Copper Wire Haul From The Scrap Yard

Woohoo looksie what I got from the local scrap yard - 6 kg (13 lb) of copper wire of different gauges, from very thin to up to  1.5 mm I think. I had to check online whether there is a scrap yard here in Nicosia, and sure thing there is. So I dragged hubby with me (he knows the places better) and when I got there the guy asked me how much I want - tons?  LOL

So I told him just some wire for myself for 'crafts'. And he showed me a container full of copper wire. I was in wire heaven! I wanted to move to that container for a second!

Sadly they didn't have copper sheet or bronze wire, which I also wanted, so those will still be ordered online from abroad, but at least what copper wire is concerned, even with this haul I have enough for several months. Now just to take the caliper and figure out what gauge wires I've accumulated! Wohoo!

YOJ Week 7 - Off The Cuff

The project for the 7th week in the Year of Wire Jewelry 2013 is called Off the Cuff. Now I'm not good with cuffs and bangles at all, and I've made quite a few chain maille bracelets so far, so I've decided my theme for the week to be 'off the cuff and on the neck' - a necklace.

Earlier this week I made my first JPL necklace (Jens Pind Linkage chain maille weave), and I've been thinking for a few days what pendant to make for it. Finally I've decided that a simple wire wrapped pendant with a few chain maille elements should mattch quite well with it.  The necklace is made of a mixture of bronze and copper wire - bronze for the chain maille part and the pendant frame and copper for the wrapping part.

What do you think, do they go together?

Got Myself Some New Cool Jewelry Toys

I was browsing Zoraida's blog, specifically the post about bracelet mandrels, when it dawn on me that I want one too! I haven't done many bangle style bracelets, or those that actually need a mandrel, but for the few I've done, I've always shaped them by hand, with not the best results, especially if you want to sell those pieces.

So off I went to the local jewelry store (my usual store for buying sterling silver wire), and I came home with not one, but ...several goodies that emptied my wallet for the moment. Oh well, it's for a good cause.

(click the picture for the large view)

So I came home with the bracelet mandrel- I actually wanted a stepped one, but they only had this, and when I saw it, I quite liked it, so it got sold.

I bought a jeweler saw, as my old one is getting undone and it doesn't hold the blades as well as it should. Then got myself the actual blades, as I didn't have this size - 1. I have 2/0 and 3/0, but those are for sterling, and I found that they don't work as well for cutting bronze rings, which is much harder then silver or copper. So I'll give these a try. At the shop they assured me it will work.

Then bought a small table vice with clamps made specially for jewelry work. I have a huge old one that is kind of awkward to work with, so it was time to upgrade.

Then bought some leather-like cord for any copper pendants I might do, and finally 3 finger protectors since I need them for when cutting wire for jump rings with the jeweler's saw. I have 3 but they're already worn out and I wanted some shiny new ones.

Oh and the small black thingie in the middle, it's some bracelet display made of hard plastic. It was very cheap on Ebay and it happened to arrive today, so I added it to my 'cool toys to play with' stash.

So there, my haul for today thanks to Zoraida, lol. And I only wanted a bracelet mandrel...

Bronze Byzantine Chain Maille Bracelet - For Men

In the previous post I showed all my bronze and copper goodies that I got in the mail from the UK. So here is the first thing I did from it - a simple, but elegant chain maille bracelet in bronze. It's actually perfect for guys (for gals too, if they love chunky bracelets). I love the Byzantine weave, the bracelet it's so sleek on the wrist, and while it's a bit on the heavier side, it doesn't feel like it at all.

For the bracelet I cut the rings myself, and then put it together from rings of these stats: 1.25 mm WD, 11/64" ID (4.37mm), with an AR of 3.5, which is perfect for the Byzantine.

The size is customizable, can adjust easily for a woman or a man's size as well, totally free.

Here are a few photos that I took from the bracelet, which is already up in my shop under this link: Byzantine bracelet

Got Goodies In The Mail

Since sterling silver is so prohibitively expensive these days, I've started dabbing in other materials, and right now my favorite now is bronze. It is similar in color to copper, but the wire is harder, and for chain maille, harder jump rings are better than softer ones.

About a week ago I put in an order at wires.co.uk for some bronze wire and some samples of other materials, including square copper wire. My order just arrived, and it's awesome! I'll definitely use this UK seller in the future for wire, unless I get a good supplier of it right here in Cyprus - which I doubt I'll find.

Silver Heart Pendant

This tiny sterling silver heart pendant in byzantine weave was made for two challenges: the February challenge in the Chain Maille Facebook group (heart or armour) and the 6th week of YOJ project with the title "Embrace".

It is really tiny, it measures 2.5cm (about 1") in length including the bail and 2cm (less than 1") at its widest point. It's very cute and I can imagine it on a thin chain or a short leather as a choker. Perfect when you want something cute, discrete that enhances, rather than takes away from the beauty of the dress or neckline.

My Jewelry In A Dawanda Adsense Ad

Looks like Dawanda started to heavily advertise in PPC (pay per click) through Google Adsense. I was just browsing one of my favorite book sites Goodreads to write a review for a book that I've just finished reading, when my eyes caught an ad on the right side of the screen for Dawanda. The screen changed a few times with new products and then I saw one of my chain maille bracelet, yay!

From all the many thousands of products listed there (Dawanda is the European version of Etsy, a bit smaller, but evergrowing), mine was spotlighted. I had to capture a screenshot to keep it and frame it (lol).

Click on the image to see the full view.