Featured wire jewelry designer: Kasia Walczak - Nurrgula Jewelry

Text: Kasia Walczak

Photos: Kasia Walczak

My name is Kasia, I come from Poland but currently live near the beautiful Constance Lake (Bodensee) in Germany. I am a graduated journalist – I studied Journalism and Social Communication at the University of Warmia and Masuria in Olsztyn.

But from the early years I have been addicted to art. I love painting, drawing, decorating things and my home. And I love creating unique jewelry. All that I know, I have learned by myself, I have never been to jewelry school or any courses – which I regret. It would be easier with some jewelry school background.

My impulse to start making my own jewelry came from the need to be and look unique and original. I always wanted to have something else than my school friends, not another pair of earrings bought in the same shop. 

So I started looking for the techniques to make my own jewelry. At first it was just simple beads binding, but then I discovered wire wrapping technique. It was so precise, outstanding and new at the time, so I tried it. First with copper wires form my grandfather’s workshop, than with silver plated ones, and finally with fine and sterling silver wires. 

A few years ago I discovered also art clay as a very interesting technique and from now on I mix those two together, making one of a kind necklaces, earrings, bracelets...

My creating process starts with a stone. I try to use only natural precious and semiprecious stones. The stone is the central part of my jewelry, so my decisions are based on the stone choice. 

I don’t usually make any sketches or plans, I just let my hands find their own way of wrapping wires around the stone. That is also why I don’t repeat my patterns. I can make something similar to the piece I’ve made earlier, but never the same. I want my jewelry to be truly unique.

After all that wirework, I oxidize and polish the ready piece. I like my jewelry to be a little bit dark, victorian, romantic and also kind of ancient. So it never looks like a mirror, but I kind of like this raw and intriguing effect. My jewelry is hand made from the scratch, so it may be imperfect. But that makes it one of a kind.

My biggest inspiration is Mother Nature. Dancing snowflakes, frost paintings on the window, whispering trees, leaves on the wind, flowers, birds, water... all around me. I love organic and botanical jewelry, so I make my own silver leaves (mostly birch or oak ones) from Silver clay and add them to my wrapped jewelry. 

I also love all kinds of stones – from pebbles to the mountain rocks and real precious treasures, especially Labradorites and colorful Quartz. They inspire me too. I collect all kinds of old legends from my country and the rest of the world. 

Old slavic, norse or celtic sagas are a very good source of inspiration.

What I'd like people to know about me and my shop? Well... that I gladly make jewelry for custom orders. That if you buy something from me, you can be sure that it's a one of a kind and no one will have the same piece. 

That with jewelry you buy, you get also guarantee of having something unique, made with love and passion, and wrapped in a lovely box with a note from the bottom of my heart.

Kasia Walczak

Featured wire jewelry designer: Anna Cordner from Noria Jewelry

Welcome to a unique and fantastic world of intricate and at the same time very detailed and delicate statement wire wrapped jewelry. The world of Anna Cordner, the owner of Noria Jewelry. She runs her shop from her home studio in northern Virginia. Anna opened her shop in April of 2009.

“My mother’s father is a geologist and lapidary, my dad made jewelry when I was young and my mother involved me in her many arts and crafts projects. 

I always had a keen interest in rocks as a child and my grandfather’s knowledge and enthusiasm fueled this interest. 

The crafting and creative atmosphere my parents provided for me led to a talent in drawing. As a youth I made jewelry from beads I made from polymer clay, strung glass beads on necklaces and learned to use needle nose pliers to open and close jump rings.

Making jewelry was a very natural, easy and fun activity but it wasn’t until after the birth of my first son that I considered selling jewelry. I found I needed to seriously undertake a creative outlet to help me adjust to motherhood but to justify the cost of buying supplies, selling my creations had to be a part of the equation."

"I started out making beaded bracelets. 

Then one day I was on the internet and stumbled upon another artist’s wire wrapped jewelry. I had never seen advanced wire wrapping techniques and was highly intrigued. 

I researched wire wrapping online and decided to venture beyond beading. 

Through much trial, error and experimentation I began to understand and eventually gain a command of wire wrapping. 

My long-forgotten drawing skills have been put to use drafting sketches and designing new pieces."

“It is the continuous experimentation and learning that I find so enjoyable, besides pouring my mind’s fanciful wishes and artistic fantasies into something tangible.”

Can you describe the steps you take in designing and creating a piece?

“I start with a sketch. I know some designers prefer to create more organically but I rely on having a precise roadmap for my pieces. 

I can recreate them almost exactly if I have my sketch. 

Generally, I begin with a base shape of wire then embellish with ‘supporting’ detail flourishes. Other times the stones primarily determine the design.” 

What inspires you?

“I find inspiration from Indian mehndi and henna and their use of bold colors. 

I also find much inspiration in the vast elements of Victorian and Edwardian styles, particularly the floral motifs and filigree lines. 

Stones are inspiration to me, from the rough and uncut specimens to sparkling gemstones. 

Lastly, nature is a great source of inspiration. Sometimes when I find myself at a creative roadblock, I look at various types of flowers, finding patterns or color and delicate lines to help me along in generating my own designs.”

What inspires you?

“I find inspiration from Indian mehndi and henna and their use of bold colors. 

I also find much inspiration in the vast elements of Victorian and Edwardian styles, particularly the floral motifs and filigree lines. 

Stones are inspiration to me, from the rough and uncut specimens to sparkling gemstones. 

Lastly, nature is a great source of inspiration. Sometimes when I find myself at a creative roadblock, I look at various types of flowers, finding patterns or color and delicate lines to help me along in generating my own designs.”

Featured designer: Sarah Thompson - Sarah n'Dippity Designs

Sarah Thompson lives in Spokane Valley, Washington. She is a 31 years old and she has been interested in making jewelry since she was 14. “Jewelry became my quiet way of expressing myself. Soon after high school I met my husband and within 6 months we were married, it will be 13 years in March. We ended up having 5 kids pretty close together. 

Having kids has brought a new depth of patience to my work.  I have learned to not get frustrated if the design is not working out as I would have it or if I just made a mistake. I have learned that I cannot force my work, that if I step back and let the design grow and evolve from the original idea the end result it is far better.   

My workshop consists of a secretary desk next to the dining room table. It would be nice to have my own space but I think I would also miss having the family around me as I work.”

Sarah is a self taught jewelry makes. She has not had any formal training. Instead, she has learnt everything she does today through trial and error or through books and magazines.

  “My parents have always been very good at encouraging me to explore my creative side.  As a family we were always recycling old and used things to make into new accessories.  If we wanted to learn a new skill there was always the library.  My mother was always taking us and we would spend hours going through the books discovering new creativity.  The passion for jewelry came when I was 14.  After that the local bead store became a constant for me as well as I dove into bead books and explored the multitudes of beads.”

“Designing begins with a stone.  I then sketch the design out around the chosen stone.  Sometimes I sketch out a few ideas before I begin working.  This sketch then becomes my blue print to get started.”

Sometimes the finished piece looks really close to the design.  Other times as I work new ideas emerge, or I find that the wire wants to bend in a different way.  Slowly as I work the design grows and becomes more than I had originally envisioned.  

A while ago, I almost gave up wire working. I could see what I wanted to create in my mind, but I couldn’t seem to bring it into reality. I realized that I was trying to do it all in one step and that I needed to use a layering process to achieve my imagined multi-dimensional designs. 

In my beadwork I often used a layering process, going back over the work many times to build a dimensional piece. I learned to apply this same concept to the wire work. I started using the wire-weave like a beaded peyote stitch, which creates a foundation that I can then build upon.

A few years ago I was at a pivotal point in my life. I had just given birth to our fifth child and I was trying to decide if I wanted to continue the dream I had started the year before in turning my hobby of jewelry making into a business.

“The year before had not been successful due to the economy crashing and I wasn’t sure my business was even feasible any more. While looking over my inventory I noticed an old discarded wire project, for years I had unsuccessfully tried to create a specific vision I had using wire. 

While looking at this unfinished piece an idea came to me. That night I sat down and made my first finished wire pendant. I was so excited, finally success after 5 years of trying. That pendant led to another then another. With each new design more ideas would emerge with what I could do with the wire. 

Within a couple of months I had enough to try out this new wirework at the local fairs. It was an instant hit.

While my other beaded jewelry didn’t sell, my wire work did. The week after my last show my first pendant was posted on Etsy, followed quickly by my first sale. While it is not easy juggling family life with running a business and I am up way too late working, it has all been worth it.”

“I have began teaching two years ago and am really enjoying it.  Currently I teach at Fusion Beads in Seattle Washington, and Beyond Beads in Spokane Washington.  As my kids get older I hope to be able to travel more.”

What are the steps you take in creating a new pieces?

“I sketch out the basic elements of my designs first. This allows me to engineer the primary structure and shape, and to plan where to make connections and place the focal stones. 

The drawings help me visualize where I want wires to start and stop, and what wires and weaves I want in the back versus the front. I use my drawings to get started, but from there I allow inspiration to take over.”

“As I am working on a piece, I find that new ideas will emerge or that the wire wants to bend a certain way, so I deviate from my original plans and allow the piece to evolve. I don’t fight this. Some of my favorite designs were products of happy accidents. 

Most of the layered work in my designs is freeform, and is added one wire at a time until I feel that the composition is balanced and complete. The finished result is often more beautiful than I imagined.”

What inspires you?

“I love Celtic designs, and fantasy/ sci-fi art work.  But I also find  inspiration in classical work as well.  I don’t seek out inspiration but feel that I have been inspired all my life.  That everything that I have seen has come together into the designs you see.”

Text: Sandra Kemppainen, Sarah Thompson 

Photos: Sarah Thompson from Sarah n'Dippity Designs

Featured designer: Jason Burruss - Cold-fusion jewelry design

 Jason Burruss, has been creating  jewelry for over half of his life. He has dedicated his waking hours to the creation of functional art in every way that he can.

From endless streams of rings, pendants, bracelets, talismans, finished necklaces, pins, and sculptures he has created an extensive portfolio of artworks, most customized to the person, often with symbolic and philosophical intentions. 

His lifetime has been dedicated to setting gemstones since his first gem cabs and beads at the early age of 14. 

Over the last decade, Jason has innovated his own form of cold-fusion metalwork and created a spectrum of designs from cultural and natural inspirations.

“I strive daily to create new designs and styles that never existed until I have conceptualized their lingering visionary image into form. 

Then, when the new perception and understanding of my own art is opened, I see there are so many doors beyond. One epiphany leads to ten, and every day I am driven to create. 

This is the role of the designer, to perpetually imagine new visions of artwork.”

The role of the jeweler is to create functional artworks that are esthetic and sentimental to the owner.

Jewelry is very personal in essence. It requires a trusting relationship between the buyer and the artist and is an often a personal experience. Jason’s higher end jewelry designs are deeply customized to the buyers, his talismanic works feature symbolic meaning, philosophical intention, and color psychology.

I actually prefer communicating and working through facebook and etsy. Years spent working on my previous website only helps me realize that these two social networking sites are wonderful tools for small business and artists. 

They help keep me in touch with my buyers and are efficient for my needs. I enjoy conversing with people from all walks of life and all cultural backgrounds and learning daily about the ideas, thoughts, and philosophies of humanity.

The most fun part of my wonderful job is being pushed to create new ideas of pieces that have never been created before, or recreating sacred and ancient symbolic forms in new and futuristic designs.

I find so much happiness in learning through the creation of a piece of art, thus I research and write philosophies for all of my pieces. Many of these pieces are inspired by the thoughts of the owner, in essence many of my artworks are much like commissioned artifacts.

JASON BURRUSS is a jeweler specializing in cold-fusion jewelry design. 

An adamant perfectionist, his dedication to the aesthetics of symmetry in design allows him to create his own form of designer jewelry. 

Working as a jewelry designer for 15 years, he experimented with several art mediums before he decided to become a full-time silver worker.

Now residing in Denver, CO, Jason pulls inspiration from the Universe around him which he uses to create Integral masterpieces of design. 

These designs are based not only on design and aesthetics, but inspired by the realizations of psychology and philosophy conceptualized from the meditative process of a disciplined creative process.

Jason draws inspiration from the geometry and colors of the world around him, natural occurrences in which he believes define his purpose, and life changes created by the evolution of his own conscious being. 

His larger pieces are created with written philosophy of the conscious understanding which caused these pieces to become manifested within his natural reality. 

Jason believes that his true Universal Purpose is to inspire the evolution of humanity through the evolutionary process of self. Creating desire to evolve, he believes is the key to perpetual happiness.

Jason seeks to inspire all to become their true self. To create a culture based upon small business and freedom through creativity of self-expression. 

This is his purpose, of which he writes philosophy and creates art in order to symbolize his philosophies of psychological and philosophical conscious awareness. 

"True happiness is attained from the perfection of one's own self. Follow your own passions and create your own path for this is the purpose of your beautiful life. 

Everyone is destined for greatness, no one can deny you this path but yourself. 

Know your truth, follow your path, perfect your being and you will discover true happiness. 

For you are a rose in a garden of shrubs, what makes you different is what makes you beautiful." 

Text and photos: Jason Burruss, models: Velocity, Sarah Berry

Tutorial: by delilah - Two Spheres Ring

This is an easy to do ring, I think anyone who has ever held a wire in his/her hands can make it out. No

need for many materials and it can apply to any spheres at hand, any color, any sizes, if you like. The silver

plated also, can be replaced, with copper or sterling silver one.

All we have to deal with in this tutorial is a bit of wrapping and... that’s all.

10 cm of 1 mm silver plated wire, and no more than 1 m of 0.315 mm wire.

Of course, don’t forget about the spheres.

Let’s start now!

Material List:
-10 cm of 1 mm silver plated wire,
-about 1 m of 0.315 mm silver plated wire,
-2 spheres/agate/beads

Tool List:

-flat nose pliers,

-round nose pliers,

-wire scissors,

-wire cutter,

-a mandrel or something round

Take about 1 m of 0.315 mm silver plated wire and start wrap it around the 1mm wire, patiently, leaving about 1 cm unwrapped at each end of the 10 cm long wire, for the spheres.

When almost 40 cm of that 0.315 mm wire is wrapped and we reach its end, we add the first sphere and

then bend the 1 mm wire close enough to make a very small loop as in the 2nd picture. Just when the loop is done, we bend it close to the sphere, as in the 3rd image, in a right angle to the main wire.

All these being done, we continue wrapping , straight to the other end of the 1 mm wire, close enough, but keeping in mind we must add another sphere there.

Once the sphere is attached, we do the same operation as we did before: create the small loop, bending it close to the sphere.

In the 9th picture we continue wrapping the wire till we entirely cover the 1 mm wire.

All done so far, we have in front of us an entirely coiled wire with two spheres at its ends, waiting to be bended on a mandrel, or why not, on the finger!

Turn the wire into a ring

In the last step, we have two pictures of the final ring, already bended, and ready to be worn.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this lesson and I can hardly wait to see your variations of this ring.

If there are any questions about it, please, feel free to ask me, I’ll be glad to answer to all of them. The

most important thing to me, is to make sure you understand all the directions/steps.

Sincerely,

delilah

Visit Delilah's shop.