Patterned Wire

by Patti Vanderbloemen

I've been under the weather on and off lately and have not spent much time in my studio...and I miss it so! I apologize for my absence! But, on those days where I can drag myself out of bed, it was directly to the coffee pot...and then my studio.

Recently, I had an email link (from one of the many vendors that send me links) with a quick tutorial for using patterned sterling silver wire. I can no longer find the link (It was Terri McCarthy on a Cool Tools -video but a search on their site as well as You-Tube proved futile).  Sigh. Anyway, Terri soldered a strip of patterned sterling wire to a piece of sterling sheet, soldered on an ear wire and...boom...instant textured earrings! I was inspired!

The first item I made was similar - but I cut my sterling sheet larger, and soldered my pattern wire down the center.  I then added some hand stamping to the sides of the sheet.

A technique I loved from the artist's video was using tiny sterling silver tubing to "hold" the ear wire.

It was tricky to solder the ear wire and the tubing at the same time - that sucker just wanted to move, no matter how well anchored it was on my soldering block! Although easier said then done, I added more solder to the tubing after my first soldering operation  - just to ensure it was secure.

I originally had ring shanks in mind for this patterned wire, but, it is a substantial weight, so I made a bangle.

I added two faceted bangles to the set - looks so good on the wrist when worn together.

Earrings again - this time post-style.

I just could not stop, so I also made a matching pendant.

It's not that large, so it's comfortable to wear all day long.

I have had this patterned wire in my stash for a long time, and was happy to put it to good use, although I still need to make a ring!

Patterned wire comes in all shapes, sizes, and textures (mine came from Rio Grande) - I love the versatility of this metal!

Thanks for stopping by today!