Strumming Up Some Jewelry

Guitar strings. . . they aren't just for strumming out notes and making music.  I had a guitar playing friend approach me several months ago about making some special jewelry out of his old guitar strings for his wife's upcoming Birthday. "SURE!" I said. "How hard could it be?" I thought.

Little did I know at the time. . . But, you know what?  Everything came out beautifully (if I do say so myself).

"Ok, so...someone, helped someone else make me the most neat-o, awesome birthday gift ever!!! LOVE THEM ALL!!! What a great idea! Very cool. Thank you for helping Roger with my birthday gift."

Jewelry from guitar strings. . . Whew! What an adventure! What a challenge! Who knew?!?  Guitar wire

was more difficult than I thought it would be to work with. Not only are there 'straight' wires in its core - but it's also wrapped with a coil of wire. . . The thicker around it was - the more cantakerous it tended to be. Holy G chord!

Thank goodness for my heavy duty wire cutters

And ever trusty 'wrappers'

I added in some strong doses of good ol' patience, elbow (or thumb, as the case may be) grease, some stubborn perseverance and determination and look what came of it. . .

The first one pictured above, was my very first creation.

I'm not a metal-worker in that I don't solder or work with heating implements of any kind when I create my jewelry - but I'm a heckuva wire wrapper. This proved to be a very valuable skill. . . and once that first bracelet was completed, things seemed to get easier. . .

There's three bracelets now. The first is a claspless bangle, the second has that super cool, over -sized hook latch, and this one is a series of links that closes with a lobster clasp.

But what about necklaces? Surely I can make more than just bracelets out of guitar wire. . . And I did:-)

Are you noticing that the wire is a silver-tone, but the beads and accents tend to be a brass color?  At one end of each guitar string was a brass colored 'nut.' I really liked the contrast and stayed with that theme whether a 'nut' was used in the jewelry design or not. I also used various stones for accent as well - keeping the requested turquoise theme in mind. . .

Though this project proved to be very challenging - it turned into one of the most fun projects I think I've ever done. And what a unique way for someone to share his love and labor of music with his most special love of all - his wife.

"It's a pretty intimate thing, those bass strings. They were on my bass for 5 to 6 yrs; a lot of shows played and songs written on them. Even busted my finger on them and bled on them."

Thank you, Heather & Roger, for giving ME the opportunity to create such special treasures for YOU!

Have a Strumming kind of day ~

Robin Z