by Rose Marion, Wire-Sculpture.com

Dale’s taking the week off to be with her family, helping her daughter recover from her recent successful surgery, so I’m filling in for her this Friday – not to write about quartz, which is the topic of next week’s Gem Profile, although you can still send me your pictures of wire wrapped quartz pieces at tips@wire-sculpture.com.

Instead, I wanted to take just a minute and highlight some of the free resources we’ve put here for you on Wire-Sculpture.com!

First, I hope you have all found the Resource Center helpful (located in the blue Information/Education bar at the top of every page). We have reference articles covering Gemstones, Wire, Business, and Jewelry Care advice and information. This is also where you can find past contest entries and winners, and our current Wire Artist of the Month!

Also in the blue Information/Education bar, there’s a link to “How To Videos.” From that page, you can find 3 full-length project videos (completely free) as well as several free Video Tips by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong, Sherrie Lingerfelt, Albina Manning, and more.

Last but not least, I hope you’ve checked out our Patterns & Ideas page in the blue Information/Education bar. Not only can you find 23 (and counting) free, full-length patterns, the most recent being Jill Gentry’s Simple Flower Pendant, but you can scroll down and find 14 interesting Wire Jewelry Ideas – just some visual inspiration for a creative rainy day. Plus, you can sign up for even more original wire jewelry patterns on our Patterns & Ideas page!

 

Covering the entire wire jewelry spectrum, including traditional wire wrapping, chainmaille, wire sculpting, and beaded wire jewelry, you’ll love these wire jewelry patterns, written by over 20 talented designers.

We have dozens of patterns available by signing up for Free Patterns via Email. The pictures here – Sweet Peach Chainmaille Bracelet, Birch Leaf Earrings, Herringbone Bracelet, and Double Swivel bead – are just a few of my favorites – and I know that you’ll love getting these patterns every 2 weeks!

 

These Email Patterns are high-quality step-by-step patterns that you can print and use over and over again. (To print a pattern: Select the whole text of the pattern (click and hold the mouse down at the beginning of the pattern, and drag it to the end of the pattern). Go to Edit > Copy. Open a word processor such as Microsoft Word or OpenOffice Writer, and go to Edit > Paste. Now you can save it on your computer, make changes, and print it!)

If you currently receive our Free Email Patterns, what’s your favorite pattern you’ve received? We love to hear your feedback!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that you can find several of our talented Pattern Designers this coming January/February in Tucson, Arizona! You can discover new jewelry techniques and designs from Lena Bugrimenko, Albina Manning, and Dale “Cougar” Armstrong, and several other instructors January 28 – February 12.  Plus, several of our friends from JewelryTools.com and I will be there (JewelryTools.com is officially sponsoring these classes) to demonstrate tools.  I hope I will see you there!

Albina Manning	Bea Grob	Brenda Schweder
Dale Armstrong	Debbi Simon	Eva Sherman
Irina Wilson	Jackie Truty	Jodi Bombardier
Lauren Andersen	Lilian Chen	Meredith Arnold
Olena Bugrimenko	Patti Bullard	Stephanie Eddy

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
May 16, 2011

Question:

I recently purchased some beautiful faceted stones from Wire-Sculpture, and now I want to wrap them into a ring using gold filled wire 22-gauge dead soft. Everything goes together well (thanks to your DVD lessons), but when I get to the prongs, they don’t stay where they are supposed to be, and the stone slips out easily. Do you have any hints as how you get your prongs to stay in place? Thank you for your answer.

-Gloria in Kettle Falls, Washington

Answer:

Hi Gloria, the reason your prongs will not stay in place (or possibly in shape) is because you are using dead soft wire! Please use half hard when making prong rings. In a small gauge like 22, half-hard wire is really not that hard to work with and actually will behave much better than soft because it will keep its shape after you have bent it, where you want it to be bent! Some folks teach and work in nothing but dead soft, however it will not hold up to a serious geometric design like the prong ring.

Think about it this way – yes, the soft wire will work harden where you make the prong bends, but the length that runs from the ring construction to the pronged end will still be soft; as such, it will have the tendency to bend where it wants to. Also, when you use the side wires to lock the prongs around the stone, these connections can easily pull a soft wire out of place.

I can’t speak for other instructors, but I know that when I specify a wire gauge and temper for a project, it is for very this very reason – they work! Now, try the design again using half-hard wire, and see if your prongs don’t stay where you would like them to be – and let me know how it works for you!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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HI

I hope you enjoy reading this article about our past experiences in Tucson, Arizona. But we can’t wait to see you at the upcoming Tucson 2012 Shows: specifically, the Tucson Electric Park (TEP) Gem & Mineral Show, where the Wire-Sculpture and JewelryTools.com crew will be supporting 15 renowned jewelry instructors at the JewelryTools Classes – teaching over 120 projects! There’s still time for you to sign up, we’d love to see you there – Click here to explore our Tucson Electric Park Classes, Jan. 28 – Feb. 12, 2012!

I just got back from Tucson last night, and I had a blast! Here’s my final update from the Tucson Gem Shows.

Oh, and before I forget – to let you get some of the great wholesale deals folks are getting at the Tucson shows, all Wire-Sculpture Tools are 20% off, now through February 15, 2011! And if we don’t have the tool you’re looking for, use promo code TUCSON20 on JewelryTools.com to save 20% on your order on our sister site, www.JewelryTools.com! More on the sales in a minute –

As our time in Tucson was winding down, it was time to visit some fun shows, say hi to friends, and enjoy the sunny weather. Although many shows were indoors, with strands of Swarovskis and enchanting gemstone beads draped by the dozen across tables and covering the walls, my favorite shows that I saw were outside, under tents and pavilions. Next time, I will bring a hat for the bright sun!

I’ve been trying to explain how big the Tucson shows are to my coworkers who didn’t come down. Imagine your city, or the city closest to you. Think of all the hotels and convention centers downtown: the entire first floor of each hotel is filled with strands of beads, pearls, and cases of finished jewelry! The convention centers filled with exhibits and vendors! And on the outskirts of town, county fair-sized sprawling shows made of tents and RVs – a total of over 40 individual shows, with scores of vendors in each venue!

White tents just seemed to pop up everywhere!

Yet somehow, parking was always easy to find, thanks to workers with signs and directions. Not only was I able to find some fun stones and lots of ideas for my own jewelry making, but I also found some finished jewelry for gifts for my family and friends, at wholesale prices – what a bargain!

During this trip, I got to see some amazing finished jewelry, including beadwork, wirework, and glass jewelry, as well as art pieces, and polished and cut fossil displays. I really wish you could have been here with me to see all the amazing pieces, because so much of it was photography-restricted.

With the weather back up to 70° and warmer, it was perfect weather to go look for uncut rocks and explore the outdoor shows. So let me show you some of my favorite finds from the Tucson Electric Park show, which is an outdoor show with a huge range, from rough stones for lapidaries, to polished rocks and animal pelts, to inexpensive finished jewelry, carvings, and scarves at wholesale prices:

A huge piece of malachite, glittering in the sun: this piece is about 8" across, priced at $275 (but vendors are often willing to haggle!)

A bowling ball-sized piece of Tiffany Stone. Tiffany Stone is only found in Utah, and it’s named for the black ribbons throughout the rock, which are reminiscent of
Tiffany Stained Glass.

A serving tray made from the fossilized remains of Orthoceras, an extinct sea creature, similar to a squid, which grew to about 6" long. Many orthoceras were fossilized at the same time, resulting in distinct white remains among the black rock.

A round sample of Picasso Marble, about 12" in diameter – this piece was marked at $5,000!

One of the most fascinating booths was a talented wire artist, Lui Escoto, who created fascinating figures out of wire – each of these wire statues was at least a foot tall, with incredible detail!

Dale showed me how to shop for rocks at this show. Most rough rocks are found in big 4-foot square crates, with squirt bottles to show the gleaming colors beneath a layer of desert dust. This vendor, Stone Circles Lapidary, had already cut slices of rock, and had them in pans of water, ready for cutting in to cabs:

Tubs of submerged slabs

Here’s a nice piece of Birdseye Rhyolite from Mexico – how pretty!

Miscellaneous slabs up for grabs

There’s a lot of petrified wood this year – cut it across the tree branch to expose the rings!

And then, all too soon, it was time to go. We took down our booth at JOGS, shipped everything back to the warehouse, and headed home.

Flying Home with the Sunset

I can’t wait to go back next year!! These weeks seemed to just fly by.

Well, now that I’m back to the office and unpacked, here’s the final sale announcement I promised you:

Save 20% on All Jewelry Tools! All Wire-Sculpture tools are 20% off through Tuesday, February 15th. Plus, when you check out our sister site, JewelryTools.com, you can use promo code TUCSON20 to save 20% on your JewelryTools order, too! (Promo Code good through 2/15/11).

And don’t forget, also through February 15th, 2011! , you can save 20% on all DVDs, save 60% on Glitter Handle Pliers, and save 60% on Lucky Stone CZs!

Save 20% on All Tools – Click to Explore!

Rose Marion
Wire-Sculpture.com

I hope you enjoy reading this article about our past experiences in Tucson, Arizona. But we can’t wait to see you at the upcoming Tucson 2012 Shows: specifically, the Tucson Electric Park (TEP) Gem & Mineral Show, where the Wire-Sculpture and JewelryTools.com crew will be supporting 15 renowned jewelry instructors at the JewelryTools Classes – teaching over 120 projects! There’s still time for you to sign up, we’d love to see you there – Click here to explore our Tucson Electric Park Classes, Jan. 28 – Feb. 12, 2012!

I’m having an amazing time down here in Tucson, I’ve been hanging out at our show, the JOGS event, as well as wandering around the 40+ shows – I’ve seen some absolutely amazing things!

Oh, and before I forget – to let you get some of the great wholesale deals folks are getting down here, all Wire-Sculpture Beads are 20% off, now through February 9 2011! And Cabs are 30% off (Druzies 20% off) through Saturday night only, so get your cab orders in soon to save! More on the sales in a minute –

Now, a lot of the shows were photography-restricted, but several friendly folks allowed me to take pictures of their gems and wares. I’m happy I’m able to share these photos with you! Ok, so let me start off with one amazing gem: this is a natural blue sapphire. . .

It’s bigger than it looks…

Not only is it gorgeous in person… it’s 53.04 carats! This stone alone is worth about $1.5 million retail!

What a stunning sapphire!

If you thought that stone was big, just wait until you see these gigantic geodes!

Real amethyst in geodes – unbelievable!

Those geodes were part of a large exhibit at Red Gallery, a vendor from Germany located at the Mineral and Fossil Coop show. Just feet away, I found myself next to a large fossil…

And I found some more bony friends at the GeoDecor Fossils & Minerals booth, bigger than me – the woolly mammoth below is about 15 feet tall!

That’s a real Woolly Mammoth!

Dale’s been keeping busy teaching lots of classes – I love seeing new folks picking up pliers for the first time, and walking out with finished pieces and proud smiles! Other teachers here at JOGS, like Albina, Meredith, and Laurie, have also been busy teaching classes and having a great time with their students. I’ve seen and met lots of folks at the Wire-Sculpture booth when I’m not wandering around – It’s been great meeting you and seeing the jewelry you brought to the show!

Dale had a day off from classes, so we went and explored the TEP – Tucson Electric Park, which has over 200 vendors. Our show, JOGS, is indoors in the Tucson Expo Center, but the TEP Show is outside, a sea of white tents – I can’t wait to go back! We found some really cool shops and pieces – I took lots of pictures, here are my favorites:

Dale and a Crystal Lady Sculpture

"God of the Artist" Statue

I could spend hours in this booth! Dale and I got scarves to keep warm,
we weren’t expecting cold weather in Tucson…

It was a chilly day, down to 38 degrees, so Dale couldn’t shop for rocks (you need to splash water on the rocks to shop properly, and that’s just too cold!) I know, I know, 38 degrees isn’t cold compared to the single digits I’ve been seeing across the country – it’s just been a cold week everywhere.

There was even ice in some fountains – what an odd thing to see right next to a cactus!

Icicles and Cacti

I love the free shuttle service, so I can get around all the shows here in Tucson easily. And as wide as the selection of gems and jewelry available here, is the range of food: from Greek to Thai to Bohemian Cafe to old fashioned BBQ, there really is every kind of food here, something my connoisseur husband is really missing out on – and it’s so good, too!

I wish you were here exploring all the Tucson shows with me! I can’t believe how much I’ve seen already, and I still haven’t made it to all the shows. I promised I’d send you a new promotion with this Tucson update, so here it is:

Save 20% on All Beads! That’s right, every bead on Wire-Sculpture, from metal beads to Swarovskis to carved gemstone beads, is 20% off through Wednesday, February 9th 2011. And don’t forget, through February 15th, 2011, you can save 20% on all DVDs, save 60% on Glitter Handle Pliers, and save 60% on Lucky Stone CZs!

Save 20% on All Beads – Click to Explore!

I’ll send you one more fun email once I come home from Tucson and go through all my pictures. And there’ll be one last sale, too! See you next week!

Rose Marion
Wire-Sculpture.com

I hope you enjoy reading this article about our past experiences in Tucson, Arizona. But we can’t wait to see you at the upcoming Tucson 2012 Shows: specifically, the Tucson Electric Park (TEP) Gem & Mineral Show, where the Wire-Sculpture and JewelryTools.com crew will be supporting 15 renowned jewelry instructors at the JewelryTools Classes – teaching over 120 projects! There’s still time for you to sign up, we’d love to see you there – Click here to explore our Tucson Electric Park Classes, Jan. 28 – Feb. 12, 2012!

As promised, here’s my first update from Tucson, Arizona! I’ll be sending you two more updates during the show, so keep an eye out for those – and for some special deals, too!

It’s our first day in Tucson, and it’s sunny! An easy plane ride from snowy Utah to Arizona was all I needed to find the sun and some nice 72° weather – and the beginning of the 2011 JOGS Show in Tucson!

For those of you who don’t know, Tucson welcomes over 40 different gem, mineral, and fossil shows over a few weeks in January and February, delighting about 55,000 different visitors – one of the biggest jewelry events in the world! The show Wire-Sculpture attends is the JOGS show, which lasts from January 28 – February 8, 2011 (learn more by reading Visit the Gem Shows in Tucson!). Every jewelry artist should visit here at least once to find great deals on jewelry supplies, as well as feast their eyes on the incredible materials, gemstones, and fossils that cover the city.

Trucks Setting up for the Show – And Clear, Blue Skies!

This is my first time here at JOGS, but I get to hang out with our owners and with Dale, who’ve been here many, many times – and it’s been amazing already! I hear that today, being the first day, is usually very slow, but there are tons of people here already.

Dale and Shonnie after Setting up the Booth!

We spent today setting up the booth and greeting the first people to come by. Dale and Albina will be teaching classes for the next couple weeks here, and I’m looking forward to brushing up on some technique, as well as getting to meet all the fun people here!

There’s something about shows and fairs that just makes my heart jump. I always love going to fairs, craft shows, and exhibitions, and this is really one of the most exciting events I’ve visited! I will have to hold tightly to my pocketbook – I wish you were here with me. Now, I’ve heard from several people who will be coming to JOGS too, but I think it’s only fair that those of you still at home get to save on jewelry supplies, too!

So here’s the deal. This is my first update email from JOGS, and I’m going to send you two more in the next couple weeks. Every time I send you an update, I’m going to tell you what products are on sale! You’ll be getting great deals on jewelry supplies just like the folks here.

This is my first update email, so here’s our first sale: Save 20% on all Druzy Cabochons, and Save 30% on Cabochons! These druzys and cabs will be on sale through February 5, 2011, so if you’ve got your eye on a few cabs, make sure to place your order by February 5, 2011!

Plus, I’ve got some great savings that are good through February 15th, 2011. You can save 20% on all DVDs, save 60% on Glitter Handle Pliers, and save 60% on Lucky Stone CZs!

Well, that’s all the news for now from Tucson. I’ll see you again in a couple days!