Found stone, flower jasper, and copper

About 10 years ago, I took my first jewelry class.  It was called "Wires and Pliers" and lasted six weeks.  About an hour into the first class, I realized I was hooked!  I began wrapping wire on just about anything I could-- candles, picture frames, bottles, purses, silverware... you name it! 

Wire-work involves simple tools most of us have at home, and allows you to work around "problems" like undrilled stones, lack of soldering tools, or lack of a dedicated studio.

Although I make lots of beads-on-a-string pieces, my favorites still involve making my own chains out of copper, silver or gold-filled wire and wrapping natural tumbled stones.  Recently I've been making jewelry from Precious Metal Clay and doing some simple metal art. These techniques allow me to give a unique touch to my pieces.

I struggled over what to use as an ebay ID; then my husband suggested BigSmile, because he said that's the first thing he noticed about me and it's what people have when they receive my jewelry.

copper necklace

 I've been selling my work since the very beginning, but I was always uncomfortable with the huge mark-up I had to include in my prices when I sold in local stores.  Now I just sell on eBay and the occassional show-- this lets me keep my prices lower. 

*I don't make money on shipping.  I want you to pay for my jewelry, not postage.  The US postal service gets their fair share, and I only charge as close as I can get to what it costs me to package and ship your item to you.  For items shipped by first class mail in the USA, I use paypal, so you can see when I ship, track progress, and delivery confirmation is included.  There are no extra "handling charges" that I use to increase my profit.

*I don't hold your feedback hostage.  Once you pay for an item, you've done your part as a buyer.  I leave feedback for you, and ship your item as quickly as possible.  The way I see it, I offer returns, take pride in my work, and offer great customer service, so there should be no worries!

I do have a full time job as a drug and violence prevention worker, and I'm also a soldier.  I've been counting down the months before I'll retire from the Illinois Army National Guard and have more time for my jewelry.  However, I've recently accepted a promotion that will prolong my enlistment.  So... ebay will be on the backburner for a while longer; for now, it's just a hobby and a way to support my jewelry addiction. 

The pictures on this page are good examples of what can be done with simple wire and a pair of pliers.  Please see my listings for more examples of pieces for sale.  Happy bidding!