I enjoy the funny juxtaposition of wearing the body, on the body. Barbie has become the accessory instead of being accessorized. I take pleasure in the contrast and contradiction of something mass-produced being transformed and revealed as a unique, handmade, wearable piece of art.

Margaux Lange

I found Margaux’s work online a while ago - and was delighted to come across her new and updated website the other day. What I especially like about her work is it’s sense of playfulness, it’s ingenuity. I love that Margaux is using something iconic and turning it on its head…adding to and exploring the cult of Barbie, issues of recycling and adornment. I also really enjoyed seeing an insight into her process {and a peek into her work environment - as a jeweller myself, this is always interesting!} via her blog…

I have always personally loved Barbies, having played with them all the time as a child - making my own clothes and hats for them, giving them hair-cuts {eek}…and so found it really interesting at art school when they were discussed in such depth during lectures and debates for their design status.

Many people now see Barbie as a bad role-model for girls - but this was something I absolutely did not identify with, and do not subscribe to the idea that this iconic doll influences young childrens ideal of the perfect woman {I never wanted to look like Barbie}. I see her as an excellent outlet for creativity and roleplay…something essential in a childs development.

I am so glad, as an adult, to see these positive notions continuing - in such a wonderful and beautifully executed way - through Margaux’s jewellery.

I can’t wait to see the collection evolve!

Necklace, ribbon, silver…

Necklace Zeebauw, 2002, silver, ribbon, zinc and shells…

I first saw Lucy Sarneels beautiful jewellery work a few years ago when I was attending a seminar on narrative jewellery. It was the Zeebauw necklace that was shown in the slide-display…and I still, to this day, have the quick sketch I did of it to remind me to look it up.

Lucy Sarneel was born in Maastricht, Netherlands and studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam and in Maastrichts Stadsakademie itself…you can read more about her career and education here. What instantly grabbed me about Sarneels work was the varied {and successful} use of materials…how she combines a variety of them in such an apparently effortless and beautiful way. Mixed media jewellery is amongst some of the hardest type of work to do well - there are so many challenges inherent within each of the processes and materials themselves, how to marry them successfully and make them work as a whole etc…something that Sarneel does expertly. I felt there was a strong link {in her fabric neckpieces} to national dress, folk art and textile histories….I love seeing these combined with personal touches like the found shells, and beautifully constructed metal elements like the foliage…

See more of Lucy’s work at Galerie Marzee and at Klimt 02 art gallery….there you will find many more beautiful pieces of her work to browse.

Original funky and fun jewellery from an Australian based (New Zealand born) artist - see Rebecca’s website here.

I love the Alien and Robotic jewellery:

A few months ago I posted about this years Jerwood Applied Arts Prize…which is showcasing jewellery this time round. The Crafts Council’s mini-site has now been updated with images of the six makers {Adam Paxon, Susan Cross, Grainne Morton, Mah Rana, Nora Fok and Yoko Izawa} new work and short biographies…

images above - Adam Paxon, Grainne Morton and Nora Fok…

You can check out the rest of the images by clicking here….

ps..Happy New Year to you all :)

Love these yarn christmas/holiday decoration at splityarn

Aussie girl Liana, has some fabulous unique jewellery that is fun and funky. Check it out (via craftapalooza). Transforming domestic items like tupperware, cutlery and knitting needles into functional wearables, great colours. Love it!

Some more Aussie Jewellery links

Rebecca the wrecker

mob workspace

Aussie craft info

Object

Craft QLD

Have you ever wanted to make your own jewelry? It’s not as hard as you may think! I hope you enjoy and use this tutorial…these are the basics, and it really doesn’t take much time! (contribution by linques design)

Here is the finished bracelet. The same techniques can be used for a necklace as well though!

Gather your supplies. You will need: 1. beading wire, I have used Beadalon 49 strand wire. For a bracelet use .018″, for a necklace you can use .015″. 2. crimp beads 3. clasp 4. crimping pliers (or flat nosed pliers) 5. wire cutters (I use fingernail clippers) 6. your choice of beads.

Step One: and Step Two:

Cut your wire to length. I simply wrap the wire around my wrist, and add about 3″. On one end, thread a crimp bead, and one half of your clasp.

Thread the end of wire back through the clasp, and push the crimp bead close to the clasp. This will be how your bracelet is secured together.

Step 3: and Step Four:

Time to try your crimping pliers! They are very easy to use, and produce professional looking results. Place your crimp bead in the slot closest to your hand, and press down. This is the first formation of the crimp.

Place your partially formed crimp bead into the slot closest to the tip of the pliers. As in the picture, you place the crimp in there horizontally, and then close the pliers. This closes the crimp bead tightly around the wire to hold it in place. Here’s what the finished crimp will look like:

If you don’t have crimping pliers, skip steps three and four. Simply push down on the crimp using your flat nosed pliers, and it will hold the wires in place as well. This technique is fine, but may shorten the life of your jewelry because it places more pressure on the wires.

Step Five: and Step Six:

Slide a bead over both wires, and push it close against the crimp. Then trim the second tail of wire close to the bead.

Start beading! Here I have use garnets and glass, but use whatever you like. Use a pattern, or put them on randomly. Keep beading until the bracelet is large enought to fit your wrist. A good way to figure out how long you need to make your bracelet is to measure your wrist, and add to that the width of your biggest bead.

Step Seven:

Once it is long enough, thread on your second crimp bead and then the other half of your clasp. Just like before, you will pull the wire through the crimp, and then through the last bead too. Push the crimp close to the clasp, and tighten the wire. Close the crimp using steps three and four, and trim your wire. Here is what the finished clasp will look like:

And that’s it! I’ve included a lot of steps just to show you in detail what to do. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can jazz it up! You can add a dangle to the clasp for a little fun. See my previous tutorial here which shows you how to make a dangle.

You can also easily add another strand using the same steps as above.

Making jewelry is very rewarding, whether you are making it for yourself or to give as a gift. It’s a great new project to try for the holidays too!

Right…here is a tutorial to make your own silhouette necklace, just in time for a holiday gift {for yourself, or a lucky friend or family member!!}. There are a few basic tools you will need for this job - the main ones are pictured below - but in addition to this you will need some jump rings {bought ones are fine}, a packet of saw blades {I used a 4/0 but I would recommend the 2/0 size for beginners} some jewellery pliers {a flat nose pair and a round nose pair}…wet and dry paper {or fine sandpaper if that’s all you have}..a small amount of 0.8 wire {but you can open up a jump ring and use that if you don’t have any}….plus some scotch magic tape and a fine liner pen. If you can get one..a clamp-on jewellers bench peg makes projects like this much easier…and you can pick one up for around £15, so it is worth the initial investment.

..find yourself an image you would like to use in your necklace - I chose this stag {thinking raindeer really!} - but floral motifs, other animals, fruit, birds etc would all work well too. Print it off the computer, or re-size it to the scale you wish by hand. Choose your material carefully…I am using a piece of hot pink acrylic for this piece [3mm thick], but you could use any plastic, sheet silver, copper or brass…wood even! This would also be fun made from thick cork…you would only need a craft knife for that, but it is something to think about if you don’t have a jewellers saw.

Cover the image you are using with strips of scotch magic tape, overlapping each one…but don’t rub the tape down hard. Use a fine liner to trace the design..then peel off the tape [in one large piece]…

Stick the design down onto your material…make sure it is well stuck down now, and tuck the edges over if they are sticking out. Place the piece of acrylic flat on your wooden bench peg. [it is worth noting at this point, that the wooden peg for jewellers has a sloped side and a flat side. I don't believe the sloped side should be used for piercing, as the material can never sit flat and the cut edge will be at an angle..so, use the flat side where possible]…slowly start to cut the material following the lines of the design.

When piercing, try and maintain the saw in a permanent upright position…the saw should only go up and down. To change direction, gently turn the PIECE as you are sawing {not the saw itself} with your other hand {which is always holding the piece to stop it moving with the force of the saw} Resist going too fast with the blade…take slow, easy strokes. This is good practice for any piercing excercise, but especially when working with plastic as the friction from the blade can make the plastic dust melt if you go too fast..jamming up the teeth and forcing the blade to break prematurely. {expect to go through lot’s of blades if you are a beginner…especially if sawing metal, so get plenty {they come in bundles of 12}}

Keep sawing around the edge of the design…concentrating on where the blade goes, and keeping a good smooth line….the less filing to tidy up the shape you have to do the better.

..soon, you will have the outline cut out!!

Use the dremel {or similar drill with a chuck that will accomodate a fine drill bit…0.8 is the best size for this}…to drill a pilot hole in any internal spaces you may want to remove. You can then undo the blade of your saw at one end, feeding it through the hole…and then re-tightening it.

[note: to tighten your saw, place one end of the blade -- teeth pointing down -- in the topmost clamp of the saw frame and tighten. Then rest the saw frame in the 'V' of your bench peg...handle facing your body, blade at the top. Press forward on the frame with your body {rest the handle on your breastbone} placing the free end of the blade in the bottom clamp, tightening it under this pressure. This will mean the blade is good and tight, and will give a clear 'ping' when plucked]

Continue to saw out the internal spaces…being careful when you reach any fine or delicate points.

One you have the silhouette fully cut out {that’s the hard part done!!}…you will notice some saw marks on the edge of the stag. How much work you want to put into removing these is up to you….it is possible to fully remove all sign of any work from the edge and restore it to a full shine {file, sand with wet and dry through all the grades of paper, finish the edge with the wet and dry paper and water, then polish the edge out with brasso}..but this will takes *hours*. I like to remove the obvious saw marks and then sand with a medium grit paper to take the edge to a smooth, yet frosted finish.

Use your needle file to smooth the files marks away…working in careful, long movements {a half round needle file is the most versitile}. Again, creating too much friction can clog the file {beyond repair} and cause the piece to break if it catches.

I then chose to frost the face of the acrylic {perfect too if the plastic you have is a little scratched}…place it down flat on a sheet of wet and dry paper on your work surface, and move it in smooth circular motions, checking every now and then if it is totally and evenly frosted. Using circular motions makes it easier to get an even finish and not remove material at one side more than the other which happens if you sand back and forth.

Now that the shape is fully finished, find a good point to hang the chain from. {you can buy the pre-bought chains from craft stores or jewellers, or buy a length of chain by the metre from a silver dealer…or have a look at the unusual chains you can get at the hardware store..powder coated brightly coloured ones for example…or even just use ribbon or cord}. Use the dremel to drill two small holes into the edge of the acrylic {this is why you want a 0.8mm drill bit — so it is fine enough to drill the sides without bursting out the face of the piece}…with the wire and the round nose pliers, form two small ‘U’ shaped pegs to fit the holes..and then glue them in to the holes with araldite.
[use the end of one of your broken saw blades to place a tiny bit of the glue into the hole]

If you are using sheet metal..simply drill a hole, and fasten two jump rings through it directly.

Then you can attach any chain, thread, cord or ribbon of choice….inserting a catch if you wanted {I made the chain long enough to just fit over the head…}. I used a medium weight silver belcher chain with oval links {which I buy by the meter}, because I had some and thought it went well with the size of the piece.

Now — Wear with glee and abandon!!! ;)

::: I would say this took me just under an hour from inception to completion {including finding and printing the image, and photographing all the steps}..but I would perhaps give yourself a couple of hours to complete this necklace if you are a beginner with a saw :::

** even if you don’t want to make a necklace…consider the techniques used here and how they could be used and adapted to make a great Christmas tree ornament, gift tag, place-setting etc!! Once you master the saw, the possibilities are endless! **

If looking to source some jewellery tools, have a look at this previous post on where to source tools and materials.

….also, see all the images in a larger size by viewing this photo-set on flickr…

The Jerwood Applied Arts Prize is an annual competition that runs on a six year cycle, encompassing Metal, Jewellery, Ceramics, Glass, Textiles and Furniture disciplines. It is a partnership between the Crafts Council and the Jerwood Charitable Foundation, and together each year they run a touring exhibition profiling the work of the six successful makers in the running to receive the £30,000 prize for their outstanding contribution to their craft.

This year it is the turn of the jewellers, so here is a run-down of the candidates…

Yoko Izawa

Nora Fok

Mah Rana

Grainne Morton

Adam Paxon

Susan Cross

Lots of beautiful work to choose from this time around…and as a result, I am undecided who I think might win…but do personally hope Adam Paxon {a former tutor of mine} scoops the prize, as his work really is technically sublime in person!!

- I look forward to the results with eager anticipation…this is one upcoming show to keep your eye on….!!

…I found a very interesting audio lecture about three pieces of jewellery in the collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London…..it is a short commentary {about 15 minutes}…which introduces and discusses the work of Arthur Fleischman, Naum Slutzky and Giovanni Corvaja {who happens to be one of the greatest living goldsmiths!} Corvaja’s work {pictured above} is the only item of jewellery the site displays….so you are rather in the dark about what the two other pieces look like, but as the conversation is mostly about Corvaja’s piece, it still makes for good listening….enjoy!

Country Home magazine has been a favourite of mine for years, a window into another country’s history and culture and wonderful vintage objects. In their blog, there is an entry about an article about jewellery from found objects, with more links to artisans than the article could contain. I want a typewriter key bracelet!

What’s Your Type? bracelet

One of the links is to My Bonnie and Clyde (a home for indie artists and designers), which has lots of other craft objects as well as jewellery. In paper, I liked the work of La Karta (phone book cards) and Paper Relics (cards with quirky vintage images).

I love you dearly card by Paper Relics

Julianna Holowka’s lamps in decor are wonderful.

Josephine lamp by Julianna Holowka

And there is of course a jewellery section, which I’ll leave for you to explore.

In my first post for Whip Up I thought I would tell you about some of the work I saw at Origin this year. In this and my next few posts I hope to reveal a little about traditional crafts and unusual materials, mainly by British makers. I’m a textile designer, but I trained to be a museum curator and have a long-standing interest in historical crafts. Origin is Britain’s biggest and best contemporary craft fair, so those selected by the Crafts Council are not traditional as such. Some of them use traditional techniques or materials in new and contemporary ways. I wont be covering ceramics as that is done beautifully by Karin Ericksson, and will only touch on jewellery because Abigail Percy has already picked some lovely examples.
It was a pleasure to be exhibiting alongside many wonderful makers. I was showing as part of an exhibition of emerging makers called Springboard. Two of my fellow exhibitors really caught my eye.

Jo Pond makes jewellery using unconventional materials and non-traditional jewellery shapes. She showed a quirky collection of pieces mostly made from animal skin. It was amazing how she had made this unlikely material look so delicate and exquisite.

Kate Brightman’s bold and striking pieces were a complete contrast. She works in metals, plastics and resin, but I particularly liked her wooden collection, made from turned rosewood with gilding. The simplicity of the shapes was really effective and the richness of the wood with the yellow gold was really appealing, and somehow wintery.

Among the other exhibitors, Lizzie Farey caught my eye. Her modern basketry was delightful, particularly the pieces with catkins and pussy willow still attached.

Su Blackwell makes beautiful paper sculptures from old books, with the characters or scenes literally leaping from the page.

Gesso-work is something you don’t see often. It is the application of a type of plaster onto wood or other surfaces, which is then painted and gilded. It was used as the base for medieval decorative carvings and paintings. Adam Wahby uses gesso with pewter inlay to create stunning decorative pieces.

Papier-mache deserves a revival and Magie Hollingworth is leading the way with her moulded spoons, garden implements and bowls. I loved her use of old children’s book pages as decoration and adored the glossy black mini bowls.

Maiko Dawson is an amazing shoemaker, using traditional techniques to create bespoke shoes with great style. I love the ones with circles on – one of my friends has them and swears by their comfort.

More next week from week two.

This coming October {from the 3rd to the 15th} London will be hosting it’s biggest multi-disciplinary Craft Fair {formerly known as Chelsea Crafts Fair} at Somerset House. This is the first year the event, run by the Crafts Council, will be housed in it’s new location…and means even more designers and makers are able to exhibit than ever before.

Below I have selected some of my favourite jewellers who are showing at Origin this year. I am very much looking forward to seeing the show, and hope that many of you will be able to make it along as well. Even if you can’t make it…you can have a look at the Exhibitors List which in itself is a great source of who’s who in contemporary craft.

Yoko Izawa creates beautiful and unusual mixed media jewellery….{showing week 2}

Alison Macleod’s jewellery, uses silver, precious stones and beads along with found non-precious materials such as bra-bits. Wonderfully ecclectic jewellery, which is both delicate and wearable. {showing week 2}

Jane Moore not only makes and design her own jewellery, which is wonderfully classic, she also runs a highly successful jewellery gallery too. Her new work featuring enamel transfers and silver is lovely.
{showing week 1}

Georgia Wiseman’s beautiful jewellery is a collection of labour intensive work made in silver and 18 ct gold with semi-precious stones and beads, whose structure explores notions of perspective, symmetry and geometric configurations. Using repeat units, Georgia creates three dimentional forms whose angular solidity belie their lightweight qualities..which makes them a dream to wear. Look out for her unique kinetic rings, where whole gemstones roll around freely in a cage ring, creating a wonderful play of colour and light {as well as sound}!! {showing week 1}

Hannah Louise Lamb uses silver along with non precious materials such as felt and silks to create beautiful wearable jewellery. Her work explores themes of domesticity and you will find floral motifs giving a nod to vintage wall-papers and imagery from, and representing, the concept of home.
{showing week 2}

Marianne Anderson’s jewellery is engrained in the thoeories and concepts of ‘Ornament’. Her beautiful work is made from oxidised silver, 18ct gold, semi-precious stones such as garnets, freshwater pearls and glass. Expect to discover beautifully pierced delicate motifs of a traditional form, re-worked in contemporary style….with a-symmetrical details and unusual {and exciting} pieces that look equally beautiful both on and off!
{showing week 1}

Naoko Yoshizawa creates the most stunning jewellery from silver and paper….layering colour to provide depth and subtle visual movement to the pieces. I am very much looking forward to seeing this work in real life..as I think the tactile quality of the pieces will be even more sublime in person. {showing week 2}

So, if you can get to the Craft Event of the year…keep your eye out for these excellent makers…and many more from this, and other design disciplines. If you do make it…let me know whose work you enjoyed and what you found inspiring!!

Natasha Fialkov of Luxe Fibre has posted a great tutorial on her blog of how to make these mixed media paper beads. I think they are just beautiful! This project is full of possibilities, and I am sure that you guys will have a blast experimenting with glues and gold leaf and all kinds of papers and pigments, and maybe even fabrics!

Thank you Natasha for use of the great photos! You can see more of her paper beads here on Flickr.

**be sure to take note of Natashas Melting Pot warning at the bottom of the tutorial.**

The fashion catalogs for fall have some lovely thread crochet jewelry. Here are some patterns to get the look DIY:

kits at Plain Mabel by Lindsey Streem Designs (just $6!)

tutorial for hoop earrings by Craftster member sumerlovin.

more hoop patterns at hook me up, including a cool ruffly one.

free pattern from JPF crochet club

You could use almost any doily motif with a tiny hook and thread.

Here is just a small selection of some of my jewellery tools….to see this image larger, and with descriptions and information about the tools, click here!

I would whole-heartedly say that investing in jewellery tools is not a cheap business…but if you are careful, and buy the essential things first {believe me..there is ALWAYS another tool you want or need!} you will be able to make beautiful hand made jewellery for yourself and friends or for sale! I will be posting some jewellery tutorials in the future outlining simple techniques you can use as a beginner {or at any stage}, and how you can do little things, such as making your own findings..which add a professional and considered quality to your jewellery.

But first..you need the tools!! I have listed below some jewellery suppliers that I have used, and know to be good {UK, and US}..many tools are very expensive, but are good quality and will last a lifetime…so consider them an investment!! If you need any help or advice when considering purchasing some tools..do drop me a line and I would be happy to help!

HS Walsh
{a very good quality tool supplier..I buy much of my equiptment here}
Cooksons
{Sell bullion {precious metal} as well as tools}
Finding King
{a very reasonable tool supplier…good value if based in the US..be mindful of the shipping costs}
Otto Frei
{they often have unusual and specialist tools}
Rashbel
{small selection of tools, and bullion including decorative gallery strips in silver}

As a starter kit, I would recommend a Piercing Saw, and blades {2/0}..Needle Files {starter pack}…a drill {archemedian or dremel} and bits {approx 1mm}…a selection of jewellery Pliers…and wet and dry paper for sanding and finishing…from this you will be able to make simple pierced pendant forms, and you will have a good basis on which to build if you would like to progress your collection and repetoire by investing in a soldering torch and pickle tank….from that point on, the world is your oyster!!

Fabric cuff bracelets around and about:

quiltlets by two straight lines

scrap patchwork cuff by head full of pixies

button-loop cuffs by A Bird in the Hand

ruffle cuff by Thriftcraft

Nora Fok is originally from Hong Kong, and moved to the UK to study ‘Wood, Metal, Ceramics and Plastics’ at Brighton Polytechnic. Nora Foks’ work is unique as she creates wonderful forms that are both solid and transparent….lightweight yet durable. She does this through the use of Nylon Monofiliment {often referred to as Cat-Gut or fishing wire}..this material is so versitile, and Fok utilises its ability to be kitted, dyed and formed to create some wonderful pieces of jewellery.

Waterstar Neckpiece, 1998 - Nora Fok

There is a great article about Nora Fok on the embroiderers guild site.

The work Nora creates is a source of great inspiration, not only to jewellers but also to textile artists, as the majority of techniques she uses are rooted in knitting and sewing crafts. Nylon Monofiliment can be dyed with Dylon dyes…used cold for very subtle colours, or hot for stronger hues {go experiment!!}…and it works wonderfully for french knitting, which kids can have great fun with and make some funky necklaces and bracelets as the nylon really holds its shape!

{If you plan to buy some mono-filiment for this kind of project..I would suggest visiting a fishing shop to buy a huge reel, as it is much more affordable than the smaller quantities usually available in a craft store….you can also sometimes get different thicknesses this way!}

The other day I saw Maitreya’s button ring (wishthimble has some lovely ones too) and then her button necklace. Which led me creative kismet’s tutorial, which triggered my memory about Katherine’s button jewellery website and needlebook’s button bracelet which I had seen a while ago. So many wonderful button rings and necklaces and bracelets to be found. While I was doing a search on button bracelets I stumbled upon these gorgeous vintage button bracelets make by Donna Silvestri.

Tutorials:
Spinster spin has a button bracelet tutorial.
instructions for a crochet button bracelet
sewing.org has a button necklace project
about.com antique button bracelet instructions
creative kismet button bracelet tutorial

all the tools you need and a tutorial to make a wooden look-a-like necklace at its (K)not wood.