Friday, May 21, 2010

Works in Progress

Yep. I tried posting this about the viking knit. I always call my viking knit ugly, and if you see it right after it comes off the mandrel (I use a clicky Sharpie) before I draw it down, you would understand. It's kind of like making a real buttercream icing. It gets ugly before it gets beautiful (and delicious!).

Anyway, I digress. I have not made any icing lately, and if I had I would not share. It's MY icing! :) Nope, I made two bracelets. On the viking knit, I need to go to the shop, again, to get a clasp. I seem to always make stuff and forget you have to be able to secure the piece in order to wear it. So I forget the clasps all the time. Sue me.

This first bracelet is made using 3mm red-brown leather cord, wrapped with 0.5mm red-brown leather cord and creamy moss agate rounds (6mm). I'm actually waiting for the clasp to this one to come in the mail. The clasp will be a hammered sterling hook clasp that will go through a sterling loop. I will secure the leather ends with a slider bead that will be attached to the leather via a bit of glue. I know, there are fasteners and ends out there that bite into the leather and forgo the need for glue. I don't like those. If you stick a knife into a piece of leather and rub that leather for a long time, eventually the knife is going to rip through the leather from sheer stress. The glue helps make sure nothing will be coming off. I will be doing this to 2 bracelets and wearing one so I can make sure I'm right and that it won't fall apart. This bracelet will be listed for $40. I got the agate on sale (40% off) and can pass those savings on to you, the buyer. However, the sterling ain't cheap and this bugger took an hour and a half to make. It wraps around my wrist twice.

This second bracelet is a bit less rustic, and a bit more costly. It is a viking knit bracelet, done in the double weave so it is deliciously dense but still very flexible. I made it with 26 gauge sterling wire, and it has not been oxidized, so it's bright and vibrant right now. As it is worn by whoever buys it, it will tarnish and get that dark look going on. The end caps are aged sterling, oxidized and polished to bring out the shine on the high points and give a dark relief to the low points for contrast. Eventually, the whole bracelet will look this way. A quick swipe with a polishing cloth will help the high points stay bright while the oxidation sets into all the nooks and crannies. This will eventually (by the end of this weekend I'm hoping) have a sterling silver toggle or S-hook clasp on it. I have a personal hatred of all things lobster clasped, so you will probably never see those used on my jewelry. I am most likely going to add a Seraphinite dangle to this bracelet. If it is not long enough, I may just add a few bead links to it with the seraphinite. The next one of these I do will be paired with turquoise. This bracelet will be priced at $80. It took a little over 3 hours to make.

Since neither of these are fully finished, I can customize them if you would like. The prices are set for the completed product, not for what is pictured. On either one I can add charms or a beaded dangle if you would like. Want the leather bracelet but your kids birthstones aren't even remotely related to agate? I can add dangles at the clasp with their birthstones. Want the silver bracelet but don't care for Seraphinite? I can change the stone since the bracelet is not yet finished. This is an especially good thing if you need a certain size. Maybe they are too small, so you'd need a bigger size, I can do that to either one. If you want any Pandora style (big-hole lampwork beads) added to the viking knit, let me know. I can get some (or you can send me the ones you want added, if you prefer) and put them on. However, please be aware that those beads cannot come off the bracelet once they are on there without some serious wire cutting.


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