This is how I discovered the delights of making wire wrapped jewelry. The adventure was launched by my daughter, Samantha, and Samantha's best friend Laura. Together, they talked me into visiting Laura's favorite bead store, Star's Beads, in Vienna, Virginia. The visit to Star's Beads ignited my interest in jewelry makeing. A search of the web, admittedly not for cabochons to wrap, took me to a number of sites selling dichroic glass cabochons.

I ordered several glass cabochons with the intent of making wire wrapped jewelry for myself. I found wire wrapping intensely gratifying, and received such positive feedback about the wire wrapped pendants I had designed, that I began selling pieces locally.

I now offers her wire wrapped jewelry creations at local shows and fairs and also teach a variety of wire wrapped jewelry classes at Star's Beads, the store that started it all.

With very few exceptions, my wire wrapped pendants are one-of-a-kind creations. The designs unfold organically from the stone or cabochons as I works. I have seen a wonderful variety of person expression in wire jewelry on line, some where the wire is minimal and the stone is the most important element, some where the wire seems to be the dominent element. In my mind, a pendant is a conversation between the stone I am wrapping and the wire I am using, each having an almost equal voice. For me, as I am sure it is for many wire jewelry artists, each piece is an adventure and a unique work of art.

I hope you will find exactly the right piece of wire wrapped jewelry for yourself or for that person dear to you. If you like the designs you see here but not the exact piece you want, please contact me. I am happy to make a custom piece for you.

THE WIRE USED FOR WIRE WRAPPED JEWELRY

Much of the wire wrapped jewelry created recently has been made in solid sterling silver or rolled gold wire (also called 14k gold filled wire). Please note: this is not like gold plating which has a very thin layer of gold over a base metal core. Gold-filled wire has a gold layer at least 100 times thicker than plating over a solder fill. The gold will not wear off with regular wear or cleaning - only serious abrading or soaking gold-filled items in a corrosive cleaning solution for an extended period will ruin the beautiful finish.

In addition to sterling silver and rolled gold wire, I use rose gold (or red gold) filled wire. Rose gold is a gold/copper alloy with a reddish color. It does not discolor like pure copper wire, but maintains its finish like rolled gold wire. Rose gold is also a gold-filled wire with a thick coating of rose gold over a base metal core.

New on the scene is a new silver called Argentium Silver. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and is alloyed with copper, which is what causes the silver to tarnish (pure silver does not tarnish but is too soft for jewelry making). Argentium silver is purer than standard sterling - it ranges from 93.5% pure silver to 96% pudr silver and is alloyed with a unique blend of metals to give it strenght. Argentium is brighter than standard sterling silver, brighter than white gold, brighter than platinum. And it is another of our 'green' products because it is made entirely from recycled silver rather than newly mined silver. All jewelry I make in these days is made with solid Argentium silver.

As the price of metals has risen, I have begun offering pieces made in brass wire, which looks a lot like gold, and copper wire to keep the expense of artistic jewelry down.

CARE OF YOUR JEWELRY

Like any everything else in life, jewlery can become dirty and less attractive with wear. To help maintain the beauty of your jewelry, I recommend Jewel Brite Jewelry Cleaner. Jewel Brite one of our 'green' products: it is fully biodegradable. The tarnish remover works, of course on jewelry, but I have also found it a boon for my stainless steal kitchen sink! The jewelry cleaner is pearl and opal and other delicate stone safe, also.

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