Etsy shop reopened for summer season

Irish Seaglass pendant with copper wire work

Handmade by Amo'r has reopened at the end of a long and busy academic year. Juggling work and studying for a degree left me no time to make any jewellery and meant my store had to hibernate for the Spring. I don't commit to doing things unless I can do them well and give them the attention they deserve. Now it's time to put a little love and attention into my Etsy store! I can't wait to get the pliers and silver wire out! Watch this space....

basic tools of the trade: jewellery making pliers, silver wire, hammer

starting off a silver spiral

Sea glass jewelry sneak peak

Let's take a sneaky look at the sea glass jewelry I've been wire wrapping this week. Focusing on the details in the design, here is a wee glimpse of things to come...

That's all I can show you for now until the pendants are listed! In the meantime, if you like what you see you can click here to view Irish sea glass jewelry already available in my Etsy shop.

Crafty Exchange of Seaglass

seaglass and pottery from the Irish shore

Recently I've had a unique opportunity to try out something different in seaglass.  This was thanks to a lucky encounter with Joy of Seaglass Lass in the USA.

drilled seaglass bracelet by Seaglass Lass

A few months back I was approached by Joy who makes beautiful jewellery from drilled seaglass beads. Descending from Irish heritage, she was looking to buy some local seaglass for sentimental reasons. Joy was especially interested in pieces from the West coast of Ireland.

Wire wrapped seaglass pendant by Handmade by Amo'r

Our skills are very different. Joy drills and beads the seaglass whereas I wire wrap undrilled pieces to encage them. She would use the smaller pieces that are way to tiny for wrapping as the wire would swamp the glass instead of showing off its natural beauty. Those pieces are more suited to drilling into beads.

I managed to find several small pieces I'd collected on the West coast in Sligo this summer plus a few from local shores near Dublin.  I threw in a few larger ones just in case she wanted to make drilled pendants too.

Fixing a value on the pieces was a little difficult for me. After all, it was unlikely that I would be using them myself. So I asked Joy if she would exchange them for a few drilled pieces that I could experiment with. I have been toying with the idea of investing in a drill so I can make earrings and ornaments. Here was a great opportunity to see what I might do with it.

Seaglass fairy suncatcher or ornament, Handmade by Amo'r

I sent off the Irish glass and in return, Joy sent me some sample seaglass beads she had drilled. This little fairy is the first item I have made using the glass that Joy sent. I have stacked 3 pieces of the seaglass onto a pin for her skirt. Her bodice is a combination of silver beads and her wings are silver plate. Her head is a stunning pink crystal that will catch the light and sparkle.

I may use the rest to make a pair of earrings for myself and perhaps one more fairy. Or maybe I will incorporate them into a long necklace.

Irish seaglass bookmark, Handmade by Amo'r

However, I will hold off from buying a drill for the moment. Wire wrapping is my true art and I do not wish to detract from that. A drill to make beads from the smaller pieces would be useful of course, and I'll consider getting one at some point in 2013. I hope Joy has as much fun experimenting with the pieces I sent.

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!