chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Feb 27, 2013 22:42:42 GMT -5
One more progression pic.... Well, I went ahead and wove the tourmaline in place, added some coiled coils, and started making up the bail. And here it is all finished up! First, a reminder of what's in it... Ammonite with Austrailian opal, .9 ct pink tourmaline, .32 ct yellow/green tourmaline, .76 ct orange spessartine garnet, 1.15 ct rhodolite garnet, and 1 ct blue-green tourmaline. All wrapped up in sterling and fine silver wire. ( 20,21,24,26,28, and 30 gauges ) Overall, it's 1 7/8" tall by 1 3/8" wide. It's hard to get a good pic of the opal, here's an " enhanced " pic... And, of course... I have to show where most of the work really is. It get hard trying to stash all the ends. I spent just as much time on the back as I did on the front. Also, you can see some of the holes I drilled through the ammonite to hold the pink tourmaline in place. Well what do you think? How'd I do on this one? Chris
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Feb 26, 2013 18:29:01 GMT -5
Alright, I'll show you a little more ... Next I set in an awesome .76ct spessartine garnet ( I'm a Bengals fan, I love orange ). Then a rhodolite garnet. Also, I had this odd shaped piece of opal that I had been trying to figure out how to use for a while now. A friend of mine noticed it fit in the empty space perfectly. At this point it's just there, nothing is really holing it in place. Just deciding weather to use it or fill the the space with wire. Well, I decided the opal was destined to be there, so I made a mount for it at this point. It still wasn't secured as it slides in from the back, but now it won't slide out the front. I also started tying the wires from the side to the wires in the front to get ready to start the bail. Then I finished up the sides, and tied everything together at the top. I also played around with the idea of adding another tourmaline in the bail. Enough for now, I gotta get me some food :drool: . I'll post the rest later. Chris
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Feb 26, 2013 18:06:12 GMT -5
Thanks as always ya'll!!!! Really cool to see you around again Chris, looking forward to seeing that one done. Hey, I haven't seen your mom around lately either, how is she doing? Looking forward to the progression pics of this one Chris! Welcome back! yeah, where's yer mom? My mom is doing good. She hasen't been online very much for a while. She bought a house in Florida, so she's been getting out and enjoying that lovely weather. I'll let her know you guys asked about her . I'm sure she'll pop in and say, " hi ". Not as big as it looks... the ammonite is 1 1/4" by 1 1/8", overall the pendant is 1 7/8" tall by 1 3/8" wide.
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Feb 23, 2013 18:28:43 GMT -5
Hey guys, I'm back... I haven't been online much for a while. I haven't been wrapping either, but I'm back now and I have a new wrap to share . Since I haven't wrapped much of anything for about 9 months, I decided to do something rediculous. ;D I got this little ammonite at a rock show last year ( I'm a sucker for anything irridescent ) that I knew I wanted to wrap. The whole thing was polished except the center so I had to cover that part up. I decided to cover it with a .9 ct pink tourmaline. Pretty tricky, eh? I wanted to make it look like nothing is really holding the tourmaline in place. It is already held securely in place at this point. Next I did a little decorative work at the bottom.... After that I added a few more wires and decided to see how small of a stone I could work with. So, I set a tiny little .3 ct yellow tourmaline in next. I almost lost that little thing many times . But I finally got it secured in there. Enough for now, I'll post more later.
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on May 4, 2012 18:18:24 GMT -5
Well, I finally got some pics of the wrap from Steve..... Sorry for the delay ... .... And the cabs to pick from.... what an assortment, lol ;D I know which one I want to wrap, and what I'm planning to do with it.... I just need to get to wrapping, Unless you see one you really want me to wrap Krista .. You'll have to let me know soon though... Chris
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 29, 2012 13:08:02 GMT -5
Chris, I am in awe of how far you have gone with wrapping in just a few years! Have you tried selling some of these in the spiritual rock shops that are hidden around? We had one in Herndon that was called Chrystals. I am wondering if they would have the customer base that would pay the right price to make all that work worth it. I suspect a good shop would. Just a thought. Fran I agree with Fran. I think you've really found your niche with the crystal and faceted stone thing. Next you'll have to do chakra wand pendants. All somebody has to do is see your work in person and they'll go nuts for them! Jo Thanks Fran and Jo, I've been to some of the spiritual shops around here and they are always interested. But usually just for consignment. I manage to sell enough on my own to make the hobby self supporting. Maybe if I stepped up production, but for now I'm doing O.K. ... Actually there is a town near me, Yellow Springs, OH. The whole town is pretty much a throwback from the hippie days. A huge tourist attraction. Suprising amout of money there... So maybe someday It's a nice job as far as technique goes but if you want my gut check, I'm thinking it's WAY too much metal being used for today's volatile metal market. By the time you pay for your material and put a price that people will pay for wire wrap...is this economic? It would make a great gift item though, but it seems to me that 3 hours of wrapping plus lots of silver for a quartz crystal wrap is going to lead to burn-out if you are looking to sell. Reason: Other people can make many and multiple wraps of their quartz crystals and have half a booth wrapped and ready in the time you're making a couple of items. So it gets frustrating if you need to make money. If you DON'T need to make money, none of this applies...you can continue with what you're doing because it is beautiful. Fran, my experience of the New Age/crystal shops is that a lot of times you are asked to put your item on consignment, the item is sold or otherwise vanishes, and yet you can't get paid because the owner is too /advanced or too spiritual to pay his bills. Never sell on consignment to that type of business... Thanks Peach, There's not as much wire in these as it seems, but yeah... plenty of time. I've got a day job, so I'm not worried about making much money off them right now. But then againg, I DO hate my day job, so... lol. " because the owner is too /advanced or too spiritual to pay his bills. ", lol ;D
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 29, 2012 11:02:55 GMT -5
I would LOVE to learn this technique. Any helpful thoughts Hmm... Well Jody, practice I guess, lol ... Honestly, the most helpful thing I've read as far as tutorials goes is still Randy's tutorial on this forum. Other than that just a bunch of experementing . Personally, I think there's nothing to it really . I will suggest that you practice weaving with 16 or 18 gauge wire for the frame and 26 ga for the weaving. It's alot easier with thicker frame wires... but mostly, just play around ;D.
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 27, 2012 23:24:57 GMT -5
I just wanted to let you know I got a great little wrap and an assortment of cabs from Steve yesterday... I have a busy weekend, I'll get some pics up as soon as possible. I just have to decide which one to wrap...hmmmm
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 27, 2012 16:03:05 GMT -5
Beautiful! How long does it take you to do such an intricate wrap Chris? Thanks Helen, These take about 3 hours... My more rediculous ones have taken up to 10 hours, but I spend most of that time deciding what to do next ...
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 27, 2012 15:03:58 GMT -5
Wow Roger, those rings are awesome!!!
One of these days I'll get brave enough to make a ring, lol. ( I just keep saying that )
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 27, 2012 15:02:26 GMT -5
Wow! That's awesome! ;D Thank you Just seen this right now. Killer job Chris. I admire your style of wrapping. Thanks Chris, I'll still do a custom for you whenever you want, bud ... If you have any real special fire agates or opal you want wrapped, I'll be happy to do it for 'ya... Heck, I just want to actually see them in person, lol I've just started faceting, so I love to see how you incorporate faceted stones into your wraps. While I am not a big fan of the more ornate wraps, I appreciate your artistry and the work involved. And there is definitely a market for your style. Sue Thanks Sue, One of these days ( hopefully ) I will get to cut my own stones... All I have is a couple of tumblers ( and a hammer ). The keep me entertained for now though . Oh, and don't get me wrong Sue... I do simple wraps too, I just haven't for a little while. I have tons of sketches though, I just need to get wrapping
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 26, 2012 15:56:12 GMT -5
Wow, not one responce?!?!?! Is it really that bad? , just kidding
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 25, 2012 21:13:21 GMT -5
Hey guys, Here is yet another quartz crystal pendant... This design is quickly becoming my " standard " wrap, lol .. this is the fourth one I've made like this... well, pretty much like this . I like how this one came out... I actually broke the first crystal I was going to use one this one ( I guess there IS such a thing as too tight , lol ), so I went back to our local rock shop and picked up a few more. This one fit perfectly, I really like how so much of the crystal hangs out of the bottom. the side... pretty much completely open, as usual... really helps to show off the deep green color of the tourmaline. Here's my usual piontless pic ;D, this is what it looks like when you are wearing it, lol. ... and the back... this wrap uses four 20 gauge wires, is really tricky tucking away all 8 ends in such a small place. Oh, and by the way... this one is in sterling silver and gold filled wire, in case you were wondering
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 17, 2012 22:55:49 GMT -5
Hey Steve, Well, I do like chrysocolla.... and that stone on the top left ( in your last pic ) looks interesting... So, how about one of those two?... Or you can just suprise me . Thanks, Chris
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 16, 2012 22:35:40 GMT -5
Me already? Wow, how did so many cabs get in there?!?! Lol
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 12, 2012 16:25:07 GMT -5
Double wow! Just curious, how long does it take you to do a wrap like this one? Karock This one took about 3 hours, but I could probably do it in 2... I had a little trouble on this one getting the tourmaline to sit properly.
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 10, 2012 22:24:08 GMT -5
Nice wrap, love the Montana!!!! ;D Oh, and don't let Randy fool you.... He's a robot..... " The Wrapinator " lol... Chris
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 9, 2012 20:52:14 GMT -5
Damn Randy, that pietersite is one awesome cab!!!! Must look amazing in person.
Great stuff as always!!! Your the man!
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 9, 2012 20:46:21 GMT -5
Thanks guys... as always! I'm just playin' with wire ....
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chrisperez
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 457
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Post by chrisperez on Apr 9, 2012 20:44:11 GMT -5
Thanks guys... expect to see more like this It's definitely special Chris. Great job and especially kudos on the faceting you are doing. Jo Jo, I wish I could do some faceting ... I bought all the faceted stones. I did drill a little divot into the quartz to set the tourmaline, but that's all the gem grinding I do ... ... at least for now ;D.
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