The Jewelry Blog: apatite

Friday, January 02, 2009

Happy New Year!!! Hamingjusamur Nýár! Feliz año nuevo! Verheugd Nieuwjaar!

Lapis Bracelet, aboveHave you made your New Year's Resolutions yet? I make mine every year, and it doesn't matter that I don't necessarily keep them; what matters is that I try to keep them and while I may not completely change for the better, I like to think that I am gradually progressing toward my goals.
Christmas provides an all too brief respite from work, and now it's time to get busy again. Making resolutions means that I have to examine different aspects of my life which in turn means examining not just my actions, but also my surroundings. And the Great Cleaning begins!

Garnet Bracelet above
Every year one of the resolutions that I have had on my list for many years now (at least 20) is to be more organized. Obviously since I am not the most organized person in the world, I am progressing slowly, tortoise-slowly, where that goal is concerned. But I still think that it helps to me every year to resolve to get better. And usually in some (little) ways I do.

Pearl Bracelets and below, Pearl Necklace

I will be doing an inventory this month and re-organizing my office/studio (and it does need it!). Some of the pieces that you see on this page are newer pieces that are in our inventory as of today although they may not all have the proper information on our site yet. Stop by and see us as we spruce up the Cluny Grey Jewelry site. And make those resolutions; after all, it can't hurt and may help!
Below, Apatite Bracelet

jewellery

accessories

handmade beaded jewelry

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

In the Merry Month of May

I love May, and not just because it's my birthday month. May is the month when Spring turns into Summer (at least here in Arkansas), the privet blooms and our backyard becomes perfumed like a night in Brazil, and my mood improves wonderfully (perhaps because my fibromyalgia does). I have been so busy with shipping and paperwork, not to mention trying to get my office/studio reorganized that I haven't had much time for making jewelry. Of course, I haven't had that drive lately that causes me to stay at the studio so late that I see the policemen change shifts in front of city hall across the way. I've been having ideas, but the ideas are such that I require hours of time to play with colour schemes, gemstones and manipulate wire without interruptions of any kind.
However, I did do the apatite bracelet above, 2 strands of sea-coloured apatite with lampwork beads by Lynn Nurge, while dreaming of crashing into waves with a kayak.

The bracelet above is unusual for me - a combination of brown and blue is not one I am known for. But the fantastic beads were my starting point, and I loved them so much I had to go with the two colours. So of course I chose pietersite for the brown: wonderful browns with great subtle patterns and sometimes glints of gold and blue. The Swarovski crystals keep the bracelet from becoming too earthy.

I adore lapis! The lapis earrings that you see here are made with some of my favorite pieces of lapis. The ones above feature good blue lapis with great ripples of sparkling gold pyrite-very nicely sparkling pyrite in chunky faceted nuggets. The earrings below feature some fantastic faceted diamond squares and rondelles of gorgeous blue that hang from sterling posts with spirals around a lapis cabachon.

Here's hoping for some time, totally free time, so that I can play, because play so often results in wonderful things!
Tell me, are the flowers blooming in Finland yet?

handmade beaded jewelry