Friday, August 21, 2009

Industrial Revolution

Steel Trapeze Necklace.

More and more I am moving away from convention and loving the look of organic materials, many of them found, some of them hardware store finds, paired with simple lovely delicate chains, stones, beads and glass. This new necklace is an example of the direction I am currently enjoying. Now available on http://jenniferstumpf.etsy.com.

I pounded this piece of steel until the animals fled the room and most of my tools fell off my bench and my beads scattered everywhere from the cracks in the floor, behind the door and even nestled in the (clean?) kitty litter box which sets next to my bench. Tiny serrations line the perimeter of the steel. Oh, how I love tools that do special things to add character to a piece. I am dying for some new texturing hammers...

Stick pearl trapeze earrings. Now available in my etsy shop. These pearls literally spin around on this silver wire, so they are fun to play with and pretty, too. Faceted green and yellow aquamarine stones stack under silver and steel wire, with silver ear wires.

Alas, Beadfest is upon us and this grounded girl isn't going to market. I have no will power, and the limits of the bank account to contend with. The fact that I have bags and bags and little containers in six huge bins spilling over with past bead purchases that have not been used and probably largely forgotten, is deterrent enough. In addition to losing ten pounds, I am also determined to rethink how I do my jewelry and that means not attending every bead show within a two hundred plus mile radius every time they come to town and using material found and already purchased instead.

My husband is hard at work in his non air conditioned shop. It was 105 degrees today and it is still hot and extremely muggy now at 8 p.m. I must go check on him now and take him a cool drink, make sure he's not slumped on the floor with heatstroke.

Happy weekend, everyone. Get out of the heat and create something beautiful!


5 comments:

sharon said...

Awesome pieces Jenn! Love what your doing with what you have or found!! I too have been trying to practice that, every time I turn around I feel I NEED to buy something, and I really don't.
BTW, I really appreciated your note about the papers the other day, I didn't get any, but it was very kind of you to think of me that way. It has been a little crazy, we'll catch up one day!

stregata said...

Lovely piece, Jennifer! Working with the hammer can be very satisfying, can't it?

Narrative jewelry said...

Love the pureness of the necklace, really beautiful, as the earrings. Enjoy too, working with founded material, the result is serendipity, no ?

xo

Gberger said...

The enthusiasm in your writing, the energy & joy, are coming through clearly - I'm so happy for you! The pieces are beautiful, as usual. XO

Sharon said...

Love the new direction you're following-really innovative and fresh. I especially love the green and yellow aquamarine stones which really bring out the creaminess of the pearls.

I can relate to the overflowing abundance of unused beads! My husband cannot believe I still buy beads with stuff laying around or hidden that I haven't used yet. Like you, I have to discipline myself and use what I have!