more branches!

when i saw this cast sterling silver branch, i knew i had to have it.  when it arrived in the mail, i spent a long time thinking about how to do it justice.  i wanted to highlight it’s delicate nature and organic form but i didn’t want to overwhelm it’s simple elegance.

so i decided to hang some wire-wrapped gemstones from the branch: a single rock crystal and three  peridot drops.  to bring out the beautiful green of the peridot, i added more wire-wrapped peridot to the sterling silver chain all the way around and i finished it with a sterling silver lobster clasp.

it’s available at my etsy store for $42 USD.

wow! who knew?!

march is colorectal cancer awareness month.  american red cross month.  women’s history month (celebrate international women’s day on march 8th) .

it’s got the first day of spring, national reading day (celebrating dr. seuss‘s birthday on march 2nd), and texas independence day (yeehaw! get the day off in texas on march 2nd).  new mexico celebrates pluto planet (?!) day on march 13th, we all celebrate the assassination of julius cesar during the ides of march (march 15th), and–pinch me!  kiss me!–who could forget saint patrick’s day, another excuse for hallmark to make green, on march 17th.  and of course, there’s the annual christian rite of biting the heads off chocolate bunnies.  i mean, easter.

march has its own flower: the narcissus, a pretty little plant that forces it’s way up through the earth around this time of year as it insists that it is, finally, spring.  if you’re in macon, georgia, celebrate the cherry blossom festival march 19-28.  if you’re in japan, watch for “blossom forecasts” and go out and and have a picnic as you engage in hanami, the custom for enjoying the beauty of flowers (also usually cherry blossoms).

and then there’s the beautiful birthstone of march: aquamarine, pictured above in a wire-wrapped pendant with rock crystal, apatite, and a deep blue swarovski crystal.  look for it soon at my etsy store!

and don’t forget to save a spider on march 14th and drink up for world water day on march 22nd.

beachy keen

was it the rain?

i got inspired to make some tumbled beach glass jewelry over the weekend.  being somewhat allergic to matchy-matchy, i made each piece so that it stands on its own; they are united by the materials used, though.  get the whole set for just $100 USD at my etsy store–a $24 savings; like getting the earrings for just $4!–details at each listing, just click on any picture.

the necklace is made of tumbled sea glass and rock crystal, green peridot rounds, and sterling silver.  strung on nylon coated stainless steel wire for durability and a little shape.  it measures 17 inches long and is available at my etsy store for $58 USD.

the bracelet is also made of tumbled sea glass and rock crystal, but i’ve added green peridot drops and aqua blue apatite.  it’s finished with a sterling silver toggle clasp and measures just over 8 inches.  available at my etsy store for $38 USD.

the earrings are made with tumbled sea glass, rock crystal, peridot and apatite, all wire-wrapped with sterling silver wire onto sterling silver earwires.  they measure 1 and 1/2 inches long, including earwires and are available at my etsy store for $28 USD.

wood smoke earrings

it took me a while to get these just right (plus i had to head back out to the garage to fire up the ole butane torch and make some more headpins) but i think i nailed it.

made to pair with the wood smoke necklace, they’re made of rutilated quartz with oxidized sterling silver.  i wire-wrapped each bead to form a cluster and dangle them from sterling silver earwires.  i made the headpins myself and then oxidized and hand-burnished them so they would have a little shine to them.

available at my etsy store for $38 USD as part of the urban prairie collection.

smoky beauty

oooh!  i’m so happy with how this turned out.  it’s glamorous.  it’s fabulous.  it begs to go out on the town or down to the pub.  i love the inclusions in the rutilated quartz and the handmade chain with the burnished, oxidized sterling silver.

i’ve hung the rich, faceted smoky quartz nugget from a chain that is made of rutilated quartz wire-wrapped on oxidized sterling silver. it’s finished it with an oxidized sterling silver lobster clasp; i’ve hand-burnished the metal to give it a little shine.

dress it up or dress it down, this smoky beauty is sure to wow.

available at my etsy store for $72 USD.  it’s part of the urban prairie collection.

matching earrings soon to follow!

smokiness

sneak peek at what i’ve been working on today: a big chunky faceted smoky quartz dangles as a pendant; i’ve wire-wrapped faceted rutilated quartz to make a chain out of oxidized sterling silver wire.  i think the dark grey of the wire compliments the smoky quartz perfectly!  look for it soon at my etsy store.

one bourbon, one scotch, and one beer…

well, okay, they’re not exactly my tribute to george thoroughgood, but they are fabulously delicious.

i recently learned how to oxidized and hand-burnish sterling silver to give that shiny metal a little dark edge.  the oxidizing deepens the color, ranging from a reddish coppery hue to a dark blue-black. for these beauties, i took the wire out of the sulphur solution about halfway through, so they are a dark grey color.  then i hand-burnished them with a brass brush to even out the tone and give them some shine.

when paired with smoky quartz, citrine, and hessonite (an orange garnet), they look infinitely better than bright white sterling slver.  they’re available at my etsy store for $32 USD and are part of my delicas collection.

perfect for adding an edgy classiness to just about any outfit, day or night, they would make a great valentine’s gift (wink, wink; nudge, nudge!).  they can still get to you in time as long as you order by the 10th of february.  i’ll continue to donate $5 for every purchase made at my etsy store until v-day to benefit the victim’s of the earthquakes in haiti.  sure to warm everyone’s heart.

cluster fun

so I got inspired by a custom piece that i have been working on  to make these pretty blue cluster earrings (left, available at my etsy store for $36 USD)…and then i got a little carried away with the cluster theme and i just couldn’t stop (center, pink, available at my etsy store for $42 USD).  i just kept going…and going…(right, green, available at my etsy store for $28 USD).

the beauty of winter

maybe i’m just a touch sentimental because i haven’t seen one in a while–and it’s not looking good, what with relocating to southern cal–but i love the concept of winter: snow, icicles, clear blue skies.  you’ll notice there’s no shoveling, tire chains, or grey skies in my winter wonderland, but you can be sure there are sleds and hot cocoa with those little marshmallows.

yeah, childhood rocked.  and i brought back the wonder and beauty of it with these of winter-inspired necklaces.  put one on and remember the good times.

TOP LEFT: beautifully faceted quartz briolettes dangle like icicles from wire-wrapped sterling silver. this handmade, one-of-a-kind necklace is finished with sterling silver chain and a sterling silver lobster clasp.

necklace measures 20 inches in length but can be shortened to meet your needs at no additional charge.  it’s available at my etsy store for $42 USD plus shipping & handling.

RIGHT: remind yourself of the breathtaking side of winter with this sterling silver and quartz necklace. faceted quartz in multiple hues are wire-wrapped onto sterling silver chain and secured with a sterling silver lobster clasp.

necklace is 18 inches long; stones drop 2 inches.  it’s available at my etsy store for $38 USD plus shipping & handling.

deep waters combo

even in the deepest of waters there is life. faceted jet, blue quartz, and olivine beads alternate with sparkling sterling silver from thailand. a sterling silver lobster clasp secures the necklace.  it measures 16 inches in length and is available at my etsy store for $36 USD.

matching earrings contain crystalline blue quartz and deep black jet dangling from sterling silver earwires.  they measure 1.5 inches in length and are available at my etsy store for $20 USD.