Handcrafted Copper Jewelry

By

Stephen D’Esposito

 

These handcrafted copper jewelry pieces are truly unique.  Each piece is crafted from recycled materials into a beautiful piece of jewelry.  They are conceived from scraps of electrical wire with the insulating material removed.  The bare copper wire is then wrapped around a steel rod to form a neat coil of wire.  The coil is then cut, one loop at a time, to form the individual links that will be used to make a variety of chain patterns.  The toggle clasps are also individually made and soldered with silver bearing, lead free solder. The signature tags are made from soft copper tubing which is flattened, stamped, drilled, cut and filed.  The earring wires are formed on a jig assembled from a few nails and screws strategically placed into a board so I can bend the wire into a consistent shape.  The French style ear wires are then lightly hammered to add some strength to the copper, and then the wire is carefully filed on the end to remove any sharp edges.  Every earring box is cut, folded and glued out of empty boxes of products that I have consumed, so they are made from 100% post consumer recycled cardboard.  The jewelry bags are made from a cotton material usually found in a scrap bin, or discount rack, so they will often be of different patterns.  Although I make many pieces using the same patterns, I spend a lot of time and effort to make this jewelry unique and individual.