Copper and Rhodochrosite pendant + today's tunes
Thanks for all the encouraging feedback on my last post about the pendant I shared with y'all.
I've got many more to share.
Here is one I made by wrapping copper wire around Rhodochrosite and Quartz.
The process of wrapping, coiling, weaving and shaping wire requires much patience but is also really soothing. There are times when I make these pieces that I want to give up but as with many things, the more I push on, the greater the reward.
Thanks for looking!
Today's tunes:
Sunset to Sunrise mix by Ryan Farish
love it! nice to see lots of copper, most people seem to prefer silver but ive always liked the patina copper develops
thanks. I love copper! Yes, the patina is great as it ages. I love to polish them up after they've developed that patina because it brings so much more depth to the wire.
have you had a go with liver of sulphur before? smells absolutely horrible but it patinas the copper instantly so you can polish up the high bits straight away
I have used it for larger scale sculpture pieces but never tried it on jewelry before really. Would it damage the stones?
i think its ok, ive dipped whole pieces before but it would depend on the stone, if its porus or not i guess. you can also just paint it on to avoid the stones
Cool, thanks for the tip. I'll have to get some and experiment
Your work is so beautifully intricate. I do lapidary work, mainly cabachons and have only ever had the patience for simple wire wrapping. You inspire!
To comment about the previous comments on patina; have you ever tried boiled eggs? I know from experience that it works on silver but have never tried it on copper. You just mash up a hard boiled egg and let the metal sit in a closed container with it. You would want to set the piece on something so it's not actually touching the eggs as the part that touches them would incur a harsher patina than the rest of the piece. You might experiment with just some wire if you're interested. Lots of vids on the interwebs as well.
Look forward to seeing more of your work. Great touch adding music to your post :)
I appreciate you saying so. I started with simple wire wrapping and over time incorporated a little more intricacy here and there until it became less intimidating. It's still intimidating at times though, it's just now I know how to see beyond those frustrations. I'm kind of stubborn and I think that has helped me when it comes to this craft lol.
Thanks for sharing that about the eggs. I have never even heard of doing that but it sounds like a really great experiment. We plan on getting some chickens before too long so that would be a fun way to combine two of my loves- jeweling and farming :)
Music is a big inspiration to me so I plan to keep that up. Glad you enjoyed it.