Great tutorial on how to make a Heart with wire

I absolutely love how this is taught. I use different brand of pliers that work in a similar way and know how to use them, but I did learn how to make this heart. I dont do a lot of wire work, but I want to! I mostly use copper since silver is so expensive and I would hate to waste any little tiny piece. I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did...

The different lengths of necklaces and what to wear them with!

Lengths of Necklaces

I found these measurements online and thought it would be a great addition to know for us Jewelry designers.  I added my own twist on these and hope you are able to use this.

Bib necklace

Honestly I have never heard of a bib necklace before, but I think I understand what this would look like.  If you can imagine what a bib for a baby looks like and turn it into a necklace, that’s what it would be.  A bib necklace has multiple strands of stepped stones and such.  So the larger stone would be on the bottom and gradually get smaller on the sides. 

Collar

Approximately 12-14 inches in length.  Fits snugly in the middle of neck.  Collar necklaces add an elegant look and feel to any wardrobe!  Looks great with scoop neck collars.  Very Victorian look and feel with this style.

Choker

Approximately 14-17 inches in length. A choker adds a little classy look and feel to any wardrobe.  There are a ton of reasons to wear a choker.  They are sexy, can be wide or thin, or multiple strands.  Many people who are into Goth love this style of necklace.

Princess

Approximately 18-20 inches in length.  These type necklaces are very popular and common.  Not too long and not too short.  They dress up any wardrobe as does any necklace.  You can go with a simple look or a heavily beaded look to feel like a princess!

Matinee

Approximately  20-24 inches in length. This style necklace is a good choice for sweaters or professional attire.  I have seen these with multiple length strands and are quite attractive.  They do tend to be a little on the heavy side depending on the size of beads used.

Opera

Approximately 28-34 inches in length. This is worn as a single or double strand necklace.  It is very a very classy style and goes great with high neck collars.  I can see these worn at the opera and holding those snooty glasses..LOL,

Rope, Sautoir, Lariat

Approximately 45 or more in length. Elegant and sensuous, the famous Coco Chanel pearl rope is an example.  I see these a lot in magazines, but never have worn one.  They look fun to wear! Lariats have unattached ends for knotting or wrapping.

Great Photo Collage Tutorial and Website!

Ok, so its not my tutorial, but this is an awesome tutorial I got from a group I belong to.  Its for making a photo collage.  You have one large image and 3 small ones.  She goes into depth showing how to create the template.  There are great step by step images with arrows pointing you in the right direction.  I also found this site to have multitudes of tuts and tips for free!  I love free stuff!  Enjoy!

Steel wire V.S. oxidized Copper

I love black wire, and have been interested in how to make my wire change colors with oxidizing.  For a long time I could only find nasty steel wire, and great copper wire.  But copper wire of coarse is not black.  The bead stores here only carry the real shiny black wire and its not quite the look I have been looking for.

Recently I went to OSH and found this really nice black steel wire in 2 different sizes.  It worked great to do some wire wrapping but it left my hand black...nasty smelling too!  So I used Allergy Jewelry Shield to seal the wire.  I am sure there are other types of sealers I could use but it was handy and it worked.  I like the look of the wire, its not too shiny and the black does not rub off now.

Now, I finally got my Liver of Sulfur and played with it a little today to see what it does.  I have done lots of hunting on line to learn about this product.  I do agree that it stinks but it works...  I tried eggs and I wasnt impressed. I took a picture of both items to show you the difference.  I have not put on any of the Jewelry Sheild yet on the oxidized copper so it is dull.  I like both wires.  Copper is easy to find, and now for me steel is too.  Both are fairly easy to work with, and you really should seal both wires once you get the affect you want.

I still need...notice I used the word NEED...LOL...to explore more with oxidizing copper.

As you can see here, they look quite similar.  I think the oxidized copper is a better look myself, and copper is more user friendly.  You can solder it, where as steel you can not.  So it all depends on what your goal is.  For just doing wire wrapping, it may be cheaper and easier to use the steel wire.  But to be more creative, go with the copper and deal with the stink of the Liver of Sulfur.  I dont think it was all that bad.  Less smelly than resin...hehehehe...I hope you like this comparison and let me know if it helps you any at all....