Cat's eye revisited

Today I chose to make some items using these pretty cat's eye tumbled chips, I still have a few strands of these to work through - but here are my finished items for today's Mondays Makes.
All of these pieces have been crocheted on blue coloured enamelled wire
I started by crocheting a necklace this is a longer length than my usual necklaces as I am often asked for clasp less necklaces, which can just be placed over your head.

I liked this design so much that I also decided to crochet a shorter necklace with a clasp.

.... and as it has been a while since I made any spectacle chains I then crocheted a spectacle chain with the remaining chips on the wire...

handmade jewellery by Angela Smith

Carnelian bracelet - An Autumn accessory

Made this morning - Today's Monday's Make is this chunky Carnelian and glass bead bracelet finished off with a gold plate clasp - this bracelet is an fabulous Autumn fashion accessory.

handmade jewellery by Angela Smith

'Magog' - An Oak leaf necklace

This week I have been working on this statement necklace design, based on oak leaves, which is now complete. I have named her Magog after a fabulous old, I believe around 2000 years old, oak near Glastonbury - when I saw her about 20 years ago she was still just clinging onto life unlike her partner, Gog, which has now sadly died - just think what has passed in her lifetime - amazing!!!!

I used copper wire to make my oak leafs, freehand shaping so, as in nature, no two are identical, I then added finer copper wire threaded with Swarovski crystals and glass beads to each leaf by weaving and wrapping into a random pattern, then I linked each set of leaves together with a glass bead on copper wire and added a hand formed clasp again using copper wire.

handmade jewellery by Angela Smith 

Golden tones of Venetian Glass

In my opinion you cannot beat Venetian glass for intensity of colour when it comes to glass beads, I use many types of glass beads in my jewellery making but I still find myself returning time and again to Venetian glass and today I found myself making more jewellery with Venetian glass as the feature bead.

All four of these necklaces have been made using gold coloured nylon coated wire and have gold plate clasps.

handmade jewellery by Angela Smith

Carnelian and bronze

These carnelian nougats are a favourite of mine, I have used them in many designs over the years, but as I have only just started using bronze wire this week, I have never used them to make a necklace like this before. It is much heavier and chunkier than most of my designs but as I have to keep reminding myself delicate jewellery isn't everyone's cup of tea!!!

SOLD

handmade jewellery by Angela Smith

Oak leaf pendant

Autumn is definitely on it's way and this week I have been concentrating on making Autumn themed jewellery, including this Autumnal Oak leaf, fashioned free hand using bronze wire with a handful of Swarovski crystals woven into it. It is hanging on black cotton cord.

handmade jewellery by Angela Smith

Autumn in bronze and crystal

 I am definitely having an Autumnal week, having already posted two designs this week with an Autumn theme I have another to share today, with two more waiting in the wings also made yesterday and a couple more ideas in my head which will hopefully be completed later on this week, in between the restringings that I seem to be collecting at the moment.
Whilst looking around my work room I noticed my bronze wire stash that I had bought last month for another project which has been put on hold for the time being, so yesterday I had a play with the wire and made three different items, this being the first. It is my time working or playing with bronze wire and I have to say I like it very much, it has a totally different feel to the silver wire when using it and obviously has a very different look to it too!
I am classing this as one item when in fact it is two, as it is a set, usually I would sell items in a set individually and it will be the same with this, but deep down I would really like this to go as a complete set.

Autumn leaves with berries - bracelet and earring set

Each leaf has a Swarovski crystal in and the berries are tiny glass beads.

I have to say I am pleased I chose to make a bracelet rather than a necklace as the wire did get quite tangled when starting off, that isn't to say I couldn't make a necklace, if it was asked for - it would make a stunning necklace!

handmade jewellery by Angela Smith