A Happy Customer!

When at the Wells Street Art Fair in Chicago last June, I had a special order to make this necklace. I was staying in Chicago for the week so was able to finish it and hand-deliver it to my customer within a few days. I just received this email from her:

"If you recall, you customized that gorgeous gold wire and bronze pearl choker, and delivered it (thanks!) to me at work. I would just like you to know that everyone LOVES it! I even had a vendor at the Gem Show ask about it. It has become one of my very favorite pieces in my quite large collection of jewelry, and there is almost nothing I cannot wear it with: jeans, dresses, t-shirts.

Thanks so very much for a wonderful piece...it gets worn more often than most things I own. Both the workmanship and your generosity in delivering it are very much appreciated."

I feel so gratified that I have a happy customer! Thank you!!

Sleeping Beauty as a Viking

I decided to splurge last week and buy a strand of very nice Sleeping Beauty turquoise nuggets from MagpieGemstones, along with a few other goodies. I had a particular design in mind, combining the turquoise with some red coral I had on hand for a Viking knit piece with a Southwest look, but when it came down to it, I just couldn't bring myself to combine the two stones. That look may appeal to some, but it just doesn't look "right" to me, so at the last second (seriously, I had to "back-out" a stitch and remove one chip of coral), I substituted baroque white pearls, which I find a better accompaniment to turquoise. Here is the result:

And how about some earrings to go with that?

Spring Mix of Pearls

I made this set last weekend and find, again, that I adore these pieces!  This is the first time I have done a nearly random mix of stones (three colors of freshwater pearls, in this case) in the Viking knit section.  I wish that I also had different sizes of each color so that I could have the piece larger in the center than at the sides.  I find it immensely difficult, however, to find pearls that are of the same dye lot that are in different sizes, and more specifically, in smaller sizes.  I need pearls that range from 2 mm to 5 mm.  I can find white pearls more easily so I am considering the possibility of dying my own pearls.  Has anyone done this?

The other new thing about this necklace is the hook and eye.  Well, the eye portion, really.  I needed to make sure the eye was truly secure, so I soldered it closed.  Nothing earth-shattering, to be sure, but a new addition for me!

I already know what the next two (TWO!) necklaces will be; I have had the pearls for months and now know that I was waiting for this design to emerge.  I also think I shall make matching bracelets.

Viking Knit Set, Gold with Amber and Pearl

Here is the last of the photos I took recently of older work (last fall) with my new tabletop photo studio.  I particularly like the contrast between the jewelry and the background, and that the black background does not have any hot-spots.  I am still amazed at how much my photographs have improved!

These pieces were hand-woven using 26 gauge 14 karat gold-fill wire.  I love the combination of amber and pearls!  Both the necklace and earrings are listed for sale on my website.

Amethyst Necklace and Earring Set

This Viking knit chain is four stitches, with the amethyst chips added during the weaving. I have recently begun making my chains bulkier (5 to 8 stitches), so this represents an example of "early" work. The tops of the earrings are finished in the same manner used to finish the necklace chain. I only started finishing the earrings this way last summer, and I like the clean look very much, so much so that I took all the earrings of this style that I had and added this end treatment. I also removed all the manufactured earwires and added ones that I made. I can truly say that my work is 100% handmade!

This necklace is available on my website!

Turquoise Set

I made this set last week and used my new photo studio set-up for the photography. I must admit that I am thrilled, THRILLED, with the result. I think I am getting close to figuring out how to configure my lights in order to get this look. I have two more photos of older work ready to post, but I think I will spread it out over the next few days, so come back to see the pretties!!

This necklace is 5-stitch Viking knitting with the turquoise chips worked into the weave. I didn't make it long enough, and so had to add the links on the ends. I thought the result would be awful, but I find that I like the effect.

"Tabletop" Photography

I finally received my tabletop photo studio and have figured out, more or less, how to configure the lights in order to get decent photos. The entire studio consists of a white nylon fabric light tent and four lights with natural spectrum CFLs, purchased from Steve Kaeser Backgrounds on E-Bay. Overall, I am quite pleased with the quality, especially of the lights. The stands are sturdy and the lamp bases have nice on/off switches. The only thing I had to get (so far) was the appropriate surface and background. I went to a picture framing shop and bought a piece of non-glare glass (there IS a "right" side and "wrong" side) and used a large piece of black paper that I had under the glass. In the photo above, the surface looks grey, but that really is a piece of black paper under the non-glare glass!

After much repositioning of lights, I finally took some photos that are decent. I am still trying to figure out how to get rid of the uneven whitish reflections, but I will get there! And even though this is a "tabletop" studio, I don't have a table big enough for it! It currently sits on my basement floor, as you can see!

Here is one of my newer pieces, photographed in the new set-up. The center is 8-stitch Viking knitting with turquoise chips, and the side chains are 4-stitch Viking knitting and a strand of turquoise. This one came out a bit long. I may try it again with shorter segments.

Tutorial for Viking Knitting

After the crazy show schedule of November (three four-day shows in a row is exhausting), I thought that my life would slow down. Silly me! After I returned home from Chicago, I had to readjust to being home, which meant grocery shopping, cleaning the house (both abandoned in early October), and retrieving my pets from their gracious hosts (Thank you Darcy, Paul, and Audrey!). Then came Thanksgiving cooking! Strange to think that was only last week! Since last Friday I have spent about 70 hours working on the computer, updating the website, writing a tutorial, taking photos, uploading photos, editing photos in Photoshop, continuing to work on the tutorial, updating the website again, taking and editing more photos, and preparing a portfolio for a professional art consultation. It really does feel like the past week has lasted an entire month.


The tutorial on which I have been working so hard is on the Viking knit technique. I have been wanting to put this together since last August, but well, if you've read this far you know why it hasn't been done. I finally got it done, however, and I must say that I think I succeeded in making it the most detailed and comprehensive tutorial on the technique in existence. The document has nearly 80 photos of every (EVERY) step, including how to get started, various stitch patterns, dealing with mistakes, how to maintain an even distribution of stitches, two ways to finish chains, and a short project (hoop earrings) that can be worked up quickly. It is the next best thing to actually taking a class from me. You can find the tutorial (for $10) at either JewelryLessons.com or on my website. Way cheaper than a class! If you have been intrigued by Viking knitting, I invite you to check it out. If you have taken a class already, but didn't have much success with the technique, this tutorial may help you succeed. I have been working extensively with the Viking knit technique for nearly seven years, and feel my years of experience and experimentation make me qualified to present this tutorial. Check out my website and see if you don't agree!

Posted by Jan Raven on http://wovenwire.blogspot.com. If you are seeing this on MakingWireJewelryBlog.com, know that this content is being lifted without permission or attribution to the real author (me!). Unethical at best and possibly a violation of copyright and of U.S. law (the Digital Millennium Copyright Act). If you really want to learn how to make wire jewelry, please go to JewelryLessons.com and support actual artists!

Some Eye Candy

I keep thinking about posting, but life get so amazingly busy, that it drops off the end of the "to do" list. I have some new work to post, but no photos yet, so in the mean time, enjoy the Eye Candy!! Honestly, the gemstones look like real candy!!

I love chiropractors

For the past two weeks I have been doing a whole lot of, well, nearly nothing, in an effort to rest my wrists and hands. I had a summer full of shows, and tried very hard to pace myself when it came to restocking inventory and working on special orders. I thought I had managed myself well, but two weeks ago (just before the last of the summer shows) my wrists just went "bad." The onset of symptoms seemed sudden, and I sure hoped it wasn't the beginnings of carpal tunnel. I needed time off anyway, so I tried very hard to do as little as possible, just working on the few orders I had from my last three shows. Unfortunately, it seemed like the less I did, the worse the wrists felt. Yesterday I finally went to my chiropractor. Why, oh why didn't I just go right away? While not "well," my hands feel immensely better. Plus, I understand what is going on in my wrists and I have a strategy for counteracting what the bones in my forearm are doing. Now I just need to get through one show in September, one long show in October, and then the November onslaught.....

While "resting" I got myself to the Minnesota State Fair, which I absolutely love and have missed for the past two years. I spent the entire day and still didn't get to the animal barns, so I will have to go back in the next few days. Darn, looks like I'll have to get the Tom Thumb mini-donuts again! Maybe I will also try two of the new food offerings this year: chocolate-covered key lime pie on-a-stick, and something called "piglickers" which sounds intriguing enough to try (Neuskies smoked bacon covered in super-dark chocolate and sprinkled with a spicy-salt mix). Strangely, not on a stick (I think). I think I gained a few pounds just by writing about that food!

I have also been busy with the camera and the keyboard, writing articles and tutorials for a new website, now out of beta-testing, called JewelryLessons.com. This site was put together and is administered by the well known wire jewelry artist, Eni Oken. I am so grateful to have been included in the beta testing. Go take a look! The offerings are still being fleshed out, so visit frequently to see how it changes. So far I have written a tutorial on the Spiral Earrings, Tumble polishing your work, and articles on doing and finding art fairs. I am working on a photo-dense tutorial for Viking knitting.