Holy dowel!

I spent a little time in Home Depot today buying paint to finish my studio's makeover and picked up these awesome wood dowels.  These are great for forming wire for ear wires, hoops, jump rings, etc.  I plan on using the largest diameter to make a pair of rose gold hoops.  And yes, I did buy one in every diameter!  I don't think the lady who checked me out had ever seen anyone so excited to buy a bunch of wooden poles...

Hello again

Sorry for the lapse in posts.  I was trying out the blog feature on my website, but after some experimenting and thought, I've decided to stay on Blogger for a little longer.

Tonight I'm working on a Pretty Palette Necklace.  Here's a pic of my friend, Sarah, wearing one. This is the same design that I created for Bead Style Magazine last year but in a new color combination of dark teal, emerald green, light blue green and rich brown hues mixed with oxidized silver.

It all begins with a mix of gemstones and silver.  

With a little time and patience, it turns into this...

The focal stone had a wonky hole and didn't want to wrap correctly, but eventually I showed it who was boss.  I'll finish up the chain tomorrow evening and then oxidize all the silver.  When its all finished, it'll look a lot like this....

Handmade

There's been a lot of talk lately in the Etsy community about the flood of mass/factory produced items into the handmade marketplace.  Its been in my thoughts lately too as I work on defining/refining my "brand".  What does handmade mean to me?

To the maximum degree possible, I make by hand all of the components that I use in my jewelry.  Why?  Because its important to me...because it matters.  I think of myself as an artisan/craftsman.  I think its what helps set my jewelry apart from others.  

Maybe it would be nice to share a glimpse into that process from time to time?  Yes!  So today, I wanted to share some pics of the process I use to make ear wires. First, I choose my wire - sterling silver in this case - and then I measure and cut.

Umm, funny how this is the first time I noticed the warning about safety glasses.  Don't be like me!  Luckily, I wear prescription glasses so I'm covered...right?

Time to file!  Nothing is worse than sharp edges next to tender ears.  I'm working on the end that will make the loop at the front of the ear wire.  You'll see later on that the other end - the one that you slip through your piercing - is a little more labor intensive.

This is a handy little tool that slightly rounds the edges.  

These lucite drops require a larger loop to hang and swing correctly.  

Hammer time!  This helps harden the wire....also good for letting off excess angst and stress...not that I have any of that....

I use these handy pliers to bend the wire into an ear wire-ish shape.  They're actually good for all sorts of projects.

Add the final kick and then trim it down to a not so scary length.

Now its time to file the other end.  Yes, I'm a little fanatical about getting that kick smooth!

Hammer time again.  I actually have a specific number of hits that I use every time.  Hmm, maybe I shouldn't admit these things in public :)

Ta-Da!  After a good cleaning, they are ready to use. 

I hope this post wasn't too boring.  I tend to get a little excited when I start talking "shop".  What can I say?  I love what I do!

Wilson

It's been a hectic week with little time left for fun in the studio.  Why not share a pic of Wilson then? Wilson is one of my barn cats and in my humble opinion, one of the sweetest kitties EVER.  He has only two goals in life - to eat and to be loved.

This week in the studio....

I received some colorful, beautiful quartz gemstones....

Some of these beauties will be making their way into new designs for next week.  I've already used the green  drops in a version of my popular Ophira earrings and the beautiful blue elongated drops in a new pair of Peyton earrings.

Last night I took the very grainy shot below of some work in progress.  I finished up 2 orders and managed to make 1 and a 1/2 pairs of earrings.  The one I am holding is a new version of my Satchel earrings - I'll finish the set tonight.  The pair sort of hidden by my hand are the Peyton earrings made with blue quartz.

The muse is definitely with me this week!  I can't wait to share the final pics on Monday.  Till then, have a great weekend!

Giveaway Time!

How quickly time has flown... Kande - Kristina Henning Jewelry is now 4 years old!  To celebrate, I am having a giveaway  - now you can be excited too.  To enter, go to http://bit.ly/Zyi1Sl

Good luck!

Catching Up

It's been a month since I last posted?  Yikes!  I've been a busy little bee.  I took some time off from the shop and the day job to spend time with my son for Spring Break.  Then I took a little more time off and spent it working in the studio - bliss!  Here's a tiny glimpse of what I've been up to...

I bought some pretty, sparkly gemstones!

I started experimenting with mixing leather and gems.  Still a work in progress, but I think the end results will be lovely.

I spent too much time watching the kitty sleep...but he's too cute to resist!

More work in progress

A finally, here's a few completed projects (there are too many to list)...

You can see all the new pieces here.