Wire Work

I've been wire wrapping marbles for a few years now and collecting them even longer. The bright playful colors bring happy childhood memories to mind. While I have a nice collection to choose from it has been very nice to occasionally have been requested to wrap a customer's own treasured marble. I love the idea of turning a trinket into a wearable, tangible piece of jewelry.  

Something as simple as a few pencils and pieces of paper is enough to get me started. My friend Elizabeth admired my Hoop Frame earring designs and asked if I could make several pair for her to match the colors she is fond of wearing. 

As you can see the colors are a soft blue, rather like faded denim, a sage green and several warm tones that remind me of spices, and wheat. I start the design process by selecting the pendant beads for the center of the earring design. Once I've found that I sort through the various sizes and colors of seed beads, all made with glass from either the Czech Republic or Japan, to find several complementary shades and a variety of surface textures.

Not a fan of bold, showy jewelry, Elizabeth asked if I could make the diameter a bit smaller than usual. This design is quite versatile, it can be made round or tear-drop, and was inspired by the popular chandelier style. The lightness of the frame allows me to use color for impact rather than size and can easily be adapted to work with beads of various sizes. Each pair of earrings varies slightly from one another, yet is distinct on its own.