Tuesday Treasuries at the Eleventh Hour

Treasuries are showcase lists of Etsy goodies from various shops. They are artfully put together by members of the Etsy community. As always, I am grateful to be included.

Tuesday Treasuries almost didn't happen this week, but it's not yet midnight and I've just discovered my work has been featured in two really stunning lists:

'Polar Bear Adventures' by Daria of Daria Creative is steely blue cool and filled with fresh summer picks. Warm thanks to Daria for including my blue eyeglass leash!

And it seems I'm not the only one burning the not-quite-midnight oil. Only half an hour ago, Mathew & Sarah (well one of them at least!) of TraBan put together this styish collection of Irish goodies 'A Rustic Irish Summer .' Thanks so much for including my sea glass pendant in this fabulous, local list.

E is for Earrings, Emerald, Eyeglass Chains...

We've reached the letter E in my ABC of jewellery making. This is a not-so-comprehensive guide to jewellery materials, tools and techniques I use as well as design influences. E is for Eyeglass chains and Earrings of course. It is also for Emeralds (well, of the Swarovski kind) and how could I forget, my Etsy store!!

E is for Earrings and recently I went on a bit of an earring making binge so have plenty of ear candy listed or coming soon. I bead and wire wrap mostly short and medium length dangles though I sometimes have fun with big earrings. I always use solid .925 sterling silver hooks, never silver plate. On occasion solid copper is featured. I have a nickel allergy myself, though can tolerate some plated silver pendants, but my earlobes always know the difference. Therefore I choose nickel-free or hypoallergenic hooks for my customers.

If you are unsure about the metal when buying earrings online always ask the seller first and stick with reliable sellers with good feedback or customer reviews. Sterling silver hooks are usually hallmarked with  .925, which refers to the minimum amount of real silver in the metal (92.5%.) Fine silver (.999) is purest. Here is a good silver purity guide from Wiki - but don't forget to come back to me! Of course, people vary in the metals that they can or can't tollerate. There are other hypoallergenic and/or low nickel metals such as argentium, surgical stainless steel etc. Sometimes it can be a matter of trying out what works for you as an individual.

 Click here a peek at the Earring Section of my shop.

Connemara marble and Emerald Swarovski Crystal earrings

Emerald is a precious stone I'm afraid I do not use. Mostly, I work with semi precious gems, Irish marble, sea glass and pearls (but not the 4 precious stones which are diamond, emerald, ruby and sapphire.)  But I do use Emerald Swarovski crystals and that counts. Right?  This rich green and sparkly crystal is a stunning match for Connemara marble.

Blue and russet, beaded eyeglass chains

E is also for Eyeglass chains...and the Elastic ends on them too, for that matter. From time to time I get a yen to bead one. I fess up I do tend to complicate it for myself by creating a tedious pattern. I say tedious because you need to concentrate hard when beading a pattern, and by its very nature, beading can relax me so much I forget what I'm doing and lose count! More than once I discovered the next day that I'd made a wee mistake and had to start over again. So I've learned never to bead a long string like this above when I'm tired!

I was recently asked to make these special eyeglass chains based on the Emerald Isle itself - or to be more specific, based on the colours of the earthy landscapes of Ireland. The dash of purple is meant to represent heather, which grows abundantly in the bogs and hills. You can read more about this project HERE.

I shall leave the letter E at the door to my Etsy Store. Perhaps you'd like to pop in and see what's new?

CLICK HERE FOR THE ABC SERIES SO FAR

or by letter:
A  B  C  (plus C for Crimping )  D

Eyeglass Chain Inspired by Irish landscapes

One of my favourite, Irish American ladies asked me to make an eyeglass chain inspired by the Irish landscape. Now, I was not going to get away with anything so simple as our famous greens, but the hopes and wishes were to incorporate 'the colour of dirt'. We just call it earth, clay or soil over here on the old sod.  'Dirt' in Ireland only refers to something unclean or icky. But as always, I knew exactly what she meant and did my best to get it right. It turned out to be a really fun challenge that has opened my eyes to further possibilities in design.

Ireland is a hyper-hued country with a rich and varied scenery. A quick search through my own photos taken on my hikes turned up plenty of visual fodder for the imagination. Above is Lough Dan in Wicklow and the peaty brown hills of Tick Nock, Dublin. Below are shots of the Upper Cliff path and the Rhododendron forest, both in Howth. 

The trouble is, tones that work so well in nature, don't always harmonise in jewellery. The real challenge was picking beads to reflect our colourful landscape that didn't clash in miniature. 

I eventually narrowed it down to a combination of colder greens, earthy browns and a vibrant, pinky purple. A few dots of black would help unite the colours neutrally.

Please forgive the quality of the photos, taken on an overcast day a bit too late in the afternoon. The dark green tubes with patchy white veining are tree agate. This cold shade of forest green contrasts very well with the purple-lined, glass beads. The small brown stones are jasper and I used tiny black glass to soften the contrast between earth with heather.

At the ends of the beaded strings I introduced just a hint of mustard tigerseye that would have overpowered the design had I used any more. Next to these sandy stones I chose moss agate cubes to complete the scheme.

I opted for oxidised silver chain and dark metal to tie the look together. Anything shinier would simply have jarred. This choice has lent a vintage look to the finished piece that just feels right to me.