Year of Jewelry Week 11: Am I Seeing Double

On March 16, 2012

So the theme again this week is “Irish Eyes Are Smiling”. Me thinks the first one was accidentally added to the list, or there was a short on themes, or maybe someone really loves Leprechauns but, seeing as how St. Paddy’s Day is tomorrow (drink responsibly everyone… I don’t care how “Irish” you think you are!), and, in keeping with the theme (again), I’ve constructed a pair of silver-filled wire-woven rings with bright green Swarovski stones, available for viewing here.

One is gifted to my mother-in-law who has a birthday on Tuesday and the other to my best friend who was generous enough to sport me a plane ticket to Vegas next week, an over-nighter to San Fransisco, the Hunger Games midnight premier and orchestra seats to Phantom of the Opera, a play to which I’ve had the ability to recite every word for the last twenty years. She pampers me perfectly and I hardly think a ring will suffice.

So not only do I get the opportunity to make gifts for two women in my life who mean the world to me, but I’ve also had, thanks to the Year of Jewelry Project, the opportunity to recognize my unbelievable affinity for rings. They aren’t quite the Big Bad I once believed of them. In fact, the little suckers are demanding and surprisingly fun, more so than any other piece of jewelry I’ve made to date, perhaps due to the limitation of their size and the satisfaction derived from working within those limitations. And, thanks to the supportive group of artists involved with this project, I’ve overcome my fears and let creativity carry me forward the way it was intended.

And, not only that, but I am also introducing this design for an upcoming tutorial!

The ring is surprisingly uncomplicated in construction, and I believe it to be easily mastered by those with moderate wire weaving experience. I hope to have the step photography completed this weekend, but seeing as how I leave for Vegas early Tuesday morning, and the tutorial will still need to see it’s way through a testing phase, I can’t imagine it will be ready for launch before the first week of April. But… it is coming, I promise! I still need to make and photograph some optional styles, including wire-only and yin-yang, both of which will have a more compact finished look, and I’m hoping to complete Year of Jewelry’s Week 12 before I leave in my efforts to stay ahead of the game, so I have myself a busy weekend ahead of me.

I hope everyone enjoys the holiday and stays out of trouble (mostly), and I’ll see you on Sunday when I hope to post Week 12! “Three Feet of Wire” is the theme and will prove to be my greatest challenge yet, I fear. But I can think of no better way to start my Vegas vacation than having surpassed a personal difficulty. Happy weaving everyone!