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!

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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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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.

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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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:-)

Ndebele Rainbow

What do I find at the end of the rainbow?

Sunflowers!!!

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Coiled Rainbow Earrings

Warm and fuzzy are rarely what describe chainmaille, until you get a hold of these little colorful trinkets.

Made in Rebeca Mojica's Coiled technique, these earrings are fun and cheerful, perfect companion from holiday cocktail parties to everyday errand runs.

Do not be fooled by the dainty size, these anodized niobium rings pack a powerful color punch when light shines on them.

These little giants measure a little over 2 and a half inches long, 5/8-inch wide.

And they are made out of nothing but stainless steel and anodized niobium, two of my all time favorite material, not only for their stable nature, also requiring no maintenance for a long time to come.

These cuties are available for purchase in my online studio DaisyKreates.com.

Complete views here in my Picasa Web Album.

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Full Persian Droplets Earrings

Tiered, graduated, rounded, looking fluidly, and extremely tactile ...

These earrings are woven in the classic chainmaille pattern of Full Persian 6 in 1, with graduated sizes of jump rings in bright aluminum and rainbow anodized niobium, gathered at the bottom with an AB-coated glass drop bead.

Their airy structure makes them comfortable to wear, the surface texture and gentle shape fun to hold in between your fingers.

Measuring at just 1 3/4-inch long, 1/4-inch wide at the fullest tier, these water droplets are just the right size for all sorts of fun outings.

As with many of my other chainmaille earrings, I chose bright aluminum as the main metal to construct them, not only for the bright white color and feather weight, also the advantage of no maintenance what so ever!

For the splash of colors, I hand anodized the niobium jump rings for a rainbow effect in the middle tier, a calling to the spectrum of colors on surface of water puddles during a rainy day!

And with a pair of glass drop beads, the water droplets are complete:-)

This item is available for purchase in my online ArtFire Studio.

For more views and color options of the drop beads, check out my Picasa Web Albums.

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Japanese Dodecahedron Earrings in Stainless Steel and Rainbow Niobium

That's a mouthful for a name...  But fear not!

  Look closer at them, you'll see pops of neon colors dance around a stainless steel sphere, with sparkling crystals lightly tugging at the bottom of those dainty steel tassels.

They are in fact rather playful.

Measuring at a tad over 2 inches long and 3/4 inch wide, they're comfortable to wear, and ready to show off your new sassy hair do.

These cuties are handcrafted with stainless steel and niobium jump rings as my favorite modern interpretation of the traditional Japanese chainmaille weave.

I place the spheres near the ear wires to avoid the pendulum effect while allowing the dangling tassels and crystals to add movement and sparkles. 

These earrings are available for purchase in my ArtFire studio.

More photos of these earrings are in my Picasa Web Albums.

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