What's on My Bench?

Today's edition of is from JET team member Wanda of GemstonesonMyMind.

I’m working on a pair of Copper and Turquoise earrings.  I love Copper and Turquoise, so it’s a combination I work with often.  I’ve sketched a quick design that appeals to me, and hopefully to others. 

I’ve gathered the supplies needed for a pair of dangly, boho style Copper and Turquoise earrings.    I’m using some copper washers from Amazon that I bought just for the purpose of creating chandeliers for the pair. 

First, I’m going to give the washers a hammered texture that will make them sparkle, sort of like facets.  Each little ding of the hammer is going to reflect the light and make them look like they didn’t come from the hardware department.  After I’ve hammered them, I’ll file the edges smooth so as not to cause any discomfort to the wearer.

Now it’s time to make the dangle charms that will hang from the new rings.  The Turquoise I’ve chosen is small blue green heishi beads and I’ll be accenting them with small Copper spacer beads that I picked up at a bead show.  I chose 6 copper ball pins to use for wiring the charms.  To give them a different look, I’ve hammered the ball on the end of the headpin into a flat disc.   After wiring them into a charm, I attach them to the “copper washer” chandelier with jump rings, using a larger one for the center to let it dangle a little lower.  As for the jump rings used to attach it to the ear wires, I hammered them also.

So now the earrings are finished, and I think I like them, which means I need to keep this pair and make some for the shop!

Remember to return next week for another episode of What's on My Bench. If you want to learn more about Wanda, please visit her shop, GemstonesonMyMind. Until next week!

Whats on My Bench

Welcome to another edition of Whats on My Bench with the JET Team. This week Brooke, of BrookeJewelry, takes us behind the scenes in her workshop...

Currently on my bench is a fun request from a family member, for a custom sterling silver necklace. It is a sweet sixteen birthday gift, made with a stone found on the beach by the birthday girl and her grandfather when she was a pre-schooler. I love making jewelry but when I know the story behind a custom piece, and that it is being given as a gift for a special occasion, that really inspires me and gets my creativity flowing.

I decided the best way to attach the odd shaped stone was to drill a hole in it. The instructions I found for drilling a hole in stone included the advice, "be patient", and boy were they right! Depending on the hardness of the stone, this step can take quite a while.

After drilling the hole I began assembling the chain, and seeing how it looked with different chain links added in for interest. Once I had the size and placement of the links decided I soldered them closed, polished the links and added a hammered texture. I also added some brass accents by making a link with brass and wire wrapping the faceted turquoise bead to the chain with brass.

I wasn't sure how I wanted to close the necklace - in the back with a simple clasp, or with a toggle - or to bring some more interest to the front with a handmade toggle and ring closure. In the end as you can see I thought it would be nice to add that pretty toggle to the front AND make the necklace adjustable by adding another ring for the toggle to go through.

The birthday girl's grandparents love it, and I hope she does too. And I now have a new design to shape and adapt to new projects! I have some meteorite pendants that I think are going to look great with a design similar to this.

A wonderful story behind the stone, Brooke, and a gorgeous design too - the birthday girl is sure to love her beautiful necklace!

Whats on My Bench

Hello and welcome to another edition of Whats on My Bench! Today, JET Team member and new mother Trace of TraceDesigns explains why her bench tools have been replaced with some rather unconventional jewelry-making items!

If you’ve checked out my bench these day’s you’d be a bit surprised about what you see. My trusty Dremel, hammer, and pliers have been replaced with diapers, burp clothes, and well, a little baby.

Whats on My Bench

Hello again everyone! This week Whats on My Bench with the JET Team joins Gaetana of SatinDollCo who has once again been busy making more gifts for her family. How does she find the time, I wonder?!

My godmother's birthday is at the end of June. So like always, instead of buying a gift I opted to make her a jewelry set. After searching through my bead selection, I came up with a cool tone mix of beads....

The last piece I made for her, for Mother's Day, was in warm tones - follow this link to see what I made back then. So I wanted this piece to be with more refreshing colors and I decided to feature green agate, smokey gray faceted glass beads, onyx teardrop beads and an kiwi jasper flower pendant - a nice refreshing mix of beads. Now to figure out the configuration....

I noticed when doing the placement that I didn't have enough green agate beads or onyx beads to continue the pattern. And finishing off with the smokey gray faceted glass beads would be boring so I thought some leather was in order. Don't you agree?

I strung the beads onto wire and then cut the leather to the required length and attached the pieces to the necklace, then finished the whole thing off with a lobster clasp and a chain extension.

All done! I think the leather was a nice mix to the necklace if I say so myself! Now, you can't give a necklace with some sort of earrings to match, can you?!

I created a simple pair of earrings featuring the smokey gray faceted glass beads and sesame jade beads. I didn't have any kiwi jasper beads but the sesame jade was a close second and are passable. I think she'll love it, and I can't wait to hear her reaction!

What a beautiful gift, Gaetana - your godmother is very lucky!
Until next time,
Val

Whats On My Bench

In today's edition of Whats on My Bench, Carolyn of VenusVelvet shares what she's been making this month...

Lately, I have been creating a lot of custom necklaces for sweet mamas with little ones that need distraction while nursing or baby-wearing. 40 custom orders over the last month and a half!

The solid links provide comfort and distraction for the wee ones. I'm told they love to play with the links, feel to coolness of the metal in their little hands, watch the sparkle created when the light hits the faceted surface of the links, and listen to the soft jingling sound of the links hitting each other!

The mamas get to look smashingly good with a little bling around their neck... and these necklaces are rugged too.

The custom pieces each have a little personal story - some mama's like to choose to add a little 14k gold accent hoop for each child, some choose a mix of silver and gold to represent each family member, and some include charms for little ones lost but never forgotten. I call them Mother's Little Helpers (or MLH for short).

Thank you Carolyn - your MLH designs are beautiful!

On behalf of the JET Team, I would like to wish all our US readers a very Happy Independence Day. Have a great weekend everyone!
Val

Whats on My Bench

Hello and welcome to another edition of Whats on My Bench with the JET Team. This week Mollie of RoughMagicCreations tells us about the gorgeous necklace she made for a recent jewelry swap...

Several years ago, when I first started thinking about selling my handmade jewelry online, the first thing I did was search for "jewelry making." And the first thing I found was a lovely online forum where jewelry designers were chatting about their projects and plans, asking questions and offering advice, and sharing photos of their work.

After several weeks of lurking, I took my heart in my hand and joined that group. And before I knew it, I found myself a welcome (and contributing) member of a circle of jewelry making friends. These wonderful people soon became "family," and it was through them that I found my way to Etsy - where Rough Magic Creations was born. That lovely online platform has since fallen victim to the ever evolving cybersphere, but the "forum family" has held together through an active social media group, and we have continued our tradition of semi-annual swaps.

This spring a group of jewelry designers, friends who met on a now inactive online forum, organized a themed swap called "Sprummer" - a combination of Spring and Summer, with each participant contributing five pieces to be sent to five other participants. For my part, I decided to create a brand new design - a rustic, primitive copper flower pendant on a leather cord.

First I drew very rough sketches of three flowers in graduated sizes, which my husband Joe used as templates for cutting the components for the pendant from a repurposed sheet of industrial copper. I then made another sketch, again very rough, of the assembled piece as I envisioned it.

After hammering the three pieces for texture and a slightly concave shape, I punched holes in the centers, removed any burrs or rough edges, and tumbled the pieces until they were smooth and shiny.

The next step was treating them to a color enhancing flame bath, after which I stacked them and ran sturdy 12 gauge head pins through the holes to secure the pieces. The ends of the pins, folded upward and brought forward though holes in the larger flowers, formed bails.

For the 18 inch long necklace cords, I chose natural tan leather, wire wrapped at both ends and closing with my own hammered copper hook and eye clasps.

When this new design was finished, I liked it so much I made another one - just for me! And one day soon, I'll be adding these made-to-order necklaces in my Etsy shop.

A few days after putting my 5 pieces in the mail, I received five wonderful items myself, each one a lovely surprise - handmade by a special jewelry making friend.

Thank you very much, Mollie. See you all next week!
Val

Whats on My Bench

Hello and welcome to another edition of Whats on My Bench with the JET Team. This week Gaetana of SatinDollCo shares the beautiful custom gift she made for her Godmother this Mothers Day...

We love sharing behind the scenes of custom piece we work on! With Mother's Day just around the corner, we got to work on a unique gift for our Godmother. She loves buying our pieces but for special occasions like Mother's Day, her birthday and Christmas we always design a custom piece - or pieces - for her as a gift.

This time we decided to keep with the same theme as her last purchase, and based our gift on the rich and earthy piece she bought from us. We came up with what we're calling "Tribal Queen" - a carnelian, wood, amber and leather necklace with matching earrings (shown below).

First we selected the round carnelian beads, brown wood beads and detailed brown amber dagger beads - we purchased a while back (actually, a year or two ago!) at the Whole Bead Show. Next we explored a configuration, working on our jewelry board.

We strung the beads together on beading wire, but it was missing an element. Perhaps leather would complete the look and make it a true statement piece?

Yes! We cut a piece of leather then added a chain extension, for times when she might want to wear it longer or shorter. And voila, it's done!

No necklace is really complete without matching earrings, so the final step was to create a pair featuring the brown wood and carnelian beads. The set is complete!

Since we were on a time crunch, and wanted to get it in the mail it time for Mother's Day, we took her handcrafted gift even further - making a handcrafted card using some of the stamps, washi tape and blank card that we always have on hand. We got to work quickly, and created our own Mother's Day card.

With a quote we found on Pinterest and a sweet handwritten note, our gift to our Godmother was complete. Now we just had to wait for her reaction when she got it in the mail. Fast forward to the day before Mother's Day, and my Godmother called to say a big "Thank You".

She LOVED it - and we do mean love! Because she went on about the pieces for about 5 minutes!!! She put her jewelry on immediately, and our Mother's Day gift was a big success. Now to figure out her birthday gift... but how on earth will we top this?!

What a wonderful gift you made for your Godmother, Gaetana - don't forget to come back and tell us what you make for her birthday! See you next week for another edition of Whats on My Bench!

Val

Whats on My Bench

Hello and welcome to another edition of Whats on My Bench with the JET Team. This week, Phylly shares what she's been up to on her bench:

As summer gets closer, temperatures begin inching up - from the teens up to as high as 105F in Phoenix. Some things that have been stored out in the garage (instead of the car) have to come inside, or they will get cooked. I remembered I'd taken some boxes of jewelry projects out there when company was due and we needed the dining room table.

Well, since we are super casual here in the summer and have no dining room dinners planned, I think it’s safe to bring my projects (clutter?) back inside. Here is the box I rescued from the hot garage - it holds some of my precious metal clay supplies and tools, and today it's destined for the dining room table (a.k.a. My Bench)

Hmmmm, I wonder what else is hiding in the box? It almost feels like Christmas! Here's a bunch of silver charms that I made last Fall and subsequently "lost"!

It seems some of the pieces are unfired, and some have been fired & polished but are covered with tarnish and need cleaning - guess who forgot to put a tarnish strip in the zip lock bag?!

I also find a group of silver pieces that I've already fired in the kiln, but haven’t finished polishing. Yippee, I'd forgotten about these! It’s wonderful to find them because most of my design work was done a while ago – as the pieces have already been shaped, sanded and smoothed, then fired in my kiln, they are almost ready to go into my jewelry designs.

Well, let’s polish them up in the tumbler and see how they look. Tumbling fine silver (.999 silver) will make the pieces super strong and give them a shiny finish, so into the tumbler they go with the stainless steel shot.

So, now I simply add filtered water and a drop of Dawn liquid detergent, and plug it in. . .

Hours later I open the lid and pick through the shot to find all the polished charms. After giving them a good rinse they look like this. . . ooooh shiny!

Some of the charms will look beautiful left with this shiny finish, but some will get a bath in warm water plus a few drops of Liver of Sulphur Gel to give them a dark patina in the crevices of the designs. Then I will hand polish those, removing the dark patina from some areas of the design. Here is a pair of earring dangles after the patina treatment, in the clear water rinse. Pretty Dark!

After I've used a silver jewelry cloth to polish away most of the dark patina from the silver dangles I’ll be ready to make them into earrings. I think these will look nice with labradorite gemstones, and here they are - my finished earrings!

Thank you for sharing your week with us, Phylly!

Whats on My Bench

In this week's Whats on My Bench, we give a warm welcome to Michele of malves1009, as she reveals what she's been working on this week...

Instead of "What’s on My Bench" this is more like an episode of "What’s on My Dining Room Table"! I bought these beads back in March, and they have sat on my dining room table since then. I was inspired by their color, but didn't know what to do with them. All I knew was that I wanted to make something with a tassel, but not another bracelet...

The color I'm usually drawn to is purple, but this year I'm really in love with this blue-green color. One morning recently, I sat and said to myself "this has to be done today!", so I started to put the beads in an order. I like the rosary link look, but if I use just beads it will be very heavy to wear.

So, I divided it up and added chain - I've had those flower links forever, and thought they would be a nice accent for the tassel. After I put it all together I'm very pleased with the outcome, and I even had a few beads leftover to make matching earrings. I hope you like it too!

Thank you Michele - your necklace and earrings are gorgeous! Until next week!

Val

Whats on My Bench

In this week's edition of Whats on My Bench with the JET Team, Judy of JemsByJBandCompany has been trying out a new jewelry-making technique. Let's find out how she got on...

I have always wanted to learn how to wire wrap beads onto earrings. So many pretty beads would look great on silver or gold hoops and they are so fashionable. I purchased the supplies I needed to get started.

Since I wasn’t sure how successful I would be in accomplishing this, I used inexpensive wire and beads. It looked like a simple process, so I set about designing my first pair of earrings. It turned out NOT to be as easy as I had expected!

First I took the wire and made a one inch loop, which I then wrapped with bronze wire to form my base. Then I strung the beads onto the gold wire, and began the task of wrapping them around the base template. This proved to be a daunting task as the beads kept slipping off the wire and the base kept bending.

I almost gave up at this point but, being the determined person that I am, I continued for the next few hours until both earrings were completed. I added a coordinating charm in the center of each hoop, to add some extra pizzazz to the earrings.

I need to perfect the process before I actually make a pair to offer for sale in my shop. The wire is hard on the hands, and the placement of the beads is very intricate. The pair below is my first attempt, so the wire is a little messy at the top.

I finally satisfied my need to try this and - although it was time consuming and turned out to be challenging - I think I will definitely give it another try down the road, after my hands and eyes have recovered!!!!

Well done Judy, and thank you for sharing your experiences! See you all next week,
Val