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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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!!

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 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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Helm Fuchsia Chainmaille Earrings

I'm often asked, "How long does it take you to make this?"

Well, how long is a piece of string? :-)

Sometimes, it's that long!

I started this helm half sphere design way back when, and the pair was for all intend and purpose done.  I even did a few rounds of usability test, and they passed with flying colors (pun intended:-)!  But in my mind, it seems to be lacking that final touch.... until I switched out the tassels with these stainless steel curb chain with diamond cuts.

Now, they're done!  Ready for their close-ups!

A total of 3 inches long, 3/4 inch wide, with mostly anodized aluminum rings, on surgical steel ear wires.  Totally vivacious!!

Available for special order via my online studio DaisyKreates.com.  Hope you'll come by for a visit!

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Genie Bottles Earrings with Red Chainmaille Whirlybirds

Petite genie bottles earrings, in festive red!

Delicately woven with red anodized aluminum and stainless steel rings, these earrings are slender and very light weight.

Measuring at 2 3/4" long, 1/2" wide, the genie bottles are decorated with vintage Swarovski crystals on top, and sparkly dangles trailing below!

Pair these adorable earrings with my red Genie Bottle necklace, and let them bring fun and excitement to everywhere you go.

These beauties are available for custom order via Contact Me in my online studio DaisyKreates.com.

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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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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!

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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.

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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.

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