Saturday, June 6, 2009

Signature Piece - Blog Carnival


I was asked to write about the inspiration behind my signature piece for the 2nd installment of EtsyMetal's Blog Carnival. I hesitated to write anything because I don't know if I really have a "signature piece" - one that represents my work. I have a number of lines of jewelry and some pieces that stand on their own, all with different inspirations and variations. I finally decided to use the Loopy Link Bracelet above for the purpose of this entry. It's one of the first pieces I started making and the basic design hasn't changed very much over the years. Each time I make a Loopy Link Bracelet, it is unique. Each link is fabricated and stamped with one of the variety of design stamps on both sides. The larger loops are curved and then they're put together to form the bracelet. The inspiration for the bracelet came from my own need for a bracelet that would lie nearly flush against the wrist, and not be something that would interfere with other work I was doing.

The design stamps might be my favorite tools. I love to use them to texture metal, and with the hammered links I use for this bracelet, most of the stampings are partial. Some I use to make a recognizable pattern and some are more all over texture. It's a simple and satisfying process. I make the links without any plan for size and shape and when they are complete, I lay them out to see which shapes go together. I like the combination of irregular shapes and the addition of circles, squares and hearts. I use a variety of gauges and shapes of sterling silver wire. I keep the making of the bracelet interesting because each shape and stamping is different. It's my favorite piece in my own jewelry collection as well and I usually wear it every day. :)

Check out the other members of the EtsyMetal Blog Carnival:

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