Seaglass Pendants in Progress

I've finally had a chance to sit down and wire wrap some of the seaglass and beach pottery I found on the shore last month. Here are some of the pieces I have been working on.

Wire wrapped seaglass and sea pottery from Dublin

 When wrapping seaglass I rarely set out with a pre-determined pattern in mind. I prefer to let the nuances of each piece show the way. Sometimes I am surprised with the result. Some nuggets can present a real challenge and I may decide to study the curves and contours of the seaglass first and plan a way to go. Of course, it rarely goes exactly as planned as each bit of glass is unique.

Olive green, beer brown and dark teal seaglass pieces

 The real challenge is to capture the piece tightly without covering up too much of the glass.  It can be tricky to get the pendant to look light and airy and to keep the wrapping neat and attractive at the same time as secure. I confess that there are times that it doesn't work and I have to carefully cut the wire away so as not to mark or scrape the surface and then I have to start all over again.

There is little or no margin for error when it comes to wrapping beach-worn pottery, however. It is so easy to mark or damage sea-tumbled porcelain and tile as it can be relatively soft and even 'chalky'.  If I'm not 100% happy with the result I have to live with it rather than risk damaging the piece by starting all over. Tweaking and nudging the wire to tighten it can also be very tricky, like walking a tightrope. One wrong move and it looks wrong or worse, you've scraped the surface. It might look simple and easy but it takes a lot of patience and practice.

Watch this space for more seaglass and beach pottery pendants coming soon!