Playing with Metal - Sprite Earrings

Much safer than playing with fire!! :-)

For as much as I'm addicted to chainmaille, from time to time, I would find myself back doodling with metal wires, for its flexibility, fluidity, and best of all, forgiveness :-)  With only hand tools, forming the coils, stretching it, loosening a round, compress the next few, the possibilities are endless!

And if it's with niobium...

You can add pops of colors too; they are pure joy!

 

Now available in my online studio www.daisykreates.com.

btw, did I mention the possibilities are endless? :-)

They're equally delightfully in all precious silver!

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Forged Heart Pendant

Following my original design of S-hook clasp, I went on to experiment with more complex versions.  One of the variations was the whimsical ducky clasp, which is a stylized ducky outline complete with a pointy tail, folded wing, and a long beak that easily catches and releases to function as a clasp.

Alternatively, when I bring the beak closer to touch the duck body, then turn the duck side way, it becomes a shapely heart!  Additional bending and forging of the wire creates the varying thickness in the final heart shape, reminiscent of calligraphy but with metal.

Since I can never stay with just one color, this newly re-purposed clasp got a rainbow dip in the anodizing pool, so to speak (hahaha, I crack myself up!)

OK, so it's pretty easy so far.  Finishing the heart clasp on a necklace is a different story.  Deciding where to add the crystals, how to hang the pendant, what kind of neck ware, and how does it clasp, etc etc...  The devil is always in the detail.

But I must say I'm pretty happy with the results.  Every little part fits together finally and nicely, making it a one of a kind necklace that's dainty in scale but bold in presence.  Icing on the cake?  This beauty went straight to a dear friend the second it's listed ;-)

To order your very own Forged Heart necklace, please visit the listing my online studio www.DaisyKreates.com.

Lorenz's Forget-Me-Not Bracelet

How does one forget anything this gorgeous?

This fluid...

Even in the littlest detail...

Well, one does not EVER!!

A special order from a special person!  So grateful for Manola's trust and support of my work.  Next up in the series of Forget-Me-Not, finger ring!!!

Interested in one of these as well?  I'll be happy to custom make one for you!  Just drop me a note in the Contact Form; be sure to include the name "Forget-Me-Not Bracelet" in the description.

Thanks so much for visiting!

♥.....OoOOoOOoOOo....♥

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Japanese Polyhedron Nox Earrings - A Stargate-Inspired Chainmaille Creation

The other day, I was going through my long list of to-do's and one item sticks out again and again is "make more Japanese polyhedron earrings", with a big star marked right next to the note.  Hum....  right, I've always liked the architectural flair of this weave, can be elongated and soft, or very squarish and sturdy, it is fun and sprite-like, versatile and charismatic, shall we have a pair of these in shiny sterling?  With some colorful highlights, maybe?

These may look like the ones I made before, but this new design is a very tight and sturdy structure, each forming a bipyramid of sterling silver on the outer rim and natural titanium on the interior rim, held together closely with rainbow anodized niobium rings.

Oh yes, I made the niobium rings myself from raw wire, they're hand coiled, anodized with multiple colors, cut on my Ringinator, then tumbled to clean up the burs and residues from the cutting process.

I then painstakingly built the bipyramid shape with several different pliers, because the rings interaction was so tight, the sequence of weaving matters a lot.  A missed step often means a marred ring that had to be tossed and replaced :-(

But the results are very satisfying!!  My favorite is the way you can see through the polyhedron to take in the views and colors on the far side!  How neat is that?!

Oh and yes, the long, wing-like dangles are the result of an afternoon of moping around, thinking, sketching, testing, nearly giving up a few times, going back on the net surfing for ideas, heading out to the back yard watching hummingbirds zooming through my patio chasing one another..... then, a light bulb came on:-)

And I'm very happy with them!

These colorful and whimsical earrings are also available for purchase in my online studio.

~~~~~ So, why "Nox"? ~~~~~

Well, the fact that I made these on a Sunday afternoon may have something to do with it...  You see, I have a habit of catching the reruns of Stargate SG-1 on TV:-)  No, the Nox episode wasn't on any specific Sunday, but as I was watching the show and doing my "user testing" on these earrings, the way they swing, I see the shiny rings flicker on and off, echoing the little bling on the dangle, they all reminded me of the Nox.  Hence, the name!!

Oops Chainmaille Finger Ring in Rainbow Anodized Niobium

Took me long enough to finally finish this ring!!

Do you remember the coil of pure niobium from last post?  Right, that's what went into this finger ring :-)

6 rows high, 22 columns around, several anodizing dips from 15 volt to 107, zipped up end to end, and voila!

Niobium gives out brilliant colors without etching, is hypoallergenic, super friendly for the majority of the skin sensitivity.  I specially like using it in chainmaille for its relatively harder temper and nice medium weight.

Did I mention I like colors? (hee hee...)

This baby belongs to my dear friend Joy M.  Think I'll be making more of these, because it's so ..... 

what's the word?

Addictive!  LOL!

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R&D - Saw-Cut Niobium Rings

This is something I had wanted to do even before I got my Ringinator :D

Specs

Niobium (yes, my favorite metal), 20 gauge AWG, half-hard, 0.2 oz, 144 coils on 3/32" mandrel, quick dips 3 times in anodizing bath, voltage 102, 85, 60, run thru Ringinator on 0.010" blade, with only soapy water and Rio Grande's Bur Life stick, loose rings anodized again at 35 volt for cut ends.

Counted 96 good ones.  Not bad for a first try.

What have I learned?

1. Get some real cutting fluid for the Ringinator.  Niobium loads up very fast on the blade, even at this thin gauge...
2. When cut by hand with a jeweler's saw, 8/o blades will do.  But do it in short coils, wrapped in masking tape; they heat up fast!
3. Use low speed on the drill.  Gauge for gauge, temper for temper, niobium is harder to cut than bronze or sterling silver.
4. Up the last anodizing voltage before cutting, to above 63, maybe, so that the final dip after cutting have more choices.
5. For large volume of rings in common sizes, it's still more economical to buy them!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this experiment, and will definitely do it again.

What do you think? ;-)

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Staggered Corduroy with Japanese Overlay Bracelet

Yep, that's a mouthful for a name!  "Staggered Corduroy" is the under structure, or backside, of the bracelet; "Japanese Overlay" refers to the large and small rings combination on the top side of the bracelet, which pale blue fresh water pearls are set in.  So it's really 2 weaves in one!

Don't let the terms backside, topside fool you; they're both beautiful on its own.  Even when done without the beads, the pattern is already mesmerizing!  But setting the pearls softens the chainmaille edginess, adds an undeniable flair.

For closure, I selected one of my original design of hand forged heart shaped S hooks in anodized niobium in blue-green color fade.

As a first go around on this intricate design, I'm pretty happy with the result!  Lots of potentials!!  Very exciting!!!

Complete views of this lovely experiment available in my Picasa web album.

Credits

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Thanks to Anne E. Mitchell for creating this beautiful design!

Byzantine Stars Earrings

There's something magical about anodized niobium.....

and sterling silver:-)

Light bounces of them giving off such brilliance few other metals can.

Words are unnecessary.......

Very happy these pretty little custom ordered stars are going to their new home, yay!!

Interested in custom ordering for my handmade jewelry?  Send me a note or visit my online shop DaisyKreates.com for more styles and options:-)

Complete views are also available in my online Picasa web album.

Sterling Silver and Niobium - Chainmaille Mobius - Tea Rose Earrings

Yes, that's a mouthful of a name for a simple pair of earrings.  Blame it on SEO....  :-)  Any who, here they are!

Believe me this simple version is a long way coming from many experiments of regular mobius, with dozens of rings, or way too many colors.

Weeding out the extraneous is a delicate dance.  I want brilliant colors that work together, enough punch that catches attention, and the right highlights that twinkle with any hair style.

And yes, even the ear wires are coordinated!

And the result is an understated elegance, with a modern twist on the good old mobius weave.

These ready-to-bloom purple fuchsia tea roses are available for purchase in my online studio DaisyKreates.com:-)

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Due to costs, I don't regularly stock precious metal items in multiples.  If you'd like to purchase this item but happened to find it sold already, please drop me a note via the "Contact Form" located in the upper right portion of this blog, or via the "Contact" button in my online studio DaisyKreates.com; I'll be happy to arrange a custom order of this item for you.


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Lorenz's Forget-Me-Not Necklace

When I was making the Forget-Me-Not earrings for my dear friend Kathy, I was hoping I'll make a matching necklace so they can go together as a set, like the first set I made years back.  Should be quick and easy, right?  cuz I've done it once already, and I have enough niobium rings anodized in all colors of the interference spectrum.  Let's get started!

Well, then the "what-if" side of me took over (again), and I wanted an update for this set, something still the straight forward Forget-Me-Not weave, but with a spin.

 First of all, I set the little "falling petal" ring back to the upright position, as opposed to the downward direction in my previous set.  Then I thought the focal design of necklace just looked better when it's on opposite direction facing each other.

That worked out well, except for the center triplet.....

Several go-arounds on finding the right size rings, some trial and error, flip up and flip down, dangles or no dangle ....  Long story short, this is the final look.

A short 16" choker style necklace, which is not my kind of necklace.  Added a 2" extension at the back makes it an 18"; much better!  Flexibility is a good thing:-)

Speaking of flexibility, the center beads are AB coasted on one side only, i.e., the other side is clear with a foiled-back, silver sparkly look.  So, wear it on the "top side" of the "flip side", your choice!  Bit unexpected bonus, cool!

I'm rather pleased with the final look.  A simple structure, classic symmetry, pops of colors, shiny but not noisy.  It all ends well!

This necklace is available for custom order thru my online studio DaisyKreates.com.  Just drop me a note via the Contact form on right!

More photos?  Please visit my Picasa web album!

Ooo oOo ooO

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Lorenz's Forget-Me-Not Earrings

Made these earrings as a special order for my dear friend Kathy, who already bought a pair of these for herself earlier this year; now getting another pair for her sister.

I'm so glad I have the opportunity to come back to this weave after more than two years ago when I first learned it.  So simple, so cute!  Lots of ways to expand on these.   

Compared to the original weave, I'm hanging these upside down, seems more natural this way for earrings.

One of these days, I'll make a pair with the petals going the right way, upward, that is:-)

Incidentally, I hand saw these niobium rings with a 4/o saw blade.  I wasn't too sure if these blades will work on 17 swg coils; the wire is 1.31 mm.  Well, as you can see, it did work, not very difficult at all.

Couple of things worth noting:

1. I used Rio Grande's Burr Life liberally on the blade, and it cuts much better than all my previously improvised lubricants.  Burr Life, good stuff to have.

2. Niobium gets warm rather quickly when worked on, this includes when being forged and being cut.  I could feel the temperature warming up thru the masking tape around the coil....

It's always a good day when I learn something new:-)

   

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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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