And now for something completely different......

Sometimes, It is good to be a hoarder:

Necklace componants:

Mother of pearl antique belt buckle.

Mother of pearl beads, buttons.

Agate beads.

Faux pearls

Real pearls

Glass beads

Seed pods

Wooden beads

Coconut shell beads and buttons

Shell beads

Brass beads and tiny brass bell

Moon stone beads

And for spice: Black onyx and glass beads

Wait, there's more!

Yesterday I thought I had been to Ali Baba's cave. Just when I thought it couldn't get more boggling, I was nearly boggled to death.

Pendents? you said pendents?

How about donuts of every kind of glass or stone? And all kinds of sizes.

How about finished jewelry?

Turquoise?

And all I bought yesterday was boring tools.

No photos, but it was a bonanza.

More Bling

Second assault on the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show today......

There's umpteem ga-zillion shows around town that have minerals, gems, supplies, tools, fossils and beads.

I've only concentrated on the bead shows part and I'm in total sensory overload. Here's only a small sample of the displays. Some booths are full of bling. There must be enough crystal strings to go to the moon and back. And pearls--there's barrels of pearls. Every color and shape you can imagine. But not the really good ones--the ones that have been irritating an oyster for say, three to five years. Some of these look like they were taken out last Thursday. Not for serious jewelry.

Some booths are full of precious and semi-precious stones. There are worlds of polymer clay and Bakelite. I had to forcibly avoid the buttons.....There's all kinds of silver do-dads and some people who have nothing but fancy clasps. Uuuugggghhh

Click on the photos to get the full impact.

I found some intriguing colored copper wire that might work with clay as well as jewelry. That's the great thing about looking outside your own box--new materials can inspire new creativity. As a matter of fact, one vendor who stocks buttons and a special backing was telling me her supplier was not making many of these backs anymore. (I was wanting to purchase some.) So I was telling her about kiln wire and that maybe it would work for her. I got home yesterday and sent her all the info to check out.

I picked up some silk wrapped bands from a most unique booth and am in the process of putting together six necklaces from that inspiration alone.

I learned how to knot pearls and beads and have found some really good tutorials on the web. Just search for Jewelry Making and you get a huge data dump.

Making my own beads and pendents has definitely gone into my creative stew pot.

Tucson Bead Show

Just got back from 2 days prowling the halls of the Tucson Bead show, part of the megga Gem and Mineral Show. Today, I spent the day at To Bead True Blue. Two huge display areas showing everything from crystals to precious clay and fimo jewelry.

Yesterday we went to the African Village, a very large area of extended tents filled with carvings, iron works, fabrics, beads, furniture, rugs---absolutely boggling. Had to leave early because a storm blew up and all the tent-holders had to roll down all the sides and close down to keep the tents from becoming airborne. Not fun to be standing in a dancing, flapping tent with rain and wind swirling around.

Here's a shot of one of the tables laden with piles of beads before the storm roared in. (Click the picture to get a full view of the beads.)

These chairs were completely covered with seed beads.

We had previously visited a tent that extended about the length of a football field showing beads, fossils, metiorites, minerals, jewelry, even stone sinktops, bowls, plates and even a desk.

If I just concentrate only on beads, there are at least four more venues to visit during the show!!! Don't know if my budget will survive.

The Mexican Agate Necklace

I finally finished my Mexican agate/bead necklace yesterday.

I decided to put the big clasp on, at least temporarily because in all the time since I bought the beads last year, I have not been able to find another that I liked.

I still feel this isn't the final clasp but it will do until I find the right one.

The beads are threaded onto a very fine silver chain. The spacers are African clay beads (black and white) and antique black glass beads.

I wound up making the jump rings out of pieces of regular dress pins. Anything larger in diameter wouldn't fit into the fine links of the chain.

It works well, actually, since I have this nifty pliers tool for making links.

Two Terra Cotta Pendents

I love terra cotta pendants.

The first one is slightly dished out.

Don't think it shows much in the photo.

I used black underglaze at the leather hard state to make the decoration, then fired it to bisque.

I didn't want to put a glaze on the finished piece, but did use liquid tile finish, which is a product for sealing terra cotta floor tiles.

The second pendant is sealed with the same thing.

Both are not that big--the black and tan is about 1 3/4 inches across; the second is about 2 1/2 inches long.

A Square Bead

This is a solid bead. Made of porcelain.

I haven't a clue what I'm going to do with it.

I just like it.

Think I'll make some more.

"Wedgewood" Beads

These handmade beads are also hollow and decorated in a technique called pate sur pate, meaning clay over clay.




The body of the bead is made of colored bisque.

The decoration is made by creating a white slip and applying it with a fine-point brush.

Quite tedious.

They are fired using a bead rack holder in the kiln.











Another bead using the same technique but this time the addition of tiny white clay balls. Very tedious. I use dental tools to apply the little clay balls to the bead.

The Glazed Bead

Here's another version of the decorated bead. Only this time, instead of being bisque, it's glazed.

The glaze softens the appearance of the leaves, but I love the minute crackle that happens.

A Porcelain Pendent

This is a test of using porcelain to create a pendent as a centerpiece for a necklace.

I'm thinking multiple strands of seed beads, possibly blue, to flank both sides of the pendent. It would need to have a central anchor threaded through the top with discrete loops on both ends to support the addition of the beads. --Still a work in progress-- The thread is to remind me of an alternate way to attach the pendent.

This piece was made primarily to see how the particular clay I had would turn out and the firing technique would work. The piece is unglazed on the back.

The piece is glazed with a clear glaze and fired at a cone 5-6 oxidation.

I think it has potential.

Hand Made Beads

Yesterday, when I was making a necklace with some clay and antique beads, I ran across several beads that I made of porcelain.

I've never photographed them before except once, using another bead several years ago, for an article in Studio Potter.

I have several different ones, each hand constructed and made with a different technique.

They are not large as you can see. They're hollow. I used a marble and made a two-part mold to form the ceramic beads, then cut the holes for stringing with either a needle tool or a bamboo skewer.

It's best to let them get leather hard first, put them on the skewer so you can work on the exterior and then enlarge the hole for stringing.

All the decoration is hand formed and placed on the surface using either a very light touch or a needle tool/dental tool.

This bead is bisque, fired on a bead rack in the kiln. The clay is porcelain fired at 04 cone electric.

I've never sold any of these beads--I haven't a clue what to ask for them. Any suggestions?

Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

Wow. I just got my toes wet at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.

It's one of the biggest shows of it's type in the world and venues are sprinkled all over the city. I can see why people come from all over the world to this event.

It's very easy to get into sensory overload cruising through display tents and huge rooms with tables overflowing with shoals of every color and type of beads, pendents, glass, fiber, wood, metal. Bedazzling walls laden with strings of crystal, glass, silver, etc., aaaaaagh

I went the first day to a relatively small venue in a hotel north of town. Several large rooms were bursting with wares while two wings of the hotel had individual rooms set up for the show--on two floors.

This string of beads really caught my eye. At first I thought they were clay beads and was amazed at the marvelous texture. The vendor told me they were Mexican agates.

They had a good heft about them and a wonderful texture. After spending several hours looking at wares until I was cross-eyed, I had to return to buy them.

Don't know what I'll do with them yet, but the following day at another show, I found some spooled fine silver chain that I think will be great to string them on.

Yes, I am hooked. I've only gone to just the bead and jewelry part of the shows, but I've seen things there I've either been searching for or haven't seen before.

And the great thing is, most of the vendors will bargain!

Studio Jewelry at the Renwick

A few weeks ago we made a busy trip to D.C. Each time we go, I have my 'rounds' to the Renwick, the Corcoran and to the National Museum of Women in the Arts. I try to at least make it to these places and as many other museums as possible.

A trip to the Renwick is always inspiring, but this time it was the contemporary jewelry show that sent me back to the hotel with my head buzzing. There was about 250 pieces of work on display.





















As well as this huge and beautiful necklace pictured here, there were about 250 pieces on display. This necklace is made of acrylic and sterling.

One truly interesting piece was made of very humble materials indeed--multiple pieces of colored cardboard and elastic thread. A total wonder. I spent a good bit of time trying to visualize how this was made. The artist had to (1) color the board with graduating colors in order to control the variation and progression of color. (2) cut out the shapes so that the juxtaposition creates the 'swirl' repeat. I wish I had a photo, but taking pictures was not allowed in the gallery.

The great thing about this show is that it also included some of the artist's working drawings and diagrams. I was interested to see the variations in these graphic 'thoughts'. Some were works of art in their own right; others were practically gestures. Quickly and spontaneously drawn almost in a rush to get the inspiration down on paper before it flew away.

October 2 update: Last night I dreamed I was digging in the sand and coming up with handfuls of jewelry like this.


There was so much of it I couldn't hold onto it.

AGAIN no pockets!










What the heck does that mean? Wait......a.......minute......

I think that's the history of my fiscal life.

The Wolf Tooth Necklace

Here's the Wolf Tooth Necklace just finished. I tried to replicate it from "300". I love the way the necklace threads through the movie as a symbol of courage and love. And the use of it as a symbol of legacy. I only have a few right now. They'are handformed, made of porcelain and fired three times. The necklace length is adjustable with the wooden bead.
Contact me through comments with an email address if you're interested.