Handcrafted Jewelry &
Fine Art by Nancy Kanter
In the Studio
A lot of time, effort, and care goes into each piece of Sparkling Vine jewelry. Many of the pieces take several hours to design, construct, and assemble. Here's a peek behind the scenes so you can see how I turn a simple wine cork into a piece of wearable art!
So how does this:
Turn into this?:
Prepping the Corks
First, I choose several corks from my "private selection" and cut each one by hand. I try to cut straight, but inevitably I'll end up with some ridges and rough spots that need to be smoothed out.
Next, I hand-sand the pieces, making sure to also remove the names of the wineries to avoid any legal issues and because it just looks cleaner. I don't use machines - I do it all manually until my fingers start cramping up! I admit, this is not my favorite part. I prefer what comes next ...
Time to Design!
I use acrylic paints and even wine to tint the corks and give them a subtle wash of color, then I add some shimmer and glaze to make them shine. I embellish the corks with Swarovski crystals, bits of fabric, and other designs like hand-drawn art. I finish off the pieces by adding sparkly Czech glass crystals and charms. When I'm coming up with new designs, I play around with different configurations and colors until I'm pleased with the final result.
And that's how I make my cork pieces! As you can see, it's a lot of painstaking work, but it's worth it to be able to create a beautiful and unique piece of jewelry out of something that would otherwise be thrown in the trash.
Thanks for visiting me in the studio! Explore the Cork Collection here.
Get more information about the inspiration behind Sparkling Vine Design.
Watch the Video:
