What’s New?

I’m so excited! I’ve found a class that’s going to help me improve the way I create my pieces.

When I first started making jewelry, I thought I’d only focus on earrings made with little gemstone beads. I bought some wire pieces to start with and watched a few YouTube videos that taught me how to make the endings and what kinds of materials to use.

I had so many questions: wire thickness, materials, length, bending techniques, the best tools to use… Luckily, YouTube has everything! With time and patience, I started learning and improving. I learned how to make different wire swirls and decorations. It’s really fascinating how much you can create with just a few beads and some wire in different materials, thicknesses, and hardness levels.

However, my true passion has always been sea glass. I had a few pieces saved and wanted to make necklaces most of all. But I didn’t know how to attach them to a chain or cord, or how to make earrings with such tiny pieces. Of course, there are lots of tutorials, but I found a few that specifically showed how to bend wire to hold the glass, and one super useful video that taught me how to drill it.

I already had a Dremel drill at home, and my husband bought me the diamond bits, a small stand, and a clamp system to hold the glass. I worked on many pieces; it’s a slow and delicate process, because sometimes the glass breaks, and you have to keep it in water so it doesn’t heat up from the friction. It’s truly a whole technique to get the best finish!

I’ve also set some glass pieces in bezel-type frames that I bought, attaching them with a special glue. It sounds easy, but the real skill is making sure the glue doesn’t show or dull the shine of the glass.

I’ve also made some pieces with aluminum borders. The system I use is very mechanical, one part fits into another, and it takes a lot of hand skill to assemble them. I love this kind of work, but I can’t do it all the time because it’s so time-consuming and requires a lot of effort.

My final goal is to set my sea glass in silver or gold and make my own bezels. That’s what the class I mentioned earlier is for, to learn how to work with metals, how to cut and solder them. At that point, I’ll start creating a new collection in real silver.

Of course, I’ll see how it goes first… the class is at the end of November 😄 But I’m just so excited and wanted to share it with you all!