My first learned about Lorelei Eurto last year when apparently she was gifted one of my clasps and she used it in a jewelry design. I never saw the design, but apparently she posted it to a website or two and all of the sudden I had a large influx of business in my etsy shop for a few days--Thank you Lorelei! After that, I started keeping my eyes out for her jewelry and I, like many others, have become captivated by her innovative and somewhat whimsical jewelry designs. That is when I learned about this book that she coauthored with talented jewelry artist, Erin Siegel, titled, "Bohemian Inspired Jewelry". I knew that I wanted it eventually, so when I got a Barnes and Noble gift card for Christmas, I spent it on this book.
I've read a ton of jewelry books and I found this one different than the others. First, I didn't know until I started following Lorelei, that I really like bohemian style jewelry. I used to think it was hippie-ish, but many of these designs are current, asymmetrical yet balanced, and have interesting color schemes. While the designs are cool, what I liked most was the in depth introduction to textiles used in jewelry making. This book is really helpful in explaining which fibers are most common in jewelry making, how to incorporate them into your design, the characteristics of each, and how to care for them. I have never seen a book look so closely at this. I have some experience with sewing, so I am familiar with many of these fabrics/ribbons, but this book expanded my jewelry design possibilities. The night after I read the book for the first time, I couldn't sleep with all of the designs dancing around in my head.
So, I decided to dive in and I purchased a hank of recycled sari silk from www.PhoenixFarmFiber.etsy.com. When I got it, my my, it was so beautiful I could've rolled around on it. :) I love all things from India, so it wasn't hard to be blown away by how beautiful and vibrant these strips were. They were pretty cheap too! My hank was $12.50 + shipping, and I think I could make 50-100 pieces with this one grouping.
Here is my first attempt at using sari silk in a jewelry design. I thought I'd start with a basic three strand piece which used the red sari silk as a background instead of the main component. This piece features one of my handmade ceramic jewelry connectors. I really love how the whole thing turned out and I don't think I'd be quite so timid with the silk in the future.
So, in conclusion, buy the book,
Bohemian Inspired Jewelry, buy some luscious fibers, and let them inspire you.
Happy Creating!
--Kathy
