Elena Samsonova created this great freeform wireworked bracelet that includes polymer clay beads, seed beads and stones. Samsonova lives in New York and writes her blog in Russian so I can’t tell you much about her methods. She and her friends (check this link) unite lots of disparate elements with wrapped wire in ways that resemble sketches or mosaics.
Perhaps I’m attracted to it because this bracelet looks like my desk on Monday morning!
Last week’s white necklace mystery has been solved (my guess was wrong) and the creator is Sherry Bailey who was experimenting with UltraLight clay. Keep experimenting!
Melanie West ,
I’d call that bracelet pretty unique. While it’s not something I’d probably wear, I’m very drawn to Elena’s style. Some of her bracelets look like the glacial till we call beaches here in Maine. Very neat!
Bravo Sherry Bailey! I’d love to hear from her on how the necklace holds up to use. UltraLight is weird stuff – I’ve been playing with it as a core for large beads, which works pretty well except for its supper smooshyness (I’m going to try pre-baking the core first and see if that makes it any easier). I’d also love to know how she managed to get all that detailed texture and form with Ultra light without it turning into a marshmellow smoor.
Sherry Bailey ,
How did I make the Ultralight beads? Veeeery Carefully!!! ;^)
Seriously, though, I made them in stages. First lentil bead cores in the hollow bead method because piercing Ultralight was messy. Then I made each texture (some using my Makins’ Extruder) and applied the pieces using liquid clay as adhesive. The Rose was made using circle cutters on a sheet of clay run thru the pasta machine, then stretching the petals a little. The pointy bead was made rolling a snake to a point and cutting off the tip, then gluing the flat side onto the lentil.
Feel free to copy any of the designs I used if you want to! I don’t plan to make millions of these!
(I think the beads will hold up prety well — this is choker length so they sit close to the body and the clay feels relatively hard and a little rubbery, so I expect it will flex before cracking. We shall see!)
Sherry
Elena Samsonova ,
Thank you for the good words!
I’m very pleased to see my work here!
At this moment polymer clay and wire wrapping are my favorite. I can’t tell much about my methods too;) because of my lousy English but I’ll try if someone asks.
Anne ,
ooOOooo….
I’d buy it. I’d wear it. I’d gladly develop a lasting relationship with it.
Eunice ,
Please do tell us about your methods, Elena.
I’m new to jewelry making and polymer clay and find your designs exciting and intriguing. Love it!
Elena Samsonova ,
First of all, it’s not really my methods;) I took a lot of ideas from Eni Oken site – http://www.enioken.com . And just added previously wire-wrapped stones and elements learned from WigJig.com University – and of course our lovely plastic beads!;)
Samsonova’s polymer glows at Polymer Clay Daily ,
[…] We last visited her in 2007 when wirewrapping was her focus. […]