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.

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 jewelry designs

After having such a good experience at the craft fair this weekend, I decided to go ahead and finish the jewelry projects that I'd started in class. I could wait until I begin advanced metalsmithing tomorrow and work on my pieces at the school, but I'd rather put them behind me and work on something new. Besides, I'm happy with the way my stuff turned out. My last teacher would probably say that they're not shiny enough and would criticize me for not soldering the jumprings, but I think they're pretty and would proudly wear them.

I made an abstract copper pendant with a silver bezel and blue glass cabochon:

And then made a pair of abstract copper earrings with silver earring hooks:

The earrings are actually made of material that was leftover from the pendant. I spent over an hour hammering a sheet of copper to get that textured design and had a lot left over after sawing out the disc. I didn't want the rest to go to waste and had just enough to make a cute pair of earrings.

Carving out the designs with a jeweler's saw was a challenge, but I'm getting the hang out it. The hardest part, believe it or not, was sawing out the circle for the pendant. I was so careful with it because I wanted to keep it round and not accidentally saw into the space, so it took me forever to finish it.

I'm happy with my work, though. I may not be the best metalsmith -- yet -- but I like how my stuff came out. And really, that's all I can ask for, right?

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

Silver wire wrapped abstract copper pendant with turquoise beads

I just finished this new design, which I listed on Etsy.

Right now, I'm working on a copper pendant for my metalsmithing class so I had all of this hammered copper left over. I spent a long time hammering out that pattern so I didn't want the metal to go to waste.

I wasn't sure what shape to carve so I let my saw do the talking and came up with this rounded "natural" shape. It's not really supposed to be anything in particular; one friend says that it looks like a guitar. My husband says that it looks like an amoeba. Another friend thinks it looks like a peanut! Really, it's up to you and your imagination.

I felt that this copper pendant needed some dressing up so I wire wrapped it with sterling silver wire. I then attached some turquoise beads using 28 gauge wire. It took me several tries to get the beads to attach properly, but the end result looks really cool -- kind of tribal, don't you think?

I still have some of that hammered copper so expect to see some other designs made from that material.

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

Silver wire wrapped black stone with Swarovski crystal pearls

Here's another piece from my wire wrapped pendant collection. This time, I used a piece of teardrop-shaped black marble, which I adorned with two beige Swarovski crystal pearls. The wire used in the wire wrap is 20 gauge silver plated nickel.

The challenge in wire wrapping a stone or cabochon is that you don't want the wrap to be random; it should accentuate the stone's beauty and not obscure it. Since this piece of marble had an odd shape, I tried to play off of that and created some loops in the wrap where the stone dips and curves. I like to add little gems or beads or pearls to my wraps because it gives them an extra pop of color and texture. When wearing jewelry, I like to have that little extra sparkle.

I've been experimenting with different types of stones. I'd love to find some more natural looking pieces. Pretty soon I'll post a gallery of my wire wrapped stones, but for now, here is the piece in question:

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

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.

My Newest Handmade Wire Jewelry Designs: Sterling Silver Wire Wrapped Pendant

This abstract sterling silver wire wrapped pendant is another one of my "sculpture" pieces. I got these beautiful silver saucer beads and wanted to do something that featured them because they're the type of bead that's usually used as an accent and not the main event. So I used 28 gauge silver wire -- a very thin wire -- to wire wrap them around this geometric shape that I created. I finished off the necklace with a black silk cord.

As for the pendant itself, well, I'm not sure what it is! I made it with 14 gauge sterling silver wire, which, frankly, can be a real bitch to bend by hand, but I like how it came out. And part of the fun is deciding for yourself what it looks like.

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

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.

Sterling silver necklace pendant in a zig zag design

When it comes to actually wearing jewelry, I'm sort of a minimalist. I'm not a big fan of necklaces that have rows and rows of pearls and diamonds, or just too many things on them. I like my eye to go right to the focal point of the piece.

This is why so many of my handcrafted items are so simple. I'll use only one or two elements so that each element gets the chance to be front and center.

That said, I do like pieces that are unique and even when I'm making something simple, I like to do something interesting. Whenever I work with a metal, like silver or gold, I treat it like a sculpture and see what kind of cool shape I can come up with. Often the metal does the "talking" and the end result is a surprise to me!

This zig zag pendant is made with 14 gauge sterling silver wire and a black silk cord. That's it. But 14 gauge wire is so thick and tough that you're basically working with a sheet of metal. There is some labor involved in bending it into something presentable, then hammering and polishing it. I've never seen myself as the type of girl who'd work with hand tools, but hammering metal is very satisfying!

Some jewelry makers like to hammer wire until it's flat, but I just kind of gently bang it to give it some texture. There's really not a "correct" way to do it; it depends on what you want the end piece to look like. I'd wear this piece with pride, though, so I'm pleased with the result.

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