Chatter

K Ralston on “One Goof”:
“Such an interesting pendant and I like the choice of beads you used to showcase it.…” read »
K Ralston on “Purple Passion and Cream Necklace”:
“Purple is a great color. I love the cream colored glass pearls in this. Plus…” read »
K Ralston on “Silly Summer Earrings”:
“What a fun pair of earrings. I can just visualize you wearing these out in the…” read »
dolllady aka Pam on “One Goof”:
“Jane, this is a fantastic necklace! It is perfect to wear all year with any…” read »
MH on “Purple Passion and Cream Necklace”:
“This is precious! I love your colors!…” read »
Granny Nancy on “One Goof”:
“Jane, this is so lovely. You know me... sometimes I'm a bit of a minimalist. But…” read »
Phoenix on “Silly Summer Earrings”:
“Adorable! Fun, summer earrings. Very creative Beady!…” read »
dolllady aka Pam on “Purple Passion and Cream Necklace”:
“Bea you to ful!! The flower dangle from the heart is perfection.…” read »
goodwin368 on “Witches Brew Bracelet”:
“I'm waiting for those beautiful green rondelles to come back in stock! This is Halloween…” read »
Beady Little Eyes on “Silly Summer Earrings”:
“Thanks to all of you. Melody the knots are between the dangling beads. I usually sew…” read »
dolllady aka Pam on “Silly Summer Earrings”:
“Kids would love seeing and wearing these along with fun loving adults like me!…” read »
Crystal Canary on “Silly Summer Earrings”:
“So fun! You did a great job creating a fruity delight! …” read »
Melody F on “Silly Summer Earrings”:
“Very cute! Where are the knots?…” read »
gembeans on “Silly Summer Earrings”:
“These are just darn cute!…” read »
Beady Little Eyes on “Czech Glass Mix Stretch Bracelets”:
“So fun. I also like the silver tubes. Nice.…” read »
Andrea at Lima on “Czech Glass Mix Stretch Bracelets”:
“Shin IL elastic cord is high quality and holds its shape really well. I've been really…” read »
MH on “The Raven”:
“Quoth the Raven "Nevermore." I like your raven and your colors are fantastic!…” read »
dolllady aka Pam on “Czech Glass Mix Stretch Bracelets”:
“These are great for stacking. How does the stretch elastic hold its shape?…” read »
Crystal Canary on “Rusted Duo”:
“Perfectly suited for Lima's Home Page 'What's Fresh'! …” read »
Crystal Canary on “Czech Glass Mix Stretch Bracelets”:
“I love layering stretch bracelets! These have a nice variety of interest that catches attention--but…” read »
D Al-Faqih on “Woodland Trails Teadrop Necklace”:
“Love the lessons on wire wrapping!!…” read »
Beady Little Eyes on “The Raven”:
“Thanks KR. Yes we have a lot of crows here also. I think city crows…” read »
K Ralston on “Some More Nuggets”:
“Love the copper flower and the chunkyness of the bracelet. It makes a statement.…” read »
K Ralston on “Getting in the Groove Again”:
“Sweetjane, I am just catching up with everyone today. So sorry for all you are going…” read »
K Ralston on “Dogwood flower”:
“Your work with the alcohol ink always astounds me. This is gorgeous.…” read »
K Ralston on “Purple flower bracelet”:
“You will sell this quickly. It's stunning.…” read »
K Ralston on “Truck necklace”:
“This just screams "free spirit." So fabulous.…” read »
K Ralston on “Rusted Duo”:
“These are so interesting. The patina and the bronze work well together. Very unique.…” read »
K Ralston on “Polygon Drops”:
“Casual and fun. Very nice Sweetjane.…” read »
K Ralston on “The Raven”:
“Hey Beady. This is a great piece. I haven't checked in for a few days so…” read »
Brenda H on “Rusted Duo”:
“This is such an amazing design! I love the combination of metal component and bead…” read »
Brenda H on “Polygon Drops”:
“Interesting earrings! I almost always have a plan for the things I purchase because the…” read »
sweetjane on “Polygon Drops”:
“Thanks you all!! I got a bunch of vintage/retro beads from this seller. I just kinda…” read »
Beading Beagle on “Rusted Duo”:
“I really like this design! The duos really bring attention to the patina. Very cool and…” read »
TierraCast on “Stackable Czech Glass Nugget Bracelets”:
“Thank you!…” read »
Beady Little Eyes on “Polygon Drops”:
“Wow. I really love these earrings sweetjane. The shapes are very interesting. And the colors so…” read »
Beady Little Eyes on “The Raven”:
“Wow Crystal. Wish I could have seen that waving, slapping and shouting. How entertaining! Yeah ravens…” read »
dolllady aka Pam on “Polygon Drops”:
“These are gorgeous! I love the reversible drops. It basically doubles the number of…” read »
Crystal Canary on “Polygon Drops”:
“Very cool! Love the large shape, especially for longer hair styles. The fact that…” read »
Crystal Canary on “The Raven”:
“Beady, Haha. No, I was stand outside making a fool of myself waving my hands…” read »

Making Waves

Bigger Photo

About this design:

Although I have tried my hand at making a few clasps with wire, here is my first endeavor making a piece of jewelry with it. I checked out several books from the library & have been pounding, twisting, bending all different gauges learning about this new medium for creating.

Once I settled on a design, I worked hard to follow the directions, but you know how that goes. I cut my wire according to the instructions and began my bending. Well, I should have paid closer attention to the picture, as the ‘waves’ in it were much smaller than the ones I made. The sad result was my bracelet came up quite short & didn’t fit all the way around my wrist. I was so disappointed! I didn’t want to throw this one in the ‘scrap’ pile, so I made a large beaded hook to compensate for the missing length and hopefully blend into the design. I carefully formed the bracelet into an oval shape, wired the beads in place, and was so glad the fit was right.

I now understand about the large pile of ‘undesirables’ to save for later— it’s sad to learn the hard way & waste wire ($$) in the process. But hopefully, some of those pieces will find their way into another design with a little help.

Components:

16 ga copper wire; 24 ga antique copper Parawire; Antique Soochow Jade various sizes

Additional Images:

Read the comments (or add your own)

On Apr 30, 2021 at 10:36 am #
dolllady aka Pam says:

Very pretty bracelet! I love the copper wire with the soochow jade.
On Apr 30, 2021 at 11:55 am #
Creel U says:

Beautiful!
On Apr 30, 2021 at 12:46 pm #
Melody F says:

No need apologize for the bracelet as it is amazing. If this is your first try I think there are masterpieces to come. I like the design and the beads you chose to fill the waves. I look forward to seeing more from you.
On Apr 30, 2021 at 1:21 pm #
Fresh Baked says:

Great save! I think the clasp became a beautiful part of the design.
On Apr 30, 2021 at 1:41 pm #
Wordgrrl says:

I second Melody, no need to apologize! The bracelet is gorgeous–no one needs to know it’s not what you had in mind when you started. Also love the small wire wraps you did, and your clasp turned out amazing! Great job!!
On Apr 30, 2021 at 4:08 pm #
Little Round Chick says:

Hey CC, it is close enough for government work!

Seriously it looks great and I think that you found an excellent way to “Make it work!” I’ve played around with variations of this style for several years and have found it to be very versatile and extremely forgiving. You can expand the width of the waves, tighten them up, form them into complete circles and anything else you can think of.
On Apr 30, 2021 at 4:26 pm #
sweetjane says:

I think it’s great!! You did a wonderful job….the clasp is perfect. I wouldn’t even attempt anything like that. I would be very proud of myself for accomplishing that.
On Apr 30, 2021 at 4:27 pm #
Snnje B says:

Hi Crystal Canary! This looks stunning! I haven’t had time to pass by Limabeads site for a long time, and now the first I see is your great piece! I think the large waves look great, and am glad to hear that you could make it fit
On Apr 30, 2021 at 4:40 pm #
Crystal Canary says:

Thanks so much everyone! Trying something new can be fun & frustrating at the same time. I like to share my process because when others do, I learn so much. I don’t mind open cuffs, but always feel a bit better when there’s a clasp to hold them in place.

Snnje, It’s nice to see you back! Hope you’ve had time to create, and I’d love to see what you’ve been up to.
On Apr 30, 2021 at 5:57 pm #
Kimberlywilliams60 says:

I LOVE it !! Its amazing …Love soochow in this and honestly if you hadn’t told us I would never have believed this was not what you intended …”happy accidents ” I say
On Apr 30, 2021 at 9:39 pm #
Jogi says:

CC this is beautiful! I love your wraps and the clasp is perfect! No apologies needed! You made a wonderful bracelet and you can be proud of the outcome. Just wow!
On May 01, 2021 at 3:07 am #
K Ralston says:

This is great! I can’t believe it’s your first piece. There are no nicks on the wire. It’s smooth and neat. You did a perfect job. And it’s quite normal and acceptable to adjust the size by adding beads, clasps, jump rings etc. Now you see about following instructions, LOL. But you did a good job anyway and that’s what is important. Your work, your rules. I wish I had a picture of my first attempt. It was a catawampus mess. Can’t wait to see your next piece.
On May 02, 2021 at 8:07 am #
kye says:

Beautiful! 16 gauge wire is so difficult to work with I think. You seem to be a natural at this type of work. Everything is so well done. All the Soochow and that clasp make a wonderful bracelet. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
On May 02, 2021 at 1:04 pm #
Beady Little Eyes says:

Congratulations CC – you have a wonderful design and the colors are great. I love your clasp. Looks so hard to do.
On May 03, 2021 at 10:30 am #
Crystal Canary says:

Help! First, I very much appreciate all the kind comments–thank you so much! You all are very encouraging. I’m working on another piece & need to wrap some ‘coiling’ around the wire in a tight space. How do I keep the wire from ‘kinking’ as I try to manipulate it around? I shortened it after my first try, but it’s still wanting to ‘kink’ more than I think it should. This definitely is not as easy as it looks! On the piece above, I was able to swing the wire in the open portion of the ‘wave’; but on this project, I need to get it around in an small enclosed space. Is there some type of technique that makes this process easier? I appreciate an advice! I had to walk away from it…..Ugh! Thanks again everyone!!
On May 03, 2021 at 1:14 pm #
Stingray says:

Be sure to start with a fresh piece of wire as a used piece may already be work-hardened. Coil by poking the tip through(like threading a needle) then pulling tight. As your pulling the wire through you may need to hold open the loop that forms to keep it from kinking. Hope this helps.
This bracelet is perfect, not a scratch on it and evenly looped. The clasp looks intentional.
On May 03, 2021 at 2:14 pm #
Crystal Canary says:

Stingray, Thanks for responding to my question! I thought maybe I could use a wooden dowel to help guide it around without it getting all messed up, but that might be hard to hold in place with trying to direct the wire & hold the piece at the same time. Do you think that would work? It seems to want to twist or something–I can’t figure out what it’s trying to do. I’m even going with the arc of the wire off the spool as I thought that might have been the problem. I will try your idea with more focused attention on guiding it around with my finger. Thank you.
On May 03, 2021 at 3:57 pm #
Chicky Red-haired Grammy says:

Holy smoke! This is beautiful … love all dialogue attached with this piece!
On May 09, 2021 at 10:11 pm #
K Ralston says:

Hi Crystal. I didn’t see your question until tonight. Fine wire does kink easily but when coiling just try to not let it get a really hard kink. You’ll be smoothing the wire with your fingers or nylon pliers a lot as you go. Don’t fret too much about minor bends and stuff until you get to that segment of the wire, and usually you will find that it will lay right down on the base wire smoothly anyway. If you are coiling a section that is enclosed, meaning it’s not open so you can easily wind the wire, then push a loop of the wire close to the base wire through the opening, and then pull the rest of the length through. You’ll get much lest kinking that way. It’s just something that is part of coiling and not anything you are doing wrong. Can’t wait to see your next piece.
On May 10, 2021 at 10:41 am #
Crystal Canary says:

Thanks KRalston! I appreciate the support & tips you have offered. I’m working my little coils a few a day (when I get a chance) since it seems too intense to do all at once. Also, I’m starting to have the problem with my fingertips hurting–especially with the tiny work. I can’t seem to keep the link (12mm) in my fingers as I work because it keeps slipping out of my grip & dropping onto my desk–very frustrating. A difficult task, I must say. Your response helps. Thanks again for taking the time to respond–you’re very kind.