Happy Tears

Happy Tears Set (Earrings and Bracelet)

I made the bracelet a little while ago but it needed some earrings to go with it. I wasn't sure what design to choose for the earrings as I wanted something simple, so this is what I came up with.


The feature beads are the Bluesy Pink 1 beads I bought from Firedance beads a while back. The metal I've used is rose gold - the first time I have used this. It's funny how each metal is different to work with. I've also used white jade, frosted quartz (clear), rosy pink cherry quartz, and aquamarine. All the glass beads (including the lovely pale rose rondelle beads) are from Firedance beads.

The bracelet is a simple design of beads wired together in a chain with a pretty handmade clasp. I wanted the beads to shine and the design (I felt) therefore had to be flowing rather than complex.



The earrings are elegant and flowing, too, with the beads just strung on the wire which then was shaped and hammered to the current elliptical form.


The set is for my new wedding range which I am currently putting together - like the Fairy Queen Tiara and matching Fairy Queen corsage bracelet.

Nature Theme - Moon Flower, More Leafy Blue and Stargazer Lily Necklace

Busy weekend, but I managed a few new creations. Just can't keep my fingers still!


Moon Flower Necklace

This happened by accident. I'd made the centre piece to go with the Stargazer Lily necklace (at the bottom of this entry) but when I attached it I didn't like it. It was just too much, so I decided to make it into a pendant.



I've used a lovely vintage opaline bead in the centre which reminded me of the moon, so I cut out a crescent shape from copper sheet, shaped it, filed it, sanded it and then played with the pencil torch until I had a lovely deep red colour with lots of texture and a few highlights.


Below you can see the wonderful fire of the vintage opaline bead.


Here's a the crescent in detail.

Another close up of the opaline bead. I love the way it reflects the light and reflects it back onto the copper.

A simple chain and a handmade clasp finished the design.



Leafy Blue Bangle

Another labour of love. This bangle took me two days off and on. It's to go with the leafy blue earrings, but all three items (earrings, necklace and bangle) will be sold separately in my Etsy shop.



I started off with drawing the shape on copper sheet, then cutting it out as well as I cut with my tin snips. After a LOT of filing and sanding I finally had the shape I was after. I sanded the surface on both sides, then brushed it to give it a soft texture.


To make the bracelet (which at this point was quite delicate) easier to put on and take off, I decided to change the design from the wave bangles to a cuff bangle by adding a thick gauge copper wire frame to the inside, which I attached to the leaf design with wire, adding little blue topaz beads as I went along.



The final touch were the five aquamarine briolettes I added to the front of the bangle.

The bangle now slips easily on and off and due to the design it can also be worn at the top of the arm (if you happen to have a slim arm).




Leafy Blue Necklace

Here is the matching necklace. It was cut from copper sheet, then adorned with blue topaz and aquamarine beads.

A simple chain and a lovely handmade clasp finish it off. The necklace is quite short so it sits flat and looks beautiful with a higher neckline as well as a low neckline.


Here's a closeup of the centre of the necklace with the three aquamarine beads and a cluster of blue topaz beads.


Here is a closeup of the side wher the copper leaf design is attached to the chain.

Here are the links that Alison posted in the comments section. She's right they do look like something much, much older:

Head dress 1
Head dress 2
Head dress 3
Head dress 4


Stargazer Lily Necklace

Finally, here's the necklace that matches the earrings I made a while back.

I made three little flowers cut from copper sheet, filed, sanded and then torched. This time I was a bit more experimental and achieved a beautiful raspberry red colour plus some apricot highlights. I was very pleased with that. :-) I added two different sizes of vintage opaline beads to the flowers to complete them.

Thick copper wire was turned into a 'stick' to attach the flowers to. This was also shaped, filed, sanded and then torched to the same deep raspberry colour.


I used the most gorgeous copper vintage chain to attach the pendant to.


Finally, I made a clasp and a little dangle (a copper leaf with a centre line cut out, a dangle made with a wire wrapped opaline bead and a couple of Miyuki drop beads) to finish off the design. I like the organic feel of the design.

Below you can see the detail of the patina on the copper leaf.

London, True Love Too and Blue Leafy Earrings

Had a very busy half term week so far. Went to London on Tuesday to meet Penny with her son Toby and Caroline with her daughter Stacie. It was great fun but far, far too short, although we managed to fit in lunch at the World Cafe in Neal's Yard, a coffee at Covent Garden and, of course, a quick (expensive) trip to the bead shop in Neal's Yard.

At the bead shop I managed to pick up the final missing piece of my True Love Too necklace. The copper heart necklaces have proven very popular so far, so I decided to make another along similar lines.

True Love Too

This one was another labour of love as I punched holes into the heart which I then filed out and connected to make the filigree pattern. I also used the hole punch to make little 'dents' in which to set perfect little vintage diamante stones in ruby red.

The pendant, as you can see below also has the lovely lampwork heart that I bought in Neal's Yard on my trip to London attached to it and a lovely vintage key charm.

The chain was created with handmade jump rings, wire roses (like in the Candy Roses Bracelet but smaller) and lots of vintage beads of varying sizes and shapes in red and black. The final touch was some double-ring copper vintage chain.


Below you can see the little dangle I added to the back of the chain next to the handmade clasp. I've used a lovely vintage heart charm in red and a vintage heart charm in black plus a little copper heart made by yours truly and set with another of the vintage ruby red diamantes.



The visit to London was inspiring, there was so much to see and look at. However, nothing like the earrings below. :-)


Blue Leafy Earrings

These were fun to make. I designed a paper template for the little twig, then cut it out in copper twice and filed, sanded and brushed the twigs and drilled a little hole in the top.


Then I made the 'blossoms': one is a whole lot of blue topaz chips threaded onto copper wire, the other is an aquamarine wrapped in thinner copper wire.


To finish it off I added the gorgeous spiral ear wires and threaded the leaves and blossoms on. To make sure it all stays in place I added a lovely little copper saucer bead and a crimp bead.

Watch this space, there will be a matching necklace and bangle coming soon.

The Stargazer Lily earrings have now been sold, but there will be a necklace with similar little flowers soon. Possibly even a bracelet.

Today I went to see the new Indiana Jones film with a friend and four kids. We all thought it was great fun and well worth watching.

Bangle Magic - Roman Bangle and Wave Bangles

Had some fun with copper and cool blue or rather sea foam blue green beads:

Roman Bangle

This reminded me of Roman mosaics in a pool.



I started off with a heavy gauge copper wire and shaped and hammered it, filing and sanding any sharp bits.


I then started adding the beads with fine copper wire.


You can see below the beads I've used: amazonite cubes in shades of blue, pale green jade cubes and lovely pale blue aquamarine (rectangle) beads. I've finished it off with a 3 very, very pale green Magatama drops. It took me about half a day to wrap all the beads around, there are loads of them to achieve this lovely mosaic effect.



Wave Bangle: Copper

I really had fun with this, although my hands wouldn't agree.

This is my wave bangle:



I first cut it out of copper sheet, then filed and sanded it smooth.

Finally, I added some handmade hole to pull it together and hammered it some more over a bangle mandrel. I added some handmade jump rings, a handmade copper fish, a little handmade wire spiral and some lovely watery Magatama drops to finish it off.

Here's the bangle just after cutting:

Here you can see close up how the shapes look before filing. You can only get so close to the design with a pair of tin snips!

It took me almost a day to finish this.



Wave Bangle: Fine Silver

This was made from Fine Silver sheet in the same way as the bangle above, although I freehand designed the wave pattern in each case rather than creating a template.


Here you can see the front (top) and back (bottom) of the bangle in more detail.


This is the bangle from the top. To get it this round you really need a bangle mandrel, especially with the little waves that just want to stick out until you hammer them into place.

Below you can also see the two little fish charms and jump rings (all handmade of course).


The Fine Silver Wave is not for sale, the other two bangles will be available from my Etsy shop soon.

A New Year, New Ideas, New Designs - Part 2 Sterling Silver and Semi Precious

I've recently been going Chalcedony-mad. I love Chalcedony. It's a lovely semi-precious stone that comes in all sorts of wonderful colours.

Below is a set I made for myself. The earrings use sea green Chalcedony faceted briolettes, wrapped with sterling silver wire. The findings are all sterling silver. They are very simple but effective. :-)


I wanted to have a matching necklace, so I used a slightly larger, onion shaped faceted Chalcedony bead, wrapped it with Sterling silver wire and hung it from two Sterling silver swirly connectors. The chain is silverplated as I didn't have a Sterling silver chain fine enough for the necklace.


Chrysocolla and Aquamarine Earrings

These were made for a friend of mine whose birthday it is today. The findings are all Sterling silver and the round beads are Chrysocolla and the briolettes are Aquamarine.



Watch this space. There will be more Sterling silver wire designs with semi-precious gems to come.