The holidays are quickly approaching and each of us has a long list of gift items to buy over the next couple of months!  How about looking into the fun craft of wire jewelry making and make some wire jewelry for your friends and family members?

First of all creating wire jewelry is easy and it’s fun.  You can create beautiful pieces from pattern kits that include all of the materials, instructions and tools that you need.  Visit wire-sculpture.com to find a wide array of wire jewelry making supplies.

Secondly, this type of gift is unique in that it is handcrafted by you with the love and care you have for the person you are making it for.  I have been given wire jewelry as a gift, made by a friend that knows me well.  It’s a very special item still in my collection of favorite pieces.

Thirdly, you will save time shopping from store to store looking for the perfect gift.  Instead, spend the time making that perfect gift.  Be sure to do a little research before you launch in by looking at what types of jewelry pieces these special friends of yours currently wear.  While you might want to do something “different” you might not want to stray too far from their style.

Finally, order your jewelry supplies in plenty of time so that you have enough time to get them done.  Each piece will take you several hours depending upon intricacies.  You may even want to adventure beyond a kit and find a pattern in a book or magazine.  If needed, you can reach out to someone to ask specifically what the best materials to use will be, in the event the book or magazine doesn’t spell it out.

All in all, creating wire jewelry for holiday gifts will be wonderful for your friends along with the added benefit of learning a new skill.  Hopefully after the holidays you will find time to make yourself some pieces!

If you’re feeling the urge to make some wire jewelry and have never done it before, you’ll want your first project to be successful.  I know when I first started I went out and bought all sorts of beautiful things to make a necklace – just because the materials inspired me.  I spent quite a bit of money and the result was a lot less than what I’d hoped for.  Why?  I couldn’t craft what I had envisioned in my mind because I had no experience.

So, I recommend that you find a wire jewelry pattern kit with instructions to create your first piece.  With this success under your belt you’ll have the confidence to try out new things.  But, keep on learning, one piece at a time, adding in new materials / supplies and techniques you learn along the way.

Be sure to learn the terminology as well so that when you do read books or articles you understand what is being discussed.  Study how wire jewelry making supplies are used, such as the size and shape of wire – which specifications are best used for the jewelry you want to create.

Finally, stick with a plan on each piece after your first.  Taking a pile of leftovers and trying to make jewelry will probably not have the result you want.  It’s best to plan, purchase wire jewelry supplies, and then set aside the time to do it.  Why not stick with patterns and then do some modifications to them to learn more.

Take a class from a local expert or invest in your jewelry making hobby by purchasing a DVD or eBook on the subject – there are many!

The key however, is to have each creation be an enjoyable experience and not one of frustration.  This approach is important in any new hobby.  You can always buy a bunch of supplies to get started, but without a plan and pattern to follow you will probably be disappointed with the outcome!  Happy wire jewelry making!

September 15, 2009—Salt Lake City, UT.  Wire-Sculpture.com has announced the winner of their 2009 “Inspired Druzy” Jewelry Contest by naming Ms. Rhonda Chase, with her piece entitled “Crystal Cave,” the Grand Prize Winner.   As the Grand Prize winner Ms. Chase will receive a “Wired Retreat,” a convention held in Buffalo, NY, in October.

The value of this prize is $1797  and will feature instructor Dale “Cougar” Armstrong, an expert in the art of wire jewelry making.  She has several projects planned as well as some fun surprises for all participants!

Ms. Chase also receives free accommodation at the retreat, being hosted at the Buffalo Hilton Garden Inn, as well as meals.  The Grand Prize did not include transportation to and from Buffalo.

The essay submitted by Ms. Chase is poetic and is included herein along with a photograph to demonstrate what it takes to create a winning masterpiece when making wire jewelry.

“Plink. Plink. Plink.
A drip.
A faint glimmer.

The moonlike gleam of a stray ray of sunlight. Walk into the dark. Quiet. The world is gone. A new world awaits.

Turn on a light. And see. Like you’ve never seen before.

Enter the cave. Resplendent walls of crystal with fabulous spires and drops. A spectacular shining cavern and a silent secret river sliding past the stone. At the center of it all, a magnificent still pool, saying nothing, but drawing great attention by its beauty. Crystal formations lie just beneath the waters’ surface, shimmering with uncanny light in this dim world. On the banks of the pool, banded layers of gemstone laid down over eons. “

A crystal cave was the inspiration for my Druzy artwork. These fabulous caverns present a world within our own, mystical in appearance, but completely earthbound. The very core of the earth itself–rock. My beautiful Druzy looks like a still blue pool at the base of the cave. Look into the pool, and see the sparkle of crystals beneath the water, the reflection of gems above. Look around the pool and see a liquid silver river winding slowly past it and through the cavern. The Druzy appears to float in its setting so that it is not obscured from light or view.  I have enhanced my crystal cave with Botswana agate and Swarovski crystals carefully chosen to match and accentuate the Druzy. You can see the river break into swirls and eddies as it splashes into these formations. And as the water comes around the far side of the crystal pool, five free-hanging rivulets of fine sterling chain and hand-wrapped links create small, gentle streams. After this, the river will continue on, the cave will continue on, but we can see no further.”

Beyond the Grand Prize, a Public voting and the favorite pick by Wire-Sculpture.com staff prizes went to Stephanie Eddy for her “one Man’s Pond Scum” pendant and Marie Parker for her “Life’s Hope” piece, respectively.   Ms. Eddy won a $100 Gift Certificate from Wire-Sculpture and an autographed copy of Dale Armstrong’s new “Wire Working” book with personalized comments about her entry.  Ms. Parker also received the same for her wire jewelry entry.

The contest required that each contestant create an original piece of wire jewelry using at least one Druzy Gemstone  Cabochon, submit a photo and write an essay about the piece describing where the inspiration came from to create it.  Each entry was judged for its originality (30 points), for its creativity (30 points), and for the artist’s ability to tie in their inspiration for naming the piece and their essay with the created wire jewelry piece (40 points).  There were over 50 entries in the contest.

The term “Druzy” (also spelled as Drusy or Druse) refers to the tiny crystal which is formed within or on another stone in a large number. When the ground water that carries dissolved, silica is through force pushed into the porous area of rock, rapid cooling occurs and it causes the formation of minute crystals.

Wire-Sculpture.com offers wire jewelry making supplies, ideas, and education to hobbyists and professional jewelry-makers and as a result provide the jewelry-making community with a platform to run competitions.  These contests are not only fun but help jewelry makers find inspiration, learn new techniques, and build a community of artists that love to create jewelry pieces.

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