Straining fingers

In the last few days I got to thinking that I somewhat was avoiding doing the kind of earrings I just adore, mainly because these types of design require sacrificing your fingers and your eyes and a lifetime of hours. Well, I took a plunge and for a few days straight disciplined myself enough to sit down and get some of them done.
Each silver part is handcrafted, put together, wired together, oxidized etc by my own hands. Terribly time consuming, especially with all those tiny 2mm-can-hardly-see-them-going-blind beads. No nails left after all that metal-working, but I'm pretty satisfied with the result. Here they are:
PS. I must have enjoyed doing them - I'm working on similarly complex designs in gold now :)

New listings coming this week!

Just thought to let you know that I'll be putting out more listings this week in my Etsy shop. Cannot switch off my brain & it constantly comes up with new designs and variations. So now I have quite a few items in stock (& I also found a few items hidden in boxes!) that I thought you might like to check out. I'm not one to go for any particular design or style, just don't like to be constrained within same forms :) So, if you do have time, come and see. Who knows, you might find exactly what you've been looking for. Or, maybe you'll find something to inspire you. Either way, you're welcome to visit.

Metal Crators

I don't know what is it about the flame and melting metals that completely hypnotizes me. I've long been making my own headpins, and soldering joints, but I also experimented with making metal 'things'. Every time I heat a bit of silver or copper or any other metal to a bright yellow-red, it moves so beautifully, reminds me of all that lava flowing down a slope after volcano erupted. Completely mesmerising. One thing I never felt comfortable with was that after all that movement and play of metal, heat and air, the end result many jewellers go for is far removed from what it looked like when you finish working on it with heat. Personally, I love when the piece that still shows off texture and oxidation, when it still looks like it's been created using hands rather than machines, when it still retains something from all processes that went into creating it - a trace, it's creation history.

Completely handmade posts with metal irregularities showing & Murano glass (lined with real silver)

Silver dot drop necklace with silver dot in warm silver colour (due to addition of copper when melted) and Swarovski tiniest crystals in Copper

Red Berry Collection

I gues I was thinking about Christmas when I came up with this idea, although I hope that the result is also wearable any other time of the year, month, day ... well, any time at all.

Finished making the first set of earrings (will be putting them on Etsy soon). And here are the pics:

Silver was oxidized with Black Salt (a food grade ingredient) which can be seen on the photo with the Silver Shade crystals.

A few more ...

Black Onyx, Vesuvianite & Iolite drops

Silver oxidized in an eco-and-vegan friendly way with Multi-colour Spinel & Rock Crystal

Black & white freshwater pearls with Swarovski crystals in Pacific Opal

More pearls & Swarovski crystals in Pacific Opal, also with Smoky Quartz

Another writing project!

Etsy shop banner and avatar are re-done. Photos of some of the existing stock re-done and my website is currently getting re-developed. Thought to start a blog just to keep everything checked. Oh, yes, & I have lots of ideas for several collections.

Tried to put off blogging for a while, but with so many things melting about, I couldn't really not do it. So, here we go.

All of these are currently for sale at http://ovgilliesdesigns.etsy.com & I'll be adding them to my website soon as well.