Wire Artist of the Month September 2011: Cin Hollins

I started making jewelry as a hobby about 20 years ago, stringing and making earrings to go with outfits that I made. After retiring from teaching I was able to expand my creativity by learning new ways to make jewelry. Within the last 7 years I have tried my hand at many different techniques. I have received certification in PMC and Art Clay, learned to wire wrap, dabbled in glass fusing, beading, on and off loom, wire weaving, and taken a course at the community college in silver-smithing.

I started creating wire jewelry after seeing pieces at craft fairs and felt this was something that I wanted to try. I searched online and found instructions and started from there. I have never had a formal class. Making jewelry is allows me to express myself.

Making jewelry, for me, is both a hobby and a business. I rather call my jewelry "wearable art" since each piece is one of kind, and an expression of my creativity.

I have several pieces for sale at 'Tis Art Gallery in Prescott, Arizona, which is a gallery for local artists. I also sell through word of mouth, local craft fairs, and have participated in studio tours through the Mountain Artist Guild here in Prescott.

Spot On is a Birds-Eye Jasper cabochon wire wrapped into a detachable-bail pendant by Cin Hollins.

This piece was inspired by the color and patterns of the stone. Instead using straight lines, I wanted to follow the patterns in the stone by curving the wire and using a wire that would blend with the stone's color. (Bird's-eye Jasper is sometimes called rhyolite - see Gem Profile: Patterned Jasper for more on this stone!).

Cin's Captured Prescott Night is a 24-gauge sterling silver wire frame caging a blue druzy in a pendant.

The crystals of the druzy and surrounding stone reminded me of the brillant stars that are present in the night skies over Prescott, Arizona where I live. I used a combination of wire weaving and wire wrapping to represent how I could capture and hold the stars without obscuring their beauty. The crystals of the druzy and surrounding stone reminded me of the brillant stars that are present in the night skies over Prescott, Arizona where I live. I used a combination of wire weaving and wire wrapping to represent how I could capture and hold the stars without obscuring their beauty. (This was an entry in wirejewelry's 2011 Gold Club Contest!)

Viking Knit Bracelets made with craft wire by Cin Hollins

Mountain above the Moon pendant by Cin Hollins (click for a larger image)

In making Mountain above the Moon, I was experimenting with a metal clay technique by Holly Gage called Negative Space Caning. After I finished the piece I had no idea what to do with it until I saw the stone sitting on my desk. I thought about how to combine the two pieces and decided to wire wrap the stone with loops at the top so I could suspend it from the metal clay. I also made the woven cord it hangs from.

Cin does very nice work. I enjoy seeing her imagination expressed with creativity in both her contest entry, Captured Prescott Night, as well as her "Mountain Above the Moon" pendant that combines her skills in PMC with wire. The execution of her bracelets appears to be very precise. The only constructive criticism I have to offer would be to spend more time working on bails. Spot On pendant: The simple wire design complements the stone well, nice wraps, good detachable bail. It is sometimes difficult to wrap a freeform stone to its advantage, this setting does it!

About wirejewelry's Wire Artist of the Month Program

Each month, we pick a talented wire jewelry artist and their work to highlight. We know we have some incredibly talented customers, and we seek to encourage and highlight those members of our community by highlighting one wire artist every month.

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