onsdag den 20. oktober 2010

First Time Etching

I've been wanting to try a new technique for some time now. The idea is to use an acid that will etch copper, but leave places to be protected from the acid and then when finished you will have the imprint on your metal.
Of cause I messed it up, but I wanted to show you my results anyways...


First mistake - used way too thin sheet metal (26ga)
Got my circle cut out now...




Cleaned the metal from any grease or other stuff...
Drew my little fairy picture...
Final product got way too etched cause I forgot to put resistance on the back...
Now oxidised...
Couldn't bare not to use it, so made this little piece out of it. Wont put it up for sale though, this is just for me. 

søndag den 17. oktober 2010

SATeam Wrist Candy Charm Bracelet Giveway

I am a member of the starving jewelry artist team on Etsy, and last year we had a very fun bracelet give away. And now it's here again. We all contributed with a small flower charm for the bracelet, and I think it turned out just amazing!! 


35 different shops are participating in the sale, so you should be able to find something you like!

How do I get this bracelet you aks?; The sale runs from 17 October to 28 November and each time you make a purchase from a participating SATeam members store your name will automatically be entered into the draw for a chance to win the flower charm bracelet and the draw will be on 30 November.

The bracelet is made with sterling silver!
Of cause I am one of the participating stores, so if you buy something from me (Even a tutorial) you will be in the draw! And just to top it of, I have lowered my prices in my shop and as always I am offering free worldwide shipping and giftbox..

Thought you might like to see which charms I contributed with... These are handmade polymer clay roses

For a complete list of those participating in the sale, please go to http://www.etsy.com/people/SATEAM

Also - follow SATeams blog for updates on the sale and giveaway at http://starvingartiststeam.blogspot.com/

lørdag den 16. oktober 2010

What is Copper??

People often ask me why I use copper in my jewelry and not silver. The answer is simple, I can't afford silver and I love the golden colour of the copper. Copper has many of the same abilities as Silver and Gold. It is a pure natural product, that can be found in nature. You cannot get allergies from wearing copper, as copper contains non of the toxic metals such as nickel. All great reasons why I love to use copper in my jewelry.




The reason why copper is not considered to be a precious metal, is because it oxidises very quickly in the air. That's why most copper jewelry is oxidized, this means it wont change it's colour, since it already has been oxidized. This also means no polishing :-) Almost all of my copper pieces has been oxidized.

I am allergic to copper! - No probably not... When people think they are allergic to copper, it's often because their skin reacts with the copper, leaving a dark green colour on their skin. The same thing happens with silver, only that the marks are black. But the marks are in no way dangerous, but just annoying. Some people reacts stronger to this then others. This is do to the substance of chemicals in their sweat. If you have this problem, a small coat of clear nail polish on the places that touches your skin, can prevent this from happening.

I love copper so much, that I even chose to make our wedding rings in copper.

Copper is actually known to ease the pain caused by gout in the hands. So if you have trouble with pain in your hands during the cold winter months, a copper bracelet, might help you.

Available at ShelterFlair

Copper is not as rare as silver and gold, and this leaves the material coasts to be much lover, and of cause this benefits you when buying jewelry because we are able to make beautiful pieces, but at a much lower coast, then if we used gold or silver.
Remember that when you buy a copper piece, you know that there are no hidden toxics, it's a pure product that is safe for you to wear.

lørdag den 9. oktober 2010

New tutorial - Round N' Round Earrings

I finally finished the tutorial, and it's going to be for my crazy spiral earring project "Round N' Round earrings".

 
 
In this lesson I will teach you how to make a pair of Round N’ Round earrings. We will go through such basic techniques as how to make spirals and how to form a loop, and these techniques will be used in making the fun Round N Round earring design. I do recommend that you have some wire experience before hand, but this is not a difficult project, and should be mastered by beginners as well as intermediates.


Material List

16” of 18 ga round copper wire
 8” of 20 ga round copper wire
 1 pair of ear wires

Tool List

Flat nose pliers
Round nose pliers
Wire cutters
Nylon Jaw pliers
Hammer
Steel Bench Block
Metal file

The tutorial is available in my Etsy shop and on Jewelrylessons.com

fredag den 8. oktober 2010

Hot News Only For my Blog readers!!

I've just finished a new tutorial! It's not ready for order yet, but will be tomorrow evening. You just got the news before everyone else...

I wont reveal what the tutorial is for just yet, but I will tell you this is my first earring tutorial. I actually hate making earrings, but this project I find to be fun, even if it is for earrings :-) plus you can use it in bracelets as well.
So keep watching! I will reveal the project tomorrow.

Until then here's a picture of the tools you'll be needing

tirsdag den 5. oktober 2010

Playing With my Hammer

I just recently got a new texture hammer, and today I tried it on some different small projects.


This necklace has a small citrine drop, dangling from it. I like the simplicity of this pendant, although it's not my usual style.







Again a more simple everyday look then my normal 
pieces.
See how different the texture is. I think these kinda look like crumbled up paper.

These have been donated for charity, supporting the fight against breast cancer. It's only available in Denmark, but you can check it out HERE

So that was just what I've been up to. All pieces are available in the shops!



fredag den 1. oktober 2010

Fairy Princess Necklace

I have already shown a few pictures of this piece, but I thought it deserved it's very own post...

Available here

Inspiration: When a fairy girl fancies a fairy boy, she will give him her birth flower. All fairies has a birth flower, that is sort of their guardian angel. So when a fairy boy receives a flower, he knows that someone likes him. If he likes the fairy girl back, he will also give her his birth flower, and then a wedding normally fallows quickly along after.

Nice clean back, that wont irritate your skin or clothes.
 
 
 
 Stones used are all pink tourmaline


Metal is pure oxidized copper