Old & New Styles Blend Together

by Gene Oltman.
(Lincoln NE)

My husband retired 2 yrs ago and he needed a hobby, he worked for many years as a machinist at a Defense plant. He went to a Blacksmith meeting and took up doing blacksmithing as a hobby. He does art work and other things, like jewelry shapes. My husband does blacksmithing as a hobby, he also likes to facet gemstones.

I retired last year and when he started making shapes, I started adding beads to them. I had already started to repurpose old glass beaded necklaces. When he makes the shapes, which I never know what they are until he gives them to me, I add the gemstones and wire wrap them.

It is fun working with wire & gemstones and seeing what you can come up with for a design. I have worked with horseshoe nails, copper, brass and stainless steel shapes. I also work with vintage glass beads from old necklaces.

I use to clean and restring my grandmothers old necklaces. I wish that I could have been able to get some of hers. I like working with the handcrafted shapes from his forge the best. They are not fancy, more rustic style, but friends & family really enjoy them.

We both work together on the necklaces and do bash heads once in a while, over the design. It keeps us busy and we are never bored, time passes fast when you enjoy what you are doing.

Gene Oltman
Hot Steel Creations