Gailavira - Handcrafted Artisan Jewelry

Time for the Holiday Sale!

2018-11-22T20:13:00.000-05:00

25% off at https://www.Gailavira.com
20% off at http://GailaviraJewelry.Etsy.com
15% off at https://www.FairiesInTheForest.com
15% off at http://ShutUpAndCuffMe.Etsy.com
*15% off at https://www.WireJewelryTutorials.com
**15% off at http://WireJewelryTutorials.Etsy.com
10% off at http://www.WireAndBeadSupplies.com
10% off at http://WireAndBeadSupplies.Etsy.com

For all jewelry shops, all US orders over $30 get shipped for free!

At Gailavira.com and GailaviraJewelry.etsy.com, you'll find lots of handmade wire wrapped jewelry.
At FairiesInTheForest.com you'll find jewelry and fashion accessories inspired by fantasy literature and fairy tales.
You'll find lots of ear cuffs and other fashion accessories at ShutUpAndCuffMe.etsy.com
If you're looking for handmade jewelry supplies, including hand painted glass eyes and polymer clay beads and cabochons, you can find them at WireAndBeadSupplies.com and WireAndBeadSupplies.etsy.com
If you want to learn how to make your own wire wrapped jewelry, check out the tutorials on WireJewelryTutorials.com

*At WireJewelryTutorials.com, all orders of 4 or less get 15% off. Orders of 5 items or more get 30% off. purchase all tutorials on the site at one time and get 50% off. Discount will show in cart after the required number of tutorials has been added.

**At WireJewelryTutorials.Etsy.com listings sold as "tutorials packs" are not included in the sale, as they have already been marked down to 30% off the regular price.

A Few New Video Tutorials

2018-10-29T13:34:00.000-04:00

If you follow me on facebook, you probably already know that I've been doing a few more video tutorials lately. I'll still keep doing the PDF tutorials, but I'm having a lot of fun doing the videos too.

Honestly, the videos themselves aren't all that great. I'm still learning to get just the right shot and how to edit. It's lot more work than I thought it would be, but I'm having fun learning how to do it all. In the past I've usually recorded videos using the auto setting on the camera. Now I'm trying to teach myself to use the manual settings. So much more to getting a good video than I ever thought there was! lol.

If you guys don't mind putting up with bad lighting, a few seconds of the work being out of frame, and few more seconds (or longer) of the wire being out of focus now and then, you're welcome to join me while I continue learning.

Below are a few of the videos I've done so far. Each one is a learning process for me. Each one just a little bit better (hopefully) than the previous one.

If you'd prefer to watch these on youtube, you can find them on my channel, Gailavira Jewelry. While you're there, don't forget to subscribe!

I was thinking of doing another tutorial giveaway on facebook when I reach a thousand subscribers on youtube. So, if you want to be part of that giveaway, don't forget to subscribe to my channel on youtube, and "like" and follow Gailavira Jewelry on Facebook.

Fall Sale!

2018-09-21T14:51:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again. Trees are starting to turn colors, leaves beginning to fall. The wind is picking up and I can already smell rain in the air. Soooooo..... I guess that means it's time for the Fall Sale again.

This sale goes for all of my shops, both on and off of etsy. Prices are already reduced. See the links below for more details.

These are the sales for my newly refinished web-sites:

20% off at https://www.Gailavira.com
10% off at https://www.FairiesInTheForest.com
10% off at https://www.WireJewelryTutorials.com

And these are the sales for my etsy shops:

20% off at http://www.GailaviraJewelry.Etsy.com
10% off at http://WireAndBeadSupplies.Etsy.com
10% off at http://WireJewelryTutorials.Etsy.com
10% off at http://www.ShutUpAndCuffMe.etsy.com

I have lots more to list over the next few days too, so don't forget to check back soon.

New Tutorial Web-Site and Getting Back to Work Again

2018-08-16T22:26:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know, it's been a while. I haven't put out a new tutorial in over a year. With so many things happening in my personal life over the past couple years, it's been hard for me to find the energy (or the time) to work on new designs. The bigger problem with that is, I'm really out of practice. It feels almost like I'm starting over and having to re-learn everything I thought I already knew. Well, I guess it's a good thing I wrote all those tutorials over the last 10 years. They're making it a lot easier for me to remember how to do the stuff I should already know how to do ;)

And, since I'm starting over again, I figured I'd also start with a new web-site. Well, for tutorials anyway. You can find it at http://www.WireJewelryTutorials.com.

And now, the pretty stuff.

Playing around with my old tutorials. This one is a combination of the Odyssey Woven Bezel tutorial and my Cobra Head Bail tutorial. You can find both tutorials at https://www.WireJewelryTutorials.com Or you can find the necklace at http://www.ShutUpAndCuffMe.com The handmade polymer cabochon is from http://WireAndBeadSupplies.etsy.com #handmadejewelry #Jewelry #jewelrytutorial #wire #wirework #wirewrapping #wirewrappedjewelry #pendant #necklace #wirejewelrytutorial #polymerclay #polymerclaycabochon #swirl #green #gold #greenandgold #forsale #for_sale
A post shared by Donna Spadafore (@gailavira) on Aug 16, 2018 at 7:09pm PDT

For the first one I combined techniques from 2 of my tutorials. The Odyssey Woven Bezel tutorial and the Cobra Head Bail tutorial. I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out with this swirling green and gold cabochon that I had made. I was afraid it would be too busy. I'm kind of glad I decided to go for it anyway. It turned out better than I had expected.

Another variation of the Odyssey Woven Bezel tutorial. For this one I used a handmade blue and silver polymer clay face cabochon. You can find the tutorial at https://www.WireJewelryTutorials.com Or you can find the necklace at http://www.ShutUpAndCuffMe.com The handmade polymer cabochon is from http://WireAndBeadSupplies.etsy.com #handmadejewelry #Jewelry #jewelrytutorial #wire #wirework #wirewrapping #wirewrappedjewelry #pendant #necklace #wirejewelrytutorial #polymerclay #polymerclaycabochon #blue #blueandsilver #forsale #for_sale #facependant #facenecklace #dollface
A post shared by Donna Spadafore (@gailavira) on Aug 16, 2018 at 7:11pm PDT

For this one, I used the Odyssey Woven Bezel tutorial, but instead of making the spiral at the top, I twisted the wires and made them an extra accent on the bail. I figured it was better to keep the wirework simple on this one so it didn't overshadow the handmade face cabochon.

I made both of the cabochon that I used in these pendants. You can find more of my handmade supplies at Wire and Bead Supplies on Etsy.

If you would like to purchase either of these necklace, you can find them both at Shut Up and Cuff Me on Etsy.

New Tutorial Website = Time for a Giveaway!

2018-07-31T10:46:00.000-04:00

Would you like to win the FULL collection of premium tutorials from WireJewelryTutorials by Gailavira?
If you answer to that question is yes, here's your chance! Well, 2 chances actually.

Not All Tutorials are shown in this image.

If you would like to see all the tutorials you will win, check them all out at WireJewelryTutorials.com.

And, finally, here are your 2 chances to win. You can enter either one, or you can enter them both.
One at the Wire Jewelry Tutorials blog
One on the Gailavira Jewelry Fan Page on Facebook

Has it Really Been Almost a Year Since My Last Blog Entry?

2018-05-31T15:46:00.001-04:00

Wow! Time really does fly, doesn't it?

After taking a bit of a break over the winter I'm finally getting around to doing some more wirework. It's weird though, how even a short break can sometimes make you feel like you have to start over from the beginning. After doing a few quick and simple pieces I decided to just jump back into the deep end again and do something a bit more complex.

Raw Quartz crystal point, with deep purple Amethyst and dark red Garnets, wrapped in sterling silver and copper.

For more information on this piece, click here to check it out on Etsy.

New! Advanced Wire Weaving Tutorial - Plus a Chance to win it for free!

2017-07-06T09:40:00.000-04:00

New! Advanced Wire Weaving Tutorial!
6 Advanced Wire Weaving Styles for Making Wire Jewelry

Get it on Craftsy here:
https://www.craftsy.com/…/patt…/advanced-wire-weaving/501746
Or get it on Etsy here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/526886960

This tutorial teaches you 6 different weaves for the intermediate and advanced wire weaver.

*Stitched Weave *
*Zig Zag Overlay Weave*
*Double Ladder Weave
*Brick Stitch Weave
*Grooved Bezel Weave
*Archer's Weave

*Note
For the stitched weave and zig zag overlay weave, there are similar tutorials by other teachers, however, those tutorials use a different method of achieving the same look. The weaves in this lesson are created by integrating the patterns into weave as you create the base weave. The other methods of achieving this look are done by adding an extra wire or two after creating the base weave (sort of like embroidering onto an existing woven piece). By integrating the pattern into the base weave using the same weaving wire, you are able to get a neater, cleaner look, as well as having fewer wire ends to hide inside the finished project.

Would you like a chance to win the new tutorial, plus your choice of one other tutorial from http://www.WireJewelryTutorials.com? If so, check out the giveaway on facebook!

Summer Sale at all Gailavira Jewelry Etsy Shops! Plus an Earring Giveaway

2017-06-29T13:37:00.000-04:00

The summer sale is in full swing at all of my Etsy shops. Save 10-40% (depending on which shop) off all items, including clearance items!

40% off at http://www.GailaviraJewelry.com
10% off at http://www.ShutUpAndCuffMe.com
10% off at http://WireJewelryTutorials.Etsy.com
15% off at http://WireAndBeadSupplies.Etsy.com

Don't forget to enter the Earring Giveaway at the Gailavira Jewelry Facebook Page.

See this facebook post to enter - https://goo.gl/hzRfRB

Supply Giveaway from WireAndBeadSupplies!

2017-06-12T15:51:00.000-04:00

This week I'm having a giveaway filled with items from my supply shop, http://WireAndBeadSupplies.Ets…

Click Here to enter the giveaway!

Tutorial Giveaway on the Gailavira Jewelry Facebook Page

2017-05-28T12:47:00.000-04:00

I'm having a giveaway this week on my Facebook page. The winner will receive the full collection of tutorials from WireJewelryTutorials.com

To enter the giveaway, Click Here

Tutorial Giveaway! Win 3 Wire Jewelry Tutorials from Gailavira Jewelry!

2016-10-07T19:15:00.002-04:00

Enter here to win 3 free wire jewelry tutorials from Gailavira Jewelry!

To enter just use the widget below. There are several ways to enter. You can enter using whichever method you choose, or you can enter using all of the methods. It's up to you. If you use more methods you use, the more entries you get!

Rules

Enter the giveaway by performing the actions found within the giveaway widget. Each action will give you 1 or more entries, depending on the action.

This giveaway is open to all countries.

There will be 2 winners drawn at the end of this giveaway.

The winners of this giveaway will each receive their choice of 3 wire jewelry tutorials from http://www.WireJewelryTutorials.com (excluding the Full Tutorial Collection).

Jewelry Supply Destash, and a New Supply Store on Etsy

2016-09-27T08:10:00.001-04:00

First off, I have a bunch of jewelry supplies I'm de-stashing on facebook. You'll find jewelry supplies, gemstones, cabochons, crystal points, focal beads, coral, rhyolite, ruby in fuchsite, jasper, ammonites, swarovski prisms, rainbow druzy and more.

Next up, new supply store on Etsy. This is where I'll be posting my hand painted glass dragon eyes, a few other de-stash items, and some textured wire when I finally get around to moving my rolling mill upstairs.

And now, some coupon codes!

These coupon codes will be valid permanently, unless there is another sale that exceeds the discount of the of coupon. During those sales, the coupons will be deactivated, but will be reactivated once the sale is over.

One more try...

2016-04-15T13:33:00.001-04:00

Another try at the heady style wire wrap on a crystal point. I'm not entirely happy with how this one turned out, but I guess it's a good learning experience. The front is mostly OK, but the spirals at the bottom are slightly off, which made the spirals on the sides even more off (one is higher than the other). The back also looks a bit sloppy, but I didn't want to add too much more to it to cover it up. Not sure if I'll leave it as is and sell it at a discount, take it apart to use the stones for another piece, or something else. Or maybe I should use it for a giveaway?

A Few New Pieces

2016-03-30T09:13:00.000-04:00

This one is definitely my favorite from this week's batch of new pieces. It's another new weave I've been playing with. I've seen similar done using a second wire for the "stitching", but I wanted to see if I could do it all with only one wire, creating the stitching as I worked the weave.

Many of you who have been following my work for a while know that this is a style I have attempted to do many times over the last few years. If you know that, you'll also know that I generally don't do very well at it. This piece turned out much better than I expected.

Instead of worrying about how to do all the weaving first, I decided to make sure the stone was secure as the first step. Then, filling it in was easy. I wish I had thought of it that way a few years ago. ;)

I've had this huge Denim Lapis donut laying around for years. I wanted to wrap it, but I didn't want to do anything that would detract from the beauty of it. I finally decided on a very simple woven bail for it. Except, instead of a plain weave, like I usually do for this type of bail, I decided to use the ZigZag Overlay weave I started playing with a couple years ago. I haven't had much time to play with that one and I've received a lot of tutorial requests for it. I figured I should practice it a little bit before I decide if I want to teach it, or how to teach it.

This is another design I've had a lot of tutorial requests for over the last couple years. So, now that I have more time, I'm working on trying to remember exactly how I did it. That's a lot easier to do when a design is still fresh in your mind. I think I finally have it figured out though. And I really like the way this one turned out, with the contrast between the bright yellow Calcite and the tiny dark red Garnets with the darkened sterling silver wire.

This one isn't actually new. I made it a couple years ago and listed it in my GoddessReturn shop on Etsy. Now that that shop is closing, I'm moving whatever doesn't sell before it expires into two of my other shops. Since I had to take new photos of it anyway, I decided to oxidize it before listing it. I'm really glad I did too. It just seems to add a whole new dimension to the piece that it was lacking before.

When I made this one, I didn't really think it would turn out well enough to sell. It was really just an experiment with herringbone weave. I wanted to see if I could do a woven herringbone weave around a crystal point. I just love it when and experiment works out so well.

All of these pieces are available in my shop on Etsy, Gailavira Jewelry.

And don't forget, I'm having a Spring Sale! Click HERE for details.

Spring Sale at Gailavira Jewelry!

2016-03-25T14:52:00.000-04:00

Spring Sale at Gailavira Jewelry.

35% off all items at Gailavira Jewelry
10% off all items at Shut Up and Cuff Me
10% off all items at My Etsy Tutorial Shop

And don't forget the Going out of Business Sale at GoddessReturn!
60% off all items at GoddessReturn.com

Time to Play Again

2016-03-18T21:24:00.001-04:00

For the last couple years things have been so crazy around here that I haven't had much time to just play with wire and see what I come up with. I've been so busy running my ear cuff shop, along with another side project, that my main jewelry shop and my tutorial shop have fallen by the wayside. Now that I have decided to close the other "side project" shop, I have more time to play. This week, my play time led me to making rings.

Yep, I know. Prong rings have been done before. Just, not by me. I figured it was time I decided to play around with them. Even if I never make another one, it's probably a good skill to have. The uniquely curved prongs on this one, though I love them, were a total accident. I measured the wires and cut them so that the prongs would be just at the top edge of the stone. Just enough to hold it in. Then I decided I wanted to hammer them. I forgot to take the amount of "spread" hammering would cause into account. So I ended up with prongs that were much too long. Instead of cutting and filing them again, and risk measuring wrong, I decided to curve them. It's not what I was originally intending to do, but it does give the ring a unique look.

Once I got the basic prong setting down (sort of) the next logical thing was to add some more woven wire. Let's face it. It's what I do. I weave with wire. I'm not really sure I know how to do much else. ;) And, since I didn't want to leave the tips just plain, I made spirals out of the prongs.

And then, of course, once you start weaving, you have to add beads, right? Out of all the rings I made using the basic prong setting as the starting point, I think this one is my favorite.

And, since I can't do prongs all the time, I had to make one with a whole lot of woven wire around the stone. You know, just because.

All of these rings are available for purchase at http://www.GailaviraJewelry.com.

Oh, and you know that little side project I mentioned earlier that's going out of business? There is still a handful of pieces left. All items have been marked down to 60% off the original price. Go to http://www.GoddessReturn.com to check it out!

Cobra Head Bail Pendant Tutorial

2016-03-04T11:51:00.000-05:00

Finally! After way too much time procrastinating I have finally completed the Cobra Head Bail Pendant Tutorial.

In this lesson I will teach you how to make a pendant with a bail that resembles the head of a cobra. This design works well on many types of focal beads, but it looks particularly striking on crystal prisms.

The instructions show a version with a very simple weave for the front piece of the bail. However, if you prefer, you can use different weaves for the front piece to create different looks for each pendant you make. You can even twist the wire instead of weaving, or simply add beads to the weave. Because of the layering effect of the bail, this design also works well if you are going for a mixed metal look.

The prism used in this lesson is 11mm wide and 38mm long. You can use other sizes, but if you use a larger focal, you will need to start with more wire to compensate for the size. The photos show a focal that is drilled from side to side, however, it is easy to modify this design for a front drilled focal as well.

You can find this tutorial on my web-site, http://www.WireJewelryTutorials.com

All of the pendants below are variations of the base design used in the tutorial. Once you master the basic construction of the bail, it becomes easy to see how to add it to other shapes of pendants. Including border wraps around cabochons and un-drilled crystal points. The only limit to the use of this design is your own imagination.

Holiday Sale, Going Out of Business Sale, and a Giveaway!

2015-11-27T09:42:00.000-05:00

First up, the Holiday Sale:

Black Friday through Cyber Monday... and a week or two after that.

40% off at http://www.GailaviraJewelry.com
30% off at http://www.GoddessReturn.com
15% off at http://www.ShutUpAndCuffMe.com

All prices are already reduced. No coupon code needed.

Next up, one of my shops is going out of business. I'll be closing my Goddess Return shop so I can concentrate more on my other lines. That means that on top of 30% off holiday sale at http://www.GoddessReturn.com you can use the coupon code 20off to get an extra 20% off of the listed prices.This coupon code can only be used at http://www.GoddessReturn.com . This will be a permanent discount code that can be used at any time until the shop is closed. But if you use it now, on top of the 30% off sale, you'll be getting some really great deals!

And now for the giveaway!

I'm giving away a Copper and Blue Chalk Turquoise Necklace (shown below) this week on facebook. This is the last day to enter. See more details here: https://goo.gl/3tzVxv

Jewelry Giveaway!This week's giveaway is for a Copper and Blue Chalk Turquoise Necklace! All you have to do to enter...
Posted by Gailavira Jewelry on Monday, November 23, 2015

My First Video Tutorial - Twisted Wire Wrapped Crystal Point

2015-09-18T07:23:00.002-04:00

My first real attempt at a video tutorial.

Every time I show a drilled crystal point I've wrapped on facebook or deviantart, I get lots of people asking how to wrap undrilled crystal points. This is just one, very simple, way that I do them. There are lots of other styles you can do as well, but since this was my first attempt at a video tutorial, I thought simple was probably best.

I'm still trying figure out the best way to shoot video tutorials, so please try to excuse the couple spots in the video where the work is a little out of focus, or the few seconds where I accidentally moved out of the frame. I promise to try a little harder on the next one. ;)

For more tutorials (PDF) go to my website at http://tutorial.gailavira.com , or check out my tutorial shop on Etsy. http://gailaviratutorials.etsy.com (EU customer will only be able to place orders through Etsy)

If you prefer to watch this on youtube, you can find it here:
https://youtu.be/k3jjjmXPMLw

For this project I used a crystal point that is 31mm long and 8mm wide, About 20" (51cm) of 20g (.8mm) dead soft round wire, and about 6" (15.2cm) of 18g (1mm) round dead soft wire. If you use a larger crystal point, you will need to start with a longer piece of 20g wire, but the amount of 18g wire will be the same.

How to Put On Ear Cuffs, Elf Ears and other Ear Wraps

2015-09-12T15:00:00.000-04:00

People are always asking me how to put on ear cuffs and ear wraps, so I decided to do a quick video for you. Sorry it isn't narrated. I have a cold and am not speaking too clearly right now.

For the first type of ear cuff, stretch the ear slightly at the top, then put the opening in the cuff over the upper edge of your ear, then gently bring the cuff down, while rotating it into place.

For the elf ears, as well as the other type of wrap shown below, use your finger to hold the back and front wires open near the bottom, and slide the wrap over the top front of your ear. Sort of like sliding a bobby pin into your hair. Then keep sliding the wrap over the edge of your ear until it is in place.

I've seen a number of people say to bend the cuff or the back wire of an ear wrap to open it, then squeeze it closed when it is on your ear. Please don't ever do it that way! Every time you bend a piece of metal it stresses the area at and around the bend. After doing it too many times, the metal will become brittle and break. Following the instructions above, as illustrated in the video, will help your ear cuffs, elf ears and ear wraps last much longer.

You can find lots of styles of ear cuffs and wraps at Shut Up And Cuff Me

Free Swirly Adjustable Ring Tutorial

2015-02-15T18:23:00.001-05:00

I wrote this tutorial a couple years ago for Wirework Magazine, and now I've decided to offer it for free here on my blog. Using this lesson you will learn how to make a beautiful, graceful ring full of swirls and spirals using basic wire wrapping techniques. You can find the tutorial here on my Free Jewelry Project Tutorials page.

Lapis Heart and Sterling Silver Bracelet

2014-12-24T08:01:00.000-05:00

This one was a custom order for a friend. It was a hard one for me to figure out. She wanted ornate, frilly wirework, but I needed to be sure the stone was fully supported on the back. Lapis is a soft stone and I worried that, if it wasn't covered properly on the back that it would break on a bracelet. My solution was to use sterling sheet for a backplate and solder the wires for the cuff onto the back of the backplate. I drilled holes into the sheet to use for the netted bezel.

2 New Tutorials! Archer's Weave Earrings and Beaded Hoop Link Bracelet

2014-10-27T09:32:00.000-04:00

I've just posted 2 new tutorials today. Best of all, one of them is FREE.

First up is the Archer's Weave Earrings.

This lesson will teach you to make a beautiful pair of earrings using simple frame shaping techniques combined with my “Archer’s Weave”. The archer’s weave looks like tiny little arrows pointing towards each other and meeting in the middle. It’s a great way to add a unique texture to a project.

For this project you will be using 24 gauge wire to complete the weave with 18 gauge wire for the frame. You can vary the look of this weave by using different gauges of wire. The thinner the wire used for the weave, the finer the texture will be. For more noticeable “arrows”, 22 gauge wire woven over 16 gauge wire looks amazing!

I won’t be showing how to wrap the briolettes in this lesson. However, if you don’t already know how to wrap them you can find my free tutorial for wrapping Briolettes and Bead Clusters. Just click on the "Other Technique Tutorials" link just below the page banner to find it.

You can buy the Archer's Weave Earrings Tutorial on my web-site, Gailavira Tutorials, in my Craftsy store or in my Etsy tutorial shop.

Ok, now the freebie you've been waiting for. The Beaded Hoop Link Bracelet Tutorial

In this lesson you will learn how to shape beautifully simple links to create a bracelet. Beads are placed on the links to add a hint of sparkle, but you can make this without beads as well for a unique look.

You can find this one right here on my blog. Just go to the Free Wire Jewelry Making Projects page.

More Mixed Media: Leather, Metal and Stone

2014-10-22T16:36:00.000-04:00

I've been getting a lot of requests lately for pieces that incorporate both leather and wirework. The wirework I got (um, we've been over that before, right?). The leather...eh... not so much. Leather is just a little out of my comfort zone. I don't use it much because I've never been good at finishing it off. Now that I'm accepting more of those orders I'm realizing that finishing off the ends is only a small fraction of what I need to know.

This bracelet was a practice piece for one of those orders. The issue I had here was that the customer didn't want the cuff to be more than half an inch wide, but the focal stone, as you can see, is a bit bigger. So, how to attach the stone in a way that fully supports it?

In this case I decided that a full metal back was in order. I attached the metal sheet, already cut to size, to the inside of the center of the cuff using a rivet. The rivet probably wasn't necessary, except that I was drilling holes in both the back plate and the leather at the same time. Riveting them together made it all stay in place while I did that.

As you can see in this photo, the leather covers the full back of the stone and is sandwiched between the stone and the metal. The wirework holds it all in place nice and tight.

Now that we have all that sorted out, I guess we should get back to my original concern. Finishing off the ends.

The one on the left was finished off with sheet metal, folded over the ends of the bracelet, and riveted in place. This is also the method I used to finish the bracelet from earlier.

The middle one is kind of hard to see correctly in this photo. It's the simplest I could think of, but I'm not really sure I like it. I cut the ends of the bracelet so they were rounded, then put a tube rivet into the leather. To attach the clasp I made large oval shaped jump rings from 16 gauge wire.

The bracelet on the right was, as you can probably already see, wrapped with wire. I think it gives it a nice character for certain types of designs, but I still like the riveted sheet metal ends better.

Mixed Media: Polymer Clay and Wirework

2014-10-20T14:31:00.000-04:00

Wirework is what I do most, and most likely, best. But I do love to play with other materials and techniques as well. One of my favorites is polymer clay. I don't often get the time to work with clay, but when I do I love to make canes. I have so many canes sitting in a drawer that I will probably never get a chance to use all of them. It's not just the canes that I make with a specific design in mind either. It's all the canes I've made from all the beautiful bits of scrap that I cut off of the cane I was supposed to be making first. Usually when I make one cane, I get about 5 or 6 more smaller canes just out of what I cut off of the first one, or the leftovers of the beautiful colors I mixed up for the cane. Or extra pieces of a skinner blend (gradient). Some part of me just refuses to write all of it off as "scrap" to be mixed into oblivion and hidden underneath some other project.

The focal for this bracelet is from one of those scrap canes. It the simplest of all of them really. Just press a bunch of the cut off bits of the main cane together to make a thick rectangle, put it on top of a thin piece of black (or any other contrasting color, I just like black) and roll it up like any other jelly roll cane. I cut off a thick slice, baked it into a round pillow shaped bead, and quickly forgot about it.

Fortunately, while looking for a bead to use for this bracelet, I remembered this particular bead. One of the most common problems with making a framed bead style bracelet is that the bead likes to spin if you don't find someway to keep it stable. The usual fix for this is putting a wire across the back of the bead to keep it from turning. This usually works, but if you turn the bracelet over and look inside, it just seems to make it a little less pretty. I like the inside/back/etc of a piece to look pretty too. If you choose to let it spin though you risk it putting too much stress on the wire holding it in place, eventually breaking it. To correct that on this one, I used the flex shaft and a bur to create a groove all the way around the edge of the bead. This way, when I put the bead in place, I was able to press the frame into the groove. Now it looks just as pretty on the back of the bead as the front, plus it stays just the way it should.