Custom Work
You may have a stone or another small object that has special meaning for you....you've kept it for years, intending to "do something with it" one day... Why not wear it!? Or maybe you've been wanting a pair of earrings that coordinate with a favorite pendant....I can help! Here's how it works.
You send me a couple of pictures of your treasured object, tell me roughly what you have in mind (you can use my current and sold pendant designs as inspiration), and in a couple of days, I'll send you my drawings and my estimate. When you're happy with the design, you send me the item by mail (or drop it off if you're in my fair city). I'll get to work and keep you appraised of the progress. The design process is free if I do the work. Prices will vary according to the amount of work involved, but you can use the prices on this website as a rough guideline.
Scroll down to see some past custom work.
Project - A Blue Sea Sediment Jasper pendant to match a pair of copper wire wrapped earrings
Design Approved!
I get to work
All wrapped up
Antiqued and ready to go!
Project - A pair of earrings to match a one of my recently-finished pendants - the prettiest piece of Labradorite I've worked with so far! A lucky lady got a lovely surprise last week!
A gentleman purchased one of my pendants and wanted matching earrings...
...these tiny Labradorite cabochons were perfect
(smallest I've ever wrapped!)
I made a decorative bezel to hold the framed stones
I antiqued, polished and sealed them , and here's the happy family!
Project - A lady stopped by my booth at the Cedar Park show, and said that she's had three special stones for years, and had "always wanted to do something with them," and would I be interested in looking at them? Sure! Lapis Lazuli and Rose Quartz "open teardrops" and a lovely round Watermelon Tourmaline
Thinking about the design...
Bail complete...
Swirly design taking shape...
The finished piece...
I treated the Rose Quartz one a little differently...
When you hold this stone to the light, it has a reddish middle, hence the name "Watermelon" Tourmaline
Project - In Rockport, Texas, I met a lady who asked me whether I was interested in wrapping some very unusual pieces... Sure! I'm always up for a challenge. Tusks from a wild boar and elks' teeth!
Project - Well the last project led to this one - another wild boar tusk - this time curved all the way into a circle. I used a weave reminiscent of ancient mail armor, and thick copper wire for a bold masculine look. The result - a talisman fit for a high-ranking viking warrior!
Project - A Sea-Sediment Jasper stone wrapped boldly in sterling silver - an example of serendipity at work! By mistake, I used silver-plated copper wrapping wire. I had finished by the time I discovered it. So, as an experiment, I decided to scrape off most of the silver from the thinner wire and expose the copper! Voila! A new style - sterling silver base wire wrapped in copper. The client loved it! (whew!)
Client approved design, work started
Shaping frame around the stone
Copper exposed on wrapping wire - A new style is born!
Project - A very old arrowhead - a family heirloom, passed on from father to daughter and languishing in a box for many decades. Something had to be done! Here's what happened...
The original piece
The piece adorned...
Tarnished..
...and all done!
Project - An antique (almost 100 years old) genuine cameo which was injured when it fell out of its setting years before... I was REALLY nervous with this one...and thought about it for weeks before I started. This fragment of abalone shell was so thin and fragile - there was no way I was going to be able to build a copper frame around it. This was going to need special treatment...
The original piece. The pretty lady almost lost her nose...
I decided to first stabilize it in polimer clay. Black clay showed though the thin shell, so I worked in white..
and after baking, painted it black...still wasn't all that happy with it...so..
...four coats of varnish later - YES! that's the look I was after..
Before varnishing, I had actually woven up an elegant little copper frame...
...and tried it out. I didn't want to take a chance of ruining the clay with the oxidizing solution. So...
..the unfinished frame had to be tarnished first,
then installed on the pendant (cameo now securely glued on to clay...)
Yikes! I now had 10 wires to "tame" - no plan, just sort of went with it...
Slowly taking shape. The thinner weaving wire, was of course, new and shiney...
which meant that the bail had to be oxidized separately and cleaned...and polished..
Several coats of sealant to the copper and finally, it's done!
A very old, injured cameo has emerged from many years in hiding to now proudly rest in a lovely antiqued copper setting . A pendant that will hopefully continue to be an heirloom for many generations to come.
Project - A lady walked into my booth at a recent art show and after looking at my work, took out a little black velvet sack from her purse, and out tumbled a lovely green emerald! Would I wrap it, she asked...SURE!
Hmm, I think I'll keep things simple...
Just enough frame to secure the stone...
No tarnishing on this one - copper left in its natural state
...she's quite tickled!
Received from customer - Whoa!
Design approved - work started
A bold weave...
....fit for viking!
