Monday, January 21, 2013

Wire Wrapped Pendants + Labradorite | Go to post ➜

Hello! ♥

School has started and I'm really busy, kind of sorting things out but wanting to go home and make things all the time - it's very ironic that during the holidays I waste my life rotting in front of the computer, and only when I actually have work to do does the jewelry-making bug bite. Ahh well. Made this one for my sister -

(I don't think it's so nice but she likes it.) And I made several terrible mistakes with this, decided to solder the frame after setting the stones and wasn't careful, so the smoky quartz briolette cracked and went clear, and the labradorite probably got more brittle because when I dropped it later it chipped. I get really angsty whenever a stone breaks, especially when it's a labradorite like this lovely one -

And I hadn't even started working/designing yet, it just arrived in the mail yesterday and I was just polishing the oil off it and it came apart in my fingers OTL Probably the internal fracture was already at breaking point. Because they have so much individuality you can't just find another one to replace it - and I'm so attached to the bright blue flash of this one, I'll probably try and design something asymmetrical just for it. It is a sad fact that I design many many things and never get round to making them, though. This is one of the few that was actually completed -

I really, really love this stone ♥ It's even more lovely in real life, with a darker gold flash and some tiny bits of bright blue and green near the cloudlike inclusion on the left. And here are some progress shots -

It was made more with soldering practise in mind, so the base frames are more complex - maybe ~20 solder joins, all done with the same solder (unlike silver, copper solder only comes in one melting temp.) The labradorite was set in an open backed bezel, which was the simultaneous source of much pride and frustration - these stones usually have amazing flash across the flat surface of the cabochon back, and this one in particular had a gold-green-blue flash ♥ So the open-back design allows you to see the stone from behind -

One day I will design something meant to show the flat side of the cabochon instead of always hiding it behind. And I'm sorry this post has been 90% rambling about labradorite, but while we're on the subject, the new batch I ordered arrived yesterday and just looking at them makes me to happy ♥

Hopefully I have time to make more things (instead of just doodling designs in class all the time and throwing them away) :D

♥Jasmyn

Labels: handmade, labradorite, necklace, pendant, sodacrush, wire wrapped

11:56 PM

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Etsy Shops now open! | Go to post ➜

Hello! ♥

I'm glad to announce I'm finally off hiatus and both my Etsy shops are now open!

Sodacrush: [link]
ValkyrieCouture: [link]

And all of these new designs are for sale (Click image to go to the Etsy listing):

Fullviews of the cover photos for this collection, you can see over on FB: [link]

Because I've been on hiatus for a long, long time, I have a lot of things to say so feel free to tl;dr-

I think from now on I might do collections this way instead of dumping every single picture of the item onto FB, I'll make up a set of cover pictures for every new collection. :) Although I love doing jewelry along a certain theme, I'm also wondering if it's a good idea to make 5-6 items on a certain theme when there won't be demand or interest in it. But we'll see how that goes :)

I've also (finally) gotten around to doing my my profile page on DeviantArt, so... I'm really happy with how it looks now. :D After being buried in books for so long, it's really, really nice to fiddle around with... everything, really, from jewelry to html. Speaking of html.. I'm currently still using the classic blogger html editor because I'm a bit of a control freak and like things exactly where I want them to be. Tried out the Template Designer and spent a few hours swearing at the ..gadgets and things before I gave up and reinstalled the old code. Ugh. It's pretty much the same situation over on DA, the system of widgets and dragging things around isn't bad, but I still think everything looks much prettier when it's customized. Not that I'm anywhere near proficient at html, I only realized today that the "follow" button on my blog hasn't been working. It's fixed now~ :D

I'm so glad school's over! Exams were tough~ I'm not even going to think about school until next semester. Unfortunately I've already been told that certain exam scripts are ready to be collected from school, so I could actually get my results now...but I really don't want to.

Anyway -  as for commissions, I'm working through them already! Please be patient with me, I have something like 15 people on the list.. I feel like I'm gasping for breath catching up with commissions until I have no time for making any new designs or even restocking my shop! ~whew~ (Not complaining, though. It's a mad rush but I love it at the same time.) Yes, commissions are still open for now. I go back to school in August, so there's a long while yet. :D Here's one of the commissions I just finished:

A lovely set in silver&black, for a wedding. Best wishes to the happy couple! If you're interested in a commission, drop me an email at sodacrush@gmail.com.

Also, I'm probably going to do my next giveaway soon, either as a kiriban or blog giveaway, right now the votes for both are really close.. if it stays this way I might, uhm, do 2 giveaways? With one prize to the person who catches the pageview kiriban, and another prize to a random winner from the list of people who enter the blog giveaway. So yup, exciting things coming up. :D

♥Jasmyn

Labels: available, commission, filigree, handmade, necklace, pendant, sold, ValkyrieCouture

5:02 AM

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Workspace + Steampunk Key Necklaces | Go to post ➜

So I get questions about -studio space- and suchlike, and I never know how to reply because I barely have a desk, let alone a studio. Context: Singaporean house. I'm 19 and I don't even have my own room. Anyway. This is what my table looks like on a normal day...

Yes. This probably explains why I may or may not be flunking school this semester. And yes, that is my keyboard shoved out of the way behind the pile of pliers. So no, I have absolutely no system for organising and storing things. Mostly they end up staying in the bag/box they came in. And accumulating in dangerous piles under the table.

...To make up for that hellish mess of a picture, here are some new steampunk keys I made today :) I had a packet of beautiful blue Swarovskis lying around, and so they ended up with a blue-gold colour scheme and a sort of supernova theme.


I work with music on all the time, mostly fantastically trashy boybands or soaring instrumentals, depending on my mood. Although I listen to really anything, so the songs/lyrics that went into these are:

It's like an explosion everytime I hold you;
I wasn't joking when I told you
You take my breath away;
You're a supernova.
-Space Bound, Eminem


The Keys to the vaults of heaven
May be heavy or lighter than air
...
We've got to find the keys

The nights have been growing darker
They're darker now than sin
We'll open the vaults of heaven
The treasures are there within
-Vaults of Heaven, Andrew Lloyd Webber

...these are the ones that stuck in my head, anyway.

♥Jasmyn

Labels: handmade, necklace, sodacrush, WIP, wire wrapped

9:19 AM

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

New wire-wrapped pendants + packaging | Go to post ➜

Hello♥

Here are some lovely new wire-wrapped pendants I just uploaded to Sodacrush:


I really miss making jewelry! It's difficult to find time with school and all, and I'm actually running myself ragged just keeping up with orders sometimes. I confess it's terribly distracting, and I skip classes to go supply-shopping or compose emails instead of essays in my head at night...

Bad student-ing aside, here's a quick shot of some packaging for two items I sent out yesterday ;)


♥Jasmyn

Labels: available, necklace, pendant, sodacrush, wire wrapped

11:34 AM

Monday, January 30, 2012

african themed jewelry | Go to post ➜

I'm always on the lookout for new stampings and crystals - and I managed to get these gorgeous safari-themed pieces a few weeks ago. Some fiddling and many, many Lion King songs later:



Zebra stampings with a Swarovski Crystal called Chilli Pepper. It's about as hot as it sounds, all spicy reds and oranges tinged with gold ♥ I love how the curve of their necks forms a sort of heart :)



Giraffe stampings with a Swarovski Crystal called Brandy. This one blazes like an African sky, all purple and gold and indigo...


... I need to stop mooning over colours like that. Anyway. Neither of these are actually ready to be put up for sale, just thought I'd share a sneak peek here. I realise I post more unfinished and never-to-be-finished work up here than actual pieces, but since this blog is more of a behind the scenes kind of thing, I hope no one minds.

For actual finished pictures and proper descriptions, head over to ValkyrieCouture on Etsy or my DA account. :) I should mention that I'm holding a 20k pageview kiriban giveaway on my DA - that is, the person who catches the 20,000th pageview and sends a screen shot to me wins a free pair of ear cuffs like these:



I've got a lot more designs in addition to these three (10 in total, I think) - head over to the ear cuff section on my Etsy to check out what you can win :)

♥ Jasmyn

Labels: available, filigree, necklace, ValkyrieCouture, WIP

10:51 AM

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

| Go to post ➜

Just a couple of quick shots, because I'm getting buried under college work and a week-long fever. -pathetic sniffling-

Christmas favors for my friends - Christmas isn't really a big thing in Singapore compared to other holidays like Chinese New Year, so we didn't even have Christmas dinner... Or much in the way of presents, just souvenirs from my trip to Paris and a ring, with heart-shaped tags and ribbon.



And, my new business cards just arrived! They're gorgeous, and I'm quite annoyed with myself for not having done this earlier. There are also "coupon code" cards that I send out with all purchases, containing a discount code for return customers :)



In other news, I've put one of my Etsy shops (Sodacrush) on hiatus because I just can't spare the time I need to edit listings and all that. BUT, to make up for it, I'm having a 50% sale on some of the items in my other shop, ValkyrieCouture.



Check out the new sale section here! All items at 50% (or more) off, and I'll be adding new sale items from time to time.

♥ Jasmyn

Labels: available, business cards, filigree, necklace, ValkyrieCouture

3:21 AM

Thursday, December 22, 2011

New steampunk necklaces + Wire wrapped pendant | Go to post ➜

A couple of pretty little things - The brass one is a prayer box, an adorable hinged-egg-thing. The silver one is a vial full of watch parts. Both for sale: Steampunk Swallow Prayer Box Locket Necklace and Steampunk Swallow Watch Parts Vial Necklace.

I haven't actually done any wire-wrapping in a long time (3 months, to be exact) and when a customer commissioned 4 ear cuffs from me, I had to make 10 before I managed to produce 4 of an acceptable quality. Sore fingers and bruised ego aide, there was also the vague sense of horror that I'd completely lost the ability to wrap. So I sat down and poured 6 hours of desperation into this 1" pendant: Albion.

Albion was taken from BBC's series Merlin (which I've developed a thoroughly unhealthy obsession with) and is made of copper wire and a Swarovski fancy pear. It's also one of those things I'll never sell, simply because the amount of heart that went into this is priceless. Sometimes I consider the saying Find a Job You Love and You'll Never Work a Day in Your Life - but for me that isn't true at all. I'd rather get paid for a job that involves absolutely no creativity, so I never have to put a price on the things I really love.

This skewed perspective probably explains my completely idiosyncratic business model, which really needs to be whipped into shape. Holiday project, maybe ;)

But for now, Merry Christmas to everyone!

♥Jasmyn

Labels: available, filigree, necklace, ValkyrieCouture

7:51 AM

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Necklace 'Sketches' Choker Collar style | Go to post ➜

It's been a hectic week, and I sold one of my most precious pieces - Kalliope Filigree Choker by ValkyrieCouture.


This piece is so dear to me because it's the first collar-style necklace I made, and I think it's gorgeous. Now that it's off to a new home, I've been press-ganged into making another one because my sister wants to wear it to her prom ;)

Since that experiment with a new style was quite a success, I've been throwing together ideas for more necklaces like that. But since finals are in 3 weeks I have no idea if/when I will have the time to finish them, so here's some preview shots! No names yet, though suggestions would be welcome :)



I'm undecided with this butterfly piece- on one hand, it's very pretty and would look really nice finished with a choker of cream&champagne pearl strands. Then again, it has a bit of a steampunk feel and would look equally good with gears&chains...



This one actually curves elegantly round the neck :) The piece ended up with a vitrail crystal which I don't think suits it at all, only the nearest supplier that has the crystals I need is over an hour's journey away from my house. :( School gets in the way of creativity in the most infuriating way!



Last but not least - my favourite of the three! :) I think it captures everything I love about collars/choker style pieces - I love the curves and the way it flows over the collarbones, regal and mysterious at the same time ♥

Enough gushing for now though, and back to the books -sigh- I promise I'll work hard and get these pieces done as soon as exams are over!

Questions, comments &etc. can be sent to valkyriecouture@gmail.com :)

♥Jasmyn

Labels: available, filigree, necklace, ValkyrieCouture, WIP

10:22 AM

Friday, October 7, 2011

more previews, cuff, handmade necklaces and earrings | Go to post ➜

Mid-terms are over so I had a little time off to play with jewelry :D I've been working on a new cuff, lots and lots of layers and details - picture below. It's got a gorgeous silver Fleur-de-lis centrepiece, and layers of rococo style filigree for an utterly decadent feel.

I'll probably change the background piece for this - silver feels a bit too cold, what with autumn coming and all the luxury of amber days and hot cocoa ♥


To compensate for all that intricate layering, I threw together a few small, light pieces - much smaller than what I'm used to, but it's a relief since these were a lot less time-consuming and still very pretty :)


Lila; Named after the girl in Lila: An Inquiry Into Morals. It has such a pretty, delicate feel - not at all like the character, but I love the name ;) I'm used to very strong, vibrant colours in my jewelry so a crystal this pale is rare! Click to view more details on handmade necklace Lila on Etsy.



Illyriel; Named after the city of Illyria and a picture my sister drew: Illyriel by effthree on DA. This pendant actually came about because someone asked me if I ever made jewelry specifically for guys, and I realised I never started out with that intention. ...I don't think this piece is particularly masculine, but it's a start! :) Click to view more details on handmade necklace Illyriel on Etsy.



Winter Heart; Because I realised also that I have very little earrings, cuffs and rings in my shop. I'm trying to diversify - out of habit, I usually create necklaces but I think this attempt at earrings went quite well :) They dangle like lovely little drops of winter frost, alluring and deliciously icy ♥ Click to view more details on handmade earrings Winter Heart on Etsy.

All in all I'm very pleased with how these smaller pieces turned out, might consider doing more of them because I'm starting to fall for the delicate, flirty style instead of my usual one.

That's all I've got for now :) Questions, comments &etc. can be sent to valkyriecouture@gmail.com :)

♥Jasmyn

Labels: available, filigree, necklace, ValkyrieCouture, WIP

11:22 AM

Monday, September 5, 2011

Heart Key wire wrapped Pendant Steampunk jewelry video tutorial | Go to post ➜

A new time lapse video! :) This design is actually pretty old, but I only threw the video together recently. Full tutorial is available here.

I've never posted my first time lapse video here, so here you go:



Full tutorial available here.

I have a huge thing for heart motifs in wirework - this is the next piece I'm planning to make a tutorial for:




Although that one will probably have to wait til i get my first break ^^; I've actually started making a new one and have pictures of the first half, but I got stuck working out some of the details. (Bad habit - when doing things for the first time, I don't keep track of wire lengths, and the mechanics of hinges/clasps etc.) So the next time round it's trial and error all over again x)

That aside, the only wire work I've done recently is a remake of an old design - my Ice princess ear cuff, which to date has been the most popular. I've received several requests for that specific design, and so here's a comparison of the latest rework (left) next to the original (right).



That's all I've got for now :) Questions, comments &etc. can be sent to valkyriecouture@gmail.com :)

♥Jasmyn

Labels: available, filigree, necklace, ValkyrieCouture

1:39 AM

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

| Go to post ➜

The first in a new collection of steampunk/wire-wrapped pieces I'll be doing... For sale: http://www.etsy.com/listing/80409812/steampunk-honey-wire-wrapped-aged-brass

Despite having dabbled in so many different crafts, I find myself returning to wire again and again. Somehow just doing freeform wirework always makes me feel better. Although I really envy artists who can design and create intricate, perfectly symmetrical wire jewelry, I really don't have the time for that kind of work now.

My style of wire-wrapping is the swirling, pretty kind, and I love the way it contrasts with the industrial look of steampunk. I'll be making more of these as soon as my supplies arrive - I've got watch faces, gears, clock hands and all sorts of other hardware :D

Questions, comments &etc. can be sent to valkyriecouture@gmail.com :)

♥Jasmyn

Labels: available, filigree, necklace, ValkyrieCouture

11:41 AM

Sunday, August 21, 2011

| Go to post ➜

I know I don't really update this blog often, I'm really sorry to anyone who actually reads this ^^; In between school and making jewelry, I barely have time to maintain anything else - but recently I got a bit of time to make something for myself, so I made this motif for my school bag.


It's a Steampunk Alice theme, I was actually trying for a long time to make a pendant with this theme, but no luck :( I have a gorgeous stone the colour of Alice's dress, and adorable rabbits and playing card charms.. I'll keep working on it :P

1. Before
2. After
3. During
4. Closeup

Bigger motifs like these are actually easier to do because they don't involve stones - which are tricky at best :P I was thinking of making small jewelry boxes or cigarette cases with decorations like this for sale..


That aside, I've been busy making jewelry whenever I have time - but I have less time to take pictures and upload them (or maybe I'm just lazy.) So here's a mass preview of things I've made but not yet uploaded to FB/DA/Etsy -



Eden - "Summer reminds Aziraphale of Eden, when it was still young and pure, and seduction didn’t have a name." - s o m e w h e r e : a drabble collection, m-erechyn

Inspired by the brilliance of Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman♥. Crowley's such a flash bastard, I can imagine him as a snake with a diamond-studded collar.



All are new designs, with the exception of the two scarab necklaces at the bottom - I've sold a couple of the silver version already, and wanted to try it in gold too :) Snapped a pic of the scarabs with their respective stones - love the colour, as always, and I think the multicoloured one has a much more Egyptian feel. Somehow it reminds me of Arabian Nights From Aladdin :D



Questions, comments &etc. can be sent to valkyriecouture@gmail.com :)

♥Jasmyn

Labels: available, necklace, WIP

1:20 AM

Monday, March 21, 2011

free gifts, packaging, chainmaille, lolita | Go to post ➜

Hullo! ♥

The other day I was wrapping up the pendants that sold, and I thought the gift box was so pretty I had to snap it! Here's one of them, I love the bow on top. I bought a roll of pretty plum-coloured chiffon ribbon from a bin sale, and I love how light and frothy it looks. I honestly hope it doesn't get mangled in the mail D: (Then again, that's what all the bubblewrap in the background is for, haha.)


And here's a closeup of the tags/gift that comes with all ValkyrieCouture products. It's a little handphone strap, with a Swarovski crystal and a silver wing charm on :D These are so incredibly easy to make, and look so good. I whipped up a batch of them in between emails, and attached them to ValkyrieCouture tags printed on shimmery card.



I'm currently stuck in limbo - just ordered a new batch of supplies, but they're not here yet so I'm trying my hand at.. other things. Like chainmaille! Chainmaille jewelry to me is fascinating. It's metal and tough and (if you're Singaporean, Ahlian/Ahbeng looking) very attention grabbing. You can't walk past someone in a chainmaille collar and not notice. It's heavy and intricate and takes plenty of personality to pull off. I got my first chainmaille piece as part of an art trade, you can see it over here. Unfortunately because I'm even tinier than petite, it looks huge on me ): Its very pretty, but too much of a statement piece for everyday. So I grabbed my pliers and got cracking, here's what I came up with. It's made of stainless steel and acrylic, and cost me about $6.

(If you live in Singapore, head down to Chinatown. They sell jump rings, 200 or so for a few dollars.) Not sterling silver, but very good for practice and budget pieces. The pattern of this necklace was based on King's Mail, and modified off a project from a book I have. Info on the book here. It's a really good book for beginners, the explanations are clear and I managed to try a few different patterns. Problem is, I can't get rings in the right gauge so my mail is always a little loose. This time, I modified the pattern to have double rings on the sides, but single rings running down the centre, to lessen the bulk and make the necklace more flexible.

And because chainmaille says so much about a woman who's much less delicate on the inside than she looks, I named this piece Lolita, in honour of the provocative, beautiful girl immortalised by Nabokov. (Yes, I'm such a nerd.) The necklace sits on the collarbone and is finished with a silver heart toggle clasp. :)

Lolita.

This piece is personal and not for sale.

♥Jasmyn

Labels: chainmaille, gothic, necklace, ValkyrieCouture

11:14 AM

Friday, March 18, 2011

Gothic angel atlantis gryphon tear fantasy mythology literature inspired filigree jewelry necklace pendant | Go to post ➜

SALE UPDATE:
Coupon code VCOPENSALE. Goes live in less than 12 hours! :) Sale starts midnight UST, or approx 4pm GMT. The code gives you 50% off all items, just enter it on checking out and the discount will be shown~ Since there's been a lot of interest in these pieces I think the sale is a great way to thank you all for the lovely comments and compliments I've received. Grab this opportunity to get a 50% discount now, since I don't think I'll ever do this again! Remember, the code's VCOPENSALE and you can view all the items here: ValkyrieCouture on Etsy - Handmade fantasy inspired filigree jewelry.

Now, here's some more info on the pieces that will be for sale:

Gothic Angel

This is a simplified version of my other piece, Valkyrie. I realise some people might not like the mythology aspect of that piece so much, and I must admit it's a bit of me indulging my inner geek xD This design is much less cluttered and more streamlined, the focus is quite clearly on the stone in the middle - a Heliotrope Swarovski Crystal Heart. I love the colour, and I think the aged gold of the brass really makes the colour pop even more ♥

For sale: Gothic Angel by ValkyrieCouture Sold.

Closeups of Atlantis and Gryphon Tear

These are closeups of two of my new pendants, Atlantis (silver) and Gryphon Tear (brass). Mostly because I really love the colour of the stones used here - Heliotrope and Bermuda Blue by Swarovki. They're my two favourite colour of stone, and I love love love them. Bermuda Blue's a lovely interplay of blues and greens that's like midsummer sea and mermaid scales, absolutely lovely ♥ Heliotrope's a colour I only managed to get recently so I'm very excited about it, it's mostly purple with splashes of indigo and aqua, very mysterious and rich.

I love pretty colours, so these stones make me unbelievably happy - just looking at them makes me feel inspired. Anyway. More shots of these here: ValkyrieCouture on Facebook. Or if you want to jump straight to the listings, they're on sale:

Atlantis (Silver) filigree pendant
Gryphon Tear (Brass) filigree pendant Sold.

That's all for now, don't forget the 50% sale code: VCOPENSALE!

♥Jasmyn

Labels: available, fantasy, filigree, gold, gothic, gothic heart, heart, necklace, pendant, sold, ValkyrieCouture

3:49 AM

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Avarice fantasy filigree jewelry pendant mythology inspired | Go to post ➜

Avarice

The second piece! I love the way the dragon curls around the stone on this - somehow I feel dragons are the ones who are wronged in fairytales. All they do is guard what's precious to them against greedy men. I've always loved dragons - books like the Eragon trilogy make me happy beyond belief. ♥

Anyway. I decided to name this piece after the greed and lust dragon hoards evoke. Plus, the colours in this pendant are very rich and opulent - love the contrast between the deep red and aged gold. I'll probably be remaking this design in other colours as well!

More pictures up on facebook: ValkyrieCouture on Facebook

I've decided that the first collection will go on sale this weekend, and I'm having a opening 50% SALE. Coupon code will be released on facebook, so stay tuned!

♥Jasmyn.

Labels: available, fantasy, filigree, gold, gothic, necklace, pendant, ValkyrieCouture

1:03 AM

Monday, March 14, 2011

Valkyrie filigree jewelry pendant necklace fantasy inspired mythology | Go to post ➜

Valkyrie

As promised - a sneak peek at the first piece of my new line, ValkyrieCouture. I love the way it turned out, with the heart tucked secretively under layers of beautiful brass filigree; it's very mysterious and eye catching at the same time :D

Since this was my first attempt at such a complex filigree piece, I feel I've got a lot to learn. For now though I'm very happy with the way this has been going! Hopefully ValkyrieCouture will be full of beautifully made pieces in the near future :)

To view more shots of this piece as well as other upcoming pieces, head on over to ValkyrieCouture on Facebook. I'd really appreciate if you could 'like' the Facebook page, because I need at least 25 likes to get my own username.

♥Jasmyn.

Labels: available, fantasy, filigree, gothic, necklace, pendant, ValkyrieCouture

5:51 AM