Snowfall, Lampwork and Turquoise

I am sitting in my fourth floor studio with a window halfway open even though it is 29 degrees outside (it does get warm up here with an eastern and southern exposure) and I am joyfully awaiting the snowfall that is supposed to be coming our way.  I am hoping that we get at least the 4 to 8 inches promised by the forecast and I will do a jubilant dance in the street if we get the 12 inches the forecasters say is possible.
Before you erroneously think that I am some kind of outdoors woman or snow bunny, let me assure you that I enjoy the snow mostly from inside my townhouse, snug and warm, watching heavy flakes fall past the windows while I make hot tea and eat dark chocolate. I simply think that snow is one of nature's most beautiful products, and it produces in me a feeling of loving home, snugness, happiness, and links me, for some reason, to a past when snow meant people huddling around fires trying to stay warm.  The snow gives me energy and inspires me as well, so it's no wonder that I await its arrival with happy anticipation.
I have been working without real direction lately so  you see a mixed bag of jewelry here. Above is a fantastic necklace with deep blue genuine aquamarines and pretty 14 karat gold-filled accents.

Swarovski and Lampwork Bracelet

I have also been working on lampwork bracelets as you can see above and below. The bracelet above is a wonderful aqua blue with Swarovski crystals and sterling silver. The second strand is a chain that comes from the Thai Karen Hill Tribes. The lampwork bracelet, below, features sterling silver, black Swarovski crystals, and artist's lampwork beads that have an almost tiger-striped look.   The clasp has a cabochon black onyx set into it while a dragonfly charm hangs from a sterling chain.

Last, a prayer box necklace made from very nice blue turquoise tiny, tiny pebbles. The prayer box itself is a favorite since it has crosses on three sides with a cabochon gemstone set in the middle. The stones are turquoise, black, and red. The necklace also features a toggle with an onyx cabochon.

Here's to loving snow!
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The Christmas Season Is Here!

When I was a little girl (in the late 'fifties and early'sixties), it seemed that Christmas didn't come until about 5 days before. In Hot Springs, Arkansas where I grew up, the yearly Christmas parade was on December 2nd - I remember because that was the birth date of my younger twin sisters. But between the 2nd and the day of Christmas, the time crawled unbelievably slowly, and it was only then that some stores began to put up Christmas decorations; most people got their Christmas trees the week or a few days before Christmas.
      However, while many people deplore the early start of Christmas nowadays, I love it! Christmas decorations take time to put up; it's good to leave them up for more than 5 days or so.
    I love the Christmas mood that many people seem to share this time of year, too (as long as they are not desperately shopping on Christmas Eve day!).
    I love Christmas songs which I've been singing to my grand-daughter before she takes her afternoon nap. "Christmas songs or regular songs?" I ask her as she lies on the bed, and she quickly answers, "Christmas songs!" She seems especially to like We Three Kings, O Holy Night, God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen.
   Christmas is especially enjoyable if you do your Christmas shopping early and online.  At Cluny Grey Jewelry, I am already doing some custom pieces, and I can do them exactly as the client wants them since we have plenty of time to email back and forth and for mailing.
   The newest additions to the site are here:  above, a blue topaz bangle bracelet with gem quality London blue topazes and sterling silver Thai Karen Hill Tribes accents.
     Below, a favorite combination of mine is lapis and 14 karat goldfill.  I am very fond of chain bracelets; this lapis bracelet carries the lapis theme to the other side of the bracelet with coin lapis beads.  A hammered disk adds texture and interest so that whichever side of the bracelet shows, it looks beautiful.  The large focal lapis rectangle is wrapped with goldfill and has a goldfilled flower charm on it.  A gold sand dollar hangs beside the goldfilled toggle clasp. Gold and lapis is a jewelry trend that is here to stay!

Below, a rose quartz bangle bracelet with the prettiest pinkest faceted squares and rectangles of rose quartz with sterling silver.  Pink and sterling silver are so very pretty together.  The toggle clasp has a flower on it.

Below, I love drusies, simply because I love sparkle! This blue chalcedony drusy is complemented by Montana agate ovals in black and grey tinged with blue.  Intricate sterling silver  and a blue topaz charm add to its charm.

This simple necklace is really a knockout because of the three wonderful carved genuine aquamarine leaves. The leaves are a gorgeous shade of aquamarine blue and rather thick (so many carved gemstones are very thin) and rich.  The leaves hang from a goldfilled chain.

Enjoy this Christmas season, and if I can help you with a gift for someone very special, please let me know.



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Jewelry Trends for Fall

Although it is not officially here until next week, I can smell Fall in the air, and feel the energy that comes along with the season. I'm continuing to post pieces from the new Fall Collection on the Cluny Grey Jewelry website.  Here are some of the pieces that will be posted this week:
Above and below: the aqua chalcedony bracelet features gold chain which is a big fashion trend this year.  The chalcedony here is beautiful; the smaller gemstone serves as a counter-weight  so that the bracelet does not keep turning over. 14 karat goldfill and vermeil.

Below, a prehnite bracelet features pretty translucent green olive faceted gemstones linked together with sterling silver and closing with a filigree cameo clasp.

Below, a pretty bracelet in chrysoprase has a feminine flowered toggle clasp in sterling silver and little round cabochon chrysoprase charms.

A drusy pendant is the focal of this necklace of tourmalinated quartz and amethysts. The faceted flat quartz nuggets are partially translucent and separated by translucent amethysts pebbles.  The back of the necklace is a heavy sterling silver chain.  The drusy pendant has a sparkling black drusy surround by sterling silver and four faceted bezel-set amethysts. The perfect necklace to go from work to happy hour, to pair with a LBD or with a favorite  dress.

Below, the bracelet of tourmalinated quartz and amethysts, sold separately, is a perfect match for the drusy necklace above. 

The aquamarine necklace features only aquamarine and sterling silver.  The aquamarines are smooth ovals, faceted nuggets, and pretty briolettes clustered at the center. This would look great with navy - the neutral this season, and also with burgundy, the really hot color for Fall/Winter.

Pearls are big this season! The freshwater pearl bracelet above is meant to be worn with the chalcedony nugget and the pretty toggle clasp on top of the wrist.  The toggle clasp has a bezel set pearl.  The aqua chalcedony is a beautiful faceted nugget.
   Below, three strands of freshwater pearls mix with gold and mother-of-pearl.  The gold, including the pretty puffed heart charm, is 14 karat goldfilled.  The geometric look comes from an open square of mother-of-pearl with a fluted 14 karat goldfilled bead inside it.

The earrings below are chalcedony in  a minty green topped with genuine rubies.  All metal is sterling silver. Beautiful with black - and the colors show up with most hair colors.

Chain bracelets are another big trend this year; add charms and you have a real winner.  All sterling silver with a sterling silver toggle clasp with a cabochon onyx embedded in a triangle of the toggle. The sterling chains range in size from 2mm to 8mm.

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Red for Ruby, Green for Peridot, Aqua for Aquamarine

Tomorrow is the first day of July and the sultry days of summer are upon us!   The current temp here in Arlington is 103 degrees Fahrenheit!  But here are some cool jewelry pieces that  make the summer heat bearable!  

   Above, my new favorite aquamarine necklace is made with sparkling aquamarine rondelles and nuggets and one beautiful slightly translucent agate faceted oval, the perfect foil for the wonderful blue of the aquamarine.

In readiness for July whose birthstone is the ruby are the following bracelet and earrings.  First, a ruby bracelet gets some cool tones from gem-quality apatite and gleam from 14 karat gold-filled accents. Little charms of apatite and a larger sand dollar charm are on either side of the bracelet.  The focal point is a large flat, faceted ruby nugget!

Above, these ruby earrings with their pinkish glow cool down some with sterling silver and faceted aquamarine rondelles. The earwires are from Bali and have a hand-decorated sterling silver flower on the front. The ruby earrings below feature 14 karat gold-filled beads and accents and some of our favorite larger faceted ruby nuggets!

Below peridot faceted rondelles team up with greenish-gold freshwater coin pearls in this freshwater pearl bracelet with sterling silver.

The coin pearl necklace below has gleaming champagne coin pearls with what looks like a pearl on top of each coin.  They give this coin pearl necklace a pretty lacy effect.  14 karat gold-filled accents add sophistication to this classic necklace.

Cloisonne beads are focals in the bracelet and the earrings above. In the bracelet, the faceted rondelles are peridots; the toggle clasp and beads are gold vermeil.  The earrings have fan-shaped cloisonne beads, 14 karat gold-filled beads and earwires, and genuine emerald rondelles.

  Enjoy your summer and don't forget the FREE SHIPPING in the USA for purchases over $50.00!

Aquamarines, Blue Topaz, and Other Delights!

March is the month of aquamarines, and aquamarine is truly one of the most popular gemstones that I sell. It's probably because they are not just beautiful whether they are a greenish colour, dark or light blue, or filled with inclusions, but because they mix so well with so many other gemstones. The first offerings here are aquamarines of varying colours and quality.

   Above is an aquamarine bracelet made with faceted slabs of blue aquamarine with 14 karat goldfilled accents and artist's lampwork beads. Below is an  aquamarine necklace made with large faceted rondelles in graduated size.  These aquamarines have a greenish colour and even a yellowish tint occasionally. They have a high polish and really shine; small accents are of sterling silver.

The following three aquamarine bracelets illustrate just how different aquamarine jewelry can look. The first bracelet has light blue aquamarines with gold vermeil accents, the second mixes sterling silver with fiery sunstone. And finally, the last aquamarine bracelet is one of my favorite combinations: rubies and aquamarines with sterling silver. The second strand is a sterling chain dangling a few rubies.

The two bracelets below are a kyanite bracelet with sterling and artist's lampwork, and a turquoise bracelet with vermeil.

The last three bracelets are made of blue topaz. It is difficult for me to keep blue topaz jewelry on my website; it generally sells very quickly. The blue topaz that I use, whether it is the lighter Swiss Blue Topaz or the darker London Blue is always gem quality, and such fun to create with! The middle bracelet features Swiss Blue topaz while the top and bottom bracelets feature gorgeous tiny (3mm) faceted London Blue topaz in sterling silver and 14 karat goldfill respectively.

NOTE:  My clunygre @clunygreyjewelry.com e-mail has been down and while the hosting service said that they have resolved the problem, there is at least one week of emails that I apparently will never get back.  If you sent an email and didn't receive an answer, please email again!

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