All wrapped up

Do you know the feeling of being wrapped up? It is as if life threw a big piece of cloth over you, maybe a quilt, made of many little pieces. Work, family, appointments, chores, duties ... litter boxes ;-)

Then I met Frederick the Mum (with moths here). I found him in the shop of The Twisted Tree and think he's absolutely adorable! Just look at his face. I guess we all have the same look at times, but not as cute maybe.


Sitting here, smiling at him, contemplating my own current wrappings, my thoughts kept wandering on. To beautifully wrapped gifts (not by me, I'm a lousy gift wrapper), to cheese wrapped up in wax paper (huh? - oh yeah, didn't have supper) and then where my mind always takes me sooner or later - jewelry, wire wrapped jewelry in this case.

Wire wrapped jewelry has been around for thousands of years. The Sumerians made it, the Romans made it, it's still made today. Why is that? It can be very time consuming and therefore not economical for mass-produced jewe.... hey, wait, I think that's exactly why! There are still people who love the spirit behind a handmade item.

Of course I brought some examples along with me.

Nicole Hill made this beautiful pendant from copper and silver wire. What a lovely, open look.


The Pagoda necklace by Katalina Jewelry reminds me of rattan, but without the annoying noise. So pretty.


If you like hearts, but you are going for a different look, try this heart from The FamiLee Jewels. I think it's very cool.


The SATeam blog features artisan handmade creations by the etsy starving artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

Interview with the artist - Galadryl Design

By N Valentine Studio

Featured Artist - Sylvia from Galadryl Design, Cologne, Germany

Sylvia has a wonderfully versatile Etsy shop. Gemstones, lampwork and Bali silver infuse into some beautiful pieces. My personal favorite is the Vaquero's bracelet which shows some gorgeous chain work, stunning beads and a lovely design.


How long have you been working in your medium?
Since summer 2004.

What drew you to this medium?
On one sunny day in 2004 my eyes met a beautiful multi-stranded Bali silver bracelet and I was stunned. I did a day course in stringing necklaces and some basic wire techniques and I couldn't stop designing since.

What is your favorite things about your art?
It is like a kind of therapy for me, makes me feel good, cheers me up and can be very satisfying.

What's your favorite piece?
My Infinity necklace.


What's the hardest piece you've ever made?
My Musca pendant.


What's the one favorite tool you cannot live without?
My hole puncher because I am useless trying to drill a hole with a drill.

What's your favorite thing about your workspace or studio?
Lots of space and tranquility.


What is your other craft?
In the early beginning I was stringing only, necklaces and bracelets with lampwork beads and Bali silver; then lots of multi-stranded necklaces with seed beads and lampwork beads. Then I learned some more wire techniques and "Bead on a wire" by Sharilyn Miller became my bible *g. I also enjoy chainmaille and a bit electroforming. Lately I started stamping, fusing and soldering.

Who or what inspires you?
Iza Malzcek and Sharilyn Miller
My inspiration comes from all the things around me, patterns I see, nature, clothing (like a lady walks by and I think that would be a great colour for some beads, or watching a film or the news and I only notice the jewelry the people are wearing *g).

What's one thing you've never done you always wanted to do?
I want to try out silver and copper etching plus buy a rolling mill and make lots of textured jewelry.

The SATeam blog features artisan handmade creations by the etsy starving artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

New Feature - Blog Carnival

This month, we are introducing a “blog carnival” to the Starving Artists Team (SATeam) blog. What is a blog carnival? It is when several members of the team write a post about the same topic on the same day.

The topic for our team’s blog's carnival kickoff is “How does texture play into your work?”

Follow the links to the blogs of participating members to find out how texture plays into their work.

Danagonia


C-My Designs


Northern Girl Jewelry


The FamiLee Jewels


Bead Sire


Nicole Hill


N Valentine


Stacie Williams


Galadryl Design


Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Etsy Starving Artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current Etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

SATeam Goes to the Zoo

Selected by Danagonia

Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Etsy Starving Artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current Etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

Sapphire: Under the Microscope

I recently inherited my late grandfather's microscope and reacquainted myself with the wonderful world of gemstone inclusions. Of particular interest in the first week was the nature of sapphire inclusions. 95% of the world's sapphire supply has been heated and the process often leaves behind very distinctive features within the stone. Have a look sometime if the jewelry store you frequent has a microscope on the counter.

Why heat?

Why settle for this

when you can have this?

Discoid Fractures

Sapphires often have other minerals within them. After heating, these little crystals look a little melted and often display a tension halo. This feature is also called a discoid fracture. They're pretty easy to spot under 10-30x magnification.




















Rutile Silk

Before heating, you might see shiny needles of rutile silk within the stone.



















The heating process dissolves the needles which can improve clarity. This is an example of "broken silk":
















In some cases, the process releases the titanium into the crystal which will intensify the blue color.










Sapphires from our talented artists:



































The SATeam blog features artisan handmade creations by the etsy starving artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com

Sources:
http://gemologyproject.com/wiki/index.php?title=Heat_Treatment

Supplies: round and round I go

These SATeam listings for lampwork beads, jewelry components and tutorials have us going in circles. Click on any picture to learn more about the item.












The SATeam blog features artisan handmade creations by the etsy starving artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com

Roses are red ...

... violets are blue ...


... sugar is sweet ...


... and so are you.


I wish I would get a love poem more often (and the pieces possibly coming with it ;-)).

1. Red carved coral roses and sterling silver earrings by RioRita

2. Violet purple blooms - glass and sterling silver earrings by Erika Price Design

3. Sugar lumps - lampwork beads by My Precious

4. Sweet heart - sterling silver necklace by LA Valley Girly

The SATeam blog features artisan handmade creations by the etsy starving artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

Interview with the artist - Camilla from Danagonia

By N Valentine Studio

Featured Artist - Camilla Vejen Eriksen from Danagonia - Enchanted jewelry, Denmark

Camilla, a wonderful jewelry artist with a lighthearted Etsy site, is this week's featured artist. She does gorgeous wire work with wonderful attention to detail. My personal favorite is her Snow Heart Pendant, I really like the contrast between the wire work and the moss agate.

How long have you been working in your medium?
I started making jewelry 2 years ago. But it was only about 1 year ago that I started to wire wrap, my preferred technique. I just recently started working with stamps and sawing.

What drew you to this medium?
I felt very lost and didn't know what I should do with my life. I thought I wanted to be a goldsmith, so I bought a bunch of books and started to teach myself the techniques. However, I quickly got a small jewelry class and learned that I loved teaching more than making the jewelry. I hate making the same piece twice. So now I only make OOAK pieces and teach small jewelry classes, as an extra income to my studies.

What is your favorite thing about your art?
I love that what I make gets to be used and makes the owner feel pretty and beautiful. Everyone however thin or fat, tall or small can wear jewelry, it's not just for the super models and it enhances everyones's natural beauty.

What's your favorite piece?
Oh! Hard one ... I love all my babies, but I do think my Lost Key Necklace turned out well.


What's the hardest piece you've ever made?
I just wire wrapped a pretty complex piece with lots of small parts. I also wanted to hide my wrappings, so that it looked soldered, that was pretty hard and took almost 4 hours to make. It's called The Fairy Cross.

What's the one favorite tool you cannot live without?
My hammering block and hammer, I just love to hear that "ding, ding, ding"!

What's your favorite thing about your workspace or studio?
I and my husband just moved into an apartment in my parents' house. My mother is a very talented fantasy artist, so we have created a joint workspace, where we sit across each other; I think that's my favorite part. I can get inspired by her paintings and I don't have to sit by myself and create.

What is your other craft?
I am a student, studying to become a school teacher in the Danish middle school, I will teach the subjects arts and crafts, Danish and history.

Who or what inspires you?
My mother, Marianne Mathiasen's, art work does inspire me a lot. She has created an online fairy world, you can visit here, Nidlongdir.
I also really love the designs from Catherinette Rings, my style is a bit more romantic and fairy oriented, but I do love the steampunk style.

What's your favorite inspirational saying?
"No roses without thorns", it's an old Danish saying, and I think it can be interpreted in many ways.

What's one thing you've never done you always wanted to do?
I really would love to go bead shopping in China.

The SATeam blog features artisan handmade creations by the etsy starving artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

Buying Handmade

Most of the items in my home are things that are made in large factories, assembly-line style. I have no idea where the items were made or who made them. Thousands of other people have the same computer desk as me, the same clothes, the same car. But most of my favourite items are a little more individual and unique. They are handmade.

Every handmade item that I have is wonderful in its own right, but is even a bit more special because I met or know something about the person that made it. When I look at one of these items or pick it up, I think about where I acquired it and think about the person that made it. I feel connected to these pieces in a different way than I do to my mass-produced stuff.

In today’s internet age, we are no longer limited to buying handmade items at local craft fairs or on special holiday trips. Marketplaces like Etsy.com allow us to connect with makers of handmade items from around the world. And we can get to know a little bit about the person behind the item.

Mookaite Jasper Pendant by Caron of Bead Sire

Caron, from sunny Queensland, Australia, is a mother of two, works full time and designs and creates beautiful jewelry in her spare time (what spare time?). Caron is also the co-administrator of our wonderful Starving Artist team and helps to keep us all organized and on track. I’m not sure how she juggles it all. I think that she probably doesn’t sleep!

Beaded Bracelet Tutorial Net Options by Cindy of Jewelry Tales

Cindy works with many different materials. She creates amazing pieces using seed beads, but is equally at home with working in metal. Cindy is a mom, an avid gardener and a prolific blogger. The whirlwind behind this blog, she set up the blog, wrote all the daily posts for it for many months plus she maintains 2 personal blogs. I don’t know if she sleeps either!

Angel Wings - Sterling Silver and Pearl Chandelier Earrings by Laurel of LA Valley Girly

Laurel has 2 children as well as a cat with lots of personality. In addition to making jewelry she is a voice teacher. Making jewelry is pure joy for Laurel. She is so passionate about making jewelry and selling it on Etsy that she established the Starving Artists team and started us all on this wonderful adventure.

Hair Pin/Shawl Pin - Copper - Celtic Snake by Jenifer of The Family Jewels

Jenifer lives in sunny California with her husband and children. She first started making jewelry because of a severe metal allergy and has now turned it into a full-time business. Jenifer (or One-N-Jen as she is affectionately referred to among forum members) is the mastermind of the discussion topics on the weekly Starving Artists team threads on the Etsy forums.

If you enjoy learning a little more about the artists behind the work, you are in luck. Tomorrow we kick off a new weekly feature for this blog - interviews with members of the Starving Artists team.


Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Etsy Starving Artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current Etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

Sateam Goes Stargazing

Selected by Danagonia






















The SATeam blog features artisan handmade creations by the etsy starving artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.