jujyfruit necklace

my favorite candy and now my new favorite necklace!  i love the saturated hues of these tumbled glass pebbles but couldn’t quite figure out what to do with them until recently.  i’m pretty proud of the finishing touches, too, like the knot in the tangerine silk cord:

and the funky button closure:

love it!  just wanted to share.

flattery will get you everywhere

when i first put my jewelry on the interweb, i was unsure how it would be received.  sure, family and friends loved it and encouraged me to get out there, but it was still scary to ask total strangers if they liked my work.

just the act of putting myself out there has made me more confident about my jewelry, but compliments from strangers never hurt!  the other day someone said to me that they like my jewelry because they rarely wear any jewelry.  although it may not sound like a compliment to others, i thought it was a great because i strive to create everyday, not-too-fussy pieces. so i was really flattered!

then today, my upcycled red and aqua jewelry storage board was featured in the top picks on cosa verde‘s website!  so cool.  thanks everybody.

fiery sunset earrings

i have a love/hate relationship with red but just a straight-up love relationship with orange.  (not sure where my red-phobia comes from, i can’t blame it on cabbage patch kid like i can with purple.)  when paired together, the orange tones down the ‘red-ness’ of red and makes it warm and toasty.  plus these faceted ruby quartz beads aren’t just red…they’re a deep ruby slipper kind of red.  so i can get into that.

add a bali sterling silver spacer bead (um, another fave of mine) and hang them from gunmetal, and i may just have to reconsider my feelings about red.

they’re available at my etsy store for $22 USD and would warm up any day.  even if there’s tons of snow and your capital isn’t functional.  ahem.

queen of hearts

when i was little, i played the queen of hearts in alice of wonderland.  i hung onto the skirt i wore as part of my costume forever–i still remember it: red check gingham happiness.

when i saw these red beads, they just struck a chord.  they are a gorgeous bright red at the center with delicate swirls spinning out to a clear finish.  you have to see them to believe them.

i added gunmetal, bali sterling silver, and black matte czech glass beads to make them shine.

available at my etsy store for $20 USD.  perfect for your queen of hearts!

i’m still donating $5 for every item sold to the aid organization of your choice to help the victims of the haiti earthquakes.  i know it’s out of the media for the most part, but as someone who went to assist with rebuilding in mississippi a year after katrina, i can tell you the work has just begun.  you cannot believe how much devastation there can be.  let’s keep doing what we can.

mmm…it’s so pretty i could eat it!

i love the warm rich yellow of golden yellow chalcedony–and this faceted one pairs perfectly with micro-faceted garnets and hessonite garnets.  the deep colors remind me of caramel!

mmm, caramel.  i think the sterling silver might get stuck in your teeth, though, so this one is best worn around the neck.  i just want to wear it to ward off the doom and gloom of the rain clouds on their way.

this one-of-a-kind necklace measures 19 inches, though i’d be happy to shorten it for you, and it’s available at my etsy store for $50 USD and arrives, as usual, nestled safely in my handmade paper box.

and i’m still donating to the red cross: $5 for every item purchased through my etsy store!  and for everyone who ‘hearts’ my store by adding me to their etsy favorites (you’ll need to sign up for an account if you don’t already have one, but it’s free) i’ll donate $1, no purchase required.

january’s gemstone in two fun shapes!

garnets are gorgeous!

i decided to use these rich red semi-precious stones in both of these earrings.

the hoops (left) are made of micro-faceted garnets for maximum sparkle.  i added a few bali sterling silver spacers at the bottom of each hoop and wrapped it all up with sterling silver wire.  they dangle from sterling silver earwires for a total length of 1.75 inches.  they’re available at my etsy store for $30 USD and would make a great valentine’s day gift for that special someone.  like yourself!

the cluster earrings (at right) are made of a medley of garnets and freshwater pearls.  each bead is individually wire-wrapped with sterling silver, giving these babies a little movement.  they’re available at my etsy store for $44 USD.

i’m still donating $5 for each item purchased through my etsy store to the aid organization of your choice for haiti. participate in ‘hearts for haiti’, too–add my store to your favorites list and i’ll donate a $1 to red cross.  you’ll need an account, but it’s free!

lookie here, el nino…

rain, rain , go away!  i can’t take (decent) photographs on a dark and stormy day!

i have all this cool stuff to show you, but i have to wait for the sunshine to come back before i can get pictures.  so stay tuned, because i have tons of garnet earrings and other red jewelry for the happy heart day coming up.  look for it at my etsy store!

good things!

by which i mean what tends to come in small packages (as opposed to any reference to ms. stewart–no offense martha).

i just made these little cuties, and i think they are so sweet.  just the right amount of sparkle from a petite package due to the micro-faceting of the garnets i selected (january’s birthstone!).  i wire-wrapped them with sterling silver wire so they wouldn’t be too saccharin, then i dangled them from sterling silver earwires.  they remind me of little cherries.

they measure in at just 1 inch (!), including earwires, and are available at my etsy store for $22 USD plus shipping & handling.

perfect for little girls, big girls, january babies and mommies, sweethearts, or bridesmaids (i can make multiples of these pretties)!

can i keep it?

this wood pendant just spoke to me at the bead store, so i brought it home, and man, am i glad i did.  i don’t know if it’s algae or coral or a brain cell, but i really like it.  i added some red coral (sustainable source) and hammered balinese sterling silver, then strung it on a hand-sewn black silk cord.  it’s finished off with a sterling silver lobster clasp and i kind of hope no one buys it so i can keep it.

it’s available at my etsy store for $40 USD plus shipping and handling.

red rock bracelet

a one-of-a-kind solid bracelet made of red agate nuggets encircle your wrist, secured with a handmade sterling silver clasp.

bracelet measures 7.5 inches.

it’s available at my etsy store for $28 USD plus shipping and handling.