Welcome!
First I want to quickly mention a "save the date" for upcoming specials: for all you Instagram people I will be having an auction on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, click on the sidebar link or find me on Instagram @litvas_jewelry. For all you online shoppers I will be having The Big Weekend Steal Event Nov. 28 - Dec. 3 in my ArtFire studio---more details in my next blog post :)
Now...I want to tell you about my new line I will be adding to my repetiore and how I came up with the idea.
I did not adjust to the time change very well and was up early on Sunday...looking through my emails...I have bought a few supplies from Tophatter Auctions, so I was reading the email & saw that a handmade artist had held an auction the day before. I went to see some of the items they had sold and saw these delicate bangle bracelets...of course she had an Etsy store so I went to check it out and found more of this style of bracelet in her shop. I searched the total category on Etsy, and found a bazillion pages of this type of bracelet...I guess they are popular! After looking for a while (15 pages later) I kept feeling like there was something missing from them. Don't get me wrong, they are quite beautiful, very simple and elegant, but maybe just too plain for me...
That's when I figured it out...I think I would like them better if they had some texture to them...if they were hammered... strangely...through all 15 pages not a single one was hammered! I couldn't be the only one who had thought of this... so I checked that category and all the bracelets were of a completely different style!
It was settled then, I liked the idea, added my own touch to it and now I had to try it out! I had some 16gauge wire that I had bought years ago, wanting to use it as a base for a wire wrapped cuff bracelet design, but just never got around to it, so I thought I would see how this bangle style would look...
Here my steel bench block with a tack hammer for texturing and a rubber mallet to work harden the bangle into its shape.
Some of the supplies for this project, memory wire cutters did the job well for this thick gauge, some of my shaping, cutting and bending pliers, wire, Czech glass beads and yes the votive candle holder is technically a supply for this project since I don't have a bracelet mandrel to shape the bracelet on I found something that would work :)
So here they are....
I have them tagged together so I don't get the different sizes mixed up, I think I will offer 4 sizes since we are not all the same, XS, S, M and L. Since these need to slip over the hand, I want everyone to have an opportunity to wear them.
Now most of my pieces are one of a kind... I was a bit torn here since I only have so many colors in a certain size, they would not all be unique. This bothered me for half the day, until I realized that since they are handmade, and individually hammered, they couldn't possibly be exactly the same, especially the pattern of texture, so I decided if I was good with that my clients would be as well :)
And this I know is just the beginning of these...the possibilities seem endless... I can't wait to get more wire to make more with Czech Glass, also some with Gemstones, Freshwater Pearls, Mother of Pearl Shell beads and of course different shapes and sizes of all of them!!! I think they will look beautiful all mixed together! No matter what your style is, subtle; just a couple or "gypsy"; a whole bunch of them stacked together! I may have taken it to heart when I was told that "there must be some gypsy in you"...kinda always wanted to be a gypsy...now I can make the jewelry to feel a bit like one!
First I want to quickly mention a "save the date" for upcoming specials: for all you Instagram people I will be having an auction on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, click on the sidebar link or find me on Instagram @litvas_jewelry. For all you online shoppers I will be having The Big Weekend Steal Event Nov. 28 - Dec. 3 in my ArtFire studio---more details in my next blog post :)
Now...I want to tell you about my new line I will be adding to my repetiore and how I came up with the idea.
I did not adjust to the time change very well and was up early on Sunday...looking through my emails...I have bought a few supplies from Tophatter Auctions, so I was reading the email & saw that a handmade artist had held an auction the day before. I went to see some of the items they had sold and saw these delicate bangle bracelets...of course she had an Etsy store so I went to check it out and found more of this style of bracelet in her shop. I searched the total category on Etsy, and found a bazillion pages of this type of bracelet...I guess they are popular! After looking for a while (15 pages later) I kept feeling like there was something missing from them. Don't get me wrong, they are quite beautiful, very simple and elegant, but maybe just too plain for me...
That's when I figured it out...I think I would like them better if they had some texture to them...if they were hammered... strangely...through all 15 pages not a single one was hammered! I couldn't be the only one who had thought of this... so I checked that category and all the bracelets were of a completely different style!
It was settled then, I liked the idea, added my own touch to it and now I had to try it out! I had some 16gauge wire that I had bought years ago, wanting to use it as a base for a wire wrapped cuff bracelet design, but just never got around to it, so I thought I would see how this bangle style would look...
Here my steel bench block with a tack hammer for texturing and a rubber mallet to work harden the bangle into its shape.
 |
| Steel Block & Hammers For My Bangle Bracelets |
Some of the supplies for this project, memory wire cutters did the job well for this thick gauge, some of my shaping, cutting and bending pliers, wire, Czech glass beads and yes the votive candle holder is technically a supply for this project since I don't have a bracelet mandrel to shape the bracelet on I found something that would work :)
 |
| More Supplies For My Bangle Bracelets |
 |
| Copper Hammered Bangle Bracelets with Czech Glass |
 |
| Copper Hammered Bangle Bracelets with Czech Glass |
 |
| Copper Hammered Bangle Bracelets with Czech Glass |
 |
| Silver Plated Hammered Bangle Bracelets with Czech Glass |
 |
| Gold Plated Hammered Bangle Bracelets with Czech Glass |
Now most of my pieces are one of a kind... I was a bit torn here since I only have so many colors in a certain size, they would not all be unique. This bothered me for half the day, until I realized that since they are handmade, and individually hammered, they couldn't possibly be exactly the same, especially the pattern of texture, so I decided if I was good with that my clients would be as well :)
And this I know is just the beginning of these...the possibilities seem endless... I can't wait to get more wire to make more with Czech Glass, also some with Gemstones, Freshwater Pearls, Mother of Pearl Shell beads and of course different shapes and sizes of all of them!!! I think they will look beautiful all mixed together! No matter what your style is, subtle; just a couple or "gypsy"; a whole bunch of them stacked together! I may have taken it to heart when I was told that "there must be some gypsy in you"...kinda always wanted to be a gypsy...now I can make the jewelry to feel a bit like one!
Lovely!!! I want a gazillion of them!!
ReplyDeleteOf course you do! I will make some custom ones for you when you visit :)
DeleteI have just found out about you thru Maria's site. I looked over your jewlery line and read several of your Post's. I am also an avid Tophatter Buyer, always looking for the unique or vintage pieces (maybe because I am unique and vintage). I saw your gift of taking raw material into wearable beauty. After reading about how your bangle idea came to life, you are exactly right I have not seen this style either-hope to buy some soon.
ReplyDeleteI did notice that you had not created anything for hair (on the head). The fashion runways this year for the first time in 50+ years, showed the models with stick straight hair pulled back in a pony tail (which is what I have-I have spent thousands of dollars over my life time trying to change it, in the last year or so I figured God had better tastes than me). I have spent years searching for the collection I have of anything that will pull my hair back. Right now their is an explosion of people wanting unique hair accessories. How long this trend lasts, I do not know-women are finding freedom, instead of a slave in front of the bathroom mirror. So it may last awhile and acceptable in the professional world (I have been a homemaker for almost 30 yrs).
I would be very interested in seeing what your creative gift/talent would come up with for hair. Plus it would fill the gap in your jewlery line. The 2nd and 3rd ways on the runways for hair this year was unique braiding and headbands.
<><
Thank you and welcome to my blog :) I am not sure if I will venture into hair accessories as my full time job is being a Hairstylist, at the moment I prefer to separate the two. That's not saying I won't get an idea someday & run with it...but for now I enjoy what I have created and have so many ideas still that need to be fulfilled into pieces, that I don't seem to have enough hours in the day! Thank you for your advice and kind words :)
Delete