The gorgeous pieces of copper jewelry shown below were created by Debra Monteith of Twisted by Choice. She created these pieces using our 22 mil copper sheet along with various beads, accents, and wires. She chooses to work with 22 mil copper as it is a flexible, yet durable material. She uses a Dremel rotary tool, along with any other tools on hand, to scrape a design into the copper. She likes to take into account the environmental aspects of sealant and additives, so she likes to create her own patina solutions uses beeswax as a sealant. Her designs include copper pieces that she has carved, or hand-cut spoons, or stones that she has found... anything that she finds interesting, she may find a way to work into her bracelet or necklace designs. Her bio appears below the pictures.
Debra Montieth Bio & Inspiration
My childhood was spent in the Bronx of Montreal kicking the can, watching Lassie, visiting my grandmother in the summers, cruising around in an old tin boat on the St. Lawrence River and swimming all day. The love I have for art comes from that simple life and its surroundings. My great grandfather painted on the sides of carriages, my grandfather wrote poetry, my dad a cabinet maker and carver. All those people instilled in me a passion I cannot ignore. I began painting in the early 1990’s in a little town called Rocky Harbor, Newfoundland. The conversations with the fishermen, the rugged landscape and the culture allowed me to take a different look at myself and I have never looked back. I still paint, but now I want to express myself with jewelry color, shape, and the motion of a piece. All of these elements tell someone else who you are. My vision has always been to improve myself daily and I try to depict that in my jewelry. My jewelry lines are all totally different. "Metal Madness" are pieces made with copper and aluminum, "Mirror Yourself" pieces are created with Recycled Glass, "Fallen Branches" items have been made with found wood and hand dyed ribbon, "Somewhere in time" is a category with a vintage feel, and "Totally Twisted" is a category just for me which changes weekly!
I feel we all have a very important job to do in protecting this precious place we live. Twisted by Choice uses recycled aluminum, glass and fallen branches in most pieces. I hear words at shows like "different", "unique", and "unusual", and that is music to my ears. I recently changed the look of packaging to reflect the places I've traveled or lived through the course of my art process. The pictures not only share with you the places but a feeling, a glance, at a time that I treasure.