We have never before offered jewellery as our draw prize, but this year there will be an exquisite necklace and earring set created by Jan Krutzelman. Jan has been a part of Arts on the Credit from the very beginning four years ago. Below is  her description of this stunning jewellery.

Bold Graduated Byzantine Necklace and Earring Set
The chainmaille set I have made is called a Graduated Byzantine. The Byzantine weave is rooted in jewellery that was created from the 4th century AD to about the mid 1400’s. It is derived from the “4-in-1 family” of chainmaille which means that, when weaving the rings, the pattern evolves from segments in which there are always 4 rings going through 1 set of 2 rings. In this case, I have used 11 different sizes of rings made from 4 different gauges of wire, graduating, as I weave, from the larger heavier gauge rings in the front center, to the smaller, lighter gauge rings up the sides and back of the necklace. The material I have used is heirloom quality 14/20 gold fill which means that the wire used to make the rings is constructed by heat & pressure bonding a layer of 14kt gold over a jeweller’s brass core. It is legally required to contain 5% or 1/20 of its weight in gold. It is not gold plate, which is a 0.05% gold layer over brass.

Gold fill will not tarnish, and will last a lifetime if cared for properly, like any other good gold jewellery.

This piece is valued at $500.

A little about Jan’s background follows………………………………..

Jan has always been a very tactile person, and has been enthralled with creating things with her hands from a young age. Her life has been a journey, with many moves throughout North America, which provided challenges, but also opportunities to learn and grow in her creative capacities. Through experimentation with many art forms–pottery, batik, silk painting, decorative painting, hand embroidery, quilting, and wire working–Jan somehow arrived at a medium where she feels most comfortable…chainmaille! The challenge of learning ancient weaves, combined with the thrill of creating unique and varied pieces of jewellery from hundreds of round rings, has kept Jan mesmerized creating chainmaille jewellery for the past 6 years. I take great pride in creating heirloom quality jewellery in sterling silver, rolled gold, and copper, with a variety of other incorporated elements, including semi-precious stones and glass beads.

A few other examples of Jan Krutzelmann’s jewellery creations .