Silver wire wrapped abstract necklace with spirals, squares and clovers

This past week, a customer made a really exciting and interesting request: he asked if I could make a replica of his girlfriend's lost necklace, which he'd originally purchased in Nicaragua.

He's not the first customer who's asked me to design a piece similar to a lost item, but this was, so far, the most complex and detailed "copycat" jewelry I've made to date. I love a challenge, though, and was happy to try my best!

He sent me the photo of the necklace on his girlfriend, while my version is on the mannequin:

While they're not exactly alike, I really tried to capture the spirit of the design. The original jewelry maker created smaller squares and tighter spirals, while mine are chunkier. I really wish I had the name of the specific person who came up with this pattern because it's a beautiful piece. I was just the cook here, but not the chef, so to speak.

I've been making wire wrapped jewellery for over five years, but am still amazed at how many different things can be made with wire. The possibilities are endless. I enjoyed following someone else's vision, but I much prefer coming up with my own creations.

Check out my jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Silver wire wrapped abstract enamel and cloisonne pendant in blue

A few months ago, I made an enamel and cloisonne pendant for my mom's birthday. She likes blues, so I created an abstract design that incorporated different shades of blue: aqua, turquoise and nitric blue, which is a deeper version of the hue.

I really liked how this necklace turned out and planned to make another ... and finally designed another version of it. This one doesn't look exactly the same, plus the blues are a little different (I used water blue, aqua and sky blue), but the basic idea is the same:

What's interesting about this newer piece is that I used a bit of silver foil in the design; it's beneath the darker blues. If you look closely, you can see that the color shimmers a bit more than in the other areas.

I also didn't actually use cloisonne wire for this pendant because it's the end of the semester and I ran out. Instead, I improvised and used fine silver bezel wire, which is meant for wrapping cabochons and gems. Bezel wire is a bit thicker than cloisonne wire, so I had to slice it down the center to make it a more suitable length. But fine silver is fine silver and it worked! You just can't use sterling silver when making an enamel piece because it won't heat correctly. As with the other necklace, I made the chain from silver plated wire and added blue crystals.

My plan (among many others) is to do a little series that features these geometric pendants. I have one class left before our winter break. I think I might make another version of this using enamels in purple, yellow and raspberry -- a big change from these cool blues. What do you think?

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

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 silver wire wrapped pendant necklaces

Sorry for the long delay between postings. I've been busy with my Virtual Blog Tour and the promotion of my book. I then went to California for a week -- and returned home to face the craziness of Superstorm Sandy in New York City. Fortunately, we were very, very lucky and didn't lose power, heat or water.

This past week, I've been getting back into my jewelry making. Marketing my novel is important, but I want to maintain a balance between everything. So I signed up for a craft fair that's next weekend and got back into the studio.

I had a few feet of 14 gauge silver wire so I decided to work on one of my favorite types of pieces: the minimalist, but really cool, abstract silver necklace. These are so much fun to make because I never know exactly what design I'll come up with -- and when I hammer them to add texture, it's a great way to relieve stress! Plus, these sell well, both online and at fairs. Jewellery trends may come and go, but a simple silver or gold pendant will always stay in style -- and goes with any kind of out from casual to fancy.

Here are the four necklaces that I came up with:

To purchase my jewellery, head to Naomi's Designs. To purchase my children's jewelry, head to MayaGirl Creations. To purchase my book, check out REVENGE OF A BAD GEEK GONE BAD.

Patterns With Handmade Wire Jewelry Patterns

It's interesting how certain items of mine seem to be popular at different times. By no means do I consider myself to be a trendsetter -- not yet, anyway -- but still, various items are becoming best sellers for me at different points.

Last spring, I was selling a lot of my chandelier heart earrings. Every other purchase made was for those earrings and I even had a couple of co-workers buy pairs.

This summer was all about the infinity ring. I sold dozens of infinity rings, both online and at fairs. People just couldn't get enough of this item!

Lately, I've been selling many gold and silver abstract pendants. I've sold several of these in the past, but the sales are now coming in waves. I'm also selling more chandelier earrings, too. Meanwhile, September was a successful business month overall, but I didn't sell one infinity ring!

I like to study my sales patterns because it's important for me to know what my customers like and what's attracting buyers. But to be honest, I can't really figure anything out! Both the chandelier earrings and infinity rings get a lot of views on Etsy. So you figure that more views equals more potential buyers. I'm wondering if perhaps I sold so many infinity rings over the summer is because they're an item that's popular with teens ... and it's over the summer that teens would buy them. Many teens have summer jobs, so there's some extra money or they're looking for back to school items ... and a sale is made.

However, the sales of my abstract necklaces baffle me a bit because those don't get many views. I sold two necklaces this week, a silver and a gold, which had 12 and 7 views, respectively. That's it. My silver infinity ring has thousands of views.

The most logical theory that I can come up with is that the people who buy my abstract necklaces are lookintg for something very specific. Perhaps it's attracting buyers who aren't coming online to browse; they're there to buy a certain type of necklace and when they see mine, they just buy it. The infinity ring, though, is catching people's eyes when they browse. They'll stop and say, "Oh, cute!" but won't necessarily purchase it.

I don't know if I'll ever really figure out these sales patterns. As long as business is good, I'll accept whatever comes my way!

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

Abstract enamel pendant necklace with geometric rainbow cloisonne design

This afternoon I finished my second enamel pendant! I also tried my hand at making a cloisonne design:

While my last enamel piece consisted of cool colors -- blues and purples -- I went for bright, bold rainbow colors for this, and set them against the black background for good measure. I love modern art so I wanted to do something that was very colorful and geometric. My teacher said that it made her think of clowns. Uh ... I don't know if that's a good thing because clowns are a little scary and I was going for something classier than that, but I was aiming to make something that's fun.

We had kind of a frustrating enamel class otherwise. Something was wrong with the kilns so it took them 90 minutes to heat up to the necessary 1500 degrees F. In that time, I definitely could've started another piece. Still, the process of applying the cloisonne wire was interesting. You apply and heat the base coat, then add the wire so that it "sinks" into the enamel. You can then paint in between the lines of the cloisonne. I've always liked cloisonne jewelry and even visited a factory in China where they made cloisonne pieces. So it was fun to be able to make my own cloisonne stuff.

In other news, I'm all set for the next enamel class, which I'm taking with Fitzgerald Jewelery. I have to schlep to Brooklyn -- at night, no less -- but if it's a good class it'll be worth it. Plus, I'm happy to have six more weeks of enamel class right after this one ends. I actually feel like I'm good at this particular craft (unlike soldering) and want to keep up the momentum.

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

Mixed Metal Copper And Silver Jewelry Pieces

Now that I'm taking a metalsmithing class, I have so many more ideas for pieces. Being able to saw and drill jewelry is a useful skill and gives you so much more room for creativity. That said, I'm now making a series of mixed metal jewelry pieces made of copper and silver.

One is this copper heart that's wire wrapped with silver. I decided to combine my skills and created an industrial looking heart that hangs from a silver chain. That chain is handmade, too, by the way, and took a million years to make. Sawing the heart was a challenge because you have to get that top curve and the indentation, but I like how it came out:

The next piece I made consists of a small silver square hanging over a larger copper square. I turned each on an angle to make them look like diamonds and hammered each to give them texture. This chain is also handmade. One thing to note: silver is harder than copper so it takes longer to saw. It also takes much more force.

This piece is very abstract, but I love the combo of the metals. I plan to get some brass sheets, too, so I can play around with those.

To purchase these pieces or my other jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs.

Wire Wrapped Lava Stone Pendant With Blue Swarovski Crystals And Filigree Design

I call this silver wire wrapped lava stone pendant Dark Side Of The Moon. The way that the wire wrap turned out looks a little like craters to me, which is why I gave it this name.

Lately, I've been experimenting with more complicated wire wraps. I'm trying to do tighter, more detailed designs that take more planning out, and this is an example of one.

I wanted to do some layers on the wire wrap to give it texture, so I had to go back over the initial wrap and add some loops -- but getting them to be in the exact right position took a lot of maneuvering and adjusting. Still, I'm happy with how this came out. I like the little blue Swarovski crystals; they add an extra sparkly touch!

Formore of my jewelry, head to Naomi's Studio or Naomi's Designs.

Asymmetrical Silver Necklace With Swarovski Crystal Pearls

I'm not sure what the inspiration was behind this crazy-looking piece. I kind of wanted to do something off-kilter and a little wacky. I'd just gotten a shipment of Swarovski crystal pearls and wanted to use them in an unusual way, not just strung along a necklace.

I began making spirals, not sure where they would head and eventually came up with this funky-looking necklace. Instead of putting the pendant in the center, I attached a bunch of smaller spirals and then wove the little pearls through them. I think it looks like a solar system with a bunch of planets and moons in orbit. It's very space age.

At a recent craft fair, people weren't sure what to make of it, but I like it. I think it's cool. Maybe it's not the most functional piece, but it's my attempt of using jewelry to make some modern art.

What do you think it looks like?

To buy my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs.