Home   >   Daily Wire Jewelry Tips   >   Wire Jewelry Idea: Ironwork Inspiration

Wire Jewelry Idea: Ironwork Inspiration

By on November 16, 2011
Print Friendly

by Rose Marion, Wire-Sculpture.com

Wire Jewelry Idea for
November 16, 2011

Ever since I read Dale “Cougar” Armstrong’s article Inspiration Comes from Everwhere and Every Thing and saw her picture of a wrought-iron fence, I’ve kept my eye out for inspirational ironwork. It wasn’t until a recent day trip to Las Vegas that I found some interesting shapes I immediately thought about recreating in wire, both in iron and in tiling. So I hope you are inspired by the pictures I took, too!

Ironwork lamp

We stayed at the Sunset Station, which had examples of ironwork everywhere. This lampstand in our hotel room provided me with the perfect way to hang my knitted earrings - a conundrum I'd been stuck on for weeks!

inspiring ironwork

A desk and sconce at the Sunset Station. Perhaps a collar design?

Ironwork tile

Elevator tile at the Sunset Station (not ironwork, but still easily replicated in wire)

The Bellagio Hotel is one of the most famous hotels in Las Vegas. Located right on the Strip, among its other attractions, the Bellagio has an incredible wealth of ironwork and inspiration for wire designers! I highly recommend walking through it if you ever go to Las Vegas, it is worth it. Here are just a few shapes I captured:

Bellagio tile

Mosaic tile in the Bellagio - it could be a new cuff or necklace design!

Bellagio grate

Here is some ornamental ironwork outside the Bellagio.

Ironwork pendant

Elua III by Lia Herron Manuele strongly resembles ironwork, and proves that it can be adapted to wire jewelry!

Check out this pendant by Lia Herron Manuele, who posted it on our Facebook page. Called Elua III, it’s made of brass, sterling silver wraps, and glass beads. It reminded me of the Bellagio’s ironwork as soon as I saw it!

 

Ironwork balcony

Balcony ironwork: so beautiful! The tips of the swirls are painted silver, but they looked like Swarovskis from a distance to me.

wire wrapped suncatcher

I had the frame of this piece in the car with me in Vegas, but I couldn't decide what to put in the middle. Plus, I'd made it a little too big to be a pendant. So I turned it into an ironwork-inspired suncatcher! (Click to enlarge)

Those are just a few images that inspired me! I will be sure to have my camera with me when I travel again, and I can’t wait to go back to Las Vegas for a longer trip!

Have you made wire jewelry inspired by ironwork? Post a picture on our Facebook page!

Have a Wire Jewelry Idea you’d like to share? Click Here to submit your idea. You could be featured on our Blog!

Click to Receive Daily Tips by Email

6 Comments

  1. avatar

    Margaret Lakas

    November 16, 2011 at 11:39 am

    I consider my camera to be another tool for my jewelry making designs. I’m still learning but started taking pictures of a tile wall in an airport months ago. My son does ironwork sculptures and they are very much what I do in a much larger scale. We live in New Orleans where iron is a staple, especially in the French Quarter. I like your sun catcher. I’m going to make one for my bedroom.

  2. avatar

    lindacay

    November 16, 2011 at 12:59 pm

    Iron work is so beautiful,and if I were better with wire i could do something like this but i am working on my wire skills

  3. avatar

    Jeanne

    November 16, 2011 at 1:38 pm

    What a great idea. I will now being going around looking at everything to see if it can be adapted for wire work. Thank you so much you have been inspirational.

  4. avatar

    Sharron Barker

    November 17, 2011 at 6:56 am

    Lovely designs you showed us in iron from Vegas, I have found old graveyards here in Australia have wonderful wrought iron structures to gain inspiration from, also the stone work gives you a lot as well, look past the macabre into the beauty!

  5. avatar

    Linda Keesee

    November 18, 2011 at 10:18 am

    I can see why these images inspired you. There beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

  6. avatar

    Gwynette

    November 26, 2011 at 1:36 pm

    Thanks for the great ideas! I find so many ideas that have nothing to do with jewelry. Nature gives me so many ideas. As we drive through beautiful houses, they give me so many ideas. From the architecture to the Gate there are so many ideas.
    You did a GREAT job. You inspire me.