Zn (Zinc) - The Metallics Collection (Part VIII)

Part 8 of the Metallics Collection is Zinc...

Zn (Zinc) Set.

 More photos are available on Etsy.

This was one of the first sets I designed for the Metallics Collection.  Actually it was just the cuff/bracelet that I designed...

Zn (zinc) bracelet cuff - original design.

 I'd bought these cool metalised acrylic columns with my £50 voucher, and they were just begging to be turned into a cuff.  In my original design, I figured coloured rondelles (flat donut-shaped beads) would look best on the top and bottom of the columns.  However when I started attaching them they wouldn't sit right, plus they felt really uncomfortable.  
Digging through my beads I found some small glass beads that I had bought ages ago and still hadn't found a use for - I have quite a few of those!  Once added, I found they crowned the top and bottom of the columns beautifully, and being half clear/AB (Aurora Borealis) and half silver they give an amazing glamorous futuristic look that I wasn't expecting when I first designed it.

Zn (zinc) bracelet cuff - finished design.

I was just going to sell the cuff on it's own, however I was persuaded to create a necklace and earrings too.

For the necklace, I attached the glass beads only to the end of the columns, and then threaded the columns onto leather cord, which when worn creates a fan effect.  I'm trying out my new barrel clasps on this necklace, if you would prefer lobster clasps just let me know.

The earrings didn't look right with the beads at either end, so I just left the columns as they were.
The bracelet is made with clear elastic, so it stretches onto your wrist.  I will still need your wrist measurement, so I know how many columns to use.

Necklace: £42.00

Earrings: £25.00

Bracelet Cuff: £42.00

or buy the set: £85.00

Cu (Copper) - Metallics Collection (Part VII)

Part 7 of the Metallics Collection is Copper...

More photos on Etsy.

I've had these geometric glass coins for quite a while, unsure of what I wanted to do with them.  The silver ones I used in the Sn (Tin) Set, these ones however, mixed with acrylic copper beads and spikes, created a contemporary steampunk look that I really like.  I resisted continuing the design all the way along the necklace and bracelet, so the spikes wouldn't become uncomfortable. 
I don't have any copper coloured nickel-free earwires or clip-ons, so I'm afraid I can't offer those options on this set.

Until I can find some similar glass coins, I won't be able to sell the pieces separately.

Buy on Etsy: £70.00

Mn (Manganese) - The Metallics Collection (Part VI)

Part 6 of the Metallics Collection is Manganese...

More photos on Etsy.

This is the first set that I actually sketched down the design that I had in my head instead of just making it straight away. 

Manganese necklace sketch

I'm not going to win any design drawing contests, but as you can see from the photo above, it turned out almost exactly as I designed.

I knew I wanted a statement focal, similar to the stunning metal necklaces that they wear on the catwalks and red carpets.  However there were two issues to be addressed.  First of all I'm not a goldsmith or a silversmith, and I don't have access to the materials or equipment needed to make something like this, and I hardly think my little hobby Dremel would be happy to cut through huge sheets of metal!  Second, metal tends to be heavy, and I prefer to make jewellery that looks like the real thing, but is actually wearable.

I discovered these beautiful rumpled rhomboids when I was looking what to spend the £50 gift voucher I won on.  I combined them with these acrylic metal twisted squares that I had left over from another project.  The silver spacer beads that I usually use didn't have the effect that I was looking for, so after raiding my accent bead box I found some acrylic metal rondelle spacers, which looked more like the lopsided circles I'd drawn in my design.

You'll notice in my design, that I only have two silver squares, which didn't hang right, so I added another with some very frustrating wire-bending techniques.  I didn't want the chain to detract from the focal, so I found the smallest chain I could.

The earrings were another problem.  There weren't any smaller versions of the squares that I'd used in the necklace, and yet just one of either the gold or silver looked wrong.  I measured both together with the earwires, and they didn't seem as long as they looked.  Only problem was, that even my longest headpin wasn't long enough.  Luckily I had left over wire from the necklace and bracelet, which I coiled into a spiral at the bottom to hold the squares in place.

As you can see, a lot of work went into this set, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Necklace: £50.00

Earrings: £32.00

Bracelet: £30.00

or buy the set: £90.00

Cr (Chromium) Set - The Metallics Collection (Part V)

Sorry I've been away for so long, but a combination of myself being ill and my Mom's hospital appointments have left me little time to update the Metallics Collection.  I'm back now and ready to show you the rest of the collection!

Part 5 of the Metallics Collection is the Chromium Set:

More photos on Etsy.

This used to be the Electro-Shock Set, but I was never entirely happy with it, and it seems to fit in better with the Metallics Collection.

Chromium can be tinted many different colours, which I hoped to reflect in this piece. This set is a mixture of glass and metal bugles, crystal and seed beads.I knew what I wanted the focal to look like almost immediately.  A graduating fan using small twisted silver bugles contrasted with purple bugles and purple/teal toho seeds hanging from the bottom.
The strands took more planning.  I alternated the long iris twisted bugles with the wavy silver tubes, book-ended with black fire-polished crystals. Somehow one strand of this pretty mix didn't seem enough, so adding another made it stand out even more.

For the earrings, I knew that the graduating fan on its own wouldn't look right, so I simulated the shape of the Americana Earrings and with the chain hanging from the bottom it created this cool trapezium shape.

Buy the set on Etsy: £75.00