French Rope Set

Commonly known as French Rope, these spiral 6 in 1 chains made with jump rings of half round wire have been popular for a rather long time.

This set is all in sterling silver, they exudes elegance!

The necklace closes with a hand forged heart toggle from heavy 12 awg sterling silver wire.

Right, and a couple more blings won't hurt:-) specially when their slender shape so nicely matching the heart shape clasp on the necklace.

Emmy-worthy! (padding self on back:-)

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Purrrrrrrple PawPrints Bracelet

Purrrrrrple and sooooo purrrrty:-)

(that sounds like a sticky keyboard, LOL!!)

What do paw prints and Borg have in common? (quick!)

It is futile to resist them!  Oh, I crack myself up!  XD!!!

Same design as its little big brother, this PawPrints bracelet is all purple and very light weight.

The anodized aluminum rings keep the bracelet light as feathers (almost), while the stainless steel connector rings provide strength.

At 1" wide, 7 1/2" long, this cutie is easy on the wrist, thanks to the subtle toggle bar latching into the last paw print units on the other end of the bracelet, making it nearly seamless and very comfortable to wear.

This lovely bracelet is now available for purchase at my online studio DaisyKreates.com.  Hope to see you there.

Visit my Picasa web album for all the Purple PawPrints:-)

oOOo

O

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R&D - Scale Lotus Flower

Been seeing many different lotus flowers made with scales.  Most are made with scales and jump rings.  But since I learned from Xander's tutorial on double-layer scales and rubber flowers, and seeing several other scale flowers with multiple layers, I've been wanting one.  And here's my experiment.

The center is covered with a little wire spiral.

And the bottom is rather open and flat.  With all the little jump rings pulling outward, they function kind of like a stand for the flower.

Using rubber rings instead of jump rings has its advantage, no fussing over closure; but they can be tricky since they are always "closed"; a different way of thinking and linking required:-)

Cute, huh?!

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Ninja Star Finger Ring

A new twist in the popular scale maille flowers! This is a fun ring to wear during the relaxing, warm summer days!

Made of brushed aluminum scales, put together with orange color rubber O-rings and purple aluminum jump rings, this scale flower stays flat more so than many other scales flowers. From the side, it looks almost like those secret "ninja stars" from legends of the ancient days!

Oh, but do not throw this at anyone. For one thing, it is too cute for a weapon; besides, its light weight will not reach too far a distance:-) Bright and anodized aluminum are both light weight, making them well suited for big statement rings.

Measuring at 1 3/4 inches wide, a mere 3/8 inch high, this finger ring fits comfortably for size 7 to 7 1/4.

Available for purchase at my ArtFire studio.

Check out all my scale flower/ninja stars applications, please visit my Picasa Web Album.

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:::

Asynchronous Orbits Post Earrings

Several of my friends/customers have asked if I have earrings that are not that long, and maybe on ear posts, as opposed to the common French ear wires.  Yup, here they are!

These are the same design as my Asynchronous Orbits earrings but slightly shortened on the top edge, and replaced with sterling silver ear posts.

They are still cute, very eye-catching, but not as long and dangly as the ones on ear wires.  The slightly shortened length allows for the silver rings to fall just below the ear lope, preserving their subtle movement without tugging on the ears.

These are still 1/2" wide, a tiny bit over 1" long, colorful but slender near the ear, bright and lively at the silver rings!

~~~~ Materials ~~~~

Sterling silver and anodized niobium.

Available for purchase in my online studio DaisyKreates.com.

About niobium

Niobium is a natural material, element number 41 on the periodic table. The color of natural niobium is a dark, warm gray.  Natural niobium requires no maintenance, will not tarnish in our natural environment.

When anodized, a layer of "skin" forms on the metal surface and reflects colors of the spectrum.  Niobium is hypoallergenic, even for people with most skin sensitivity.  Anodized niobium will not tarnish either; however just as any anodized colors on metals, they should be treated similar to your other fine jewelry, avoid contact with any abrasive materials and prolong direct sun light.  To clean it, use water and mild soap, gently slush and pat dry; store anodized niobium in separate bag/container to avoid accidental scratches by other harsh materials.

Niobium has long been my favorite metal to use in handmade jewelry. Hope you will like it too.

OOooOOooOOoo

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Moon Rabbit Key Fob

In Chinese folklore, Moon Rabbit stories are special. I've heard plenty stories of the rabbit in the moon since childhood; great starting point for lots of design ideas!

This is after several incarnations since the prototype.

I know, it's highly abstract.  But there's enough for the imagination to work with:-)

Made of thick gauge anodized aluminum and bright aluminum rings, the bunny is sturdy enough to hold its shape; but the head, the long ears, and the fluffy tail can all move along the body rings, giving the bunny different poses and looks.

And the little bell will charm just enough to help you find your key chain when it's sitting at the bottom of your purse:-)  I've always needed that!!!

This little cutie can be available for purchase by custom order.  Drop me an email for any questions on custom orders!

R&D - Bunny Rabbit

This idea has been floating around in my head for a while....  Many sketches were made (I so wish I knew how to sketch properly)....  Oh and googling down the "rabbit" hole.... LOL, pun intended:-)

Countless experiments later (and there were some fuzzy ones)....  I think it's finally taking shape....

I see it.  Do you?   *grin*

I've been told, "Simple is hard!"  It's true.  Weeding out the unnecessary, playing the negative space, that was hard.

In the end, as it turned out, it really doesn't take much.

This one is mine!!!

Ah, so many animals, so little time....

:::

Japanese Dodecahedron Earrings in Silver Monochrome

What's "Dodecahedron"? Apparently according to online search, it's "any polyhedron with twelve flat faces".  That doesn't quite fit the image of my Japanese dodecahedron (or, JD, for short) earrings....  because these earrings are all silver in color, light weight, and 100 percent sassy adornment to any face:-)

Measuring under 3/4 inch wide, and 2 1/2 inches long from tip of ear wire to bottom of tassels, these earrings are mid-length in profile, with spheres as focal design.  They are just the right size for weekdays and weekends; the monochromatic scheme fits day wear and evening wear; the Swarovski crystals sparkle discretely be it formal or casual.  They are the multi-function, super darling accessory you'll reach for time and time again!

To limit the weight, I selected bright aluminum jump rings to construct the surface of the sphere.  This also allows for the slightly heavier stainless steel tassels below the sphere to maintain a taut outline of the overall piece.  Yes, it is true that the devils are in the "engineering" detail when it comes to chainmaille jewelry:-)

The JD earrings are available for purchase in my online studio DaisyKreates.com.  Hope to see you there!

For complete views of the earrings, please visit my Picasa web album.

Petite Tea Roses Earrings

Here are a couple of tea roses to adorn your ear lopes:-)

These cuties are such a delight way to brighten any outfit!

Vividly colored, feather weight, no maintenance required. My Petite Tea Roses earrings are full of movement, without long danglies or fringes.

I created these earrings using the classic chainmaille mobius weave, but with a unique spin on ring size selection to transform the typical circular shape into a stylized rose with multi-color petals. Thanks to the flexible nature of chainmaille, each ring of the "roses" can shift and overlap one another so lively, they are not only fun to wear, but a joy to hold as well.

Measuring at 1/2 inch wide, and 1 1/2 inches long, these earrings are made with anodized and bright aluminum rings that will not tarnish over time. The ear wires are silver plated surgical steel.

I had so much fun making and wearing these earrings, I think I'll make a few more of them, in different color mixes, maybe a pendant to go with it, or a necklace of tea roses in full bloom, yeah!!!

These tea roses earrings are now available for purchase in my online studio.  Hope to see you there!

Come by my Picasa web album for complete view of my petite tea roses in red mixes.

OOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOO

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Less is More

This time, I'm talking about backgrounds, as in props/mannequins for displaying jewelry for online photos.

Ever since I took the first photo of my handmade jewelry, I wonder how to show their best while easily relating them to how they look on me and you.

Too many hours were spent on research; too much has been invested in professional specialty displays; still nothing close to what I imagined to be "user friendly", until now..............

Yes, you saw that right!  It's a photo of a woman's face from the side, sized and printed in life size, with a small hole thru the ear lope position to approximate the typical pierced ear.  I did turn the photo into black and white, because the earrings are already a colorful one.

Now, I put the ear wire thru the small hole, lean the paper against a sturdy object, add lights and camera, then

Action!

What do you think?  Easy, peasy, right? !!!  Granted, there was some image manipulation involved, and several printings to make sure the face and ear images on paper are about average adult sizes.  Clever, huh?!

I can't take credit for this idea.  I got it from my dear sister's good friend, Alice.

Thank you, Alice!!

Dancing in the Rainbow - Part 2

Following upon yesterday's post of the sparkly set of "Dancing in the Rainbow", here's a little collage for the necklace.

This genie bottle pendant has the same elements as all her older sisters:-) but a whole lot more colors.  In fact, just about all the colors in the rainbow, and a couple more, making up the chamber portion of the chainmaille genie bottle.

Unlike all my other genie bottle pendants that "lounge" on the neck chains, this "all-spectrum" genie bottle sits straight up in the middle of the necklace.  It's incorporated into the necklace in a more classic design, very prim and proper:-)

Same as the other pieces of the set, this necklace is loaded with Swarovski crystals on its fringes.  We are going full force for the "bling factor"!

Now that we're all set,

~~~~~ Shall we dance? ~~~~~

For complete views of this very special set, please visit my Google Photos album.

;;;

Dancing in the Rainbow

A commissioned 3-piece set of jewelry, with lots of colors, lots of bling!

The finger ring

If this looks lots of fun to wear, it was even more fun to make!

The chainmaille portion is a fancy European 4 in 1, kind of a morphed Chrysanthemum.  Easy enough.

But the base took me a while....  a long while.  Many experiments, lots of testing; I finally settled on the technique I learned from Eni Oken's Ornate Ring, which I modified to make a separate ring base/shank like so....

which can then be used with many other ring applications.  Pretty snazzy, wouldn't you say?!

And here are the earrings with clip-on ear wire findings...

A colorful version of my chainmaille genie bottle line, a very embellished chainmaille Whirlybird.

And finally, the necklace!

* note *

I wanted to take more photos for the necklace but my camera has finally decided to quit.  Not blaming it; it's given me almost 10 years of fun and good time; not many electronic gizmos out there these days can last 10 months with non-stop performance.  Thank you, my little red Exilim!  I will miss you...

So, I'm now shopping for a new camera.  Suggestions/recommendations welcome!  When I'm back behind my new camera, I'll get more pix for this fancy, blingy necklace, provided its owner Eunice will loan this back to me for more photos:-)