The Design Gallery
Follow along with step-by-step beading projects and share your designs with beaders around the world—it’s quick & easy!
Chatter
on “Bluebells”:“Oh my...I want them.…” read »
on “Totally Teal”:“Thank you!.. Yes Ann the ring is worked in a spiral.…” read »
on “Rock and Roll Earrings”:“Are there instructions I am missing?…” read »
on “Bluebells”:“Gorgeous earrings; gorgeous flowers! Thanks for sharing both.…” read »
on “Bluebells”:“Very pretty!…” read »
on “Tourmaline Dream”:“This is a piece one can wear from day to night, very beautiful!…” read »
- on “Totally Teal”:
“Wanda the ring is cute, did you a spiral worked in to your ring?…” read »
on “Garden Droplets”:“Love it....You always inspire me, Ali !…” read »
- on “Totally Teal”:
“Wanda you are such a skilled artist. Love those bracelets....Teal is such a happy color.…” read »
- on “a taste of honey”:
“Gorgeous Doktor! My kind of colors.…” read »
- on “Evergreen Copper”:
“Ooops! I meant, Thank you all!…” read »
- on “Evergreen Copper”:
“Thanks you!....…” read »
on “Evergreen Copper”:“The copper, the stones--love it all. Lovely, dramatic design.…” read »
- on “Prince Moai”:
“Great set. Jimmy's a lucky moai.…” read »
on “Tourmaline Dream”:“Love it! Exquisite beads.…” read »
- on “Prince Moai”:
“These pieces are just stunning!!!!! Love looking at the lovely projects beaders have done..it is…” read »
- on “Lots of Copper”:
“You could always start learning etching! I find that 16g through 20g copper makes some of…” read »
on “Violet Tendril Earrings”:“Wonderful use of the sari silk ribbons! Love the earrings! I'm so glad lucite is not…” read »
on “Lovely Impression”:“KO thread is used without a needle because of the stiffness of it. At Lima beads…” read »
- on “Blue Velvet Wraps”:
“Thanks Lynda and Kate!
I'll take a closer look at Swellegant.
Lynda, thank you for the…” read » - on “Prince Moai”:
“Great looking pieces Jimmy is wearing. The nuggets are gorgeous.
…” read » 
on “Prince Moai”:“I have a huge crush on Jimmy too and he loves wearing all the blink. LOL…” read »
on “Blue Velvet Wraps”:“Hi, Mary. There are other ways to get the oxidized look without the smell of…” read »
on “Simply Crystal”:“Wow! Simply gorgeous!…” read »
on “Blue Velvet Wraps”:“Mary S-- You could try using Swellegant instead of LOS. These are slightly acidic and shouldn't…” read »
- on “A Green Cuff”:
“Wow! Blown away. Thanks for all the pics. Wow!…” read »
- on “Lots of Copper”:
“Great earrings. Can't wait to see what you do with the 16g.…” read »
- on “Butterfly Dance”:
“Wanda, I really like this. Love the Butterfly theme and admire all the hard work…” read »
- on “Prince Moai”:
“Please let Jimmy know that he is my first on-line crush. Love a guy who…” read »
- on “Blue Bird of Happiness in Brass”:
“Thank you all. Let me share with you, brass is the hardest metal I have worked…” read »
on “Tourmaline Dream”:“Beautiful! Fabulous pendant...makes for a beautiful necklace.…” read »
on “Tourmaline Dream”:“Dream is the perfect word to use for this set. Oh my gosh!!!!!…” read »
- on “Prince Moai”:
“Much fabulocity here. I'm a huuuuuge Aqua nugget fan. They look great with Quartz.It has such…” read »
- on “Blue Velvet Wraps”:
“Thanks for that tutorial,FB. I would never have guessed about the "loop first" method. I'll give…” read »
- on “Blue Velvet Wraps”:
“I read your tute and found it very easy to follow! And must agree with Kate and…” read »
on “Mystic Mystery”:“Love that color! Great design, too.
…” read »- on “Raspberry and Cream!”:
“YUM! Can I have mine with shortbread? This is such a gorgeous technique, Julia,…” read »
- on “Prince Moai”:
“No earrings for Prince Jimmy! I 'm wearing the earrings! LOL Thank you very much! These…” read »
- on “Blue Bird of Happiness in Brass”:
“Blue with brass. What more could anyone want? Great design.
…” read » - on “Yellow Dragonfly”:
“My kind of color! Love the design, too! Isn't it great to have a stash when…” read »
Amber Lights
About this design:
Another earring frame, this time in copper. Decided to treat them to a LOS bath turning them black. The metal color really sets off the amber glow of the beads.
Components:
Copper metal, faceted glass briolettesRead the comments (or add your own)
Add your thoughts!
On Jan 07, 2012 at 7:08 pm #
Little Round Chick says:WOW! Great pair of ear rings, Lynda.
On Jan 07, 2012 at 8:46 pm #
K H says:Great design!!!! What gauge wire do you use for the frame?
On Jan 07, 2012 at 8:47 pm #
PamRoss10 says:Oh I DO want these….badly!
On Jan 08, 2012 at 12:26 am #
Lynn Eileen Chicky LE says:These earrings are fantastic, Lynda! tee hee….I just saw them on your blog and then came here and “poof” — they magically are now here!
Spooky, isn’t it? 
On Jan 08, 2012 at 12:27 am #
Lynn Eileen Chicky LE says:Oh, and I agree with your choice to “double-dip” in the LOS — perfect color now!
On Jan 08, 2012 at 8:51 am #
Fresh Baked says:Thanks so much, ladies, for your comments. Now to a question…
How to keep this patina. Some of the finish did come off when I wiped it with a polishing cloth. I still like the look, but sadly lost the black. I would be grateful if you shared your successes. I have used Renaissance Wax on heat patininated copper before, but not sure how it would work on the black color.
For KH, since I appropriated this wire from the garage, I’m guessing it’s 16.
Still malleable, but forges nicely for definition.
On Jan 08, 2012 at 8:53 am #
Fresh Baked says:Oops, I meant ‘patinated’. I really need to pay better attention!
On Jan 08, 2012 at 11:04 am #
sunny chick says:So pretty!
On Jan 08, 2012 at 12:59 pm #
Lynn Eileen Chicky LE says:Lynda, I’ve never tried to keep the black finish from the LOS on any silver or copper, but I’ve never actually tried to keep it on. I’ve always used a very fine grade of steel wool to buff off any I don’t want left behind and then tumble the pieces in my tumbler. It adds a nice sheen — if you are going for that. If you want the matte finish, don’t tumble the pieces. Either way, I buff them with a soft cloth when I’m done.
I currently have 8 postings here in the Design Gallery in which I’ve used the above method on the sterling silver or copper portions — My First PMC Piece, Wire Wrapped Beads, Copper Clasps, Copper Spiral Pendant Necklace, Copper Spiral Rings, Silver Spiral Rings, Copper Swirls Bracelet, & Viking Romance Bracelet. The Viking knit portion of the Sea Mist Bracelet was created from the same knitted piece I used in the Viking Romance Bracelet. On the VRB portion I used the LOS and on the SMB I didn’t. Hope this helps!
On Jan 08, 2012 at 1:01 pm #
Lynn Eileen Chicky LE says:Good grief — I just realized that I said the same thing twice in my first sentence in the above comment! LOL! Silly Chicky…..
On Jan 08, 2012 at 2:20 pm #
Purple Chick aka Violet says:Love the color of the copper and it highlights the crystals so well !!
On Jan 09, 2012 at 12:44 pm #
Fresh Baked says:So…continuing on this path. I went ahead and applied the Renaissance Wax to the metal. I must say that although the strong black was lost, it added a beautiful dark brown/black luster to the copper. I’ve also had some advise to go ahead and apply the wax to the blackened copper to preserve the color. So, I’m going to give this a try on another pair of earrings soon. I do like this, but I’m still on the hunt for the elusive black. Attached is a photo of the new color.
On Jan 09, 2012 at 2:57 pm #
P Ford says:Oh, I just love these!!! Wonderful!
On Jan 09, 2012 at 4:12 pm #
Jane MS says:Love the effect the wax gave, adds a lot of depth to the color.
On Jan 09, 2012 at 5:18 pm #
Eeka Mouse says:Looks marvelous! I tried a similar omega frame for a teardrop, but it didn’t turn out nearly as nicely as yours did… maybe I’ll try again w/ thicker wire…
Also, congrats for having this featured on LB”s FB page!
On Jan 09, 2012 at 5:54 pm #
Eeka Mouse says:do you make the bigger curve 1st, or the 2 little ones?
On Jan 09, 2012 at 6:40 pm #
Bead-itudes says:looks like you need to put up a tutorial on these. I do like the new patina. It’s a much warmer hue than the original black.
On Jan 10, 2012 at 5:39 pm #
Fresh Baked says:Thanks again for your comments. And for letting me know about FB.
I’m planning on writing a brief tut for this design. Certainly not too difficult for those that have some wire work experience. I’ll post it soon.
EEKA…I started with the ends first on both wires. One thing that has worked for me in creating earrings that are identical is to make them together…one step at a time. After both wires are prepared with the curled ends, then I hold them together and bend them around a mandrel at the same time (in this case, it was a fat ball point pen). And this is pretty much a big part of the tutorial I’m going to share. Wishing you fun with this design.