Lesson 1- Bracelet with crystal and wire coils

So, I'm back! Sorry it's been so long since my last post- if you're a regular reader of my other blog, you'll know I've been exceedingly busy working on several projects, including the most important- my first baby, due in November :)

But I'm going to start posting those jewellery lessons, as promised- starting today! The bracelet I'll show you how to make is the one in the previous post- it's made with sterling silver wire (you can use craft wire if you prefer) and Swarovski crystals.

Lesson 1- What you need to make this bracelet, so you can go out and get it before I move onto the next step!

Ingredients:

1 roll of 22 gauge copper-filled sterling silver wire (any 22g wire will do, if you want to start out with less expensive craft wire)
1 bracelet clasp (you can use whichever type you prefer, but I've used a medium parrot clasp and a chain end, which you can adjust depending on the size of the wrist this is going on)
12 4mm Swarovski crystals (I used the colour Erinite, but you can choose any of the many varieties)
24 3mm silver spacer beads (the little round ones in the picture below)
(You don't need the coils, by the way- we're making those)



Believe it or not, that's it!

Equipment:

Hook-nose pliers (I use two pairs- you'll see why)
Round-nose pliers (one pair)
Wire cutters (you can get them at bead and craft stores- using the hardware variety is not recommended!)
A skewer (wooden or metal, 3mm diameter or thinner)
A skinny knitting needle (4mm diamter or thinner)

Believe it or not, that's likewise it!

By the way, I don't go out and buy things like knitting needles or skewers- I just use the nearest round thing I can find around the house, of the roughly correct diameter!

So, if you don't have these bits and pieces, you can go hunting. Next week I'll show you how to make the wire coils and the connecting jump rings, and possibly also how to make each link...

Bracelet project

I'm going to start doing a few little lessons here, and they'll lead up to a couple of bigger projects. Here's the bracelet I made on the weekend- I'll post up the step-by-step every few days, by showing you how to make each component. I'll use the same techniques to show you how to make a few other pieces, too, so you can multi-task while you're at it (g).


This is a nice weighty little two-strand bracelet made with copper-filled sterling silver and Swarovski crystals, and the best thing is it's easy to make. You can click on the picture for a better look- all the tiny wire coils are handmade- everything except the clasp. The good thing about it is you can make it with practice wire and you'll get plenty of experience in the necessary techniques; you can also make it with any loose beads you have around, so it's good for clearing up scraps.

I'll put up the first lesson on making the tiny wire coils and the jump rings (the rings that hold each link together) later in the week.

Tools and equipment

Okey doke. A number of people have expressed an interest in having a go at this sort of thing, and have queried how one gets started. What equipment is required. That sort of thing.

I can give you a full list of all the things I've used over the years, and you can run out and buy it all, but you might never end up using certain things. Here are the only four things I absolutely need to make any of this. Down the bottom there:


From left to right, those are round nose pliers, two identical pairs of hook nose pliers, and a pair of wire cutters. I keep reading about chain nose pliers and all sorts of other types- these ones are the only ones I ever use. They lack finesse sometimes, but they work just fine otherwise. I started with just the wire cutters and one pair of hook nose pliers. Make it up as you go along is my advice.

You need the round-nose pliers to make nice perfect round loops on the end of your connectors; you need the two pairs of hook nose pliers for wire-wrapping (one to hold onto your link, one to do the twisting); you need the wire cutters to cut wire. Obviously. Here's a close-up of the hook-nose pliers:

In the background there you can see my box of beads- that's my "working" box of beads I know I'll use- the good ones, the useful generic ones- I have two huge boxes of ones I use less commonly. Every now and again I bag up a whole lot of those and donate them to teenagers I know (g). I organise them by colour, with the exception of pearls, crystals and semiprecious stones, each of which gets their own section. I've got purple, pink, green, blue, red/ yellow/ orange, and black/ white, if you're interested!

I get my beads from a local bead store. Generally I design what I want to make first, then I go in and buy only the beads I need for each project. Occasionally, I'll go in and just mosey about picking things up here and there to replenish the supply. There are always leftovers, either way.

Next pic is my beading board, with the only other two things I use a lot- a household wooden skewer, and a chopstick :) Those are for shaping links and various other things. You can see the chaos of all my spare little bits and bobs and snipped-off ends in the right-hand compartments. This is a disaster waiting to happen, and Very Bad Form. Invariably I'll balance this board on the arm of the couch while I go get a drink, and the Most Helpful Cat will always come along and tip it off. Floor covered in little shards of metal. Great. Throw out the bits and bobs, unless you're like me and are convinced you can find a home for them all.


I use copper-filled sterling silver, and it comes in many different thicknesses or gauges- I only ever use three, though, and those are 20g, 22g and 26g (thickest to thinnest there). Occasionally I'll use a 14g or a 16g for a very heavy frame or to make those candy bracelet links. I buy most of the findings (things like ear hooks, bracelet clasps) rather than make them myself.

Note: the following will NOT help you bead. More liable to swoop in and a) sit on your beading project, or b) steal your beads, by batting with a paw or by swallowing 'em.


I also have a portable vise, a mallet, a hammer, a soldering iron, files, sandpaper, mini hacksaws, glass cutters, dowels, and a lot more- but these are relatively rarely used. You'll know when you need something, and you'll be able to dash out and get it at the local hardware store nine times out of ten.

I'll start posting up some little lessons from here on, I guess!

Classics

All right, all right- I'll give it a rest in a minute. I've just been digging through all my old photo archives and I've unearthed all sorts of things that excite me.

One of the first things I made- the Candy bracelet, with American cane glass. Everything in this is handmade except the clasp.

Another speciality- Swarovski crystal cluster drops with lots of wire-wrapped accents.

This is the necklace I made for my wedding- freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystal are wrapped onto a sterling silver neckband using hair-thin silver wire

And of course here's me wearing it on my wedding day :)

Jewellery by design

Necklace on commission- 2005- Aventurine, freshwater pearl, new jade, Czech glass and Swarovski crystal- probably my favourite piece ever

Stained glass pendant- 2005 commission- Tiffany and Czech glass, hand painted anemone- wire-wrapped into sterling silver frame. People often ask if these are set in clear resin- they're not. All bound together with hair-thin sterling silver wire.

Another stained glass pendant with Czech and Tiffany glass (2005 commission), in amber colours on 14K copper-filled gold- polythene neckband

Preliminary design for a 2005 necklace

Work in progress

A friend suggested that I should start a second blog to show a bit of one of my secondary passions in life- designing and creating handmade wire, stone and glass jewellery- so here it is.

Until last year, I had my own jewellery business, named Firefly Jewellery Designs. I was selling online and also via party plan, and I was doing all right with it. My primary business is archaeology, and making jewellery was a nice little hobby for the many nights I spent away from home in mining camps and motels. However, I went back to my first love in December last year- writing (see my other blog here)- and now I don't have a lot of time to spend on making pretty things.

I have some time, though, so what I'll put up here is what I get done. I've got a lot of existing bits and bobs that I can show, and I've just started making book thongs (see below) which I hope to sell at the local bookstore and craft market. My major interest was always in designing jewellery to suit individual people, so if you've got any special events coming up, or you like what you see here, you're always welcome to ping me an email at fireflyjewellery@gmail.com and I'll see what I can do.

I use copper-filled sterling silver and 14K gold wire in my designs, as well as a wide range of semi-precious stones, Swarovski crystal, glass, and unique feature beads sourced from around the world. Each piece is made with loving care. The attention to tiny details, like wire-wrapping, is what sets my pieces apart from others.

More soon! We'll call this a site in progress, for now.

Book thongs!