Hartman wins first, second in fair jewelry competition

Patricia Hartman won first-place and second-place category awards for her jewelry at the San Diego County Fair's gems, minerals, and jewelry competition. Hartman's necklace called "Roses and Vines" took first place in the Metal Clay Jewelry, Single Piece, With or Without Stones class. Her brooch "Sterling Lace Fantasia" received second place in the Wire Worked Jewelry, Single Piece, May Include Stones category.

"I seem to do really well with the gems and minerals show," Hartman said. "I usually win something."

In 2014, Hartman won first place in the Wire Worked Jewelry, Single Piece class for a pendant with crystal and sterling tube beads and third place in the Metal Clay Jewelry, Single Piece, With or Without Stones category for a necklace with crystal and glass beads.

"Roses and Vines" is a necklace with three hand-sculpted bronze metal clay roses, a fold filled chain, and a dichroic glass pendant with fused bronze roses.

"I was pretty happy because it took me like three months," Hartman said. "I kept undoing it and redoing it."

Hartman shaped the bronze roses by hand. Originally she had seven, but while she was replacing the computer monitor on her desk the roses dropped on the floor and some were crushed. "I was upset because I was making the necklace at the time and I needed the roses," she said.

The fair's judges do not like glue, and the spaces thenecklace had for the roses were not conducive to an alternative. "Ihad to redesign it based on how many roses I had," Hartman said.

"Sterling Lace Fantasia" is a sterling woven brooch with center dichroic glass featuring an eyeball stone – a dragon eye according to Hartman – and an attached coiled and twisted wire chain. "I made a bunch of eyeballs and I started feeding wire around them," Hartman said.

Hartman entered two necklaces, a bracelet, a pair of earrings, and a pin in the jewelry competition. Her earrings did not place in the Art Jewelry, Original Concept, One Piece or Set category, but one of the viewers of "All Ears" made arrangements to purchase the spiral earrings.

"The judges always want something different," Hartman said. "On the other hand, you want something people can wear."

Hartman has been making jewelry for more than 40 years. She was raised in Los Angeles and moved from Oceanside to Fallbrook 22 years ago.