Category Archives: Bracelets

Bracelets, Earrings, Metal Work, Techniques

“. . . I’m Gonna Let it Shine”

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Do you remember that song from Sunday School? “This little light of mine. . . I’m gonna let it shine.” I was reminded of it as I polished some etched copper yesterday. A generous friend provided me with two types of polish and the dremel parts to use them. It’s a rare thing when someone brings you everything that you need for a task, but this friend did just that. Was she worried that I would never get to it if I had to go hunting for parts or was she just especially nice. I’m sure NICE is the key adjective here.

Having everything I needed, I shined and shined! The picture of a bracelet and some copper circles doesn’t really do justice to their shine. The dark shadows hide a bit of the glow, but you can get the idea. It was actually relaxing, listening to the hum of the dremel backed by the whir of the tumbler containing other pieces. Relaxing until . . . the bark of the puppy informed me the noises weren’t all that pleasant for canine ears. shinyI etched the bracelet with a row of flowers at the bottom and a snail and dragonfly amongst them. The circles have a flower in the middle and some decorative markings around the edges. Following a light patina in liver of sulfur, they were tumbled and then polished. I’m not sure yet what the circles will be. (perhaps earrings or a bracelet) I’m incubating on that one. Any suggestions?

Unfortunately, today the only shining I’m doing is on my dirty house. It appears that between my dust producing design work, the dogs (who aren’t really house animals) and the yuk from this week’s cattle work, the house has been the real loser. I think the word for today is “attack” so it can shine, shine, shine.

Bracelets, Necklaces, Pendants, Philosophy, Techniques, Wire Work

Jewelry Vacation

Since I wrote about summer camp in the last entry, why not vacations today? Summer also reminds me of past vacations when the children lived at home and the break from school was “our time”. I can’t help but wonder if some families are doing as we occasionally did by taking their vacation at home. When we did a home vacation, no one worked and I didn’t cook. (Was that the best part?) Since we moved reasonably often, home vacations gave us the opportunity to really explore the area in which we were living. One week while living in the Dallas area, we visited the Children’s Museum, Museum of Natural History and the Aquarium among other things. These were short relaxing jaunts and we had the time to enjoy each one without hurrying off to the next big adventure as was often the case on an out of town trip.

Yesterday, I thought about a jewelry vacation. It sounds like this could mean relaxing and taking a break from designing jewelry, but that wasn’t the case. I took a couple of pieces of jewelry on their little vacation. That term could be a misnomer since it was more like a road trip, but the pieces did go somewhere! As I’ve mentioned before, I like to wear my new designs to see if they will hang correctly, feel good and also to see if they get noticed. red bracelet The bracelet shown here is made of copper that was torched and then polished. I added dangles on the jump rings linking each circle. Although I spent what seemed like an enormous amount of time filing and sanding this piece, it still developed a problem on its vacation. (This is not unlike some children – excluding mine, of course.) I noted a couple of spots that were still a bit rough when I used my wrist. It was good to locate these and fix them before marketing the piece.

brass necklace The necklace in the photo also got a vacation yesterday. It is made of brass with copper and silver wire and copper chain. This one did well and only required a slight turning of the jump ring to be fit for human wearing.

I think these vacation-road trips work well even if the trip just takes the design piece around the house as I work. The trips can reveal any design or technique flaws and give me a chance to make things right.

Hmm . . is that what vacations do . . . reveal your need for relaxation and give you a chance to make things right with the family? I guess I’d better think about that and practice the latter a little even before our vacation. My husband might really appreciate that and It certainly couldn’t hurt!

Bracelets, Creativity, Necklaces, Techniques, Wire Work

Swirling

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Summer makes me think of home in Medford, Oklahoma, where my two best friends and I spent much of our time twirling. I don’t know if we really thought one of us would be the next great drum major, but twirling those batons was great fun. Unfortunately, I was clumsy and sometimes when I threw my baton too high and I didn’t catch it properly, it would smack me on the head. (I can hear my immediate family saying “now we know what’s wrong with Mom.”) I had a similar whacking problem when I tried to twirl two batons at once. Luckily, I survived those head bumps and lived to tell about them.

The best I can do now is swirling rather than twirling. I’ve been working with this basic swirl basic swirlfor a series of short articles on creative thinking for Magpie Gemstones (www.magpiegemstones.com). If you don’t already subscribe to the newsletter from this site, I think you would enjoy it. I’ve made all manner of different swirling shapes for the upcoming articles and tried to find new ways to use them creatively by applying fluent, flexible, original and elaborative thinking. I’m enjoying wearing a couple of bracelets that I made with swirls. These are quite plain and layer nicely with other bracelets.

bracelets two

Additionally, playing with how to use these swirls in necklaces has been more of a challenge.  These pieces fit nicely and mold well to the neckline. It is, however, somewhat difficult to display them. I’ve worn a couple of these and people seem to like the way they look.

I guess I’ll stick with swirling in lieu of twirling as one of this summer’s activity. Alas, with age, we should put away childish things and I do still remember a bad bump I got across the bridge of my nose,. (But isn’t it good to stay young at heart? I wonder where that baton went.)

Bracelets, Earrings, Metal Work, Pendants, Wire Work

Puppy Shot

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The day started just like any other day. I had carved out some time to design and shape some copper sheet metal and then patina the pieces with liver of sulphur. I never know just exactly what color the patina will produce due to varying factors including water temperature, amount of product, whether or not a piece has been torched, etc. On this particular day, everything was working well. I liked the color produced and was pleased at its richness when I took it out of the tumbler. patina If you aren’t used to this process, I use a rock tumbler to remove the excess grime created by the liver of sulphur and to polish the pieces. The tumbler is partially filled with steel shot, a drop of liquid detergent and water. The shine it produces is largely a product of the length of time a piece tumbles. Following the tumbling, I pour the tumbler contents into a metal kitchen strainer in order to rinse the pieces without losing any of the shot. I then place the strainer on the top shelf of my laundry room work cabinet. That’s what set the stage for trouble.

As I continued my clean up process, our exuberant 3 1/2 month old puppy raced into the laundry room for his food.  He spied the strainer, leapt up and grabbed it and then we were both showered with flying shot. I tried hard not to yell at the little guy, but when I got the broom to sweep up the shot, he kept grabbing it and trying to run away with it. (I’m thinking of rewriting the nursery rhyme to read “the DOG ran away with the BROOM) Picture a little black and white puppy scurrying down the hall with the broom head in his mouth dragging the handle. That was the end of my patience. Slipping on the rolling shot, I managed to grab the puppy by the collar and drag him out to his pen. Then I set out to sweep the shot. Sound easy? When I tried to sweep part of the shot, it would quickly roll to the other side of the room. Eventually, I put up little shoe barriers to catch it as it rolled. That shot was everywhere . . . under the washer, under the dryer, under the freezer, behind the sink, in the shoes, in the boots, buried in the rugs and even in my apron pockets. Two days later, I’m still finding shot - - - puppy shot!

Just so you won’t worry, let me say that I did not shoot the puppy. That’s just the new name for what I put in the tumbler. By the way, this is the same puppy who while waiting inside the running car while the trash was emptied from the car into the container on the street managed to lock one of us out of our own car. He’s such a good little fellow!

Bracelets, Creativity, Wire Work

Fluency and Flexibility

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bracelet heart

    bracelet lab

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bracelet purple green orange

       bracelet turq

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a previous post, I commented on FFOE and elaboration in particular. Today, I’m focused on FF, fluency and flexibility. Over coffee one day last week, my friend drew a bracelet that she has made saying I could try it. I think it is particularly nice that most wire workers don’t mind sharing information and designs and I truly thank my friend for the pictured bracelet idea that she calls “winding road”. Fluency obviously has to do with the production of many ideas while flexibility deals with the ability to think in different categories, from different angles, or to see things from a new perspective. I was fluent in making many bracelets of the same design. While simply adding different beads to exactly the same shape would NOT have required very flexible thinking, I was somewhat flexible by changing the basic shape and type of elaboration. Slight variation in the placement of the beads as well as the selection of the size of the beads is indicative of flexibility.

These bracelets can be made fairly quickly and although I see the “winding road” they also make me think of Cleopatra with one of these in gold above her elbow. It also makes me think of a serpent round the wrist. (I was careful to properly file the ends of these so that serpent doesn’t sting!)

The next plausible step with this bracelet will require originality. How can this idea be modified so that it leads to something new and different? I’ll have to leave that for another day.

Bracelets, Creativity, Metal Work, Necklaces, Philosophy, Wire Work

FFOE

The letters in the title do not stand for a secret society or club; rather, they represent the four major constructs of creative thinking: fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration. While the first three are needed to develop a solid and unique design, the latter, elaboration, is often shorted by highly creative individuals who are eager to move on quickly to the next great idea. The opposite can also be true if that creative is a perfectionist. The individual may find it difficult to move on because the piece is never just right.

Elaboration is the noun form of elaborate, which Webster (1995) defines as “planned or done with careful attention to numerous details or parts” . . . The application of the term elaboration to a discussion of creativity suggests that an idea  has been embellished, developed, polished, or enhanced. (Meador, Creative Thinking and Problem Solving in Young Learners, Libraries Unlimited/Teacher Ideas Press (Available at Amazon.com)

Elaboration requires scrutiny of the original idea and, just as a writer adds adjectives to a sentence to make it stronger, a jewelry designer may add more detail to the basic piece with stones or wire work.  In the picture examples, one photo shows elaboration of the original wave necklace that I started making a couple of years ago which is shown in the other photo. wave new neckThese look like very different necklaces and while one person may prefer the original, another may like the elaborated piece.

first wave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The point is not to make a judgment regarding which piece is the “best”, but rather to use elaboration to vary a piece so that a basic design gets plenty of mileage. I find it easier to elaborate upon an idea than to develop a totally new one.

While my definition of elaboration above written years ago is sound, I’m now using the elaboration step in creative thinking for a second purpose. It’s possible that a design can be overdone and have too much embellishment. I want to use the creative process to also determine if something should be removed or made smaller in a design. Creativity gurus would cringe at my use of the word for this, but we all know that sometimes “less is more”.

The final picture in this blog entry is of a basic bracelet. I worked through fluency, flexibility and originality to get to this point. Now, as I consider elaboration, I don’t know if it is better left alone or if it needs some detail. bracelet plain I’ll be playing with this design for a while. Currently, I believe the answer is YES and NO regarding detail. Some people will like the simplicity of the piece while others will find it uninteresting. Through elaboration, perhaps I can made something for both tastes.

Bracelets, Creativity, Necklaces, Pendants, Philosophy, Wire Work

Organic-Good or Bad?

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More than once in the past weeks, my pieces have been described as “organic”.  It reminds me of when I wrote an article for a gifted education periodical and the editor described it as “pithy”. I had to go look that one up and still wasn’t sure whether or not the term was complimentary.

When my work is described as organic, I usually just smile and agree with the comment, but perhaps it’s appropriate to examine this nomenclature more carefully.  sunstone2Synonyms for the term include the following: natural, whole, unrefined, untreated, crude and macrobiotic. Most of those do apply to the bracelet pictured on the right, but I’m not sure what to think about the term “crude”. I think I’ll just move on from that one.

The dictionary further elaborates that organic describes something that occurs or develops gradually and naturally, without being forced or contrived. This certainly describes the work on these pieces. I begin twisting the wire in hopes that something unique and palatable will arise. Sometimes it does; yet, more often it does not. I think the important part of the process is knowing what to keep and what to let go with the latter being the most difficult part. Since I know from years of teaching creativity thinking that sometimes great ideas fall upon the design floor, I’m often reluctant to let something go. Lately, however, I find this easier since I now have a “whatsit box”. I’ll bet those of you who design also have one of these. It’s that place where you throw things that didn’t seem to work. When you peer into it days later you say “What IS it?”

Organic also means “being made of parts that exist together in a seemingly natural relationship that makes for organized efficiency”. It is this definition that fits with my belief that the designs that are unique, but flow naturally together may, indeed, be the best. While I attempt to be fluent and flexible creating more than one idea before selecting the best, it is usually the one that is unique yet emerged the most naturally that gets the nod. Forcing the design to work usually brings unpleasant results. sunstone

Both pieces pictured herein are made of sunstone and carnelian from Magpie Gemstones. The schiller on the sunstone, which can’t be seen in these photos, is quite nice and really grabs attention. Are they organic? Is that a good thing? As long as I can leave out “crude” I’ll accept the comments.

Bracelets, Wire Work

Bracelet Mania

The past two days have proven productive. They have been the type of days when you have to grab a moment here and there to get in any design work; yet they were just right for bracelet production.

First, I took the heavy gauge recycled wire for a ride in the car. No, I wasn’t trying to show it a good time! I happened to be traveling with my spouse to a cattle meeting and seized the opportunity to bend a few armatures during the 30 minute ride. It was amazing how many I was able to produce when far away from the phone, fax and ranch animals. Some unusual turns appeared in these armatures as I looked out the car window to see blue bonnets and other sights. Later, I managed to hammer enough of the armatures to get a start on a couple of bracelets. turq bracelet

The following day, I took these to a store that also sells beads and the owner helped pick out what she wanted to see in the bracelet designs which she was going to market. Creatively charged, I hurried home and worked them out last evening. While I’ve seldom have the chance to let a customer help pick out stones for a bracelet, this proved to be great fun and the new set of eyes was invigorating.

bracelet coloraful

bracelet amethyst

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of the bracelets pictures are 3-D and although a couple of these may be a bit “over the top”, they certainly will be attention grabbers. I hope they grab a customer! bracelet lab

I do believe in taking a leap once in a while and going over the design top. Later, another design will likely capture the best of that over the top design and the modified version can be a winner. In Torrance’s CPS (creative problem solving), this is the final thinking step referred to as “acceptance finding”. It is often the hardest one for highly creative individuals since it requires the refinement of an idea in order to make it palatable to others and, perhaps, useable or sellable, as well. As idea may be highly creative, but not appropriate for the intended use. However, if you never allow yourself to think beyond the “appropriate”, you may miss some of your best ideas. So, for those of you who need help in that department . . . may I suggest taking YOUR wire for a ride?

Bracelets, Metal Work, Necklaces, Pendants, Techniques

Rivet . . . Rivet . . .

metal bracelet

I’ve been riveting all weekend and I’m still not very good at it. Intrigued by the look of my new bracelet design, I felt that surely if I made several of them I would get faster at riveting. Alas, this has not yet been the case. I guess this would be a good time to also work on patience. Each piece of ornamentation on these bracelets is attached with wire rivets and I do like the way they look.

square metal

The metal for the top and the bottom bracelets was “touched by fire” to give it color variation while the middle bracelet’s rectangular shapes were not treated with the torch.

Some of the difficulty in riveting occurs when the circular pieces are domed. I’m still not sure whether to dome and then rivet or vice versa. Either way is a little tricky. round metal

I’m also trying some pendants using the same technique. Although it’s difficult to see in the photo below, the pieces of the necklace pendant say faith, hope and love. I was trying to capture the look of a mobile when I selected the double hanger for this pendant.

I was working on the bird pendant at our wire workers meet up and exclaimed out loud “I can’t get this bird to rivet!” The clever lady next to me said, “it’s not supposed to. It isn’t a frog.” Eventually, the bird DID rivet.

I plan to keep practicing. Keep your fingers crossed that my riveting skills improve. I think it would be pretty tacky to have to resort to glue!

hope faith

 

bird

Bracelets, Wire Work

Just Like Mike Mulligan

Do you remember the story of Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel? This old children’s book has many important messages, not the least of which is about when the old (steam shovels) begin to be replaced by the new (those run by diesel, etc.) In this book, Mike bids on the digging of the basement for the new city hall and says that if he is unable to do it in just one day, he won’t need to be paid. Of course, he gets the job done, but then realizes that he and steam shovel, Mary Anne, can’t get out. As best I recall, Mary Anne stays in the basement and takes on a new steam task for the building which Mike manages.

Today, I pulled a Mike Mulligan. My six week old puppies have figured out how to escape from their temporary outdoor fence. Disgustedly, since I couldn’t get anything done due to chasing puppies, I got in the fence and put up quite a formidable barricade so those little darlings would stay put. As I eyed my work, I suddenly realized that I had no way to get out. There is no gate and I had just sealed the only opening. Eventually, I stood precariously on a rubber tub, grabbed the porch railing and hoisted myself out. It was NOT a graceful happening.

I’ve had some Mike Mulligans with my new bracelet designs. While starting with great enthusiasm, after adorning the armature with the first beads, I’ve sometimes realized that I didn’t leave myself a pleasing way to finish the piece. The goal with these bracelets has been to create depth in the design without sacrificing comfort, Often when I achieve a large focal point on the top of the bracelet, it flips much too easily when being worn, but this style has done great – no flipping! The first picture, taken from the side of the bracelet, shows the dimension. red bracelet You can see how the wire form layers to which small beads may be attached. The beads help hold the distance between the layers. The Mulligan happens when I get “stuck” on one layer and can’t figure out where to go next. This bracelet with red magnesite, lapis and amethyst is still in progress. The one below is finished and wears nicely.

yello bracelet

 

 

 

In the end, Mike Mulligan and and steam shovel did not grow obsolete but rather found themselves in a new line of work – all because they got “stuck” Let’s just hope that as I get stuck on layers of these bracelets, I’ll find a new creative and attractive way to finish things off.