Day 20- Bedazzled with Copper Contact Tips

3/19/14

Today I'm finally getting back to my workspace after a few days being on the road. I was excited to get to use some of the copper pieces I collected at my dad's lab on Monday since copper is my favorite metal. I planned my project around the copper contact tips, copper wire, and black Swarovski bicone beads.

I started by wiring the contact tips with a crystal on the bottom to hold them in place and a loop at the top to attach to a jump ring. I made the jump rings by wrapping a heavier gauge copper wire around a brush handle and clipping them down the center of the row.

Making jump rings

I made two other components for the piece: double bicone twists and longer wires in a variety of lengths with a crystal at the bottom and wire wrapping at the top.

Bottom left are the contact tips, at the top are the bicone twists, and the right are the wired bicones.

 I cut a 4" length of chain and attached six contact tip pieces in a row, in every other chain link. On top I added rings with the bicone twists and wires. I attached that chain to a full length chain and some bicone twists to what became the top row (the center of the longer chain.)

Once I had the necklace on Eunice, I thought it would be good to add a larger textured copper chain with a black finish to enhance the black crystals. I attached it at the back and the sides of the necklace but the sides hang down a bit as a frame for the center piece.

Necklace: copper, Swarovski crystal, copper plated steel

It was great to get to use my wire wrapping and manipulating skills again tonight because I haven't in a while! I learned most of it working in jewelry production when I was making components for a small handmade jewelry company. I forgot how sore it can make your fingers!

Definitely going to keep my jewelry tools out to use again this week. 

Have an excellent day!

xo,

Arielle