Jewelry by Szarka : Karen's Impression Jasper

October 26, 2009

Karen's Impression Jasper

My best friend was here for two weeks for a visit. I hadn't seen her in 4 years. She picked this piece up out a bunch of focals I had made up and we put together a necklace for her. The copper chain and beads as well as the labradorite and shell coins matched perfectly with the bronze and green in the impression jasper cabochon.

The wrap is made with all round wire, no half round or square, as I was trying to keep myself busy at a slow market and that was all I had on hand.

5 comments:

Terry Pugh said...: Very nice!

Terry; Tuesday, 27 October, 2009
dyanna said...: Your blog is really interesting.I'm waiting for your new post.
Have a nice day.; Tuesday, 27 October, 2009
Anonymous said...: Beautiful wire work!
Clever, too, thank you for showing it.
Susie
Bench Block Pads here:
TheAntiquePalette.etsy.com; Tuesday, 27 October, 2009
Unknown said...: Thank you for showing the gorgeous pendent! I have practiced with round wire (as that is what I have ) but my wire wrapping book always. Says to use square to achieve the same look you have with the round! Amazing; Friday, 16 November, 2012
Unknown said...: Thank you for showing the gorgeous pendent! I have practiced with round wire (as that is what I have ) but my wire wrapping book always. Says to use square to achieve the same look you have with the round! Amazing; Friday, 16 November, 2012

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I have been twisting wire and fondling gems for almost three decades. My jewelry is for sale on szarkas.com.

I was born in Calgary and grew up in Southern Alberta. I spent summers in the Rocky Mountains with my family hunting and fell in love. It is one of the most inspiring, intense, and beautiful places in the world.

I went into geology in College but ended up taking Social Work. Soon my love for rocks won out and now I am back at it as a gems dealer and wire wrapper. My name is Szarka but I am also known as Dianne Carter and Dianne Molnar, my maiden name.

Who am I, good question.

Is who I am what I've done, where I have been, what I wear, what I think, how I act?

I never know what to say.`I can give you a run down of my past and then you can make your own judgments on who I am and maybe then you can share it with me so I know too?`

I was born in Alberta, went to school ........ a lot. Wanted to save the world and tried hard for 13 years. I soon realized I needed to save myself or there would be nothing left for the world.

I burnt out mediating between families, teens, Social Services, the Court System, Mental Health and society at large and gave away everything to move into a flaming pink school bus all tricked out with solar panels and a hand built interior with a wonderful man I met on the Internet.

We traveled the Western States while I crocheted cotton halter tops for middle aged drunk women at music festivals. I made jewelry, custom made hats, clothing, and worked the gem trade. We traveled Barter Fairs, Flea Markets, Art Shows, Festivals, Powwow's, Pig Roasts. We did every venue I can think of.

I worked with Galleries and coffee shops, high-end restaurants, and little old men in motor homes who then resold my pieces to galleries.

It was a lot of work but it was a blast.

I traded wire wrap for truck batteries, essential oils for amber, beads for brain tanned deer hides. I met so many humans and all preconceived notions of any kind were turned upside down.

I stayed in Palm Springs to spots on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. I stayed in Vegas to Niland California at the slabs.

Now I sell on the Internet as Magpie Gemstones and on eBay as Turquoise Magpie. Once the nomadic life was over what to do was open and along came eBay. Friends I had in the trade wanted me to buy for them so I started supplying beads stores.

I had many contacts in the gem trade and they wanted me to sell for them, or get involved in this partnership or that. I decided against it all and wanted to sell beads, make some jewelry, and home school my daughter.

I am grateful this is what I am able to do. I know that working for myself is more like a 16 hour day than a regular 9 to 5 but being able to be home makes it all worth while.

A lot of people ask me how I learnt to make jewelry. I had a crystal and some wire and just kept twisting for years until now. I am not a master yet, I do not believe, and it has been well over 2 decades.

Wire is the ultimate way to discover humility. If I approach it with a feeling of smugness or surety it teaches me quickly that it is in charge. If I cajole, beg and hope it will do what I want it to most times now it will listen. Not always though.

It is kind of like life.

Well now that I have bored you to tears, thanks for reading this far and I hope your life is simple, sweet, and filled with the small things that give your heart joy.