THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL |
Amazing Horse Hair Jewelry Designs Posted: 24 Jul 2012 04:00 AM PDT Horses are magnificient animals with a long association with humans.They present strength, energy and grace. So it's easy to understand why so many people love horses.
Horsehair has been and continue to be used for many things. The hair can be easily spun into long lines, braided and woven. People used long lines of plaited horsehair as fishing lines for centuries. They were used for fishing gloves too because of their insulating and waterproofing properties. Horsehair was also used in crinolines, a stiff fabric where the weft was horsehair and the warp, cotton or linen. Horsehair plaster, a kind of wallcovering can be found in some older buildings.
It's still used for the bows of stringed instruments and in some art brushes. Craftsmen also use horsehair as accents in pottery and basketweaving. It should not be a surprise to anyone that it's used for jewelry too. Shown here are featured designers from Etsy who make amazing horsehair jewelry. They are located in different parts of the world which is reflected in their techniques.
The first three exquisitely woven designs above are by Bea Bánya of BBHorseHair Jewelry who uses an old European-Hungarian horsehair jewelry technique to create modern interpretations. If you look carefully, she uses only horsehair and crystals. There are no cords or leather involved! Another outstanding artisan is PurpleToedGypsy who made this Native American style horsehair medallion. The horsehair coils are bound with cream colored sinew.
Her horsehair chime necklace is a wonderful mix of an acorn cap and horsehair with a jingle bell trapped inside! This design shows off her weaving skill.
Horsehair can be also be dyed. This delightful turtle inspired horsehair brooch is by Natalia Saldias from Chile where they also have a horsehair crafting tradition.
Natalia is also a metalsmith. Her ring design below incorporates purple dyed horsehair.
Natalia's horsehair flowers are also wonderful.
Melinda Sims and her husband of Rock Creek Horsehair are the artisans behind this multi-colored hitched horsehair bangle. A metal core is used. Hitching is a macrame-like method. Twisted strands of horsehair called pulls are used in the knotting process.
Barbara Volk of Spirithorses uses the Japanese art of kumihimo to create her braided bracelet below. The beaded end caps really enhance her lightly dyed horsehair. Thanks Nancy for the tip!
Before You Go:
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips | ||||||||||||||||||||
Winner of Magpie Gemstones' $50 Gift Certificate Giveaway Posted: 23 Jul 2012 03:18 PM PDT There were a huge number of would-be magpies entering for last week's Magpie Gemstones gift certificate giveaway. No wonder as Szarka's gemstones are fabulous as attested by several of her customers. Her wire work skill and helpfulness were also praised. Alas there can only be one winner. After numbering all the eligible entries, I hopped over to random.org and got the random number generator to select a one. It happens to belong to Samantha of Dolphin Daze! Congratulations! ______________________________ Original Post by THE BEADING GEM Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips |
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