I would never have believed I would enjoy anything that had to do with fire, beyond that in a fireplace. But I really do like soldering. It does give me a feeling of power! almost. Makes me feel as if I could build things!
The earrings I have to show you are not what I intended to. The Sterling hoops below are what I planned to share. But when all was said and done, I wasn't happy with them. They're a little too rustic, even for me. I have to do some work on the copper, and then there's something missing. I worked with them trying to add different things here or there and eventually just put them aside. They are my first soldered Sterling pieces. Big Sterling Hippie Hoops is what I envisioned. Who knows where they'll end up.
So I pulled out a pair of copper teardrops I had soldered at the same time. I like making plain shapes, rounds, teardrops, triangles, and soldering a bar across, generally not straight across, on an angle, and the angle may not be the same on each earring. And then I select a group of beads and wrap the daylights out of the bars. The picture below shows a few I've done in the past.
They are challenging to wrap. I have wrapped and re-wrapped and re-wrapped many pieces. Some never to be completed. I used to use wire until it finally occurred to me to try waxed linen! Much kinder to the hands!
 |
| hand-forged copper teardrops |
The top beads are ceramic by Nadia Karapencheva of Nadia Terra.
Thanks for stopping by! My wishes to you and yours for a year filled with Love & Laughter, Peace & Joy. Happy New Year! And enjoy a little fire!
I'll be back on 01/05/16.
Norbel Marolla
She Flies Again - My Shop on Etsy
She Flies Again on Facebook
I love them all!! It is very hard to believe something would be too rustic for you, and me too!!
ReplyDeletelol I know!! But I guess what I mean is they're just don't look good. :) ya know? Not to our standards, anyway. ;) Thanks, Kristi, as always for your support!
DeleteBeautiful earrings! I love the way you've wrapped the beads in clusters. The soldering is perfect on every one. I hear you about the fire. It took me a while to get comfortable with a large sized torch. Now, I love it! :-) Great post! Thanks for sharing. Cindy
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cindy! It's funny, isn't it; I really didn't think I'd be able to get past it. It was love at first light though. :) Thank you, Cindy!
DeleteSexy solder :-) Reading your post, what a wonderful way to start the day. I love your soldering. I hope that one day I will have time to do some metal work, and even a bit of soldering myself. Not now. good heavens no, I might set our truck on fire with my clumsiness. Year earrings are beautiful. The soldering and the way you wrapped the beads around the bar. Lovely and fun.
ReplyDeleteWishing you and your loved ones a wonderful New Years eve and a happy 2016 full of joy and laughter.
You're so kind, Janine. I do hope you are able to get into some metal work AND soldering. You'll love it. And wonder why you never did it before. But you have much too much to deal with right now. New things might not be a good thing. I do wish the same for you and yours, Janine. Peace of mind for you most of all. <3 Thanks again!
DeleteLove your earrings...the wrapping is gorgeous! I would solder a half jump ring to the top of the first pair and call it a done deal! Ingenious design!
ReplyDeletePatti, really? A half jump ring making a hook. I'm so glad you like it! That makes my day. I'll do that half ring tomorrow and see how I feel. Thanks so much, Patti, for taking the time to share your opinion with me. I appreciate it!
DeleteNorbel, It is hard to keep up with how fast you are growing and innovating. I love them all. I think Patti's idea will free you to finish the sexy hoops. Brava!
ReplyDeleteSusan, what a wonderful thing to say. Thank you so much! I appreciate your feedback.
DeleteSusan, what a wonderful thing to say. Thank you so much! I appreciate your feedback.
DeleteI love both the beaded earrings and the bare hoops. I'm looking forward to getting more soldering done this year.
ReplyDelete