Hoops again!

Hello! Hope you're all keeping safe and well.

Well, in these strange times I found myself reading too much news and getting rather overwhelmed with the state of things. So, I consciously took a step back, reduced my time checking the news and spent some time at my little workbench. The result? Feeling much better.

Now, I've mentioned in my  last contribution to the blog that my silver stash is dwindling, as my main supplier has shut their doors for a little while to keep their staff safe. And rightly so. So I have been looking at every little tiny bit of silver i have with new eyes! How can I turn this into something pretty? Will I have enough to make a pair of these? I have very little sheet left, and a little more wire -so, I thought I'd make some pretty hoops.

I love hoops. They feature in oh so many of my designs -old and new. Love their versatility -how they can be the main feature of a design, or simply an accompaniment to a striking component -be that an art bead or a gemstone.

Now, this pair are a gift for a fabulous friend who has cheered me on in my silver jewellery endeavours! They started out as a simple bit of wire, soldered at the top and shaped on a mandrel, with a little light hammering to harden their shape. I had some leftover semi-circles of silver from an earlier design, which just needed to be filed to to same shape and size, and then hammered to give them that pretty texture. Finally, soldered onto the hoops, oxidised and buffed to a shine -for a contemporary, but edgy look. Hope she likes them!

These others are made from slightly thicker pieces of sterling silver wire. I found a piece of beaded wire in my stash that I'd completely forgotten about, so once the hoops had been soldered and shaped. I cut the beaded wire in two, and wrapped it along the bottom half of each hoop. I made some earwires for this pair, and had a little of the beaded wire left, so added them around the join, just to embelish them and echo the main design.

So there we are! And if you don't have a torch for soldering, hoops are still so easy to make -you just need to know how to wrap wire, and have something to wrap the wire around! 

Hope you are finding something creative to do to keep you calm in these difficult times. Keep safe and well, and I'll be back in a couple of weeks

Sue

Silver In All It's Glory _ Hoops Are For Any Day

I feel like silver doesn't really need any bead or color to be beautiful. It's quite lovely on it's own. And hoops are my personal go-to earring of choice. Different sizes for different occasions work wonderfully. 

Going to see Cheap Trick at the Amphitheater? Gimme the big swinging hoops! Going out to dinner with the family? Gimme the medium sized hoops! Going out to the grocery store and just need a little something on the ears? Gimme the tiny hoops. (I can sleep in those too!) Yes, I love hoops any time, any day. 

BTW, Cheap Trick is still fabulous in concert! 

I've had a HUGE amount of fun and immensely enjoyed this summer working on new jewelry for my shop. My big reveal is today! Finally, breathing easy for a day or two... taking a few days off, then I'll be back to it working on the next update! #ilovemyjob 

These are a few of the earrings I am offering in today's shop update: 

Big Silver Hoops_

Average Sized Hoops_

Tiny Hoops_

Of course you could wear these whenever you like! That's just my take on it!

Shop updates happening now.

 

 

Basic Black Earrings Beach Stone Jewelry

What is the main color that fills your closet? Mine has a lot of black. I don't want to be that "emo" girl who always wears black but I am drawn to it. (no offense emo girls!) I love wearing black and it's easy to fit any other color with it, so it's a good go-to accessory & clothing color. 

These earrings are another take on my beach glass/stone earrings. The only two stones I found that were so beautifully smooth and really *black. All the other stones I collected on this day were some sort of gray. I really love the look and feel of these smooth stones. 

photo by Cindy Pack free for personal use

They pair well with the silver and add a nice contrast to the metal, even in it's rustic patina'd state. 

My original idea was to have the asymmetrical rings hanging side by side. But I was inspired by some of the many asymmetrical earrings I've seen here on the EE blog and I mixed it up a bit. I'm really pleased with how they came out. 

Part of my "Peace, Love & Rocks" Collection

http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/collections/peace-love-rock

Found black stones, handmade fine silver rings, 
and black stone beads from Alexanders Bead Bazaar (Seattle, WA). 

What's your go-to color? 

(original post date Oct 2014)