Twelve Angels of Christmas Artisan Jewelry
Published On: 12-02-2011 03:19pm
Comments: 0 - Hits: 150
Category: Wire Journal
Introducing: The Twelve Angels of Christmas in Birthstone colors! :D These are the new collection from Popnicute, my handmade jewelry line.
On a sunny, lazy day of late October, I got the idea of making these angels after a failed attempt of making a pair of earrings in Angel's wing shapes. I didn't like the result as much as I thought I would. I was this close to scrap the idea and moved on to another project. But I had this nagging feeling that I could make this design work! So my next thought was to turn the wings into an angel pendant. I started digging my bead stash for some briolette shape beads that might be suitable for the Angel's body. Again, this brought me no satisfying result.
I doodled some sketches on my sketch book. I like swirls so I made some swirly shapes. The sketches brought up a result that I liked that I took my practice wire and starting to make shapes with it. My first Angel was born a little too thin. I liked the result but it was too flimsy I afraid it would bend too easily. My next step was to use heavier gauge wire. My second attempt was satisfying to say the least. But my newborn Angel looked so plain on its own that's where I got the idea of making them as Birthstone Angels.
Google gave me an instant result. Several lists of gemstones used to represent each month. Here where I got stuck again. Genuine gemstones are expensive and most likely would be hard to find them in uniform shape and sizes. So I opted for Swarovski Crystals. They're affordable, very sparkly, and have gained an international reputation. Several websites generously put on lists of what colors represent the birthstones best. Thanks for that! Also big thanks to CreativeHaven for her help.
So I began my search of Swarovski Crystals in colors that I needed. I already got several on hand but for the rest, no. Several hours and 5 local bead stores later, I almost passed out from the heat, exhaustion, and frustration. I still got several colors left that none of those bead stores carried. Oh how online shopping saved me. But apparently Ruby was the hardest color to find that's why I replaced it with Light Siam color. Right now I'm waiting for my Blue Zircon bicones. Hopefully I will get them soon enough so the December Angel will have its sparkly Halo too! :D
Closer look of the Angel:
These angels are handmade from scratch that's why each of them is unique. They are very light weight and the wings can move a little as they're not soldered. They look gorgeous on the neck!
See more photos in Popnicute Studio. These angels are now available for sale in my shop. Also available in Argentium Silver!
Need help? Have questions? Live chat with me at the chatbox below. If I'm not answering, that means I'm away from keyboard. Email me instead to popnicute [at!] gmail [dot!] com.
