Hot Off The Bench - Copper and Dark Green Jade Ring

For women that love earthy jewelry, I've made this copper and nephrite jade stone bead ring.  It's listed at our Etsy shop.

Copper Wire Sodalite Ring

This copper wire ring is handmade - formed, wrapped and polished.  The ring centrepiece is 3 small round sodalite beads that range from a medium blue to a royal blue.  This is a nice casual design style with a lovely colour pairing and perfect for the woman that lives in her jeans but likes to wear jewelry.

MEASUREMENT:  I've made this ring a size 7-1/4.

***NOTE: Unvarnished copper will develop a darker patina naturally over time. If you do not like this look you can polish it off with a jewelry polishing cloth.

~~~You may be wondering if your skin will turn green if you wear copper - well, the answer is MAYBE. This usually occurs because of a chemical reaction between acids in your skin and the metal. Combined they make copper salts which turn green. A little soap and water will wash it off. And keeping your jewelry clean and dry will help to prevent this from happening.~~~

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Crackled Glass Marbles

I wasn't finding just the right bead in my stash the other day for an upcoming project.  Then it dawned on me....crackled glass marbles! That's what I needed!  This technique has been around for a long time and it is sometimes called fried glass marbles.  

In the past I've bought crackled beads.....But it's so easy to do.  

I put some glass marbles in an aluminum tray and got my little toaster oven out, the one that I use just for crafting, and set the temperature for 350F.  Once the oven hit 350F I put the marbles in the oven for 20 minutes.  When the 20 minutes was up I removed the tray with oven mitts on and I dumped the marbles in a plastic bowl of cold ice water and within minutes I had some really cool looking patterns in the glass.  I didn't have safety goggles on so I made sure that I wasn't directly over the water bowl just in case some glass broke.  None did, but you do hear hissing and crackling.

I baked some small round ones and some flat back ones. The process is known as thermal shock - the glass is heated and expands unevenly and when you dump them in the ice water it is forced to cool unevenly.  It crackles on the inside only. And, this is something that you cannot do with all glass.  

I think that they look nice and sparkly.

Handmade Copper Heart Necklace With Lapis Lazuli Stones

I made this copper wire heart necklace as a Christmas gift for a friend.  It's a whimiscal pendant accented with deep rich blue lapis lazuli stones.  I like combining blue stones with copper, it's a great look. The pendant hangs from a long ball chain and it will be a nice casual look over long loose sweaters.

Cold Weather Quote

"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness."
John Steinbeck