Collaboration Necklace

by Lynda Carson
(Spring Valley, CA)

This posting is related to an earlier one about a Smashed Copper Tube Bead I made as an experiment. Here's another chapter to this exploration. . .

So this unfinished necklace has a wonderful story. And if you'd have ever told me that I'd be designing jewelry with my machinist brother, I'd have said, 'You're nuts!'

However, he's been very interested and supportive of what I do and gave me a 10 foot roll of copper tubing to play with.

A couple of weeks ago, he brought me some copper pieces he'd stamped using tools in the shop where he works. Asked me what I thought and what ideas I had for designs.

So after some discussion about my idea for a tube bead necklace, he took a length of the tubing back to the shop and cut it into beads and made of pattern punches and brought me back the results. Voila!

Here's a partial necklace made from some of the work after they were oxidized, scrubbed with OOOO steel wool and shined with a polishing cloth.

I'm thinking I'll finish it off with some purchased chain but with a handmade clasp to keep the organic look.

I love the faintly Asian look to the design as well.

Does this mean I need to make him a business partner, now??

Lynda Carson
Fresh Baked Designs