Handcrafted Jewelry and Decorative Items in Sterling, Copper, & Other Metals
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About Wirestorm Creations...
It began innocently enough....one day, my then 4 year old daughter broke her simple (but favorite!) beaded stretch bracelet. I purchased stretchy cord and fixed it, made a few more, and thought "hey, this is rather fun". Loving to wear jewelry, and being a bit of a computer geek, I went to the Web in search of more jewelry making ideas....discovering wire and beads from the very beginning.
Entirely self taught, I've learned, and am still learning, most of my techniques through reading, internet tutorials, & a LOT of experimentation. After about a year, I'd made too much jewelry for one person to wear, so I started selling a few items on ebay. After the first busy holiday season, I decided that, really, I should have my own website. Which led to more learning. Then a neighbor suggested I sell my items at a local artisan shop...I took some of my work in, they liked it. So now I have what amounts to my own business....all from a child's broken stretch bracelet!
Now for a little info about my materials.....
My jewelry is made mostly with .925 Sterling Silver and Copper; sometimes other metals.
***.925 Sterling Silver*** an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. Sterling silver is also a precious metal.
***.925 Sterling Silver jewelry*** will tarnish...if worn regularly, however, your natural body oils help to keep the tarnishing to a minimum. Another way to clean your sterling is to make a paste with a bit of baking soda and water. Rub gently, rinse with lukewarm water, dry, then follow with a polishing cloth.
***Copper*** is reddish gold in color, and while not a precious metal, is used rather often in jewelry making and for decorative items.
Copper jewelry and ornaments will darken with age/wear/use....it can be left as is for a natural patina or dipped in a copper cleaner for a bright finish.
Copper Wind Spinners will go from bright and shiny to a darker brown, before finally developing the characteristic blue-green patina of copper. This natural process may take from several months to several years, depending on weather exposure.
***14k Yellow/Rose Gold Fill*** Gold Fill wire is an outer layer (tube) of gold bonded by heat and pressure to a base metal, usually brass. Gold Fill items are regulated by the FTC and must be at least 5% gold by weight. Gold Fill has about 100 times more gold than gold plate. Gold Fill jewelry is considered precious metal jewelry....if treated with the care that you would give to any precious metal jewelry, your gold fill jewelry should last a lifetime and beyond. In the Victorian Era, much jewelry was crafted with Gold Fill and is still being handed down and worn today.
***Ornament Hooks in silver and copper colors are crafted with permanently colored copper wire that is coated to resist tarnishing. *****Gold Ornament hooks, at this time, are crafted with jewelers brass, also known as red brass, merlin's gold, nu-gold, and is uncoated.
Though lately I've tended toward more all-metal pieces, a good bit of my work is accented with, and wouldn't be the same, without BEADS....glass, lampwork, Czech, Swarovski Crystal and Pearl, Semi-Precious Gemstone, Sterling Silver, Gold Fill, Vermeil, Copper, Pewter.
Most assuredly, I use quality materials, care, and attention to detail in all of my creations. Read my item descriptions....I will always tell you what materials I've used in a piece.
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