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Bev Feldman on Her Chainmaille Jewelry Process

- May 23, 2013 | by April -

We each have a medium that speaks to us.

For some, it is a new skein of yarn and the endless possibilities for how it could be manipulated with a pair of knitting needles. For others, it is the feel of a camera in their hands, ready to capture the sights around them. For me, it is a pile of jump rings, just begging to be linked together.

jump rings 2

For as long as I can remember, I have dabbled in jewelry making, but it wasn’t until I discovered the art of chainmaille and weaving together hundreds of tiny rings that I knew I had found my craft.

My process of creating jewelry varies, but it always includes a pile of jump rings. Often times it begins in a local bead shop, where I can spend hours perusing the trays upon trays of beads, letting my mind wander and imagining how I could incorporate them into my chainmaille. When I get home, I put the beads into little glass jars so that they are easily visible and ready for when inspiration hits.

Sometimes I have a design already in my head and I know exactly what I want to create. More often, I choose some beads from my collection and start to from a sense of what I might want to do with them.  Usually it is a vague idea that comes to fruition as I start to work, somewhat like a word on the tip of your tongue that you finally pops into your head.

faceted beads

The inspiration for this piece came from these sparkling faceted beads and a pair of earrings I had already made with them. I wanted to create a bracelet that would make a beautiful complimentary piece, something that was feminine and fun and a little different.

faceted earrings

I took a design from another bracelet I had already created and played around with it, experimenting to see how the beads would look interspersed between the chainmaille links.

trying out with old design

My process sometimes involves taking designs apart and putting them back together, repositioning pieces if need be. Sometimes a design comes out exactly as I had imagined it, and other times the end result is nothing what I pictured in my head. Occasionally a design just will not work. But that is part of the process, and I will either fiddle around with it until I get it just right, or I move on to the next design idea.

trying on bracelet

As I work, I often try on what I am making, whether it be a necklace or a bracelet, to test to see if it is wearable, or if I need to make any adjustments. I only make things I would wear myself (and often times I want to keep what I made all for myself!).

completed set

If I am happy with the results, I will put on the finishing touches and try it on one last time (and sometimes model it for my husband, he’s such a good sport). It’s time to go make some more chainmaille!

Bev croppedBev Feldman is the designer/maker/all-around mastermind behind Linkouture, modern and elegant handcrafted chainmaille jewelry. Her jewelry can be found on Etsy, as well as craft shows and select shops in the Boston area. You can read more about Bev’s musings on life and being a creative business owner on her blog.  She would love to hear from you on Twitter or Facebook (and she also is a compulsive e-mail checker, though she is working on that).

7 Comments · Filed Under: Uncategorized

Comments

  1. Helen Flagg says

    May 23, 2013 at 5:55 pm

    Great piece on Bev – her jewelry is gorgeous.

    Reply
    • April says

      May 24, 2013 at 2:21 pm

      Isn’t it? I think it’s so pretty.

      Reply
  2. Bev says

    May 23, 2013 at 6:49 pm

    Thanks so much for the feature, April! It’s so exciting to be on your blog 🙂

    Reply
    • April says

      May 24, 2013 at 2:21 pm

      Of course! I really enjoyed reading about your creative process.

      Reply
  3. DesignsByLadyE says

    May 24, 2013 at 2:16 pm

    Just beautiful work. I have been dabbling in the art of Chainmaille, and reading about you and your process will always help those who think that it may be to hard to try. Thanks.

    Reply
  4. Lori T says

    May 28, 2013 at 8:47 pm

    Fascinating to read Bev’s design process! Beautiful bracelet!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Five Things You Might Not Know About Me: The Nerd Edition | Linkouture Website says:
    August 21, 2013 at 6:24 am

    […] 1. I considered majoring in math in college I was one of those weird people who preferred my math homework over writing essays in high school, so I really considered majoring in this subject. However, one semester of Vectors and Matrices (which I took for fun, mind you…who does that?) was enough for me to know that I actually had no desire to study higher-level math.  2. I have a Master’s degree from Harvard I went to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and I don’t know why, but I feel really weird telling people that fact.  3. I’m incapable of not taking a class seriously After I finished graduate school, I had the opportunity to take a few classes for free. And even though they technically they did not count for anything, I had to work hard in them and earn the highest grade possible. That meant working on a paper for a class when I was in Nice, France for my engagement 4. I wouldn’t even cut Hebrew school I never “officially” cut school. The couple times I did senior year, I had my parents write me a legitimate note (and I was a senior). So technically I guess that was not even cutting. I wouldn’t even cut Hebrew school. Every Sunday in 10th grade my friends would want to ditch, and I always made an excuse not to. Who takes Hebrew school that seriously? This nerd, that’s who! 5. I have never pulled an all-nighter I may have mentioned that in a previous blog post (shhhh). I must be one of a handful of people in the history of students who has never stayed up all night studying for a test. (Apparently this is how my husband got through college). I was the type that would start stressing about a paper months before it was due, and basically would have it done a week before it was due otherwise I would dream about my papers (and often did anyway, sigh). Do you consider yourself a nerd, or are you too cool for school? Also, on a completely unrelated but very exciting note, I’m featured in one of all-time favorite blogs, Blacksburg Belle!! You can read all about my creative process and how I make my jewelry here.  […]

    Reply

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