Saturday Sparkle: Kell's Creations

Who Sparkled This Saturday?

Kell's Creations

I love elegant and eclectic jewelry, especially pieces that are reminiscent of days gone past. Today's Saturday Sparkle piece, A Heart Enraptured, looks like it stepped right out of history. I could envision its elegant twists and turns on one of my favorite historical and literary figures -- Queen Elizabeth. I love the intricate wire wrap on this piece, and how the sterling silver envelops the chunky and delicate pink focal piece.

A Heart Enraptured is a woven and beaded ribbon of sterling silver wire that is decorated with a Rhodocrosite heart,elegant garnets, and crystalline beads in Pink and Grey. It was designed by Kelly Pounds from Kell's Creations in Corona, NM.

Kelley began making jewelry a little more than one year ago, and she is quite the natural. Her gorgeous wire wrap pieces are displayed in the Oso Art gallery in Capitan, New Mexico. And, she's even had one of her designs featured in the Spring 2008 issue of Step By Step Wire Jewelry.

I had an opportunity to interview Kelly for the Saturday Sparkle column this week, so without further ado, meet Kelley Pounds from Kellscreations shop on Etsy.

Kelley, how did you get your start in jewelry design?

I’ve always loved wire-wrapped jewelry. One day in early 2007 as I was browsing through the University of New Mexico Continuing Ed class catalog looking for digital art classes, I found a class on wire-wrapped jewelry. On a bit of a whim I decided to take it. I loved it! Of course the first day I poked a wire in my thumb and ran to the bathroom, bleeding profusely. But I continued, bandage and all. It was a lot like working in the flower shop in that respect. Actually, wire wrapping seems to feed the same aspect of my creativity that working in the flower shop did. I followed up a few months later with a class on ring making. The instructor, Camille Argeanas, didn’t really teach a particular jewelry design. Instead, she taught the basics of wire wrapping, but then expected the students to experiment in order to find their own style.

What got you into creating more complicated wire wrap designs?

A lot of it has to do with my personality—I’m very detail oriented, sometimes to an annoying degree. I tend to make “mountains out of molehills,” as the old saying goes. Just ask my husband! I’m also a writer, and I tend to want to write big books with complex plots. My artwork is similar. Although I love some abstract art, I’ve always personally gravitated toward realistic detail. When I worked in the flower shop, I was often assigned the unusual or exotic orders, and I made quite a few corsages and bridal bouquets. I loved it.

And then I discovered the amazing wire work of Eni Oken. Seeing her complex and detailed pieces opened a whole new vista of possibilities where wire work is concerned. Since then I’ve found other inspiring jewelry artists, whether they work in wire or in some other medium. But instead of trying to copy them verbatim, I try to find what it is in their pieces that I like and take that in a direction that suits my style and interests. There are many amazing jewelry artists out there, so admiration, respect, and good-natured competition also plays a huge part in keeping me on my creative toes.

When creating a piece, what are your top three sources of inspiration?

Number one would be the stone itself. For instance, I bought a large round lunar agate that looked like a full moon, so I wanted to play up the moon aspect. I decided silver would be the best metal to use, and I wired a tree of life on the face of the stone using small-gauge sterling silver wire and amethyst chip beads. At the roots of the tree I placed a sterling silver unicorn charm. There’s almost an illustrative or storytelling quality to this piece. The second source of inspiration would be my interests in art history, cultures, myths and legends. I recently created a copper wire pendant inspired by the art and architecture of 10th century Viking culture. Third would be texture—I love the textural aspect that wire wrapping adds to everything from the most translucent faceted gemstones to rustic African silver beads.
If you had any advice for a newbie to wire wrap/jewelry making, what would it be?

Start with inexpensive beads and wire, such as copper or craft wire, and allow yourself the freedom to make lots of mistakes. Just the other day I set aside a piece that wasn’t working out. Maybe I’ll come back to it, or maybe I’ll cut it apart and do something else with the pieces. And even if you decide to move on to silver and gold, craft wire is good to keep on hand for experimentation with a new technique or a new design.

Also, there is a lot of competition in the jewelry market, but I believe the old saying that “cream rises to the top” is true. Don’t always compare and imitate, because that can destroy your self-esteem. If you have the talent and perseverance, you will find your own style and your own audience.

Who has provided you with the most support for your jewelry business?
I’d have to say my husband is my biggest supporter. I think a lot of it has to do with the tools. He’s a cowboy and a carpenter, but he’s also done many other things as well, from stained glass to leather work. He recently suggested using leatherwork stamps for some of my polymer clay work. I’m eager to try them. He also has a great eye for design and detail. And to top it off, he has also been extremely supportive in helping me at arts and crafts shows. Not only is he great at set up and take down, but he was more than willing to let me dress him up as an iron-age Celtic warrior for the first Renaissance fair where we sold my jewelry. He’s helped me build jewelry displays, and now he’s teaching me how to use a torch and to solder. He believes in me even when I question myself, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.


I'd like to say thanks to Kelley for letting me share her beautiful necklace with you today! Happy Saturday, and be sure to visit Kelley at:

Kell's Creations
Shop: http://www.kellscreations.etsy.com
Website: http://www.kellscreations.com
Blog: http://www.kellscreations.com/blog