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.

Silver wire bracelet with blue crystals

By now, I think it's pretty obvious that blue is my favorite color. I especially like when different shades of blue are combined.

When making this bracelet, I wanted the blues to be front and center. That's why I used three different shades of blue and put all of the blue beads in the middle of the design.

This was one of the first bracelets I made in this particular style. Let me tell you, making a bangle bracelet is hard! You have to get the strands of wire to be the same length and then make sure they don't get tangled. Then you have to wrap them to keep them together and form the bracelet -- only the wraps have to look artistic, too. It took a lot of trial and error, but I'm happy with how it came out. And I own a lot of blue tops, so this matches them all!

For more of my jewelry, check out Naomi's Designs.

Wire wrapped lava stone

I first saw dried lava when I was in Hawaii about six years ago. I never knew that lava -- which is porous and black -- could be beautiful, but it really is, especially when there are large sheets of it.

When visiting Hawaii, however, you're not supposed to take pieces of lava home because it's bad luck. There are all sorts of stories about people getting cursed after bringing home lava. We didn't want to take a chance, so we left it alone!

Still, when I saw these round lava stones being sold, I was inspired to make something with them. Each one is like a blank canvas and I wanted to build pieces of jewelry that obviously looked like jewelry, but also brought out the beauty of the rock.

For this pendant, I went with a simple wire wrap design. I didn't want to completely cover the rock with wire, so I used it as a frame. I then added just two small crystals to finish it off. I feel like the black, silver and blue play well off of each other and work together in a finished product. I've been told that it looks like a Native American piece, which is a huge compliment.

I've been experimenting with other types of rocks, as well, but I still like lava the best. When "dressed up," it's especially eye-catching.

For more of my work, head to Naomi's Designs.

Wire lattice earrings with blue crystals

One of my favorite patterns to make is the nine-loop lattice design. It's not only fun to twist the loops, but it's a very beautiful and useful pattern. You can link the squares together to form a larger pattern, turn the square sideways to make a diamond, hang gems from the lattice ... the possibilities are endless.

I've always liked the combination of brown and blue so when I got this antiqued-looking brown gunmetal wire, I immediately decided to combine it with ble crystals. I wanted to do something different from just dangling one gemstone so I decided to weave the crystals throughout. I love the way the blue sparkles against the brown. I haven't seen too many earrings like this so I'm proud of the work.

Eventually, I plan to make a matching gunmetal lattice necklace. That'll be way more work, though because I'll have to make the entire chain by hand. It'll be worth it, though, especially if these pieces are worn as a set.

For more of my work, head to Naomi's Designs.

Silver spiral pendant with Swarovski crystals

The idea for this pendant came when I decided to try a new technique: wire weaving. I'd seen some pictures of woven wire jewelry and liked the look of it, so I decided to incorporate some of those techniques into my latest design.

I'd made a series of geometric pendants in silver and gold, but wanted to try something a little different. Meanwhile, I had a box of tiny multi-colored Swarovski crystal bicones that I wasn't sure what to do with. The solution? Use both in my new piece. I ended up using 28 gauge silver wire to string dozens of the crystals into a colorful, abstract design.

I'll admit, when it came to this piece I was making up things as I went along, but I love the way it came out. It looks like modern art, maybe a bit like Kandinsky, with all of the random colors. Then again, maybe it just looks like a Christmas decoration. But it's pretty and definitely unique! It took a lot of work to create, but I'm glad I put the time in.

For more on my designs head to www.etsy.com/shop/naomirabinowitz

Silver Wire And Paua Shell Bracelet

When I was younger, I used to love collecting shells on the beach. Unfortunately, the shells in New York weren't the most interesting. One summer we went to Florida, though, and the shells there were amazing! They came in shapes and colors like I'd never seen; they almost didn't seem real.

These days, I still have a love of shells and the sea so when I saw these beautiful paua shell squares, I just had to get them. I wanted to create a piece of jewelry that showcased the shells, rather than blending them in with a bunch of other beads. I'd originally planned to make a cuff bracelet, but didn't like how it was coming out. Instead I opted for this simple design which alternates handmade silver wire squares with the paua shells. I feel like the silver and multi-colored shells look good together and the square design frames the beads. The spiral nature of the squares plays upon the natural spiral which forms within many shells.

I've been trying to experiment with different gauges of wire and I liked this gauge, 16, very much. It wasn't too hard, but was tough enough that the squares have depth. I have enough leftover shell beads to make a matching necklace, as well.

For more of my jewelry, head to www.etsy.com/shop/naomirabinowitz

Welcome To Naomi's Designs!

Welcome to my online jewelry blog, Naomi's Designs. In each entry, I'll give the details on one of my handmade jewelry pieces. I mainly work with wire, though I also love beads and crystals.

I've always loved making arts and crafts, but have spent most of my adult years writing and making music. However, I broke my leg a while ago and needed something to do with my time. That's when I discovered jewelry making. I instantly fell in love and have been doing it ever since.

Though I enjoy stringing beads, I like working with wire because you can create the entire piece from scratch. Part of the fun of wire work is constructing the piece and figuring out how to align everything in order to make the strongest and most aesthestically pleasing design. I like that challenge and am always trying to learn new techniques. I've been on a bangle bracelet-making kick lately, but am eager to work with poly and metal clay. That'll open a whole new world of design for me.

Please check back with this blog often to see my latest creations! And check out my Etsy site http://www.etsy.com/shop/Naomirabinowitz