My Handmade Genuine Sea Glass Jewelry v. My Handmade Cultured Sea Glass Jewelry - What's the Difference?

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    I make two kinds of beautiful, boho sea glass jewelry. Both are  handmade and one-of-a-kind. They even look similar. However, there are some important differences. First, you will notice a difference in price. The more expensive pieces are made with genuine sea glass that I know came from beaches. I usually know where and when the glass was collected. I choose the most jewelry-worthy of these pieces and wire wrap them in sterling silver. These become my higher end genuine sea glass jewelry. The somewhat less expensive, and often more colorful pieces, are made with sea glass that I can't verify. This...

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Creating More Men's Accessories and Jewelry: Tie Bars, Tie Tacks, Bracelets

bracelets jewelry for men men men's bracelets men's jewelry new designs new projects tie bar tie clip tie pins tie tacks what I'm working on wire wrapping

Here's a glimpse of the jewelry making process I use for making my new line of one-of-a-kind men's accessories. (And a lot of my women's jewelry as well.) Pictured above is a silver and bronze tie pin that has been heavily oxidized. I use a Dremel with all sorts of nifty attachments to expose the metal under the patina and give a good shine. To the right you can see the intricate wire weaving for a tie clip. This is the first step of many and will be the top layer if the clip. Below you can see the very...

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Working on Designs for Handmade Wire Wrapped Jewelry for Men - Suit Accessories

jewelry for men men men's jewelry new projects tie pins tie tacks what I'm working on wire wrapping

I was recently asked to make some men's suit accessories - wire wrapped. When I googled what was out there I found very little and not one hit for wire wrapped tie tacks. So that's what I decided to make. It seemed like a bit of a challenge and working so very small would be fun - I used to love making miniatures and models. It turns out working with jewelry wire on a 12mm palette is indeed a challenge! But once I had my designs figured out, I didn't want to put my projects away.  At this point I've...

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I Love Making Big, Beautiful Statement Jewelry like this Druzy Pendant

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The Loveliest Pear (5.57" x 2.5")   I finally finished! I started this large statement pendant about three weeks ago (see the Jan. 11 post for early progress) and the protective coating finished curing yesterday. The big green druzy is surrounded with slightly antiqued copper, bright sterling silver and a smattering of Swarovski crystals. The weaving was done in many layers, over quite a few days. From the beginning I liked how much the druzy looked like a lovely pear, so my design took shape quickly. I was also inspired by an amazing Art Nouveau building I visited in Italy that had beautiful...

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Starting a New Statement Jewelry Pendant Project - Druzy, Silver & Copper

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Now that the holiday jewelry rush is over, I'll have the time to do a couple of bigger, more time-consuming wire jewelry projects. With this in mind I just went through all of my larger gemstones for inspiration - and maybe the focal point of a design. After a lot of perusing, I finally chose this large, awesome green druzy, which I think will make a gorgeous focal point for a wire weave statement necklace. When I weave wire, I have basic ideas in mind, but then I design as I work. Sometimes, if I get stuck, I'll stop and put the project...

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