I had an epiphany today. While oxidizing two pieces I finished this morning, I was musing on why I suddenly like the oxidized look, while I couldn't stand the sight of it (only on my pieces, of course) before.
And then it hit me. The patina brings out all the details in the jewelry, so if your piece is flawlessly executed, beautifully done, it brings out all that and more, making your jewelry sparkle and truly shine. However, if your piece has mistakes, even relatively tiny ones, the dark shadow shows it as well, much more so than if the piece is shiny and bright. If your oval frame is not even on both sides, or if your coiling is not well done, meaning it has spaces between the frame and coils, if you have all sorts of gaps in various places, which shouldn't be there, if your loops are not yet well executed, stay away from oxidizing your piece! In other words, if you're a wire wrapping newbie, leave your pieces shiny and bright, mistakes are less visible this way.
I've checked out a few older pieces which at the time I thought were great - right until I put them in liver of sulphur, which ruined the pieces and the experience. Looking back at these, I can see why I no longer liked them oxidized :)
And also I can see how far I came since the wire wrapping beginnings. I am more confident in my work, I truly like what I do, the journey as well as the result, and when I oxidize the new jewelry, it's finally something pleasing to the eyes :)
