to speak to us at the table where I was working on some copper neckwires. I noticed Mamaw was real quiet and after everyone had moved on she reported, “I didn’t want to tell anyone, but those really aren’t very comfortable.” I truly disagree and love to wear my neckwires in various shapes, but I didn’t argue and won’t be making her any more in that style. Perhaps she will prefer one of the pieces pictured below. turq and onyx        Steven's rock

Today, while discussing my upcoming trip to Atlanta to visit our first grandchild who is 4 months old, Mother said, “hug that boy for me.” I DO plan to listen to my Mother about regarding that suggestion!

Creativity, Necklaces, Techniques, Wire Work

How Many Ways?

Working on another chain project today, I kept asking myself “how many ways” can you curl the wire to make links? This phrase came from my mouth hundreds of times as a teacher, professor, and consultant trying to get others to think creatively. The question is basic to both fluent and flexible thinking. When working on creative fluency, we try to come up with as many answers as possible to the problem posed, in this case the straight piece of wire that needed to curl. During the fluency stage of problem solving, it doesn’t matter whether or not the posed solution is plausible or far fetched. The goal is simply to produce as many ideas as we can. Since I didn’t want my chain necklace to look uniform or to have a pattern, I continually asked how many ways I could produce the links. littlebirdlink Once I had completed the links, I then asked which ones could actually be used and eliminated the others. This is one of the judgment stages of problem solving when convergent thinking is required. If we judge too soon, however, often good adaptable ideas are thrown out without being given a chance to develop.

The top link in this first photo is the regular S shape common in wire work. The middle link ended as an S, but began in another shape and the bird shape at the end happened accidentally. I used variations of these shapes through the rest of the necklace as shown in the picture of the entire necklace. I needed some good flexible thinkinglittlebird to make variations in the bird shape and you can see that some have upturned tail feathers while others are plain. The beads on this piece are also interesting. The vendor who sold them to me said they were made by Monks. They appear to be some type of clay.

 

bigbird

The lower picture shows a different necklace with more variations on the shapes of the links. It has various shaped coral, tiger eye, or carnelian gemstones in some of the links. This necklace is made of heavier, recycled wire while the necklace in the upper pictures is made of 18 and 20 gauge wire. If you make any of these, I suggest doing it in stages. I made most of the links in one day and my sore hands are not at all happy. That said, the fluency stage should happen all at once due to the natural production of ideas. Usually, there is a burst of ideas in the beginning (often the most common solutions), followed by a brief slow down and then the production of the most unique ideas. You wouldn’t want to quit right before those great ideas hatch!

Metal Work, Necklaces, Pendants, Philosophy, Techniques, Wire Work

Work Hardened

 hardened

As I learn about metal and wire work, the term work hardened arises often. It’s the idea of manipulating and/or hammering a piece until is becomes more hardened or brittle. When a piece is hardened just right, it helps it retain its shape and stability. I’ve learned the hard way that too much manipulation of a piece of wire makes it more difficult to bend. This is not unlike over doing when we exercise our bodies. I’m also learning that I shouldn’t hammer a piece too early in the design process, but rather wait until I have the shape I want. The best part is that I do have an excuse for pounding something. It’s great to stop in the middle of a frustrating day and just whack away!

This process is not unlike what is currently occurring here at the ranch. It’s been an exciting couple of weeks at Dreamcatcher. Each May, our bulls arrive back home from their feed test after spending the winter months at another location. We send them away as big calves and they arrive back as big bulls. I enjoy sitting at the very top of a fence watching these magnificent beasts come off the truck and back into our pasture. I never cease to be shocked at the change they make in just a few short months. The goal of the feed test is for the bulls to eat and grow; therefore they mainly just stand around and eat from the bunks. We can’t sell them to our customers at this point because they would melt if they had to work. These 110+ bulls get a rude awakening when they come back home. While they have delicious grass to eat in the pasture at the bottom of a hill, their water is at the top of that rocky hill. Since they’ve just been standing on flat ground eating during the winter, the climb to the top of that hill and back down is monumental, but important.

work hard bulls

Through this exercise, the bull’s hooves become hardened and their bodies become muscular. While the climb by the complaining bulls is currently precipitated by a barking, nipping blue heeler, a honking jeep and yelling people, in a few short weeks it will be easy and they will go willingly. As they become work hardened, they will be ready to serve our customers.

While there probably should be a third picture to this blog, I’ll refrain from inserting it. People seem to also get work hardened in both positive and negative ways. Are the wrinkles on my face a result of this process? Has the optimism we became accustomed to during prosperous economic times been work hardened with the current economic drop? If the analogy derived from both the metal work and the conditioning by design of our bulls applies to our economy, becoming work hardened could be a good thing. As with the wire work, will the resulting economy be more stable? Will we take more time to make important decisions? As with the bulls, will becoming work hardened make us better prepared for the future? Let’s just hope so.

Bracelets, Earrings, Necklaces, Philosophy

Closure

 PICT0505 The term “closure” could mean many different things. When jewelry designers describe necklaces or bracelets, they may mention that closure is a toggle clasp, lobster clasp, button, etc. Clients may also ask for a favored type of clasp on a piece.

The closure I’m thinking of today, however, has another connotation brought to mind by the commissioned piece above that I recently completed. Several months ago, I received an email from a representative of a group of teachers in west Texas who wanted a special piece of jewelry to give to someone as a retirement gift. Luckily, I know that person, having worked for her when I did consulting in gifted education. It helped to be able to remember times I enjoyed with her as I designed this special piece. Closure for this person comes through retirement from a job.

Others I’ve encountered have faced closure with the loss of a special person who has moved on in one way or another. We faced a closure when we had to have our house cat, Blue, that has been in several blog pictures, put to sleep a few weeks ago.

My husband is much better at how to handle closure than I am. He worked for a large manufacturing company for over 30 years and had the unfortunate task of helping close several plants. With these closures, he faced the emotional turmoil experienced by many employees who found it tough to move on. He often recommended the book Transitions (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Transitions) as an aid. We have purchased and given numerous copies of this through the years and I don’t exaggerate by saying I’ve read parts of it at least ten times. While we each take away something different from reading, the message I receive from this book and from my husband’s help is that we must have endings. I would much prefer to ignore an unhappy closure or change and move on quickly, but that’s not necessarily healthy. Facing, acknowledging, and taking the time for endings is important.

With graduations, retirements, job losses, illnesses and economic changes, I’m taking time to realize that closure is just part of life. Feelings about it probably need to be experienced rather than ignored. Just how to do that is a personal issue for each of us to face in our own way.

Necklaces, Pendants

Lunch?

“Are we doing lunch?” This morning I awoke to the ringing of the phone and the voice on the other end saying “Are we doing lunch?” If you’re thinking this is a nice surprise, please think again. It was my husband on the other end. It didn’t mean he wanted to take me out for a pre-Mother’s Day lunch, it meant was I cooking today. Hmm . . . let me think before I answer. Yes, I am cooking lunch today. I normally cook for four men at noon which includes our ranch workers and my husband. When I concurred that I was “doing lunch” today, he said, “add two more”.  That will make six men who have labored all morning and me for lunch. The phone rang as I was typing this. It's actually three more for lunch. OK, it's OK! I'll just thaw that extra meat; it's only eight. The good thing about early morning surprises, is that I can usually look back to the designing from the night before and be assured that there will again be time at the end of this day for that fulfilling activity. Thus, as I sprang into action from that early morning (yes, I know HE had been up for hours and done half a day’s work already) phone call, I peered at the design tray from the previous night’s work. Ah, . . . I DID accomplish something. pearlfly (shown in the pictures) NOW – can I accomplish lunch? Let’s see; how does chicken fried steak, rice, gravy, beans, salad and pecan pie sound? I’d better get busy! By the way, I really like to cook and I could have said no. Good grief, I hear the phone again. Should I answer?brownfly
Necklaces

Horse Trot

The horses are back. Last year my friend who owns Dovetails of Wimberley found a necklace filled with small carved horses. I took it apart and made at least half a dozen “horse” necklaces for her customers depleting our supply. A few weeks ago, she found another horse necklace and I’m at it again (as grandson Gabriel says “neigh, neigh”).  Three of these have already gone to Theo B Camisole, a boutique in Camden, Maine, and the others are trotting over to Dovetails. horsesI don’t believe that the horses fall in the category of animal fetishes, but I do know that people like them.

Animal fetishes are also Gabriel neightpopular and I enjoy working with the multicolor possibilities they present. Webster says that a fetish is an object believed by some person or group to have magic power. I choose to use that definition rather than the Freudian connotation. animals

Metal Work, Necklaces, Philosophy, Techniques, Wire Work

Challenging Neck Armor

Today is the posting date for pictures of designs completed in a Yahoo group to which I belong (Wire_Wrap_Texas@yahoogroups.com) About a month ago, those who participated in the group’s challenge received a small package of beads with which we were to complete a project. Basically the only stipulation was to use most of the beads and include some wire work. The package contained a few glass beads, rounds, copper spacers, a small black donut and a large crystal nugget. The latter two didn’t seem to fit with the others and the challenge began! Being majorly compulsive, I wanted to dive right in when the beads arrived, but made myself leave them alone. I lay them out in a saucer on my desk and peered at them for a week or so while repeating, “incubation is a good thing.”

Part of my goal with the challenge was to combine multiple elements of metal and wire with more delicate seed bead work. At first, I envisioned a netting of tiny seed beads covering the crystal nugget and providing some color. While this worked well, and I now know how to do this, the crystal still didn’t fit with the other beads. I added a pewter butterfly and some ribbon and gradually, things grew worse! PICT05539 Laying it aside, I picked up that black donut. “Now what?” I wound ribbon around it, wrapped this with 24 gauge copper wire and finally embellished it with a bit of seed bead embroidery. I also created several different sizes of wrapped rings to go with this one and hung the ugly crystal inside the largest circle. Using wire links to put the necklace together it looked great in my mind but pretty yucky in real life. Would I post a picture of this one challenge day? Definitely not!

Finally, feeling that I had been challenged enough, I designed a moon shaped copper piece cut from sheet metal and hung dangles from the holes I drilled. The seed bead embellished donut now hangs from the center of the piece and the crystal nugget? Oh dear, . . . I must have lost it somewhere! PICT0548

Did I learn anything from this challenge? You bet!

· I learned that my skills do not always enable me to make what I see in my mind.

· I have again confirmed that too much embellishment, as in the case of the crystal nugget, can ruin a piece.

· I learned how to cover beads with netting and how to change the look of a form with ribbon and wire to create a unique pendant or link for a strand.

· I realized that incubation and resistance to closure is still hard for me even though I continue trying to improve.

· I am reminded that there is a certain level of frustration in a challenging situation that is good and propels us, while too much frustration inhibits progress. It’s a delicate balance and the physical and emotional place we are in at the time of the challenge greatly affects the rigor we can handle. I believe that we each have to learn what level helps us grow and branch new dendrites.

· Lastly, I learned that I like having friends who support my learning.

Metal Work, Necklaces, Techniques, Wire Work

Low Maintenance

I’ve been called many things, but today my husband said I was “low maintenance.” I’m not sure whether to be insulted or pleased.

You see, yesterday he came home with a present, something I’d been wanting for a long time. It’s a Dremel, my very first power tool. If you are uneducated, as I am, in the field of powers tools normally relegated to the garage, you’ll need to know that this is a hand operated rotary tool with all sorts of attachments. It will polish, grind, sand and do about anything that goes round and round. The great thing is that it’s my size and fits my smallish hand.

This afternoon, I used it to PICT05456grind the rough edges and polish a piece that goes out tomorrow. It’s a new neckwire with removable/interchangable charms. It fastens with leather in the back. While the customer may not see a big difference, I do and feel better about my finishing work. I’m thinking that my new Dremel is my friend and I should say thank you, dear.

But what about my husband? Is “low maintenance” a good or a bad thing? I’m going to have to sleep on that one.