Year of Jewelry Week 5: Down n' Dirty

On January 28, 2012
“Down & Dirty” had me stumped. I mean, just shy of rolling some wire around in dirt and turning an ingenious theme into a cliche art project, I was really at a loss. So, this is how I went from rolling in the dirt to a bronze ring…. happenstance. Really, bronze enamel copper core wire was all I had in my bead box, and I needed to practice my rings. So I end up with this. But, despite the lucky accident of this theme and ring coming together in a tangible partnership, some of it’s design (available for viewing here) was quite intentional…..

The color, for instance. When I realized the bronze copper was the only material at my disposal, I figured it was a great compliment to the concept of dirt. The grit and warmth of earth, the undeniably natural attraction we have to an element intrinsically survivalistic… these are the characteristics this wire always seems to embody. So, as a compliment, I chose warm tones to accent. A large topaz crystal, a small amethyst and burnt umber Swarovski…. somewhat uninspiring when left to their own devices, but together with this wire creates a deeply majestic … hum, if you will.

I mirrored the design to contradict the free-form shape of the crystal, creating a sense of uniformity or pattern hidden within the evolution of naturally-occurring shapes. Okay, so I just finished watching the new show “Touch”, and the Fibonacci theory (defined as “the recurrence relation”) has been niggling a corner of my thoughts these last few days. Now I admittedly remain completely and irrevocably clueless as to any practical application of the above-mentioned theory, but it sounds pretty, despite all those mathematical shenanigans.

And really… this…. well…. seemed much more politic than the wire handcuffs my husband recommended as an appropriate representation of this week’s theme. His challenge held a strange appeal, but then I remembered it was tacky…. ahem.

Anyway, this is it. A large ring, without a doubt, but an oddly appropriate size when considering it’s overall “mood”. It fits well, feels good, and looks awesome! Yeah, that’s right… I just tooted my largely over-developed horn… a problem I’m currently looking to rectify with a wealth of self-recriminatory statements about how much I suck… as I toss wire and tools in fits of dissatisfied rage. Let’s just say… this is one success out of, well, a lot of failures.

Now I’m off to fight the good fight, to conquer the last remnants of what little material I have left this week before my back-order finally arrives, and hopefully create one or two more things that don’t suck.

Happy weaving!