Mixed Metal Brass, Silver And Copper Mesh Bracelet

Sorry for the long break between posts, but I've been busy getting ready for my next craft show, which is on May 1. This weekend, I made seven new items: two bracelets, two pairs of earrings and three necklaces. I'm trying to add some more variety to my inventory so that I can appeal to more tastes. Hopefully, I'll have more success at this show than I did at the last one.

Many of the items I made this weeked contained mixed metals. I absolutely love the way that different metals look together -- silver and gold, brass and bronze, copper and silver ... there's just something elegant about metals and when you combine them, they really go well together.

For the bracelet pictured on this page, I went with a mesh design and attached each link so the lattice looks like a continuous piece. I alternated the brass, silver and gunmental (copper) links to create the pattern and what I love about it is that even though I only used three colors, it comes off looking like more. Also, in some lights the colors appear to change; when paired with the brass and silver, for example, the gunmetal almost looks red.

The really great thing about mixed metals is that they go well with everything. You can wear this bracelet with an evening gown or with jeans and a T-shirt -- and it'll look beautiful in both cases.

I'd eventually love to learn some soldering skills so that I can combine metals in other ways. But for now, I'm having a good time experimenting with different types of metal wire.

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

Silver and gold mixed metal mesh bracelet

I've written many times about using the lattice pattern in my jewerly designs. This bracelet was the perfect way for me to feature it.

I'd ordered gunmetal wire online and wasn't sure what to do with it. Honestly, I just liked the name. I mean, "gunmetal" -- what's not cool about that? Turns out, gunmetal is a very pretty brownish color and looks great with gold and silver. When I saw all three together, I was inspired to do something that incorporated this trio of warm, metallic colors. It's a little like my own "Naomi Olympics," with gold, silver and bronze!

Anyway, I wove nine-loop lattice links with each color and then alternated them to create the bracelet. What's really cool is that when it was all put together, it ended up looking like one continuous band of lace. It reminded me a little of tiles or perhaps, squares in a quilt.

I have some other mixed metal designs in mind. When making jewelry, don't be afraid to play with colors because you never know what combination will work.

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

Silver wire bracelet with Swarovski crystal hearts

First up, some good news! I received my packet to sign up for what will be my first craft fair this May! I'm very excited about this and hope that it will be a beautiful day outside. While I'm, of course, looking forward to selling my jewelry in person, I'm also anxious to meet new people and see what the other artists are selling. I've always had a lot of respect for the artists who participated in fairs, so now it's kind of surreal knowing that I'm going to be one of them.

As for my jewelry du jour, this Swarovski heart bracelet came together as a result of another bracelet that turned out to be a disaster. I love heart-shaped things so I purchased these Swarovski crystal hearts on sale in bulk. Unfortunately, they're not drilled top-to-bottom or side-to-side as many beads are; instead, they're drilled front-to-back at the very top of the crystal, meaning that it's kind of difficult to string them.

My original plan was to make a silver bangle bracelet and then wire wrap the hearts around the outside of the frame. This didn't work. No matter how tightly I wrapped the wire, the hearts were sticking out at weird angles or slipping off the wire .... the project was completely messed up.

I realized that the best way to showcase the hearts was to just let them dangle from a piece. That said, I created one of my favorite patterns, the nine-loop lattice and strung the hearts along the bottom. The bracelet was looking a little bare, though, so I added some matching Swaorvski crystal bicones to give it more color. In the end, this turned into a really cool-looking, fun bracelet.

I still have dozens of these hearts, so I'm trying to decide what to do with them. A matching earring and necklace set might be next...

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