Jewellery Silver Ships

I am so phenomenally bad at updating this blog. Made a dress last week, will be featured soon. Anyway.
This weave is called Jen's Pind Linkage 3-1 and something of an Achilles Heel for me, I've tried and failed at it many times but I eventually discovered the aspect ratio for my rings was too large so it just unravelled. After overcoming that it's a fairly simple pattern to repeat and feels like Elven Rope to the touch. This silver bracelet was made for a friend's 18th birthday so I made a little nautical box for safekeeping. Some more slender items like this will be appearing in the shop before Christmas.

Jewellery The Hand Web

So I was in a Maths exam musing about earning some money over the summer when it came to me - Craft Fairs. I've been making jewellery and craft-fair-suitable titbits like broaches and embroidered picture frames for a while so I might as well make a penny out of it whilst fighting my apathy. So hopefully this summer, on August 9th, I shall set up a small stall at Bath Craft Fair with my home-made merchandise. I was struck my so much inspiration that I had to start there and then. Here are some of my crazy brain thoughts scrawled and smuggled out of A2 Core 4 Comprehension:

And so it began..
After messing around with those Persian bracelets a lot I've started to use copper, a much more malleable metal than the whoknowswhat I was using before, and it's perfect for small chains. I dismantled an old silver chain necklace and gave up some of my swarovski crystals for this beautiful piece:

As you can see the silver coils around the wrist, index finger and pinkie. The copper chain then makes a Y shape with the two rings and the centre of the bracelet. As is not completely clear in the picture, the copper stem actually has two 4mm crystal beads strung into the wire which gives it a delicate and elegant touch.
I am so proud of this. It is so beautifully quirky and feels like heaven when worn - it's not at all intrusive as is only strung around two fingers and the wrist from palm-side up and the bicoloured metals balanced with the sparkly beading is complementary to any outfit. Yes, I realise I am sounding like some mental sales woman from an ad for fake tan, but I honestly think this is the start of something great. (I even though I could make one for each letter of the alphabet e.g. Y and A but then I thought about C and that idea went down the drain). I'm going to make more of these and every one will be different to the next - with semiprecious stones and other patterns and stuff. The more I think about it the more sense it makes to sell these online rather than irl but I don't really understand the whole mailing pricing system; but maybe someday I'll open an e-shop.
Oh and I christen this the 'Hand Web' because no other name really makes sense.

Jewellery Chainmaille

For a while now I have been looking to expand my horizons and explore some other crafts, like leatherwork and chainmaille. After researching both I thought to start with chain-making, because it's easier and cheaper.

The first step is to coil the wire into a spring and then cut it into jump rings. I coiled my wire around a dowel using a drill and a wooden bracket. This was my first attempt at 4-to-1 chianmaille.

I made this bracelet in a Full Persian weave, and then bent some extra wire to form a clasp.

This is a surprisingly simple skill to learn and requires only jump rings, pliers and perseverance. I think as I get more experienced I will start working with sterling silver and gold and experiment with more complex weaves.