Abstract gold wire wrapped pendants

I just got a new shipment of 14 gauge gold wire -- which meant it was time to make some more abstract wire wrapped pendants!

These are always fun to make and I always try to come up with new shapes. It's hard because there are only so many ways to bend the wire, but I'm always up for a challenge. Out of these, my favorite is the bottom one, the spiral with the zig-zag top. I just really like how the spiral turned out, especially since it's difficult to curl the wire compared to thinner gauges.

The interesting thing about these wire wrapped necklaces is that I don't get many views on them. If you go to my Etsy page, you'll see that I typically have fewer than 40 views for each of these pieces, whereas my infinity ring has two-thousand something. However, almost all of these abstract pendants have sold. I guess the people who bother to click on them know exactly what they want? Last night, I actually made my quickest sale every, which was very cool. I listed that top pendant -- the "S"-shaped one -- then went to refresh the page and it was gone. I was wondering what happened to my listing ... and then saw that in the minute I'd posted it, I'd made a sale! Woo hoo! I wish that all of my sales went so quickly and smoothly, but this was a nice surprise.

Now that I think about it, the very first piece I sold in Etsy was one of these gold pendants. I think people like them because they're so simple and classic. That's why I like to make them. Sure, I'm learning different techniques like champleve enameling, but these pendants will stay in style forever.

To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

Funky abstract gold wire necklaces and earrings

As part of my plan to get my jewellery into stores, I'm creating various lines of products. One of my collections is my abstract gold jewelry line.

All of these pendants and earrings are made of 14 gauge 12 K gold wire. It doesn't look much like wire, right? It looks more like metal because it's so thick. But is indeed square, full-hard wire, which I bent into various funky geometric shapes and then hammered for texture. I made shapes that I feel that I can replicate should a store want to purchase these designs in bulk.

Some people probably would've torched the wire so that it could be annealed and made softer, but I've found that in doing that, you can sometimes make the wire too soft. I wanted the texture to be a bit rough and raw, so I kept it as is; it was a bit of a challenge to bend it, but it was possible.

I've made several of these pendants before and what's interesting is that most of the buyers have been European. I'm not sure why that is; I guess people in the United States have different taste when it comes to wearing jewelry.

I'm still thinking of a name for this particular collection. As I've been watching the Olympics, "Go For The Gold" is coming to mind, either that or "Gold Stars." What do you think? Here are my latest gold wire wrapped designs:

To purchase my jewellery, head to Naomi's Designs. To purchase my children's jewelry, head to MayaGirl Creations.

Gold abstract pendant wire wrapped with Swarovski crystals

Most of the pieces shown on this blog are ones that I'm proud of, things that I'd wear myself. But for every attractive piece of jewelry I make, I design something hideous. This gold wire wrapped pendant falls into that category, in my opinion:

I think the problem is that there's just too much gold, too many crystals ... too much, in general. There's that old adage about wearing accessories and you should always remove on thing. The same goes for designing jewelry. There does come a point when you can add too many beads or crystals, or other elements. Decide which element of the piece is the main focus and then let it shine without obscuring it. I think if I had just left this as a simple gold pendant, it would've been a nice piece. Then again, a few friends have liked it. One called it a Jershey Shore necklace. Um... I guess? Hey, each to their own. But if Snooki wants to buy it, by all means, I won't stop her! To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs. To read about my travel adventures, head to Naomi The Traveler.

Gold Pendant On Black Silk Cord

Don't ask me what this gold pendant is supposed to be -- it looks like an alien.... or maybe a tadpole. Or sperm.

This was one of those cases where the metal did the talking. I had a strip of 14 gauge gold wire (really thick and chunky wire) so I twisted it this way and that -- and came up with this cool design. I then hammered it down a bit to give it some texture.

I go into most of my projects with a basic plan, especially if I want to make a particular shape or pattern. But sometimes it's fun to just go a little crazy and see where your creativity will take you. Now you're seeing the result of mine!

To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs on Etsy.

Abstract silver necklace with Swarovski crystals

Sometimes I feel as if I have a secret identity. While I haven't hidden the fact that I make jewelry from anyone at work, I don't really go around talking about it either. A few people know about my outside interest -- I did make my boss some earrings for her birthday -- but I don't bring it up that often. That said, a bunch of my colleagues were surprised today when I clued them into my Facebook page for Naomi's Designs.

I hadn't planned on mentioning it, but the woman next to me wanted me to "Like" her FB page. I replied that I would if she liked mine (which she did). She and the woman across were surprised to hear of my new venture and had a lot of questions about it.

It's kind of cool having a bunch of different "personalities." There's Work Naomi, who writes for a TV magazine, and Writer Naomi, who keeps several blogs. Then there's Musician Naomi and now Jewelry Maker Naomi. Sometimes they cross over -- as in this blog -- but mainly, I keep them pretty separate. Though when I play flute at my friend's wedding this summer I'll probably wear my own jewelry, so I guess those two aspects of myself will meet up.

I think that everyone needs some different personalities. If you do the same thing all the time or are only known for one thing, life can get pretty boring. So I encourage anyone reading this to try a new skill, whether it be a sport or gardening or making jewelry. You just never know if you'll like something until you try.

Now that you've met my mulitple personalities, here's a fitting necklace for the day: my abstract silver necklace with Swarovski crystals. To make this, I basically played around with wire, bending it into all different kinds of shapes. I then added multi-colored crystals. I was trying to make a Picasso-looking item, but well, it's hard to mimic Picasso. Still, I like it and have decided to call my art, "Naomism." Not sure what that says about my personalities, but I'm confident that it's positive!

To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs or Naomi's Studio.

Gold square pendant on silk, black cord

Sometimes simple is best. That's the case with this gold square pendant. I was looking to make something fun, but elegant and a little abstract. So I let my wire do the talking and ended up with this cool square spiral shape.

People often ask where I get my ideas for my jewelry pieces. This blog is a long, drawn out answer to that question, but a lot of times, I'm inspired by a pattern or by nature. I like clean, geometric shapes, which is why so much of my work consists of spirals or loops or triangles or squares. And I like modern art, which is why a lot of my work is kind of abstract.

When it comes to handling tough 14 gauge wire -- as this pendant is -- usually I'll start to twist it and see where it ends up. It's kind of fun not having a plan and letting the wire take me on an "adventure." It's a little like sculpting; I still marvel at the fact that I can turn an ordinary piece of wire into this attractive finished product.

In other jewelry news, my booth umbrella arrived today. I thought that this thing was going to be light and compact and well, it's not. It's huge! I had it delivered to my office and our mail guy brought over this box that was literally as tall as me. He was like, "Uh, what do you want me to do with this?" and I was like, "Ummmmmmm....." I ended up removing it from its box and placing it on the side of my cubicle, but honestly, I don't think we're going to be able to carry this thing with us. Guess I'll have to function without shade. It shouldn't be too hot in April, anyway.

To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs or Naomi's Studio.