New Bracelet: Garnet and Golden Colored Copper Wire

I’ve just finished a new bracelet, and I wanted to share a little bit about it. This piece was something of an experiment — I decided to work with colored copper wire for the first time.

Wanted to test how colored wire holds against heavy wearing. After a bit of searching, I found the warm golden hue which I wanted. It has such a soft glow to it! I thought it would go well with the garnet stones I had recently picked up.

The other reason I chose this wire color is more practical. I suppose that over time some of the coloring may wear off with use. Since the base is copper, I wanted a tone that would still look good and will not be very noticeable even if the wire begins to show through. This warm golden finish felt like a candidate for a safe choice – not too far from the copper underneath.

The garnets are beautiful. The 4 mm faceted ones are a deep, dark red. Even close to black. The smaller, irregularly shaped chips are a bit lighter and translucent. I think this is because the thinness of these pieces lets more light pass through.

I created coils from 20 gauge wire and used them as a repeating element in the design. The pattern I ended up with is: coil, faceted garnet, coil, chipped garnet. This adds more interest than using the same shape of stone for each link.

For the clasp, I tried something new: a spiral with a hook. It was my first time making this kind of closure, and I’m happy with how it turned out – functional as much as the simple hooks but way more interesting. Used 18 gauge wire, slightly hammered, for crafting it.

This bracelet is very comfortable and lightweight. I love it so far.

Let’s get to wearing my newest test subject.

If you’re interested in buying my handmade pieces of jewelry, check out the available ones at my Etsy store. If you are in Bulgaria or want to ask me something, you can also write to me here:

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