Woven Wire Jewelry: Pendants
These intricately handwoven pendants are crafted from sterling silver, fine silver, freshwater pearls, and gemstones. The freeform weave holds the sterling silver frame and the beads together, and gives these pendants lots of beautiful texture and detail. Woven wire jewelry is made with virtually the same technique used in weaving textiles, the difference being the material - textiles artists generally weave fibers, while jewelry makers tend to use metal. Weaving is a wonderful technique with infinite design possibilities. The weaving technique used to create the one of a kind pendants shown on this page is often called twining, or basketweaving. It is one of many weaving techniques that lends itself beautifully to jewelry design.
Top left: This elegant pendant combines faceted amethyst and garnet beads with several colors and sizes of freshwater pearls. The combination of warm and cool tones makes this piece subtly able to match many different wardrobes, while the white pearls give this statement piece an air of clasic elegance. SOLD
Top right: This artsy pendant swirls around itself, evoking perhaps a planetary orbit, or the molecular structure of DNA. A large pietersite focal bead is set off by beige, gold, and pink toned freshwater pearls, and a cool silver frame. The visual interest of this piece continues on the side and back, where small pearls are handwoven together, giving substance to an otherwise open and airy sculptural design.
Bottom: Designed with cooler colors in mind, the silver in this piece curls around like waves lapping the shore at the beach. Small labradorite beads frame a dark grey freshwater pearl near the top, while the bottom of the wave is accented only by fine silver basketweaving, forming negative space that gives the eye a place to rest.
Photos by Leah Hitchcock Ybarra, Copyright 2006