Hey all, it’s been awhile. I’ve spent the last year building a website and a store for my jewelry, so now it’s time to have my blog in the same place as my website. See you there!
UPDATE (10/14/13): Changed the link so it goes to my Studio Blog rather than an error page…
I finished the earrings, and here they are!
After antiquing them, I was cleaning them in the sink, when suddenly one of them fell down the drain. D’oh! My husband had to take the trap apart to rescue the earring. Another cleaning later, I was able to photograph them.
I think these may be the prettiest earrings I’ve ever made. They are rose quartz, and they’re available in my ArtFire Studio now.
UPDATE (10/14/13): I am now known as Kristine Schroeder Studio. Click here to find me on Facebook.
I finally bit the bullet and started a Facebook Fan Page for The Wiresculptress. If you feel so inclined, I would dearly appreciate it if you would go to my Wiresculptress Fan Page now and become a Fan. It’s so important to Be Seen in the art business.
Longtime readers may remember that I tried to create a page for The Wiresculptress perhaps ten months ago. My error was in trying to create a Profile instead of a Page. Like most other people, my brain is going in nine different directions at any given time, so I don’t always slow down enough to see everything.
Right after I created my Page, I linked it to Twitter. Almost instantly, I regretted doing that – it was Tweeting every time I uploaded a photo or typed anything, which I was doing a lot of. I didn’t want to make my followers mad! So, I de-linked it. But, I realized I may want to link the two again in the future. Of course, I cannot find how to do that anywhere on Facebook. Maybe I’m just out of luck.
Meanwhile, I’ve got to get back to my bench. A pair of earrings are calling.
P.S. The circle pendant shown in the photo is available in my ArtFire Studio.
This morning, I came back to update the blog, and saw that I had never posted a photo of the project I was working on. D’oh! This carnelian bracelet is now in my ArtFire studio.
It’s been a while since I shamelessly self-promoted, so here we go:
Just listed is an embellished sterling silver circle pendant, handmade in antiqued sterling silver wire, woven and sculpted. I accented this little charmer with sterling silver beads, a Swarovski crystal round bead, and a Swarovski crystal teardrop briolette. The pendant is small – less than 1 inch wide – and comes suspended from an adjustable leather cord. Click here to see the sterling silver circle pendant.
Also, I’ve just listed this lapis lazuli sterling silver bracelet, accented with sterling silver beads, and antiqued. Rectangular lapis beads encircle the wrist. Click here to see the lapis lazuli sterling silver bracelet.
There’s a piece on my workbench, waiting to be finished…
Are you the proud owner of a lovely piece of shell cameo jewelry? That’s wonderful! Do you know how to take care of it?
Here are seven things you must know if you own a shell cameo:
1. Keep your shell cameo out of direct sunlight. Light will fade a cameo – I found out the hard way. I kept my first wire-sculpted cameo on my workbench for about six months as a reminder of how far I’d come skill-wise. One day, I looked at the cameo – really looked at it – and realized, to my horror, that the color had faded badly.
2. Store your shell cameo in a closed jewelry box that has a velvet or flocked surface. Keep it away from other jewelry to avoid scratching. Don’t place it on that fluffy cotton lining found in gift boxes – the cotton will wick away precious moisture, making your cameo brittle.
3. Take care not to drop your shell cameo. It can break. Enough said.
4. Dust your shell cameo periodically with a soft brush, such as a clean makeup brush. Dust can scratch the surface of the cameo.
5. Twice a year, apply a generous amount of baby oil or mineral oil to the shell cameo, and allow to soak in overnight. Next day, wipe off the excess with a soft cloth. Avoid using colored oils such as olive oil – your cameo will be stained yellow.
6. You may clean your shell cameo when needed, using a soft-bristle or baby toothbrush, and Woolite™ or non-abrasive toothpaste (I prefer toothpaste). Brush gently, then rinse with warm water and dry carefully.
7. NEVER, EVER use a commercial jewelry cleaner on your shell cameo! Don’t even think about it. It will etch and erode the surface, and make the cameo dry, brittle, and breakage-prone.
Bonus: If your shell cameo does break, it may not be the end of the world. Consult a professional jeweler – s/he may be able to repair it. A repair may involve glue. Get the best information you can so you can decide how, or whether, to proceed with a repair.
I am proud to present the first entry in my Mother’s Day collection!
This blue agate cameo is just gorgeous, and so incredibly detailed. I set it in sterling silver wire, embellishing with Victorian swirls and Swarovski pearls.
Then the trouble started.
I realized that I had made the top loop (for hanging the bail on) too large for my liking. Now I needed to figure out how to camouflage it. I started experimenting with bail styles.
No less than SIX attempts later, I had my design for the bail. It is accented with a Swarovski pearl. It is well balanced.
But I threw an awful lot of wire across the room that night.
This blue agate cameo pendant is now available in my ArtFire
Studio.
Regular readers of my blog are probably startled to see that I’ve changed the theme and the title. My blog is almost a year old now, and I’ve been wanting to give it a more Victorian look. I do hope everyone will like the changes.
The new title, “At Home With The Wiresculptress”, refers to a 19th century custom related to calling cards, and the practice of “calling on” (visiting) acquaintances. People in gentle society reserved a certain day of the week, say Wednesday, to remain home and receive visitors. “At Home” cards served to inform people when they could expect to find the lady of the manor at home, with specifics handwritten on the card. Toward the end of the century, the “At Home” cards were used to invite people to afternoon tea, which had lately come into fashion. I felt that my readers are “calling on” me, therefore, I am at home.
The new theme is, alas, a compromise. I installed WordPress on my server, then set about uploading a theme I found. The theme was sheer perfection – except – I seem to have wiped out all the files, and I can no longer access my main website’s administrative panel. *Sigh* Goodness knows what I’ve managed to do to it. Luckily, I still have this blog. This theme isn’t as jarringly modern as the last one. Of course, I may change the theme again if I figure out what I’ve done to my website-based blog.
And I am up way too late, again. Goodnight.
P.S. Congratulations to Jamie McMurray on the Daytona 500 win!
I’m so intrigued by steampunk styles of jewelry. But – I’ve been nervous about referring to any of my pieces as “steampunk”, even though I think a number of them fit the (rather nebulous) definition. The minute I call something of mine “steampunk”, the “All-Knowing Arbiter of Steampunk” (aka Some Random Internet Jerk) will come along and tell me I’m completely stoopid. (Misspelling intentional.) Same thing with Gothic styles.
Why am I worrying about what anyone, other than my customers, think?
I dislike being pigeonholed as much as the next artist, but it’s easier for customers to find the jewelry they love if it’s categorized.
It’s funny – oftentimes people trying to provide examples of steampunk point to the 60s TV series “The Wild Wild West” – but I could never STAND that show! I’ll bet it was a blast to be the set decorator on that show, though. Another example, one that I love, is the movie version of “The Time Machine”. It’s real eye candy for Victorian and Steampunk lovers, from the decor of the sets, to the period clothing, to the design of the time machine itself. My favorite scene? The ladies’ fashions going by in sped-up motion.
I would rather expend my energy making the jewelry my customers love, than worrying what Random Internet Jerk thinks.
Alright, I was going to make you all wait until tomorrow for the unveiling of my latest pendant. But – I can’t wait, so here’s the photos:
As always, now available in my ArtFire Studio.
At Home With The Wiresculptress 