Monday, March 15, 2010
It's odd how suddenly an idea can come into your head. In my mind, I've been envisioning a bracelet made of silver square links, each of the squares stamped with a different pattern.
This idea has been knocking around my head for a couple of weeks but it wasn't until last Thursday that I had some time to work on it.
This was going to be a heavy chunky bracelet. And because I had NO IDEA OF WHAT I WAS DOING, I decided that I better try it copper first. Otherwise, I might end up with a lot of very expensive scrap silver.
As I went along, I learned what worked and what didn't work so well. Everything fell into place SORT OF how I wanted it. I had the links all finished and connected, but I had no ideas of what to do for the closure. I went to bed a little disappointed and didn't know what to do next.
I left the bracelet alone for the next couple of days. I liked the way it had progressed but I was afraid that the wrong clasp woul completely ruin it.
Seriously. I DREAMT clasps in my sleep: snaps, hooks, toggles.
Saturday morning I was dozing in bed and it was about time to get up. But I was just lying there, enjoying the warmth of my bed, not wanting to get out, half dreaming and thinking about the bracelet. All of a sudden, out of absolutely no where, it came to me. I knew EXACTLY how I was going to finish the bracelet.
Once I knew how I wanted the clasp to look, it didn't take me long that day to finish the bracelet.
This is what I really like to do. Create something completely out of my head and try to figure out how to do it without using any directions. I'm completely self-taught, and trying to figure out the techniques is so much fun. It probably takes me ten times as long, but at least I'm enjoying myself.
I had this idea for a beaded necklace today, but it is not ready yet.
Best wishes
Anna
geez...i only dream that i'm hearding cats. :/
http://raquelamaral.wordpress.com
I wore it to work today - I always wear new necklace and bracelet designs once to see if they lay properly and to make sure there are no problems with them. (No problems with this one. And there is no way the clasp is ever going to accidentally open.)
Anyway, someone was very interested in it especially because it"s copper. She wears a copper bangle for her arthritis and thought this bracelet would be so much prettier.
I used to have one wire-wrapped copper ring in my shop, but I worry about the copper turning fingers green, don't you?
I suppose if you only wore it on occasion, it wouldn't be a problem.
I made a ring a while back out of copper that I was able to wear daily and it didn't turn my finger green, but I made a ring for my roommate out of copper and her finger was green before the day was over. It also might depend on the kind of copper -- my ring was made out of "jewelry copper" which was designed just for that: jewelry. Her ring was made out of round copper wire you get at a hardware store, so that might have something to do with it.
It might be something to look into though :) A lot of people love copper jewelry!
Kristin