Texas Wire Twister

Old Necklace

2009-09-14T14:51:00.005-05:00

Old Favorite Friend

This piece is made entirely of Amazonite beads, different sizes and shapes. I got the focal and many of the beads from Szarka, owner of Turquoise Magpie Gemstones. It's an absolutely fabulous focal - it has some interesting color and a bit of quartz, you can see it on the right side of the focal, just below center. The clasp is handmade, I used 16guage Red Brass, hammered flat.

This necklace has an extension chain, decorated with the same amazonite nuggets used in the necklace. This way, I can alter it to fit the neckline of the blouse.

This one gets lots of compliments when I wear it. I've had several offers to buy it, but it has sentimental value to me and cannot bear to part with it at this time.

Hammered Clasps

2009-07-31T20:25:00.004-05:00

This is a picture of a clasp I made today. It's red brass, but I'm not sure the color can be seen too well. The wire is 14 guage. I tried a new technique with these - I finally used the beautiful mirror finish chasing hammer I bought from Szarka a few weeks ago. You can find one here: http://www.magpiegemstones.com/catalog/item/5307716/5380927.htm

Szarka, this pic is for you, darlin'! Check out the hammering :-) It made the wire a bit more difficult to twist, I had to get out the really big pliers. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the outcome.

Fish Hook Sharpener

2009-07-31T16:12:00.003-05:00

When we took the children to Port Aransas a couple of months ago, I picked up this fish hook sharpener. I want to thank my dear friend Sherry http://sherrysjewels.blogspot.com/for the awesome tip! It works great to clean up the burs left on the wire after snipping with the wire cutters. I was using a flat file and sometimes the wire would slip and scratch it. This handy tool takes the work out of angling the wire. A quick rotation of the wrist while striking the wire down the length of the sharpener yeilds a beautifully filed end and no scratches! I use this tool almost as much as my round nose pliers. Sherry, your the best!

SCORE!! at Nomadic Notions in Austin

2009-07-28T16:11:00.002-05:00

I found these drawers at Nomadic Notions today! I love the fact that they're used and from a popular jewelry store, they have a background and fun story. There were more for sale, they currently have the smaller drawers. I like these because they're larger and I can store my strands in them. Usually, I open a strand, take many beads off to get the perfect bead for my creation. I don't like to take the time to restrand them, so I put them all in a ziploc baggie. I'm thinking about going over to this system for all my beads so I can mark on the baggie more info about the beads - where I bought them, how much they cost (including s/h, etc.) and of course, what type of stone the bead was labeled. Anyway, back to my find - saw these on the floor in the back and had to beg for them. The ladies who work there are so sweet and sold them to me even though they weren't put out for sale yet.

new necklace creation

2009-07-26T17:00:00.003-05:00

This piece is my newest necklace creation. I finally got up the courage to mix up some color. The focal is a faceted dyed red agate. Most of the other red beads are faceted red agate. The blue beads are one of my favorite - amazonite. There is only one faceted amazonite, the square ones are sort of faceted. Another interesting dimension I added to this piece is that the red beads are faceted and most of the blue beads aren't. The extension chain and clasp are handmade with solid copper wire.

New Jewelry

2008-12-27T18:33:00.000-06:00

It's been a long time since I added any new pieces to this site. I've been learning about the camera, how to access files and move them around.

As far as the jewelry design and production, this last year, (when I have time), has been spent working on clasps. I’ve been working with 14 guage wire, and have almost used a pound of copper in 2.5-3 inch increments. First, I draw out the design on ¼ inch graph paper, then attempt to twist it to the desired shape. I’ve learned a lot this last year about how to hold the wire, how it behaves when I apply force to it, how much it can bend before it gets too hard, etc. Also, I’ve been working on the balance of the clasp, it’s been an interesting study. Hopefully, I'll post more aobut this later.

This piece is made from some luscious amethyst that I bought from Szarka http://www.magpiegemstones.com/home.html last year. I don't think that she has these diamond amethyst beads any longer in her store, but she still carries an awesome selection of lovely beads at an affordable price. The round amethyst are 4mm round that I also got from Szarka. The clasp is sterling silver, 14 guage. The extender chain is made of 22 guage sterling silver, with large hole amethyst that I bought from The Rock Barrell in Dallas.

The earrings are lovely faceted amethyst that I bought from Sea of Beads here in Austin. http://www.seaofbeads.net/ They are hung with 24 guage sterling silver on titanium earwires.

I'm happy with this ensemble, blessed darling daughter Nikki recieved them for Christmas - lucky girl ;-)

2007-02-21T20:14:00.000-06:00

Here is a bracelet I had fun making. All the stones are green aventurine of various sizes and cuts. The clasp is 16 guage yellow brass, the beads are pewter and the wrapping on the stone is 20 guage red brass. I like the red brass much better than the yellow brass, it has a richer tone.

I finally managed to get a decent picture. I've been trying for a couple of days to get a sharp image. I wanted to put it on a dark background but the camera won't focus on the image. I hope to get more pictures soon once I find the magic combination of camera settings, background, lighting, etc.

2007-01-16T19:52:00.000-06:00

I've been having fun changing things up on my blog - I was able to fix the picture so you can see it bettah! Thanks, Lis, for the suggestion to post the image in the body of the message - I think it came out so much nicer, you can now see the twisties a little better.

The components are made out of 16 guage brass wire . The focal bead is wrapped with 22 guage square wire and 18 guage half round. I had a lot of fun putting this necklace together - almost every bead is different. I got these colorful beads (mixed semi-precious stone chips) from Szarka: www.turquoisemagpie.com

I wear this necklace when I'm in a colorful mood!

First Post

2007-01-15T00:50:00.000-06:00

I'm testing this blog to see how easy it is to create. So far, it seems pretty easy. I thought that since some of the jewelry designers on the yahoogroups I subscribe to have blogs for their pretties, I'd create one too.

Hi Szarka's Design and Mei Mei! You guys are my inspiration :-)

I hope to learn more about my camera and how to take good pictures. Maybe I'll dig some of the old pieces I made mumble many years ago and photograph them. Maybe I'll be inspired to twist more wire for jewelry components and make new pieces. We'll see.
Time constraints, time constraints. The girls are getting ready for anime fest and the boy is getting ready for a robot competition - it may take more time than I like to get more pretties up for ya'll to gander at.

Texas Wire Twister

2007-01-14T23:54:00.000-06:00