Mushroom Jasper pendant

I'm quite proud of this piece as it's one that I actually cabbed from a small slab a friend in the US sent me, and then wrapped it as well. It's looking quite cool if you ask me (yeah yeah blowing my own horn here :p )
It's a mushroom jasper (or so I've been told, but from the looks of it, the name really fits) which got quite a nice shine to it while cabbing.
As usual it comes on a sterling silver chain and with free shipping all over the world.

28 Euros

My Eyes continued...

Watersnake

I know its boring - the saga of my eyes but after the lovely comments and emails I had I thought you may wish to hear I have been!! I have been tested and ..................................................yes...............I need glasses!! No surprise there then ;) I have picked out some sexy black rimmed ones but as its only for close up work I shan't really be showing them off - unless you all want a pic?? Also my darling Elli needs them for th complete opposite reason - she needs them to see the white board (opposite to black board!!) so they are making her little bi-focals - and they look so cute on her!!

Watersnake Earrings

It was actually ok - the test and everything but its scary when you see how far your eyes have deteriorated although apparently for 10 years (yep thats how long I went in between) its not bad just .5 but I could really see a difference - do you think it will make a difference to my work??

Wirework jewelry by Carina Veling

 
Interview with wirework artist Carina Veling

Carina Veling lives in a small village in the Venlo region, in the south of the Netherlands, and has been making jewelry and other art for much of her life. When she was 14 years old she began to make jewelry, and has since ventured into many materials and techniques. Some of the techniques that she has used are wire wrapping, chainmaille, beadweaving, stringing, wire crochet, netting, and polymer clay as well as many others. We have known Carina for a long time, found her jewelry adorable. and asked her for an interview. She was so kind that agreed to answer all our questions. Thank you, Carina!

1. Carina, how long have you been making jewelry?

Hard to say, when I was 14 years or so I made earrings for myself and friends of mine (I think I still have them now - I'm kidding). The earrings were made using ballpoint springs and seed beads. Furthermore, I have done different things in the creative fields, such as 3D greeting cards, pergamano greeting cards, and embroidery on greeting cards. Then I discovered embroidering with beads on greeting cards. A few years ago I discovered www.wigjig.com and I bought my first hobby jig (a green plastic thing), and I made a few necklaces, earrings and bracelets with it.

2. What or who inspires you for that?

In December 2004, I became a member of the B&B forum, my first beaders' community and I was amazed by the work of many others. My heroes at that time were MEW (Middle Earth Wire), Totemic (John Wik) and Gwen Fisher. Lately I'm more active on the Starving Artists and Jewelry Artists websites, where I have met some more my favorite artists, among them are: Zoya Gutina, Jacksmom, Kvorrie, RubyBee, etc. Of course you can also find me on a few Dutch forums where I've also got a few favorites: Blackcrow, Miranda, Ineke, Armande, and CarolinaG, to count just a few.

3. Are you a self taught jewelry maker or have you taken classes?

I have never taken any classes. I was inspired and encouraged to try what I'm doing now by the work of the other artists. In my country there have been little to no workshops or classes. Everything I wanted to learn I had to collect from the Internet. So far this has been fine; I design my jewelry trying to follow my friends' and other artists' advice, and mostly I succeed with the first tries. If not, I keep going until I am successful.


4. Have you already chosen the particular type of jewelry to make?

Well, even now, I change my preferences. Today I like stringing, tomorrow I might start making some beaded beads and so on. At this moment I have returned to chainmaille and wire wrapping.

5. What kind of techniques have you tried?

You may ask what I have not tried. Yet, I'll try to give you a short list of things that I have done: wire wrapping, chainmaille, beadweaving, stringing, wire crochet, netting, polymer clay, etc.

6. Which technique do you like best of all and why?

The best techniques I found are wire wrapping and chainmaille. I do not know why, probably because they are soothing and relaxing.

7. What are your favorite materials?

Gemstones, sterling silver, silverplated artistic wire, crystals, copper wire. I can work with whatever is available, even plastic or acrylic beads when they are nice.

8. Do you plan your work or don't you know the result in advance?

As a rule, I make a drawing or a sketch of my new project, but when I start creating a new piece sometimes it appears to be not feasible and I have to make minor adjustments. In some cases, I know in advance what I want to make, but very often it ends up completely different as what I had in my mind before, usually better. Sometimes it can happen that I just start and let the beads and wire guide me.

9. How much time does a new item take you?

I don't know, it depends on what I'm making, it can vary from 15 minutes to a few hours.


10. How do you find the themes for your creations?

I think the most I get inspired by the work and ideas of others, but I change the design so they are completely different at the end. Often, photographs in magazines or on the Internet can inspire me for my items. Sometimes I see something in a store (even in a hardware store) or I find something during cleanup that makes me think: "Yes, I could use that for my design." This is what happened the last time, when I found a box with tap rubbers, which are now included in my chainmaille necklace and earrings.

11. How would you describe your style and the signature of your jewelry?

I do not know whether I have a style, let alone a signature. I just make what comes to my head. If you have a name for that, feel free to let me know.

12. What do you like in jewelry trends?

Not much, frankly, I do not pay attention to the trends, I make what I like. The disadvantage of trends is that everyone makes jewelry of the same look and very soon it becomes boring.

13. What jewelry style is your favorite?

Romantic Goth and Victorian, but in a modern twist.

14. Jewelry of which modern artists do you like and why?

I'm not fond of modern jewelry and I don't know the names of the artists who make modern jewelry. But I do love the work of Raven Eve, mainly because of the style and because she is not afraid of using the materials she uses.

15. Do you participate in any jewelry design contests and exhibits?

Sometimes I do participate in contests, but more for fun and to see how I can be creative to compare to the other artists than to win. Exhibitions seem to be fun, unfortunately there are no opportunities in my region for that, or I have not looked for them well enough.

16. Do you sell your jewelry and where?

I've made just a few tries to sell my jewelry. I've sold my creations at a hairdressing sallon for a while, and actually I sold a couple of necklaces. My coworkers bought a few pairs of earrings and bracelets. Now I'm redesigning my website so that it would be more commercial and easier for my potential customers. The url will be the same as it is now.


17. Do your family and friends support your jewelry making passion?

My boyfriend (partner) thinks it takes too much space, but he helps me with the web design. Otherwise the things associated with my jewelry making will take much more time. My mother thinks my creations are absolutely fantastic and almost all the time when I come to see her she has my jewelry on. Even my daughter began to like and wear my jewelry!

18. What do you feel when jewelry making? Does it help you in your life?

Sometimes I'm very relaxed, and sometimes I get stressed out, but generally I enjoy the process. It still has an advantage, as long I'm busy with making jewelry I forget to snack. Disadvantage is that I forget that I have to eat or drink, and even worse, that my family would like to eat as well. It also helps me in real life, it makes my self image better and builds up my self-esteem.

19. Do you want to try something new? What do you plan for the future?

I would love to try making glass beads and/or make something with precious metal clay; I also want to try working with sheet metal. For the foreseeable future I am going to redesign my own website and do web design in collaboration with my partner. We would like to design and to develop affordable web shops, first of all, for bead hobbyists.

Thank you, Carina! We wish you best of luck and a great success!

Wirework jewelry by Carina Veling

About artist:

Carina Veling, Venlo region, the Netherlands
E-mail address: violetmoon.nl@gmail.com
Website: www.violetmoon.nl

Copper and Sterling and Gold, Oh My!

As I look over some of the jewelry pieces I've made in the past few days, I'm surprised by how varied they are. Do you see a theme here? I don't! Or perhaps the theme could be called "what is on top of the pile"! Because I've been trying to get ready for a trip to Washington this week, I'm attempting to clear off the work bench a bit. Believe me, it's slow going! Why? Because not only is everything piled high, but as I look through the different layers of beads, gemstones, wire and lampwork beads, a particular bead (or group of them) will stand out and suddenly I get an idea for a bracelet or necklace or. . . well, you get the idea.
So, above is a bracelet resulting from a strand of lampwork beads I failed to put away sitting next to Swarovski crystals newly unwrapped. The lampwork beads are from James Derrick Reeves, and I hope he starts lampworking and selling again soon before I run out of the precious stash of his beads I've been hoarding.
Below, a jasper bracelet that got made because I just had to use those dear little donuts in something! They are so cute! Therefore, I built a bracelet around them - and some more of Derrick's incomparable lampwork beads.

Copper was on my mind after an e-mail from a customer; I had copper chain and wondered just how Swarovski's crystal copper crystals would look with the metal. The result: the charm bracelet below with Swarovski large crystals, flowers, and butterfly. I will pair these two up again most definitely!

I can be subtle; the jasper bracelet above is beautiful with swirls of greyish-purple, mauve, and colour mixtures that I can't think how to describe. Hmm, I sense a theme: more Swarovski crystals (tanzanite, this time) and a large lampwork bead by James Derrick Reeves. The addition of a small flat drusy only adds to the low-key beauty of the bracelet.
The huge lampwork beads below were meant to be put in a necklace. Their impressionistic quality reminds me of a Monet painting. Rose quartz and amethyst echo the colours in the lampwork; the only other addition is sterling silver - and that's the only other thing that this necklace needs.

The smoky quartz bracelet, above, is about subtle sparkle since every smoky quartz stone is beautifully faceted. Again, a bit of sterling silver is all that is necessary here.
Below is the opposite of the smoky quartz bracelet. Listen to the Warm (below) features vermeil, pink Peruvian opal, aquamarine, and yellow and orange carnelian. It's a crazy sort of bracelet, but then, it sums up my last week perfectly!
In keeping with the crazy week,if you go to the Cluny Grey Jewelry website, you will notice that while I have pictures posted of most of the pieces here, most do not have the prices or descriptions yet. Patience, they are coming!


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When NOT to oxidize your silver jewelry

I had an epiphany today. While oxidizing two pieces I finished this morning, I was musing on why I suddenly like the oxidized look, while I couldn't stand the sight of it (only on my pieces, of course) before.
And then it hit me. The patina brings out all the details in the jewelry, so if your piece is flawlessly executed, beautifully done, it brings out all that and more, making your jewelry sparkle and truly shine. However, if your piece has mistakes, even relatively tiny ones, the dark shadow shows it as well, much more so than if the piece is shiny and bright. If your oval frame is not even on both sides, or if your coiling is not well done, meaning it has spaces between the frame and coils, if you have all sorts of gaps in various places, which shouldn't be there, if your loops are not yet well executed, stay away from oxidizing your piece! In other words, if you're a wire wrapping newbie, leave your pieces shiny and bright, mistakes are less visible this way.

I've checked out a few older pieces which at the time I thought were great - right until I put them in liver of sulphur, which ruined the pieces and the experience. Looking back at these, I can see why I no longer liked them oxidized :)
And also I can see how far I came since the wire wrapping beginnings. I am more confident in my work, I truly like what I do, the journey as well as the result, and when I oxidize the new jewelry, it's finally something pleasing to the eyes :)

Olive Jasper Silver Pendant

This cute little silver pendant has a gorgeous olive jasper briolette that came yesterday in the post and I couldn't wait to use it in my next piece.
All sterling silver, oxidized for the antique effect, the pendant is 2x4 cm, and it comes on a sterling silver chain. If you need the chain also oxidized, you need to send me an email about it.
As usual, shipping on all my items is free all over the world.

36 Euros

It seems that I've really got the oxidizing bug, even hubby seems to like these new darkened up pieces. The liver of sulphur really brings out the greatness in the silver. No wonder those Victorian, antique pieces are so sought after.

Power of Beading Contest and Charity Fundraiser

Instructions for beadwork artist Kerrie Slade's Awareness Ribbon Pins are currently available on the Beading Daily website. All money raised from the sale of the instructions through to September 30th will be donated to two international charities, The Wellness Community and the American Institute of Cancer Research.

There is also a contest running until September 12th to win one of two pins created and donated by Kerrie. The pink ribbon (breast cancer awareness) includes a 9ct gold stick pin and the teal ribbon (ovarian cancer awareness) includes a sterling silver stick pin.

Kerrie is donating her designer fee from Interweave Press to Cancer Research UK. Please see the Beading Daily website or Kerrie's blog for further details.

Greek Coffee Earrings

This pair of earrings is special to me for a couple of reasons. It's the first pair that I've oxidized and hear hear, oxidizing suits them as well. Also for this pair I've made the headpins on my own using a torch, and finally wrapping briolettes is no longer an enigma to me and something to be afraid of :)

All sterling silver wrapped with two beautiful milk opal briolettes formed in a Greek style geometrical pattern. 6 cm long including the earwires. Very lightweight and fun the wear.
The color combo reminds me of the Greek coffee, hence the name of the pair.

22 Euros

Lariats: Pearls and Gemstones, Gold and Silver

I like lariats, but like some other things I forget, I sometimes forget to make them until I realize that the Lariat Necklace page has only a few necklaces on it, or I put one of my own around my neck and think how much I like fastening a necklace in the front. I always have to take a break at some point during the day when working on custom pieces, especially when I am trying to think how I want the finished result to look (when someone has simply said, "Make a necklace for me" when its design is left up to me. Working on a lariat takes me away from the task at hand and refreshes me, and usually it doesn't take me that long to make one.
Here are a few lariats I've made over the past couple of weeks at odd times.
Above, getting ready for September and its sapphire birthstone is a sapphire lariat necklace with sterling silver. And yes, those yellow gemstones forming the stamen of the flower are sapphires also.
Below is a lariat necklace featuring freshwater pearls, Biwa and coin, with mother of pearl and flashing rainbow moonstone. Hanging at the end is a special Karen Hill Tribes sterling silver dragonfly pendant and a carved mother of pearl flower and leaf.


Below is a lariat necklace made with a 14k goldfilled textured oval link chain, a Swarovski crystal copper butterfly, 14k goldfilled pansy, and a 14k goldfilled dragonfly and disk.
Finally, the last lariat is one that I put on and reluctantly took off when it was time to go home (I try on almost all my jewelry pieces, especially bracelets, to make sure that they hang correctly and are well-balanced). It's a sterling silver chain with a double toggle and one of my favorite colour combinations from Swarovski: morion and silk Swarovski crystals. It also features a little sterling shell charm and a butterfly charm from the Hill Tribes. (There are two pictures of it: one on a white background, and one on a black background - getting the subtle silk colour to show up is especially difficult - it's a pale peach).
I'll be posting these on the Cluny Grey Jewelry website the next two nights (days are for making jewelry; nights at home are when I do the online postings usually).


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