Wire Jewelry by Rachel Reilly

Knitting with wire can produce

beautiful jewelry.

The artful collection by

Rachel Reilly is rather theatrical

and showcases a fine control

of texture and movement.

Her one-of-a-kind wearable sculptures
made with wire and feathers

are especially enchanting.

Part of the reason may be her location;

she lives in Glastonbury, South West England

a place she describes as, "a very spiritual and mystical

place with many myths and Arthurian legends.

This undoubtedly has influenced my work."

We can see some of that influence in

these romantic pieces.

The subtle coloration she says is due to

blending several colors at once as she knits

the metal. 

 

She has an uncanny ability to make fine wire

look like fabric.

 

Knitted and sculpted wire has

never looked so romantic.

The graceful, flowing forms

are simply lovely.

For more information,

see Rachel Reilly's website.

 

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Sculptural Wire Jewelry by Kathy Frey

We've long admired the sculptural wire jewelry created by Kathy Frey.

Her work ranges from the stylishly simple to one-of-a-kind elegance, and each piece seems to come to life under her careful and meticulous artistic skills.

For instance, one can see the smooth, undulating shapes of stones in her Riverstones collection,

and her Cages collection delicately captures various types of gemstones,

while her Nests collection alludes to the delicate wispiness of bird nests.

There are many more delightful collections to see.
For more images and information about her work you can visit Kathy Frey's website. 

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Rosanna Raljević Ceglar Jewelry

We are always enchanted by artists
who take an idea to new heights.
One jewelry artist we have recently
become aware of is

Rosanna Raljevič Ceglar

who is noted for using a mundane material

and transforming it with
contemporary fiber art techniques.
 She creates exquisite work using
colored copper wire.

The creative shapes and rich textures are
are just the beginning.
What appears at first to be symmetrical,
constrained and precise design
becomes, upon further inspection,
a dense canvas overflowing with
 a bewildering jumble of
crisscrossed and entwined wires.
When combined with luscious colors
all that energy brings a sense of exuberance.

It's especially noteworthy that she
describes her work as "tidy chaos."
Truly, it is chaos captured in pieces
of graceful beauty.

There are so many pieces in her collections
that we adore. Here are some
of our favorites.

And this cuff is awesome.

The inclusion of materials such as recycled rubber
produces creations that are evocative
of otherworldly plants and things found in nature.
This piece features silver wire and gives a
superb view of the work involved in her creations.

Her work ranges from strong and powerful
to delicate and sweet.



Gotta love earrings that are vivacious and bright.

Veins of wrapped wire provide a strong visual
framework for this piece. 

This artist designs wonderful statement pieces
by using a non-precious material in
an innovative way.

Her random-looking knitting process
is actually a systematic method
of interlacing, wrapping, and plaiting wire.
The results produce pieces that are vibrant
and filled with texture.

We'd love to own one of everything!

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Ronna Sarvas Weltman Jewelry

We like to have fun and wear jewelry
that suits the occasion. 

 Jewelry from Ronna Sarvas Weltman studio
always brings fun and excitement to our day.

Ronna uses various materials in her work
such as sterling and fine silver,
semi-precious stones,

polymer, glass beads, bone, leather,
resins and all sorts of found objects

to craft her one-of-a-kind jewelry.

Of all of her incredible pieces, it's

her rings that we find enchanting.

Here's a wonderful example of

Ronna's one-of-a-kind rings

and here's another spectacular

one-of-a-kind ring

here is another one-of-a-kind

ring that we can't resist

 

Lovely designs, pleasing color palettes,

and excellent craftsmanship.

We are enchanted and inspired.

What do you think?

 

 

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What is Argentium Silver?

Argentium is a relatively new sterling silver Alloy, patented by a company in the UK.

1. Is Argentium still sterling silver? YES! The ratio of silver is still the legally required 0.925 (or 92.5% silver).

2. So what's different? What makes up that last 7.5% of the metal! Standard sterling silver uses a mix of copper and other metals. Argentium, on the other hand, uses Germanium. This means quite a few things for us, creating and wearing the jewelry:

    - Very TARNISH RESISTANT!
    - Easier to maneuver.
    - Slightly lower melting point for soldering.
    - Other benefits as well! Check here for more info.

3. If it is so great, does it cost more? Well, depends on where you search. I've found a few places that have very similar, if not the same, prices for standard sterling and Argentium. Just poke around.

4. Should I buy Argetium for ALL my wire needs? No. The primary reason is because it does not tarnish! That means ANTIQUING the wire is out of the question. Also, it is difficult to find HALF HARD Argentium (stiffer wire) and to find a variety of sizes (or gauges) of wire.

5. Have you found other benefits? YES! When I hammer, there is less clean-up afterwards. With standard sterling, I had to use a Moonshine cloth after hammering and scrub for a bit. Now, I just take the cloth lightly over the surface, and for most hammering, this is perfect! For more intense hammering, I still need to scrub a bit. In general this reduces my creation time, making me able to CREATE MORE JEWELRY.

All in all, this is a great wire. I'm excited to use it more in my jewelry line! Have you used it? Let me know what YOUR experience was like.

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How To Make Ear Wires

Tired of buying all your ear wires?  Here is a relatively simple recipe for making your own!

Tools you will need or want:
- 20 gauge wire*
- Wire cutter
- Round nose pliers
- Mandrel (or a pen with a ridge on it)
- Metal file (relatively fine)
- Nylon jaw pliers (nice to have)
- Polishing cloth (or cotton t-shirt)

*Wire comes in different "stiffnesses."  If you want to hammer your ear wires a bit to keep them in place, "dead soft" wire is fine it seems.  If you don't want to do this, I'd suggest buying "half-hard" wire.  This will help to maintain the shape of your ear wire over time.

Recipe:

1.  Cut two pieces of wire.  I like mine to be 1-3/4" long.

2.  Gently file both ends of the wires to clean them up.

3.  Use your round-nose pliers to wrap a loop at one end of each wire.  I like to go AGAINST the natural curve of the wire for this part.  If you're going to hang a soldered ring, etc. from the loop, it's a good idea to leave the loop a bit open, insert the ring when the ear wire is complete, and then close the loop with the nylon jaw pliers.

4.  Use your mandrel (or pen) to create a nice curve in the center of one wire.  I like to use the 1/4" or 6mm segment of the mandrel.

5.  Bend the second wire about half way on the mandrel.  Why not all the way?  You want to make sure your ear wires are the same length!  Match up the short side of your ear wires (sides with the loops) to see if they are the same. 

If not, bend the longer of the two ear wires slightly to shorten up that side - check again.  When both "short sides" are the same, then finish bending the second ear wire by wrapping only the side without the loop around the mandrel.

6.  Bend the tip of the ear wire with your round nose pliers to finish off the shape.

7.  Round off the tip of each ear wire with your file.  Check to make sure there are no sharp edges.

8.  Polish with your cloth or t-shirt and VOILA!  YOU ARE DONE!  :)

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I can bend metal!

Want to learn how to wrap a neat wire link?  Check out this video that shows you how to make a scroll:

I like to use a nylon jaw pliers instead of the flat-nose pliers because you will leave no marks on the wire.  Also, I like to leave some space between the wire as you bend it for dramatic effect, but that does take a bit of practice.

Now the challenge! Start by figuring out how to make this one:

Then, but only if you're gutsy, try this one:

Can’t figure it out? Send me a message and I’ll help you out! Hehe. We all have to suffer just a little bit for great art! Plus, I felt great when I figured that last one out on my own. :)

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Pliers marring your wire?

As I create these twisted pieces, I notice that the round nose pliers can sometimes leave a little "bite" mark on the sterling.  My nylon pliers are wonderful, but they are flat...

I've heard of people using Tool Magic, which I found at Joann's or FireMountainGems.com.  The instructions tell you to dip your tool into the compound, wait for a few hours, and BAM!  You're golden!

My order is coming in a few days... I'm very excited to try this new technique!  I'll keep you posted ;)

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Donna D'Aquino Jewelry - Architectural Ideas Expressed as Art to Wear

Lines can be curved or straight. Circles can be wobbly or stiff. Triangles can be all of the above. Jewelry can be based on the artistic view of line as rendered in an architectural manner, and the final effect of creating jewelry can be architectural in its effect. Architectural might be an apt description for jewelry made by Donna D'Aquino. Made from wire and sometimes dipped in plastic, each piece vibrates with layers and texture.

This piece is called Wire Bracelet #14



Her work seems rather straightforward in concept, yet multi-layered and complex in execution. As Donna states on her website,

"This body of work is based on line and the act of drawing. I use wire in place of charcoal or pencil to create three-dimensional drawings for the body and wall. The work is inspired by interior and exterior architectural structures such as bridges and telephone towers. "

Here we see her assortment of Chains



We find it intriguing to be asked to think beyond the ordinary usage of jewelry as adornment. Donna says it well on her website,

"It is important to me that an object function both on and off the body. These pieces when not being worn are meant to hang on the wall by a single nail as a drawing floating in space."

This is called Wire Bracelet #59



These are called Thin Line Earrings




Layers and textures. . . as far as the eye can see. Circles, rectangles, triangles; numerous architectural variations on a theme. There is a sense of solidarity in her work. While each piece is consistent in design and flavor with the previous piece, it is the sense of delight one experiences when viewing the next piece in the series that inspires one to envision not only wearing each piece but also to enjoy its artistic merit while viewed on one's wall.

Here is an amusing brooch. And yes, it would be fun, not to mention mesmerizing to view this piece hanging on the wall to be admired as art.

Brooch 4N Steel/18kt



We are intrigued by the layering of lines and the architectural structures she creates by these layerings. So much of Donna's work reminds us of decisive, insistent line drawings rendered in three dimensions. Here is our favorite piece, called Wire Neckpiece 42L.



Here we have an artist who is so clearly inspired by line, drawing, and architectural shapes.


What do you find inspiring?


How do you decide what to focus on and what to ignore?


How is your artistic world view shaped?

Tell us what you think. We always invite comments.

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