Wire Jewelry Article for September 27th, 2017   If you missed Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3 of the series you can click here. We occasionally need a little help in making our brainstorming as productive as possible. There have been times when I wanted to be fluent, flexible, original, and elaborative, but it just didn’t happen. Luckily, tools like SCAMPER, discussed herein, can help get the creative juices flowing. SCAMPER is an acronym put together by Bob Eberle based largely on the brainstorming work of Alex Osborn. Each letter indicates something we can consider when trying to develop a n ..read more

Wire Jewelry Tip for September 22nd, 2017 Simple Soldering Station by Denise Peck If you’re venturing into soldering with a handheld butane torch, there are a few things you should consider having for a safe and effective soldering station. Of course you’ll need a fire safe surface, which can be as basic as a sheet pan or cookie sheet. And a fire brick, on which you’ll do your soldering. But it’s important to have some heat-dedicated pliers that you don’t mind wrecking. Long-nose pliers are great. And a solder pick is great for nudging your work should it move under the breeze of the flame. I ..read more

Wire Jewelry Article for September 20th, 2017   If you missed Part 1 and Part 2 of the series you can click here. Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, Elaboration and Resistance to Premature Closure Generating New Ideas for Earring Shapes In Part II of this series, we discussed brainstorming and what follows herein is further exploration of that process introducing terms widely used to describe creative thinking. Hopefully, this will help you build on simple brainstorming, making it more valuable for your jewelry making. Following this introduction, I will show you the creative thinking I ..read more

Wire Jewelry Tip for September 19th, 2017 Make a Three-Strand Bracelet by Marilyn Gardiner You often see 3-strand beaded bracelets, but have you considered making one with chainmail? There are several options, but one key to success is to have 3 strands of a similar diameters. Here are some ideas to get you started: Use 3 identical strands of the same chainmail weave. You could mix this up with two different metals, say black for the outside strands, and silver in the middle. Or, silver on the outside, and bronze in the middle. Use 2 strands of the same chainmail weave with a third that is ..read more

Wire Jewelry Tip for September 15th, 2017 Making Paddle Ends by Denise Peck Flattening the ends of wire into a paddle shape is a versatile technique that’s quite handy to know how to do. It’s a simple way to make headpins on which to string beads, or it’s a pretty dangle all on its own. It’s also a nice way to begin a spiral, as the thinned wire is easy to curl, and looks cool spiraled! You need very few tools, one of which you probably have in your kitchen tool drawer. You’ll need a steel bench block and a flat-head hammer, and of course, wire cutters. A metal needle file or nail file is also ..read more

Wire Jewelry Article for September 13th, 2017 If you missed Part 1 of this series, you can find it here! Brainstorming See yourself as creative and you will likely recognize the importance of brainstorming. This builds a strong foundation for creative thinking. We all use limited brainstorming from time to time in life and in our jewelry making. It’s simply the generation of multiple ideas or possibilities in hopes of coming up with something usable. For example, while preparing to string the final strand of a multi-strand bracelet one day, I ran out of the medium beading wire that I rely on ..read more

Wire Jewelry Tip for September 12th, 2017 Handy Uses for the WireJewelry.com Cushion Clamp by Karen Meador, PhD There are definitely times when I need an extra hand or two or three . . . how about you? Lately, I’ve been getting some “handy” assistance from the WireJewelry.com Cushion Clamps. These clamps are surprisingly strong and sturdy, but the small size makes them appropriate for many uses. Also, the padding on the clamp end prevents them from marring your piece. Here are just a few of the uses I’ve employed so far. I’ve been struggling with a new bracelet design wherein I need to glue t ..read more

Wire Jewelry Tip for September 8th, 2017 Making Perfect Eye Pins by Delilah Eye pins are another staple of jewelry making, and another finding that is so simple to make. You needn’t spend money on commercial eye pins. If you make your own, you can use any metal and any gauge wire, and make them any length you need for the beads you’re using. And, you can work right off your spool of wire, so there’s no waste at all. Look how easy! Working off the spool, grasp the very end of your wire in your round-nose pliers so you cannot feel any wire protruding when you run your finger over the top of the ..read more

Wire Jewelry Article for September 6th, 2017 This is the first in a series of articles about creative thinking and the expression of it in jewelry making. It is my hope that if you don’t already, you will begin to See Yourself as a Creative Thinker. Also, I hope you will acknowledge that creative thinking can be improved through practice. Throughout my research and teaching the topic of creativity has led to the following response from many: “I’m NOT creative!” This often comes from those who believe creative thinking exudes if you are artistic or musical. This is the point in my teaching whe ..read more

Wire Jewelry Tip for September 5th, 2017 Perfecting your Wirework by Delilah If you venture in wire wrapping, make it look perfect! Nothing detracts from a wire piece more than sloppy coiling or weaving. Don’t kid yourself that people won’t notice. Truly professional wire wrapped pieces look that way – professionally done! No matter what kind of wrapping you choose to make, make it perfectly aligned, and pay attention every step of the way. Every 2-3 coils, use your fingers or a non-marring tool to push or pull the wrapped wires close to each other and only then continue with others.   In ..read more