Showing posts with label sterling silver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sterling silver. Show all posts

Featured Artist, Deco-Artwork, Handmade Jewelry by Cindy Lodge

It's my pleasure to introduce you to my friend Cindy.  She is the owner and artist creator of Deco-Artwork Jewelry and I encourage you to visit her Etsy store!  The direct link is here...

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DecoArtworkJewelry

She specializes in vintage style necklaces, earrings and bracelets as well as wire wrapped and sculpted jewelry.  She is brilliant in combining quality gemstones and beads to create unique and beautifully designed pieces and welcomes your custom orders!  Enjoy a sample of her work below and visit her shop to see more of these delicious creations!  Click the item title to go directly to her store listing.

Triple Chain Necklace with Blue Green Beads and Vintage Ceramic Focal Bead, Mixed Metals 



  • Materials: Bronzite brown beads, Blue Laguna Lace Agate Beads, Green efluoresent agate bead, oxidized silver chain, oxidized brass chain, Antique brass lobster clasp, Large vintage ceramic bead, Vintage blue green and yellow oval bead, Rose leaf bead capps, Filigree bead caps, Black seed beads, Silver plated ball head pins, silver filled wire loops.



Necklace Fringed with Peridot, Onyx, Silver and Red Carnelian Pickapeppa


  • Materials: Peridot Nuggets, Peridot Round Beads, Black Onyx Beads, Silver Plated Beads, Red Carnelian Beads, Handmade Dangles, Handmade Fringes, 12 mm Oxidized Silver Clasp, Silver Plated Chain, Silver Plated French Wire



  • Materials: Sterling Silver Chain, Green Peridot Nuggets, Green Peridot, Beads, Black Onyx Beads, Shiny Silver Beads, Orange Red Carnelian Beads, Silver Plated Ball Headpins, Handmade Silver Filled Ear Wires, Beaded and Coiled Ear Wires, Jet Black Glass Seed Beads

About Apatite and Zincite Crystals and Gemstones


Well, as promised, I've found some time to return to the new pendants and share something about their crystals. I think you'll enjoy the information and I thank the sources for their information. Please visit my etsy if I temp you! ;)

UPdated... these pendants have both been sold...


Meet.... Apatite and Zincite:

Perhaps this doesn't look like a Koi to you, but I assure you She is... all 'coi'. ;)

Sterling silver wire and beads surround the most amazing Neon Apatite and Zincite crystals! Intricate wire details and design make this a truly one of kind piece. The frame is 18g sterling silver wire with 24g and smaller in accents. A mix of 1mm and larger sterling silver beads are woven in and surround two Neon Apatite rough gemstones. They're stunning in color and AAA quality. A small but outstanding crystal of rare Zincite is tucked in along with a couple of peacock blue freshwater pearls.

Koi: Koi, or Carp, are a fixture of Japanese culture and art and play important roles in both Chinese and Japanese myths, legends, fables and stories. In many of those stories, Koi are transformed through their efforts and perseverance, able to climb waterfalls or become dragons. The Koi fish represents perseverance in the face of adversity and strength of character or purpose. The Carp also represents wisdom, knowledge, longevity, and loyalty.

The 'story' of Apatite:
The name is derived from the Greek apatao, meaning "I am mistaken," because for a long time, it was confused with other stones. It is often confused with Aquamarine and Beryl which are both harder then Apatite. Apatite was not yet known in ancient mythology, it's often fascinating strong blue color only became famous in modern times. It also exists in white, yellow, green and orange. Apatite is said to encourage intuition during meditation and can stimulate memories of the past. When placed on the throat chakra, apatite produces a feeling of warmth and harmony and helps in overcoming problems.
~Healing Crystals and Gemstones From Amethyst to Zircon
ISBN 1-56852-442-0


Apatite is associated to Aquarius.
It belongs to the family of phosphate minerals.
Hardness 5
Found in Sri Lanka, Burma, India, Canada, Mexico, Brazil

I chose these gemstone for this Koi because of all the symbolism involved. "I am mistaken" ... one does not have to be 'hard' at heart, harsh in voice or tough in thought and action to create transformation and change. A 'new' form of individual thought patterns can create a better world, full of hope, harmony and wisdom. I chose Zincite to accompany the Apatite because it requires 'the fusion of man made and Natural' efforts to exist. Rare when such a unity can come together in the creation of such beauty.

Our human efforts to exist within ourselves, within our technologies, moving forward in personal evolution, while still honoring our past... in itself, is a rare blend of our being. We are each a 'drop in the sea'... and yet the sea can not exist without 'us'. We are humbled in Nature and yet Nature can not be 'grand' without 'us'. We are as rare, miraculous and special as any of the gemstones I use in Creation.
And as glorious science would tell us... we ARE, the gemstone.

~So enjoy Ourselves, as a Magical Koi~
~Slip away... between the the mesh~
~A fusion of life, endeared to the chest~

I thank the sources for the shared information and encourage your visit to their sites for further learning about these rare crystals...

The story of Zincite:
Borrowed from http://www.towercrystals.com/zincite/index.html

Zincite crystals of this caliber only come from the Zinc smelters of Poland. Red Zincite Crystals are the most sought and are getting very scarce. The naturally occurring conditions necessary to grow these crystals were created inside of zinc smelters so they are a fusion of natural and man made. Zincite crystals are no longer being produced due to changes in the smelting process. Some of the green and blue specimens actually will fluoresce under a black light.

Borrowed from: http://www.man.li/zincite.htm
Zincite can activate the lower chakra. This mineral provides help for synthesis of personal power, creativity and physical energies. Since our Zincite Crystals crystallised from the gaseous (fire) state directly to the solid state without ever becoming a liquid (unlike 99,9% of all other minerals which have been at some stage liquids in their thermal history). Since fire is the cognition of the transformation of the hard-physical to the hard spiritual, red Zincite getting big importance in our time of collective transformation into the cosmic Aquarian age .

The metaphor of a zincite crystal is that out of all the tragic, all the devastation and trauma something beautiful, valuable and desirable emerges! All that occurs follows a way and what happens follows a higher goal.

~ This piece of rare zincite is 'falling through' the 'Meme'brain'... and I won't explain why I named it what I did..., just know that it's all about creating new Uni-Verses. ;) Sharing ourselves in new ways with new patterns for growth, prosperity and social interactions. Best of all... it's all about the culmination of the human spirit into the 'greatest time' that human-kind will ever engage. We are re-discovering ourSelves....

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

Charoite Sterling Silver Wire Wrapped Earrings


I love this detailed wire wrapping but wow does it take time. I'm using 26 gauge square wire here for the wrap rather than round wire and I'm finding that I enjoy using the square wire more. I think I have more control over the bands and they lay flatter... personal pref on that, but for those new to wire, you'll discover that round wire is great for some applications and square wire for others. There are various gauges and colors and metal types to choose from and you will soon come to find your preferences of wire for the various projects you make. I like to use 18g round wire as frame wire. I normally hammer the wire frame to add strength and I like to use 26g as the banding wire and like I said earlier, the wire used here is square. The silver accent beads are 1mm sterling silver as are the earring hooks.

Tiny wires, many hours... These are deceptive in their simplicity for they took a very long time. I found that when wrapping the frames, it was easier for me to make a few wraps, then take my flat nose pliers and do just a quick 'tap' to make sure they stayed flat and tight.

The center stones are Russian Charoite and the color is natural. Can you believe??? I love this rock and have made many wonderful pieces using it.

Click the image to enlarge and get a close look. The tops of the frames are wrapped in a 'cap' style because I felt it gave a nice look and also provides a place to tuck in the back wires neatly.
When building your jewelry, I always like to advise that you give some visualization to how you might 'finish' ends or where you are going to tuck the ends of wire. If you are working from a tutorial, then this becomes less important and you can make note of how the tutorial finishes the ends. But when making pieces of our own design, I sometimes forget to give thought to this because my eyes are so full the bead candy that I didn't normally give much thought to the finish. Over time, I've learned that it's just as important as the focal point. I've been training myself to think of the findings as part of the whole design and it's become much more now then to just 'add a hook'. I've found that I enjoy creating new ways to close up my pieces and I really like challenging myself to find 'neat' ways to tuck away the wire. It adds a stamp of quality to your project and your piece of wire jewelry, when you or your customer can wear it, without feeling the 'scratch' of a loose end!

Wire Spiral Earrings in Gold Fill and Silver!

I like doing these little bead-less wire projects because it gives me ideas on what I can do WITH the beads! Buying earring and bracelet parts are a great way to start or work if you don't care to do wire, but for those of us who LOVE wire... building our own clasps, hooks and other findings can be fun. It gives you a way to create your own designs also. Sometimes I have ideas for something but can't find that perfect clasp or station... so I end up looking to make my own. You can imagine how many ways I can add beads or additional wire to these earrings. I can wrap with fine wire, add gold, silver or gemmy beads, I can hang chain and a bundle of pretties from it... many things! I can also just leave these as they are and they make a pretty, simple and unique pair of earrings.

I hope this gets your creative juices flowing!

Enjoy!

I apparently have spiral@itis this weekend. ~Crosses eyes ;)

Ohhh... ps... speaking of spiral@-I-tis

I just put out some new digital wallpaper. Have I mentioned I'm working on rebuilding the Uni-verse? ;) Click here to my photo Share blog.

Here's a link to my Picasa

Click the images to enlarge. I give these away, so enjoy it on your desktop! Or if it works for you, feel free to use it as a backdrop to your jewelry photos. Kinda funky but fun.



~Does Electricity have a voice Mr. E?

New Wire Wrapped Pendants in Silver!

~click to enlarge.

Have you ever had one of those days when your hands just want to bend wire without the plan part? So then your eyes conspire and you sit in a total blank gaze, staring at the stones wondering why you can't figure out a design today...

Then all of a sudden... the roll of a dice! Your hands begin to move, the wire is being cut in some kind of furious whirl, beads are being pulled out of bins, 1/2 round is being cut without measure, scotch tape is everywhere....

Yep, that's what just happened to me again over the past few hours. I twisted up two pendants and mangled another piece that I have sitting in that pile of 'projects on hold'.

These two are what I managed to finish. The images below show front and 'back sides'.

Wire can be a very deceptive thing. You wouldn't think there is over 4 feet of wire in each of these, but there is! I used 21g sterling silver square wire with 21g 1/2 round for binding. Those gauges are within the 'normal' when wrapping med to larger sized cabochon. The banded agate pendant (purple) is approx 2 inches long and just over 4mm in width. The other geode is approx 1.5 inches at it's widest point and it's approx 10mm in depth. With the bails, the length on each is increased about half an inch. My bails, I like to make closed, but large enough that most chains can fit through. I don't make an open bail unless I need to hook the pendant over beads. I'll have to share a nifty trick I learned from Preston ( http://www.wire-sculpture.com). He makes the most wonderful little pendant hooks that easily slip through a closed bail, which you can then hook around a string of beads. BRILLIANT way to use those 2 inch to 4 inch wire scraps you sometimes get when trimming ends.


Overall, chaos no plan times are fun. You never know what will come out of your brain. One of a kind designs for sure... I ended up totally loving these even though I didn't mean to create them today and had no plan when the wire went on.

Sighs... as much fun as that is, please take note when I say, it can be a very expensive indulgence of creative spirit also. I've mangled, had to cut away and wasted many feet of wire over time doing this. It's best to have a game plan when cutting your wire and starting your project. But, sometimes it's just amazing to explore what you don't know is up there. Try it... you might dig it. :)


I hope you like these. They are now listed in my Etsy store! Please see the side panel for a quick link to the listings!


New Wire Wrapped Earrings in Gold Fill and Sterling Silver, Now in Etsy!

Holler Daze are coming... (rolls over giggling!) ~
I had a ball creating these as they're a 'new style' for me and I think I love them! The tiny wire wrapping, coiling I think they call it, is a very popular technique these days as it should be! I personally love it and am set to learn more about how to wrap this way. So much to learn, so short on wire! Ikes! I managed to get these finished and am in the works to find more wire and put a few new pieces together. These are in my Etsy store now so please SHOP to your hearts content! :)

Something to think on during the holiday months....

What to do with 'left over' jewelry??? Or jewelry that didn't sell in the year?

Q. What happened to all my 'old' earring styles and pendants from last year?

A. Well, like every November... my left over pretties go directly to the Child Protection Services Christmas auction. My good friend is a Saint and puts this auction on every year to raise money for the needy kids (she's like Mrs. Santa Clause). ;)

Her mission is to get people, businesses and friends, to donate items to the auction so that oodles of money can be raised for the kids. It's always ALWAYS, my pleasure to give her pieces at the end of my year. It makes me feel really good that my little work, my designs, my effort, contributes to the well being of these children. Thanks to Jacqueline! ....for all her amazing energy and effort.... and for allowing people like me, to give with the labor of our love. She can raise by far more money for those children in that auction with my pieces, then I could ever give her directly in cash. It's a blessing to me.

It's a win, win situation also because in addition to the warm and fuzzy love that goes on when giving your jewelry away to good causes... you can also get a nifty tax deduction thank you letter. It's wonderful to give. :)

I work as a software tech for a non-profit organization and am always trying to give with my time or artwork in some way. I would recommend that rather then getting a buck or two reselling old beads that you don't want or can't use.... take a minute, string them up into something cute anyway and GIVE them to the local non-profit fund raisers or auctions. Your left over beads will be worth much more then a buck or two this way. Much more in appreciation and love. Not to mention your business card can be attached to each donated piece. Great way to market your name and show your heart.

It never escapes me, that for every beautiful gemstone I use, there was someone's back breaking effort to get that stone 'out of the mountain' or earth... Many Someones...

I honor that by not forgetting where they came from... and by trying to give back in a positive way ... what I don't use. Remember that if you are working with Natural products... they came out of our Earth.

Hear with your EAR th
Share with your e ART h
Love with your HEART...
What is precious from our EARTH

Smiles!

RED: Earth / Smell : "I am"
Root chakra, First chakra - lies between the rectum and the genital area. Activity, energy, stamina, joy in living, sexuality, love

Qualities: Full acceptance of life on earth, survival, power to achieve goals, vitality, grounding, satisfaction, material security, stability, primal trust, stillness, courage.

Hooray! A light bulb.
See what bending good wire can do for you?

And finally.. the earring of Purple!