Hooked On, Copper Wire Jewelry

Well, just a few new projects finished, thank the goodness. My hammer is broken, so I started to string some of the amazing beads brought to me from Mexico. The Turquoise, once again, is from the most amazing Magpie and I loved using these Carnelian beads as accents. Very 'Egyptian feeling' to me. :) Again, using a simple leather cord, I create a casual 'finishing end' to the necklaces. Some are simply tied and believe it or not, the leather holds as well as any clasp.

A nice way to finish off leather, at least in my opinion, is by using a handmade clasp in a figure 8. The leather, I add wraps of 21 gauge wire, attached one side, but left the other lopped. It threads through the figure 8 like a slide clasp and 'catches' just enough to hold firm, because of the wrapping at the ends. Take a closeup.... I like doing them this way as it gives an easy and secure way to alter the length of the necklaces. The leather is not large enough to be 'bulky' when knotted at the back, but it is large and rough enough to 'hold tight. Sure, it'll come off if you yank on it, but most clasps will too if you tug well enough. :) It's a secure hold. Give it a try. These beads are a decent weight with the copper wires also and so I found this to be a nice surprise that a simple tie knot would work. The other copper clasp is simply hammered from 14 gauge wire as is the rest of the heavy copper in the designs. The accent wraps are all 21 gauge.

Click any of the images to enlarge. Enjoy the ideas and now I need to run off and list these.







Hugs and creative days!

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izzyzgumbo@gmail.com

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Copper Wire and Turquoise Jewelry Scarf Pins

I love these and I thank a friend named Joyce, for the idea! I had a ball creating these as a friend of mine also makes wonderful knitted scarfs, so certainly, I ran right over to her and shared what I was working on. The knitted scarf you see in this image is from GinaCreations and you can find her new shop in Etsy. Check back there as she is still loading up the store with items, but in the meantime, I decided to get a start and made these pins to compliment her knitting projects. :)

They are created with one 14 gauge wire each for the frame, and then decorative 21 gauge wire for wrapping accents and adding beads. I wanted a nice way to accent the scarfs as well as making it a functional piece of jewelry to help secure the scarf. I've seen some versions of scarf pins where two pieces are used and for me, that would become a 'lost' piece over time, so I decided to create a design using only one piece of wire. These are simple and a basic 'hair pin' or 'safety pin' spring. They thread through the fabric and the decorative front acts as a 'paper clip' gripping some of the fabric as it slides on.

I used 14 gauge wire so that the pin will hold it's shape while worn and while being pushed through the fabric. The wire is thick and hard to work with for muscle, but in my opinion, to make a push through pin with any less a size will allow for the 'pin stick' to bend over time. I meant for these to be worn with thick cotton or decorative knit scarfs, sweaters and shawls. These are toooo thick for a silk or similar fabric scarf. Just FYI if you think to make some.
If you use thinner wire, I would suggest using HARD wire to make sure the pin stick keeps it's shape. Using stronger, but smaller wire will be more suitable for silk scarfs or fabrics that are not a knit.

Tip: the end of the pin is going through fabric and the front is laying on the fabric, so make sure you file ends off smooth so they don't catch the fabric while being put on or off. Same goes for tucking wrapping wires, etc. Tuck them clean and well as this is a piece to be worn on fabric and you don't want a snag nor do you want your wire coming loose after wear.

The tutorial,which contains all three projects is listed in my store! Please visit if you get a chance. Hugs and I hope you are filled with delightful ideas from this.

Click to go to the listing.

Thanks for visiting Perfectly Twisted Jewelry! Please contact me with comments or questions!
IzzyzGumbo@gmail.com
twitter.com/izzygumbo