Crystal Inspiration

I've had this crystal for a week or two. You may not be able to tell from the picture, but the crystal itself is about 3 inches long. I took pictures of both sides outside in our overcast morning light, so it doesn't have the sparkle it should, but I was too excited to care!

The crystal came along with the fluorite I showed a couple of days ago from Roe. I told her I'd try to wrap them for her and the fluorite went very quickly and easily.

This was another matter. It was irregular and just needed some kind of special treatment. She sent a broken bracelet that had a few different heart shaped stone beads, just in case I could work them into the piece.

I held it in my hand, tried a couple of things with scrap wire to see where the wires had to be placed to hold it securely, but wasn't inspired as to how to finish it off. I wanted to wrap it well and beautifully, but not overwhelm the stone itself. Tina suggested some kind of spider web look, but I wasn't sure how to pull it off.

Yesterday afternoon, I got out a bunch of old bead magazines and was drawn to one picture in particular. It had this webbed ladder-type of wrap used as a feature in the setting and suddenly I knew how to finish this.

After it was started, I couldn't put it down because it was one of those "automatic" things where I wasn't sure if I was directing it or the stone itself. There were little nooks and crannies that needed a special touch and there I added the stone hearts she had sent, along with silver beads, and a few curlicues.

Wire wrapping was never my "thing", but I have really enjoyed the things I have been doing lately and this one was just magickal!

Inspiration!

So many ideas going through my head - and in so many directions!

First, I had a really nice response to the wire wrapped focals I showed last week, and it was suggested that I try wrapping crystal points the same way.

This is just a small one, maybe an inch or so long. It had a nice uneven "glob" on the top which made it really easy to catch up into the wire.

I'm not showing the first one I tried. First, it didn't photograph well and second, it was large and in my opinion, it looked overdone. I tried wrapping it in a figure eight and adding a number of stones and coils. Well maybe I'll show it later(!) and you can draw your own conclusions. I suppose in the right situation it could be appropriate.

The second is a bead which was inspired by something I saw online yesterday. I actually tried to copy the bead I saw, but got a somewhat different result. The one I was (yes) copying had a mossy look to it, but mine came out of the kiln looking like a piece of redware pottery.

My first reaction was that it would be perfect strung up with some of Tina's herbal beads and I'm definitely going to do that, probably with a charm that says "Grow".

My second reaction was that this is a direction I would like to follow, adding other colors and making a whole collection of redware beads. Redware pottery is an art form that is closely associated with our area. It involves the use of colored glazes, painting with slip (colored, liquid clay) and sgraffito (scratching a slip-covered piece to expose the red clay underneath) . We have a few plates commemorating our marriage and our son's birth with beautiful PA Dutch designs on them that were made that way and this has the very same look.

Having just signed up for yet another charm swap with the theme of "Hometown", I think I know now how to handle it! My first thought was red roses, for Lancaster, the Red Rose City (after the English War of the Roses, Red for Lancashire and White for Yorkshire). Another idea was some sort of quilt design, but now.... I think it will be redware.