Artist Cheryl Constien twists wire with beads to create jewelry

In a colorful corner of The Indie House's Free Spirit Studio, a mirror, a board and a half-dozen racks hold necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings -- all with beads in shimmering glass or stone. Cheryl Constien, a self-taught jewelry artist originally from California, said she loves the therapeutic aspect of making her creations, but it's about more than that.

"It's so much fun to take beads and wires and turn them into a piece of art someone can wear," she said.

Constien got started almost 20 years ago, when one of her sisters showed her how to string small "seed" beads into necklaces and bracelets.

"I really learned the basics from her -- how to attach a clasp and crimp the wires together, but strings of beads just wasn't really my style," she said.

Constien said it took only a few broken strings and beads spilled everywhere to convince her she needed to look in a different direction.

Constien makes a ring Feb. 3 at the Indie House.Andrew J. Whitaker

A friend mentioned she didn't want to spend $70 on a pair of pearl earrings she'd seen at a mall store, and that's when Constien discovered metal wire.

"I bought a ring mandrel after I learned how to wrap wire rings," Constien said, referring to a calibrated rod used to size and shape metal rings. "They come together so easily for me. I just love the process."

First, she cuts a length of wire a little longer than she thinks she'll need, then centers a bead and bends the wire on each side of it using one of several pairs of pliers she keeps on hand.

"Pull the wire as tight as it'll go; that's the secret," she said, noting the 18-gauge wire she was using is more forgiving of mistakes than heavier-gauge wire and holds its shape better than lighter-gauge wire.

She makes earrings as well, using the same tools slightly differently.

Constien makes a ring Feb. 3 at the Indie House.Andrew J. Whitaker

"I wrap a lot of my own earring wires," she said. "Even buying in bulk from a hobby store isn't as cost-effective as buying a spool of wire and bending my own."

Constien said she derives immense satisfaction from learning how to make different style ear wires, even though it takes more work.

"It's funny; I'm a very visual person, but I have to have someone show me how to do it," she said. "If I try to learn from instructions, I'll bend it backwards or something."

Constien is tight-lipped about her suppliers, saying only that she has a few online and in-person suppliers she travels to see.

"I used to go to a lot of bead shows, when they had them," she said. "There was one in St. Louis that, even though it was really small, like 15 booths, I still spent hours going through everything every vendor had. It was so great."

Constien makes a ring Feb. 3 at the Indie House.Andrew J. Whitaker

Constien said bead shows in California are bigger, with a wider variety of stock and pricing.

"It's important to walk the tables and comparison shop," she said. "One vendor might have a bundle for $5, another will have the same thing for $3, but someone else might have a little different package for $4. There's a lot to consider."

For Constien, who moved to Cape Girardeau 10 years ago with her family, making jewelry is as social as it is therapeutic.

"I love to get a group of friends together with some snacks, some wine, and have our beads and our wire and our tools on the table," she said. "It is so fun, and sometimes I'll surprise myself with what I'll make."

Sometimes, revisiting a piece she has made, she'll be amazed she made it.

"I also love seeing something I made on someone I care about," she said. "It's really a beautiful experience."

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

605 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.