FSOJ week 19: Embellished Egyptian Coil

For week 19 I put together this lovely embellished egyptian coil bracelet for the Four Seasons of Jewelry project. Not on theme again, but I seldom follow the optional themes anyway as my muse has a will of her own. :) The egyptian coil technique is as ancient as it sounds, coming to us from the artifacts of ancient Egypt. The identity of the original artist is lost in time, but I often imagine how flattered they would be to know that they created a timeless technique. This bracelet was embellished with bali silver and tanzanite and peridot swarovski bicone crystals to give it a punch of color. The floral clasp combined with the bright colors sets the mood for spring... my favorite time of year. I think I should have oxidized it before I put the crystals on as I am concerned about getting in close enough to buff the bali spacers. I will post a pic of the oxidized bracelet when I get it done.

FSOJ: week 18: Ammolite and Peridot

Finishing up this round of custom work for my Canadian friend, Doug. This is a very large piece of ammolite. I didn't want to do anything too fancy to the bail because I didn't want to add any size to the stone... it is more than ample as it is. From the top of the bail to the bottom of the stone, this pendant probably measures near four inches. It's a beautiful beast though. :D This stone actually has some wonderful peridot green fire on the bottom half - which unfortunately does not show well in the photograph. This is why I chose to add a simple embellishment of peridot to the top... it makes a nice accent. I hope Doug is happy with it...

FSOJ wk 16: Cavern of Mysteries

More Ammolite this week. I am using what time I have to catch up to some custom work for my friend Doug. I am having bad wire karma these days... my gold wire finally came in, but it was round - not the square I ordered. Ughhh... I am assured I will have the *right* wire here by Friday. :::crosses fingers::: Meanwhile, I bummed some gold wire off of my friend, Jenz, to wrap another ammolite. Doug sent me a lot of faceted stones to set in some of the pieces after he saw what I did with the Electric Phoenix piece. I was digging through his little treasure trove trying to match a fit to some snap tites I had... hoping to get one to fit a peridot. Alas, all I could match a fit to was this amethyst marquis. When I put them together, I was not at all sure I liked the color combination... I mean, I love green and purple together, I think they are dynamic colors. And I even like fiery oranges together with purple.. but I just wasn't sure about all of them together. But I have to say the more I look at it, the more I adore the unexpectedness of it. I love working with these stones... they totally inspire me.

Ancient Ammolite: wk 15 FSOJ

I've been waiting patiently (sort of) for my last order of gold wire to come in. It's been on back order for over two weeks. I have other larger ammolites I need to wrap for my friend Doug... and I've been waiting and waiting and waiting. Doug must be getting as impatient as I am. :::sigh::: but I had this other tiny ammolite in my case, and since I'm soooo itching to wrap some ammolite, I decided to dig through my scrap wire to see if I could manage enough to wrap a piece. I found enough to wrap this smaller piece, so I got a little fix. :D NEVER throw your wire clippings away. They do come in handy in times of despiration. lol This piece has hessonite garnet accents that bring out the 'earthy' quality in the flashy colors. Here's hoping my gold wire comes in soon :::crosses fingers:::