Project Runway Jewelry Challenge: Picked from a Hat!

Fly Barrette

Last week on Project Runway, the designers had their models for clients. The models gave the designers an idea of their style and their preferences for a garment. At EtsyMetal, we were a little short of runway models, and so Victoria, our leader for the PR challenges, put different jewelry types, materials, and styles into a hat and blindly drew our pretend clients' preferences. Here is my mission:

Type of Jewelry: Tiara / Hair Ornament

Material: Glass

Style: Industrial / Steampunk

We would be allowed to have one category re-drawn if we wanted. I decided to stay with what I got, although I went back and forth about the style for a couple of days. The industrial/steampunk style is outside my comfort zone, and I'm not sure I accomplished it as my piece does not have any machinery, clock parts, keys or machine looking bits on it. But I've seen many pieces of jewelry with brass findings classified as steampunk, so I went in that direction. I paid a visit to a local store called Gilding the Lily, which has loads of tiny treasures to chose from, and picked up a few little things. I have glass cabochons - one of my absolute favorite materials to work with - and for the sake of steampunk, I focused on black. The floral cabochons I have seemed too soft and feminine to work with this theme and when I noticed the faceted one sort of looked like a bug eye, I got excited as I had picked up the vintage brass flies the day before. They just had to go together. This is the first time I've made a barrette and making the mechanism to snap in and out of hair was a good lesson in construction for me. I see more barrettes in my jewelry making future. Here are some more photos of this fun piece.

Other Project Runway Jewelry challenge participants and their "clients":

Metalriot: Ring - Wood - Organic/Natural

Catherine Chandler: Ring - Fabric/Thread - Upcycled/Green

Kathryn Reichert: Necklace - Leather/Fur(faux) - Tribal/Ethnic

rubygirl: Bracelet - Steel - Organic/Natural

Beth Cyr: Ring - Aluminum - Victorian/Byzantine

Delias Thompson: Ring - Plastic - Upcycle/Green

Experimetal: Bracelet - Wood - Steampunk

Sara Westermark: Bracelet - Bone - Victorian/Byzantine

Check out the EtsyMetal blog for everyone's photos and for next week's challenge: Newspapers