Wire Wrapped Eyeglass Frames

Spirit Dance Adornments Exhibited at Alkebulan Pasadena May 11-18, 2016

For me it always begins with the curve...

It's probably because the mountains around Pasadena have always held me close.

When I pick up wire it responds to the warmth in my hands and curves like the mountains around Pasadena. 

Sometimes the curve stays simple...

sometimes it multiples and moves in unpredictable ways. 

Please join us on May 15, 2015 2-5pm at Alkebulan Culture Center.

Painter Jerry Weems will also be featured.  Of his work Weems says, "As an artist I feel that it is incumbent upon me to tell the story of the African-American experience through my paintings; And in so doing I am telling the story of the many unsung heroes who gave their lives because they refused to submit to the whims of the oppressor.

Find Spirit Dance Adornments at Love Spa, Simi Valley, CA/…

What lifts the spirit?...It's a natural fit... Spirit Dance Adornments and Love Spa (2944-E Tapo Canyon Rd, Simi Valley, CA 93063  phone:805.520.9642)

Love Spa offers wholistic care of the body, spa treatments for skin, hair and body using products from the earth, yoga and pilates instruction.  Just as Love Spa uses products to work the body and spirit they are also offering adornments, jewelry from Spirit Dance.  Each piece of wire wrapped jewelry is made only of gemstones and metals that come from the earth.

Also featured at Love Spa K A L I Alkemi wholistic body care products

Necklaces and Rings

Photography by http://simbikaliphotography.com/
Music by http://www.facebook.com/pages/bZoPresents-THA-INSTRUMENTALS
& http://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-CHRONICLES-PROJECT

Original wire wrapped necklaces and rings of copper and  gemstones

Wire Cages for Undrilled Stones

I love how wire responds as it warm up in my hands.  All of the links and the cages in the necklace of this video are free-form. The necklace came to be by just letting the wire tell me how it wants to embrace the stones and link each element to the other.  The two big chunks of red jasper are undrilled.  Therefore the wire cages.  This work is so therapeutic.

I was going to post a video on creating wire cages or wire bundles as of Szarka of Magpie Gemstone calls them.  Szarka does such a complete job of setting the foundation of this technique that there is nothing more I can say.  In fact I can do nothing but learn from Szarka.  What I can do and what I don't see as much of, is creating a cage for a stone that hasn't be cut into one of the classic jewelry design forms or shapes.  Let me know if that is something you would to see or if you already see a lot of it on the web.

More about cage on this blog;

•  The Earth has Weight a collar I made with a 1-3/4" Green Aventurine  undrilled cabochon.
• I reposted the following video from Youtube.  The artist is creating a necklace from - sea glass.  The glass is undrilled so she uses cages to make the sea glass a part of the necklace, 

Another treat to adorn the ear...Donna Spadafore

Alternatives in ear adornments fascinate me.  In my last post I featured one of the best "ear cuff" tutorials I've seen by Shealynn's Faerie Shoppe.   In this posting I'm featuring the another styleof ear cuff by Donna Spadafore.  Her work is a delight if what you enjoy in jewelry is detail and craftsmanship.  I've re-posted the images of ear cuffs as they appeared on her Facebook Page.  I've also included links to some of her on-line sites.  

As a person who works with  wire, I find all of her work inspiring.  Please check out her work.

https://www.facebook.com/dspadafore1976

https://www.facebook.com/Gailavira?ref=brhttps://www.facebook.com/Gailavira?ref=br_rs

http://www.gailavira.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/http://www.etsy.com/shop/gailavirajewelry

http://gailavira.blogspot.com.

http://www.gailavira.com/

One of the best Ear Cuff Tutorials

Shealynn's Faerie Shoppe...offers one (actually 3, scroll to the end of this post) of the best ear cuff tutorial(s) I've seen! 

I urge you to go directly to her her blog "Shealynn's Faerie Shoppe" and see all the great work she is creating. 
______________________________________________________________
Ear Cuff Tutorial: The Double-Loop Technique




It's been a bit since I've done a proper tutorial, hasn't it? Don't worry, I'll be doing some craftsy
ones soon-- but fellow jewelers are in luck today! I've photographed the making of another kind
of ear cuff (which I'm calling the "Double-Loop" because you kind of loop it twice... I'm having
a really hard time coming up with names for these different ear cuffs!)

For those unfamiliar with ear cuffs, they are awesome and comfortable pieces of jewelry that
simply wrap around the cartilage of the ear-- no piercings required! They are easy to put on and
really stay put!  If you aren't up to making some yourself, be sure to visit my Shoppe, where I sell 
some and also do custom orders.

Before you begin, I recommend that you check out my tutorials on the basic ear cuff 
and the swirly ear cuff. You should be able to create both styles proficiently. You can also 
check out the bow-tie ear cuff tutorial (which is about the same difficulty as this ear cuff). 

Now then. With a few cuffs behind you, it's time to get started with this fun technique! 

We are creating a left ear cuff. Simply mirror the design to create one for the right ear.

This particular design is a bit more understated than the other ear cuffs because the decorative 
are limited to the bottom of the cuff!



You will need:
- 8 inches of 18 ga wire
- needle-nose pliers
-a marker (see my discussion of the type of marker or mandrel you will need)
- (optional) beads, other wire for decorative wrapping, headpins to add dangles, etc.




Cut a length of wire at least 8 inches long.



Bend it at the three inch mark. Make sure that the small loop this creates is actually a loop
-- it's not as comfortable to wear ear cuffs in which the wire is pinched together tightly.



This is where the "double loop" comes into play.

First, bend the wire into a 1 inch zig-zag (just as you did with the swirly ear cuff). The next
part is a bit tricky if you are working with tough wire like me (hard copper is not recommended to
begin with). Take the tail end of the wire on the right-hand side and fold it down and 
around the right-hand loop. 

Did that make sense? Here's a picture of the finished double loop:



The next few steps are just like the other ear cuffs, so I won't narrate these photos...







Okay, now you get to have fun. How do you want the ends of the wire to look? What beads will 
you add? What loops and swirls and decorations will you make with the wire? Have at it!



I found that I had a bit of a hard time keeping mental track of the placement of the ear cuff, so
I kept putting it on the marker (or my ear) as I designed, in order to make sure the swirls and 
beads were just perfect.

If you are adding beads, be sure to very, very slightly bend the wire just above and
 below the beads in order to hold them in place.



I only recently perfected this design, so I don't have any more double-loop ear cuffs to show you. 
Soon!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Please be sure to leave a comment if you used it!

Also, please note that you may use this tutorial to make your own jewelry to sell, but only if you 
credit me for showing you how. It does take time for me to make these tutorials! Thanks!

How to Wear an


Simple Ear Cuff

Fancy Ear Cuff

Ancient Jewellery Techniques

I found this video when I was looking for a video on "S" coils and Egyptian coil.  This is a beautiful video about a beautiful ancient art.

Hand jewelry--jewelry for the hand...Kelli Clarkson made me do it!

About a week ago I caught a Kelli Clarkson video "Stronger."  What blew me away about this video was her jewelry specifically a cuff--a "hand cuff" worn on the back of the hand between the knuckles and the wrist.  It looked very ancient, very powerful...and something I've never seen it span the width of the back of her hand.  What I've described is the best I can tell--even with pausing the video and trying to drag the slider frame by frame. I would share the image of it here with you but my technical skills are lacking.

After viewing the video the first thing I did was to try and find anything like it in images of contemporary jewelry and historical adornment.  Again what I was looking for was not the design of the cuff but; the placement on the hand.

I would love to know if any of you have seen not only Kelli's jewelry but also have you seen wearing a cuff on the hand.  I have to admit it's not a big leap to place a cuff there, in fact it much like a "slave bracelet," (really don't like that term).

So here's my first attempt to respond to the inspiration these images created with the work I'm showing here.

Rings

A few one-of-a-kind original rings. The music is "Breath" from The Chronicles Project," by BZo Cavanass, my sister Sharon Terry's life partner. See and listen to more "Chronicles Project" at http://www.facebook.com/THE-CHRONICLES-PROJECT.

No these are not the color of spring--they are the color of heat and spice. It was 87 degrees here today and it's still March. The weather and these earrings are calling out what is to come.

A look at the Majestical Roof Artist Market Oct. '08

Art Market at Majestical Roof

Yesterday, Sunday October 26, 2008 was the monthly Art Market at Majestical Roof in Old Town Pasadena, CA. The weather was beautiful and the energy was perfect. Thank you Christina Berernal, Yvonne Russo (owners) and Lynn Graves, Creative Director.

The following is from the Roof's My Space site and gives a clear idea what you find at their shop and events.

"The Majestical Roof is a unique operation situated in what many find to be a wonderful brick enclosed courtyard at the corner of Fair Oaks and Holly Street in Pasadena. (88 North Fair Oaks)What makes the Majestically Roof unique is the principle motivation behind the business, "Supporting big ideas, locally" and "No Mass Manufactured Products" (No MMP).Building relationships with local small creative businesses is what this operation is about. Providing the artisan or designer, the creative entrepreneur a place to test market, launch a product, or just get a foot up in an otherwise dog-eat-dog market is part of the Majestical Roof dream. It's Small Mart Economics at it's best and it's locals only. "

The Majestical Roof is located at 88 N. Fair Oaks, Suite 102Pasadena, Ca. 91103(626) 844-8886. You can visit their My Space site at http://www.myspace.com/majesticalroof . Eye Level Pasadena is another blog that reported on Majestical Roof. They offer some some wonderful images of the charming space as well as commits by locals about the shop and how Majestical Roof acts as community members of the City of Pasadena and local artist. Also check out the Pasadena Weekly on-line for more details about Majestical Roof.

There will be another Art Market at the end of November. As soon as I get the date I will pass it on, because I will have a table there with wire wrapped adornments. I will be offering custom rings for men, women and children made to order while you wait. I will offer copper (my favorite) brass and silver. I have a couple of images of the stones and crystals you can choose from.

The owners said they are considering the economic times we are in and will offer a lay-away plan. Who said artist don't have a mind for business!

Continuing work on Memory

Memorial Gestation . . .Woven to an adjustable frame, copper coils snake around my wrist like a vine of warm memories. Tiny hematite tubes and copper seed beads flow together into embellished spaces for memories to nest and be nurtured. The open spaces of this cuff are the passages where memories can be birthed. Two multifaceted crystals are conductors of light that radiates my energy to and from the cuff. Smokey Quartz provides spiritual clarity to identify memories and resist the lies of history. Tiny Hematite tubes and beads give substance to the gestation of memories of the past, the present and the future. With this cuff I wear my memories here at the pulse point of my wrist or at the top of my arm close to my heart. With this cuff I am reminded that memories must be allowed to gestate.

I have once again joined the Year of Jewelry . It is a ongoing weekly 'personal challenge' web project for jewelry makers, presented by Creative Jewelry Forums. When I joined it last year, family issues demanded all of my time. Despite the demand or because of it, I didn't stop wrapping jewels and metal, in fact I introduced others to the creative practice. Most importantly I found how deeply satisfying the process is for finding peace during chaos and excitement and stimulation in quiet and calm.

I've continued to work on representing the idea of the power memories. My last blog entry Friday, March 16, 2007, featured a copper cuff that began my consideration on how to represent the theme of memories. Perhaps more accurately, as the cuff evolved and provoked my thoughts on the theme. As you can see in the images from that entry, the copper frame of the last cuff is full of stones, crystals, copper beads and wire embellishments. In some ways the cuff represents the memories of a mature person, crowded, diverse and sometimes requiring a lot of work to gain access to what was. With the current cuff I had -2- goals. 1-to make an adornment that anyone, everyone could fit. The first cuff can only fit a person of size with large bone hands--in short a woman like me. The the new cuff is adjustable.

My second goals was to not fill every space possible with metal, glass and stones, but to leave negative space where possibility for new memories exist. Looking from the other side of my experiences from the last year I have to believe, show myself, that there is always time and space for the gestation of memories.

The Earth Has Weight. . .

The Earth is where we begin . . .The Earth is were we end. In the Adinkra language system, the earth is the feminine and half of the whole. Combined the Earth and the Heavens are whole.
. . .the earth is where we have weight . . .the heavens are where we can fly. Our bodies endeavor on earth. . .our sprits rest in the sky.
Copper coils embellish the frames and give the earthy weight to this adornment. Rutilated African quartz serve as the balance and anchors in the focal setting of this bracelet. Picture Jasper caught up in a freeform copper setting creates the second element of this piece. The third element is a round slice of batik bone encircle with coiled copper and held in place by tiny cooper beads on one end and fine gage of coiled copper wire on the other end. The hand made free form clasp is also coiled with more copper wire and caught in a handmade copper eye.

All materials in the adornment are what give the earth weight:

Elements used in this adornment:

Jasper: stone of protection, heighten awareness, joy, balancing of physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual energies.
Crystal Quartz: Intensifies energy, spiritual development, healing, raises consciousness.
Copper: Found in adornments and tools crafted by the ancients the world over, copper has long been a metal of choice. Don’t be afraid of the patina—the green, blue green result of oxidation. Modern snobbery demotes the beauty and practicality of this metal. Those who allow their Sprits to Dance remember. . .and make a choice of copper.