Productive Day

I got a bunch of things done this morning. First, I took better photos of the pendant I made yesterday, so I can post it on Etsy.

Then I took the quartz stone that I've been wearing for a year and a half, and re-set it in silver-plated wire. I made a companion set of quartz point earrings to go with it.

I wanted to create a set that's more in line with the work I'm doing NOW (as opposed to when I first started wire wrapping), so that I could always have a current example of the work I do for people to see. And I wanted the stone I've been wearing all this time, which I really like, to be a part of that set. Mission accomplished on both counts.

Now it's time to post my latest work on Etsy.

Oh, and I learned some interesting things last night, when looking at yet another handicraft site as a possible place to sell jewelry. I found a set of earrings that I thought was really great, and I thought, "I could make that." But it's NOT RIGHT to just steal other people's designs. So I did a little googling and discovered:
1. "Shaggy Loops" is the name of a generic chain maille technique, not something that specific artist originated.
2. Other artists have put beads on their shaggy loops handiwork, so if I do that, I'm not stealing this artist's original idea.
3. I can EASILY create items in the Shaggy Loop style, both earrings and something I really need to add to my line, bracelets.
4, This is actually the style of the piece of jewelry that's on my business card, so I will be able to make things that look like the Vistaprint generic image that I'm using on my card.

It's extremely important to me to stay on the correct side of the "learn techniques from other artists, but don't steal their ideas outright" line. If I create the ideas that have been going through my head since last night, though, I will NOT be stealing someone else's original idea, and therefore I will not be stealing money out of their pocket, either. This matters to me quite a lot. I'm an artist, not a thief. Anything I create is going to be MY OWN hard work, not the hard work of someone else.

Expect some basic chain maille style items to begin appearing on my site, as soon as my order of round gemstone beads comes in.