Nos. 18, 19, 20 And Summer Is Here

Here they are, some light summery party pairs resting on Coney Island shells.

This pair is my first attempt at using a jig. I got mine at wigjig. Wigjig also features lengthy tutorials on working with wire, including one on how to form the swirly elements. They were originally intended to be bracelet components.

This pair involved some free twirling. I wanted to suspend the bead in the middle of the oval hoop and ended up using a jump ring to hang up the bead.

And last, but not least, some hoops strung with stone chips and seed beads. They strike me as kind of tribal something one of the Flintstone girls might wear.

No. 17 Chain Maille

I’m intrigued by chain maille. I love the beautiful shapes you can create just by linking rings together. At times, trying to follow a chain maille pattern can be like solving a brain teaser. These earrings use 6 mm and 4 mm rings. The pendants are, again, tagua nut beads. For more chain maille ideas check out the web site of the Maille Artisans International League

No. 16 Bowl of Cherries

Alright, so these have nothing to do with cherries, and yes they are very similar to this lonely one. But, hey I made them so they count toward the 99 pairs, right. Also the bottom bits are a little different from the red one. Can you tell which one was wrapped with pliers and for which one I used my fingers? In a commercial description I would say something to the effect of “slight imperfections give this jewelry their unique charm and are entirely intended by the craftswoman. . .”

No. 15 Wacky Wires

Can you tell that I’m trying to get away from the green thing? These are glass and resin beads on bits of wire twisted this way and that. By the way, the great thing about having kids is that you have wonderful props for these pictures. Although, this clock is actually mine; an “antique” from the 70’s.

No. 11 Squiggles

Some more wire. This time with earring stoppers. To get this kind of spiral you take a length of wire and fold it in half. Bend over the folded tip and start wrapping the wire around it shaping a spiral. When you have about an inch left, separate the doubled up wires and make loops at opposite ends of the spiral. Here, I used a 6 inch length of wire that rendered a .5 inch spiral. By the way, do you like the double jump rings?

No. 10 One is the loneliest number. . .

For a brief moment in time and space there were two of us, but now after 72 hours I am alone. Why didn’t she secure us with some earring stoppers. Now I have to hang on this oversized martini glass surveying peoplekind without a mate. Great sadness.

As you can tell I’m in a wiry mood. I guess it makes sense. Once you learn how to string a bead you want to graduate to the lofty heights of wire work. It’s April and here is Number 10. Only 89 to go. Yikes!

No. 5 Industrial Spring

Lately, I’ve really liked the look of exposed stringing wire. I find it looks industrial and yet delicate. These earrings feature two stringing wires with a faceted bead strung on one of them together with a crimp bead to position it. The drop is strung over both wires and that whole contraption is held together with two larger crimp beads. Perfect for a sunny February day when the crocuses are just starting to peek through the dirt. Happy Valentine’s Day.

No. 4, or how to freak out your fish. . .

This pair uses carnelian (I think) beads in combination with sodalite ovals, Thai beads and bead caps and silver wire. The silver bead hides the twist in the wire that keeps the sodalite oval in place. The two ends of the wire run through the silver and carnelian beads and the bead cap to end in a wrapped loop.

No. 2

Clasp Earrings

The centerpiece of these earrings are the two halves of a clasp. Just wear the clasps or pretty them up further with something dangley.

Earring Pair No. 1

Here is my project for the year: I want to make 99 different pairs of earrings over the course of the next 12 months. That averages about 2 pairs a week. We’ll see how I fare with this resolution. This is the first pair of the year:

For Christmas my husband gave me a bunch of tools and a bag of potato beads. While browsing for a new technique to try out, I stumbled upon the idea of a wire cage. To make these pretties you need:

• Two 4 inch pieces of wire (22 gauge) for the cage
• Two 3 inch pieces of wire for the wrapped loops
• 2 beads you want to envelop in the cage
• 2 4mm crystal beads to dangle off the loop
• earring wire
• bits of fine chain
• 2 small split rings

To put them together:

The Cage

1. Make a small loop at the end of one 4 inch wire and then begin spiraling about 2 inches of the wire. Repeat from the other end.
2. Keep spiraling the two coils until they overlap and then pull the center of each spiral out to form the top.
3. Insert the bead in the cage and tweak the wire around it until you arrive at a shape to your liking.

The Loop

1. Begin creating a wrapped loop, but thread a crystal on the wire before you wrap the loop.
2. Move the bead around in the cage until the hole aligns with the top of the bead. Then thread the straight end of the wrapped loop through the top of the cage, the bead and the bottom of the cage.
3. Begin creating another wrapped loop at the other end of the wire, but thread the end of the chain onto the wire before wrapping it.

The Finale

1. Attach the other end of the chain to a split ring.
2. Attach the split ring to the earring wire
3. Repeat the whole process with the other earring.