Taming the Tangle

A mad night of production

Stayed up late and woke up early... today is the final push day for production work for tomorrow I head to Minneapolis for a show at the Walker Art Center. Lots to do before then, though... 2 wholesale orders to ship + an individual order + inventory for the Evanston (IL) EXPO... there are more wholesale orders in queue but those will have to wait for my return next week. This is the big push period for shows + wholesale, but after Thanksgiving everything switches to individual retail orders and I focus on new designs and catalog creation for 2010. I'm in the groove right now with my lack-of-sleep cycle (and have even managed to be social) yet I do look forward to things calming down just a bit next week.

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Riverstone Bangles

I received another how-to inquiry for a project not in my book, and here is how I responded:

The Riverstone Bangle is not in my "Elegant Wire Jewelry" book because it's an advanced project that required soldering, whereas the book is geared towards people who want to do wirework easily at home. The idea is the same as my other projects, though -- you build an under-structure first. I do this by soldering 3 individual rings, 2 that are the same size to fit your hand as a bangle (with a little added room for the wrapping) and 1 that is larger to add dimension. I then create some bracing wraps in copper around the frames to hold them in place -- this is hard to do and takes patience because you are holding 3 rings in one hand while wrapping with the other. The wraps do not have to be neat because you will cut them off. So, when the structure is stable enough to let go of, you can start wrapping with the sterling silver wire; as you approach a section of copper, cut it off.

Hopefully that helps. I've only taught this project once in a workshop and each student had an idea of how they would approach it... whether using a mold, or soldering some structure in place, etc. So just experiment and have fun with it (but remember it's my copyrighted design).

Gradient patina technique

I received a request from one of my "Elegant Wire Jewelry" book readers to explain my gradient patina technique. Here's a verbal rundown... let me know if you want to see or learn more.

Have you used liver of sulfur before? That's what I use for all of my patinas. It comes in a dry chunky rock form, which is the best. I put a few chunks in a glass container (sized to fit the piece you want to oxidize; for big ones I have a round casserole dish that's pretty deep). I then fill the container with boiling water and use a little stick to stir the chunks so they dissolve. There's no exact science of proportion... the more chunks, the stronger the solution and the darker/faster the results. You might want to play around with some scrap metal to see how it all works.

Anyway, for the gradient, I dunk the piece very, very quickly and immediately plunge it under cold running water. The first dunk I go as high as I want it to go before I leave part of it silver. Then I dunk it again, leaving a little of the already slightly oxidized portion exposed -- also very quickly and then immediately rinse. Just keep repeating this process moving down the form until you are at the part you want the darkest. It may already be as dark as you want (the liver of sulfur builds up), but if not go ahead and dunk that part and hold it until it's the color you want then do a final rinse.

If you hold the piece too long in the liver of sulfur it gets a matte finish. You can then brush it with a brass brush to bring up the shine again. If you want to seal the patina so it doesn't change, you can try lacquer. I have played around with various types. I don't really love any of them so I just accept that it changes over time, an artful process. Some people have suggested a wax seal but I haven't tried anything like that... too hard to do on wire.

A new line of jewelry?

I am a mere few hours from leaving for Burningman, and during the final countdown here I am putting together my bartering gift... earplugs! But no ordinary earplug will do... why not have flowers growing out of your ears? Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Making 1 thing gives ideas for another

Tonight I brought home some wire so I could start building the under structure of a necklace... actually I brought it home so I could spend time with my brother and nephews who I rarely see even though we are all living under one roof right now. Anyway, as I was packaging up the parts to take to the studio in the morning for their oxidation bath, I fell in love with how they looked all grouped together. I've done necklace sketches like this, but it's fun to see it more realized. This is a perfect example of how I'm always saying that I get new design ideas often just by making existing designs and looking at them in new ways. Rather than tons of wires around the neck, I envision this with multiple strands of rubber or even ribbon. Hmmm... hopefully my schedule will allow for some new design explorations soon! -- Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®

Spring has sprung

Spring has finally come to Chicago... tulips are blooming all over the city (these are from the front yard of my studio) and birds are chirping. It's so nice to walk outside without a jacket! And for me it always means new jewelry designs to go with all those open necklines, rings for un-gloved hands, and bracelets galore. I'll keep you posted with what new designs are cropping up. -- Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®

A Geometric Feature

Oooh, look! My pyramid earrings are featured on an Etsy Trends blog post. They truly are great earrings for spring... and, as you might have guessed, they are available for sale in my Etsy shop!

Pre-show prep

Yesterday I flew into Portland, Oregon and made my way to Salem where I will have a trunk show tonight at Mary Lou Zeek Gallery. Mary Lou and her family have opened up their home to me as well, a luscious oasis of art, craft, collectibles, family photos, and cozy comforts. I packed my jewelry into one of my suitcases but decided to not finish a Wire Boa for fear of it getting crushed... a good call considering my bags really took a beating. So I'm putting the finishing touches on this piece so it will be ready for the show tonight... it feels a little like cramming. I love how it looks like some spiny skeleton as it takes shape with the wrapping. If you're in Salem, stop by the gallery tonight from 5-7 for a glass of wine... I'd love to see you! My work will be available all week as well. -- Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®

Back in the office again

My last job was at OWP/P, a large architecture firm in Chicago. I was part of the marketing team there & loved it, but they all supported me as I made the entrepreneurial transition to full-time jewelry designer... and here's proof! Today I am back in one of the conference rooms with a selection of jewelry in time for Valentine's Day. It'll be our little secret that more women come to buy pieces for themselves.

Architects and engineers love my work because it's so structural, and the designers love that I'm easy to work with for creating "modified standard" designs rather than full-blown custom, which can be pricey.

What's an example of "modified standard"? I've done everything from making wireball earrings a particular size, adapting sculptural earrings so they swing from hooks or clips, trading out pearl colors, adding adjustable lengths of chain, etc. So don't be afraid to ask... I want my jewelry out there being worn, enjoyed, and loved! -- Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®

New for spring

This season I'm showing some new pieces for spring in my Pods + Leaves series... the linear leaf pendant is my favorite. These pieces are getting a lot of attention at StyleMax, so hopefully you will be seeing them in stores soon! -- Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®