Gemstone Bracelets with Color

 I love color in the middle of cold winter.  Above and below, Pierres a Trois is a gemstone bracelet with a strand of citrine a strand of garnet, and a strand of apatite.  Sterling silver charms hang around the bracelet and a sturdy sterling silver toggle clasp is the closure. Guaranteed to go with something you have in your closet!

 Below, purple goes so well with labradorite whether it's in the form of Swarovski crystals (tanzanite color) or in this case, genuine gemstone amethyst.  Very flashy labradorite and pretty quality amethysts make this bracelet very special.  With sterling silver accents and a wonderful sterling box clasp with a cabochon amethyst set into the top. A plethora of labradorite and amethyst charms hang from rings on one side of the bracelet.

 Perk up your spirits these cold days. Buy some new jewelry to add that je ne sais quoi to your boring winter clothes! Remember that shipping is free!

Life and Bracelets and Where's the Fall Collection?

Apatite Bracelet

I have been spending some time in Hot Springs, Arkansas lately where my best friend and most of my family live. That means that I am woefully behind on so many things and  I am struggling to catch up. 
 From the Fall Collection, now long overdue to be shown, are these bracelets that look great alone or stacked together on the wrist.  Above is a bracelet with sterling silver, apatite and a single lotus charm; below,  a similar bracelet with gem-quality faceted coin amethysts, sterling silver, and a fleur de lis charm.  The bracelet has a lobster clasp with a pretty flower on it.

Amethyst Bracelet

Chalcedony Bracelet

Above, a bracelet of blue chalcedony faceted ovals with sterling silver and a puffy star charm.

Below, simple round garnet beads are enhanced by a pretty little toggle clasp with a leaf design.  Thai Karen Hill Tribes charm has three sterling rounds hanging from a single loop.

Garnet Bracelet

Below, my favorite, because it's gold, of course, is this lapis bracelet with 14 karat gold-filled components including an oval blank that can be stamped with your initial. The coin lapis beads are especially pretty.

Lapis Lazuli Bracelet

Above and below, the bracelets paired.

Lapis, Carnelian, and Turquoise Bracelet with Gold-fill

I love the classic combination of carnelian, lapis, and turquoise in this mixed gemstone bracelet.  The large lapis nugget is especially beautiful with its golden sprinkling of pyrite. The gold is a mixture of gold-filled and vermeil.  The vermeil charms are little dragonflies hanging from a 14k gold-filled chain.  Two of the carnelian beads are beautifully carved and rather unusual. The turquoise is from the Sleeping Beauty mine and is a wonderful deep shade of blue.
  Please order early for Christmas this year as I will be heading off to Vienna, Salzburg, and then Bulgaria in mid-December.  If you need a custom piece, remember that they seldom cost more than any similar piece you would find on the site, yet you get personal attention and preferences.
  Now shipping is FREE to AUSTRALIA as it is in the USA: anything over 50.00 is FREE while purchases under $50 are only 1.95 to ship.

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!
Don't forget: FREE SHIPPING for purchases over $50.00; only $1.95 for purchases under $50.00.

Agates, Pearls, and Cluny the Cat

 I've longed for these days of snow, but they find me a bit under the weather! If you've ever had back and neck problems, you know the pain that can be involved, especially when trying to work at a desk. But Valentine's Day is fast upon us, so work I  must!  
Above, an agate bracelet with some of my favorite blue agate faceted ovals. They are as blue as can be, shiny, and chunky. All accents, including the toggle clasp, are sterling silver.
Below, another agate bracelet, this time featuring faceted blue agate rounds with areas of translucence and a "crackled" effect that provides texture and interest.  The bracelet has three strands: one strand is wire-wrapped agates strung together with sterling silver wire, one strand of tiny Thai Karen Hill Tribes beads, and one strand of oval links of sterling chain dangling little coin charms (all sterling, of course).

 Below is an agate necklace which I liked so much that I made one for myself.  These faceted ovals are huge! They are a wonderful silvery grey color with translucent areas and wispy black inclusions. 14 karat gold-filled beads are between each of the ovals and a 14 karat gold-filled toggle.

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 Below, 14 karat gold-filled earstuds dangle coppery golden freshwater pearls.

My Cluny cat, resting on the studio sofa where he spends a good bit of his time. 

Back from Bulgaria and New Jewelry

Happy New Year!  I am looking forward to 2014 being a wonderful, creative and productive year; I hope you are as well. I spent the Christmas holidays with my son and his family in Sofia, Bulgaria, the first time I had traveled to that country.  I've already fallen in love with Bulgaria despite not having it snow while we were there. Luckily, my son lives almost in the side of Mt. Vitosha and a quick drive did provide some white magic.  I fell in love with the food (ummmm, shopska salad and eggs panagyurishte ), the wonderful churches and monasteries, the people, the art. I saw fantastic early Thracian jewelry (Southeastern Bulgaria was part of Thrace at one time), wonderful icons, and ancient sites of worship.  I can't wait to go back. Of course, the main attraction was family, but Bulgaria with family is much better than Bulgaria on my own!

Above, the Rila monastery a couple of hours outside Sofia.

The jewelry today includes (above) a ruffled looking necklace made up of tightly strung dark blue chalcedony faceted briolettes; the color is fantastic!  Then a chalcedony bracelet that is a so rich looking with faceted rectangles of chartreuse chalcedony and 14 karat gold-filled beads and toggle clasp.
Below, vermeil earrings are graceful and reminiscent of some of the Byzantine jewelry I saw in Bulgaria where the gold is so pure that it shines a deep gold. The dangling tips are sunstones.

Below are bezel-set cabochon emeralds with sterling silver. The earwires are decorated with shiny hearts; below the oval emeralds are round hammered circles. Below the emerald earrings are dangle earrings with faceted bezel-set gemstones of pink chalcedony and garnets, also in sterling silver.

Oh, and I am enjoying tremendously the SNOW that we got on Tuesday. It was a rare delight to witness snow falling from morning until into the night and I was happy all day long! The snow energized me, and I was working hard on fulfilling those New Year's resolutions that I make every year. Meanwhile, work still continues on the new site.

Losing Weight, Kitties, and What About Jewelry?!

 I am the proud loser of 33 pounds!  I have been eating healfully since January of this year, eliminated all sodas, and even most artificial sweeteners, and I have learned to adore iced green tea - plain.  I've gone from wearing a size 12, sometimes 10, pant to a size 4! (Note: sizes have changed; even when I weighed 10 pounds less than I do now in the 'eighties, I still wore an 8, sometimes a 6 on rare occasions). 
Sorry, but I have to brag just a little.  The main motivator was my son who told me that he wanted me to be around for a long time for my 4 year old grand-daughter. I want to be here too!

 What are the cat pictures?  The upper picture is of Cluny, my namesake, and the lower of Cuervo Sebastian; both are boys.  They like to hang out up here on the fourth floor with me to, ahem, help me make jewelry.  You haven't lived until you've spilled an entire container of small beads and watched 2 cats go crazy.  I like it when they help me as they are in the pictures here.

 Don't forget that it will soon be Christmas before you know it and you are going to want some jewelry!  If it's custom jewelry that you want, please let me know in plenty of time, so you can choose designs and beads and gemstones at your leisure.  
Cluny and Cuervo will be here to help me!

More Jewelry from the Spring Collection

Today a sampling of jewelry with no rhyme or reason as to its inclusion except that all pieces are part of the Cluny Grey Spring Collection.
The first is a labradorite necklace with accents of 14 karat goldfill. Each single bead was chosen for its flash, and the little smooth briolettes in the center of the necklace gives it a "ruffled" look.

This labradorite necklace has two strands of labradorite in varying shapes, both faceted and smooth gemstones. Again, each gemstone of labradorite was chosen for its flash. The star of the necklace is the wonderful sterling silver pendant with bezel set smooth and faceted gemstones set in an assymetrical pattern.  The largest stone is a labradorite cabochon with amazing blue flash.  There's also a bezel-set garnet gemstone on the actual bail of the pendant. The two other gemstones are faceted rectangles of amethyst and blue topaz.

Sunstone earrings are simple smooth teardrop briolettes.

The emerald bracelet, above, boasts the addition of cultured freshwater coin pearls in the same emerald color. Emerald is one of the biggest colors for this spring.

Above and below, an aquamarine bangle bracelet features pretty blue aquamarines and sterling silver bangles; the mother of pearl bracelet below has clover-shaped cultured freshwater pearls as an accent on one side and 14 karat gold-filled accents. Both bracelets will look wonderful with Spring's colors of dusk blue, Monaco blue, and African violet.

Tourmaline is a perennial favorite and one of the most beautiful gemstones with its many varying colors which are mixed here in both the necklace and bracelet. Both pieces of tourmaline jewelry have a good measure of the valued pink tourmalines.

  Both pairs of quartz earrings are accented by sterling silver earwires with bezel-set white freshwater pearls.

More jewelry on Thursday!

Versatile Citrine; The Romance of Labradorite

Citrines are a favorite gemstone of mine; yes, it seems as though I say this about so many gemstones, but citrine is one of the gemstones I wear 2 or 3 times every week.  It is a versatile gemstone that can look dressy or casual and despite its being yellow, it works well with a lot of different clothing.  The citrine bracelet here has a touch of garnet (another very versatile stone) that grounds it. The three strands of the bracelet feature faceted nuggets of citrine in different sizes, faceted citrine rondelles, smooth rondelles, an artist's lampwork bead as a focal point and tiny little sterling silver Thai Karen Hill Tribes beads.  The final touch is a sterling toggle clasp that has cabochon citrines set into the ends of the toggle bar. Citrine really looks great with beige and khaki, pops with black, and lends a sparkle to white.

I have been working with labradorite quite a bit lately. I find labradorite a romantic gemstone that works greatly on my imagination.  My mind dwells on northern climes, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Canada, and I think of the fairy tales I read as a child about Hans and Gerda, the Snow Queen, and the reindeer of Lapland. I have a romantic image of these Northern countries to this day and cannot wait to visit Scandanavia (alas, it's not high on the list of friends and family who prefer tropical locations). Labradorite will forever remind me of the Aurora Borealis with its flash of blue and other cool colors. The labradorite bracelet, above and below, is made of two strands of labradorite and sterling silver. Every gemstone has been chosen for flash, and the crowning glory of this bracelet is a flashy toggle clasp of sterling silver with a bezel-set labradorite gemstone in the toggle ring.

When I first got this lavender tinted faceted rectangles, I thought to myself, whatever will I do with these? They are an odd color and seem to change color a bit with the light. But I still loved them nonetheless and kept them where I could see them because I found them pleasurable to look at. Then I saw these artist's lampwork beads and realized that they were perfect for the chalcedony. With a minimum of sterling silver so as to let the chalcedony be the star, the necklace is mainly the lampwork, three focals, and the faceted rectangles. It is an odd piece of jewelry, unusual in its color, but one that I find compelling in its difference.

FREE SHIPPING WITH ORDERS OVER $50.00; ONLY $1.95 SHIPPING WITH ORDERS UNDER $50.00!!!

Citrine: Stone of Success

A bit more on citrine today; it's an under-rated gemstone that is really quite wonderful. One of its best points is that its pretty color ranging from the palest yellow to a deep golden whiskey color plays well with others. It's great in combination with many other gemstones. And that is especially good news for those who want to wear their November birthstone, but feel that all yellow may not work with their wardrobe.  Above, citrine is a stunner with blue aquamarines. (Currently for sale on the Cluny Grey Jewelry site).
    Also, whether you believe in the power of gemstones or not, it is fascinating to read about the various qualities and forces which have been attributed to them, and citrine has some very, very special qualities.

• Citrine is known as the prosperity stone or the success stone.  This belief is so strong for some that they carry or wear a citrine gemstone with them when starting a new business or trying to revive an old one, or when they have had economic setbacks.
• Citrine is also known as a calming gemstone that will turn emotional chaos into order and soothe injured feelings.  It is believed to transform negative energy into positive energy.
• Citrine enhances mental clarity, confidence and willpower.
• Improves psychic awareness and spiritual development.
•  Improves self-awareness.
• Promotes joy and laughter.
• Helps those who have difficulty sleeping. A citrine(s) under one's pillow will eliminate nightmares and improve quality of sleep.

Above, one of my favorite bracelets combined citrine with pale grey ocean jasper rondelles.  Below, apatites lovely aqua is a great foil for light colored citrine.

Two more citrine based combinations:above, a carved amethyst gemstone flower sits atop a large faceted citrine nugget. Below, genuine sapphires ground a citrine bracelet full of carved citrine gemstones.

Citrine and rubies! You bet!They are stunning together, especially so with the addition of intricate pieces of sterling silver (from Bali and the Thai Karen Hill Tribes).  Is it a ruby bracelet or a citrine bracelet?  Perfect for the person who has a November birthday and a special someone with a July birthday.
  In fact, some of the prettiest bracelets that we make combine birthstones of family members, or the two birthstones of a couple. We can make bracelets with gemstone combinations that look beautiful (okay, so you don't think that red, purple, and yellow (July or January, February, and November) will look good together? Wait until you see what we can do! We guarantee that you'll love it!)
  Remember, it is not too early for us to make a memorable gift for you to give to that special someone for Christmas! Our custom pieces are priced just as our website pieces are - there is no special charge to have a custom piece made! And if you don't like it, you don't have to buy it! No money up front - you don't pay until you approve the final bracelet and it is ready to ship!

FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS $50 AND OVER; ONLY $1.95 FOR ORDERS UNDER $50.00.