The View from Up Here

Finally! I am in the process of moving the studio into our permanent building - on the fourth floor - and no, there's no elevator.  I am happy to have my extremely large desk and workbench set up with all my already made jewelry on shelves.  However, the beads, gemstones, and all the things necessary to make the jewelry are on the first floor! Right now, I'm just happy to have what I have in place.  The studio has great windows on the south and the east walls, and I also have a flat-screen television!

   While I haven't been able to make any jewelry at all for the last two weeks (and I'm suffering, believe me!), I do have a couple of pieces I made before the madness started.  These little bracelets are some of my favorites, and I wear similar ones everyday.  When I go out, I generally pile my jewelry on, but now that my office is in the same place I am (and the VA one has been for the last 2 years), I tend to wear these light chain and gemstone bracelets all the time, usually several at once, or one on the same wrist as my watch or on the wrist with my large link chain bracelet that I never take off.  These are going to be for sale on the website under Gemstone Bracelets since I thought others might need lighter bracelets because of the work they do during the day.  Enjoy!
 
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African Rhythms

I'm still catching up from my trip to Africa, but here are a few samples of jewelry pieces that are in my new collection called African Rhythms. It's going to take me a few days to get them on the pages of the website since I am still behind on shipping, but they will be there soon with more to come! Enjoy!

To the left, a lampwork bracelet with special lampwork beads, a sterling silver bird toggle,  and Swarovski crystals in a copper colour.  Below, Swarovski crystals in rainbow colours grace the Swarovski bracelet with sterling silver.

Above is an iolite bracelet and below:

a fire agate bracelet;  followed by bracelets of lampwork and Swarovski red magma;  smoky quartz with gold vermeil;  leopardskin jasper;  carnelian, citrine, and amethyst, and a necklace made of sterling silver and chalcedony.

Countdown!

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I can remember a time when I was quite small when the month of December was one of the longest in the calendar.  Those days are long gone!  Time is flying quickly toward Christmas Day and even faster to the day I leave for Africa.  I have been busy with custom orders and all sorts of preparations, so I have only three bracelets today.  The first is a Swarovski bracelet with five strands of Swarovski bicone crystals in Pacific opal, white opal, white opal starshine, white opal sky blue, violet opal, peach, tanzanite, and Montana blue. It features a sterling silver toggle clasp.

   The next jewelry piece is a garnet bracelet with a very special large clasp with seven cabochon garnets bezel-set into the top.  A few rose quartz gemstones are scattered throughout the five strands for a difference in colour and texture.

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The last piece is a blue topaz bracelet that is made as a bangle with sterling silver hand-decorated tubes from the Thai Karen Hill Tribes.  I usually make blue topaz pieces using London blue topaz, a darker blue, but I fell in love with these Swiss blue topazes because of their intense blue colour .  They are faceted rounds set off by all Hill Tribes elements reminiscent of flowers and vines with a toggle that is made of leaves. All sterling silver.

Shipping is free with any purchase over 50.00; a low 1.95 with any purchase under 50.00

Thanksgiving Eve

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday although this year our gathering will be a small one. Still, it is the one holiday where one eats, drinks, visits, and generally feels absolutely justified in doing nothing except feeling thankful that one can eat, drink and visit.

I am not one of those who will show up at 3:00 a.m. Friday morning to get all the "good" sales. Ugh! The very thought of it strikes terror in my heart. I have become increasingly an online shopper since it is so simple and I can shop when I'm in the mood, not when the store happens to be open. With so many stores having liberal return policies and free shipping, some of the last barriers to easy online shopping are disappearing.

For those of you who follow this blog and are thinking of Christmas jewelry, be warned that I am leaving Dec. 17th to go to Africa for Christmas, so get in the jewelry order early! I'm still doing custom orders, too, but do arrange with me soon to have your piece made.

Today, some of the latest pieces: above, a chrysoprase bracelet with artist's lampwork and two strands of sterling silver and chrysoprase. Below, an agate bracelet with pretty speckled agate. The next gemstone bracelet is made with some of my favorite prehnite; it's chunky and sharply faceted.  The artist's lampwork with the prehnite is some of our prettiest from Enchanted Dreams.

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I am very fond of bracelets with more than one strand; that is only one reason I like the blue lace agate bracelet below. The flower theme is present in the prettiest artist's lampwork bead of dark blue with light blue flowers, stamped flower charms and a pretty sterling silver flower-themed clasp. The bracelet is all blue lace agate with the exception of the focal gemstone which is made of darker blue chalcedony.

Above is the first prayer box necklace I've made in gold.  The prayer box itself is a bit different than one usually expects.  It is a filigree style round shape (and it does open) topped with a pretty cabochon garnet. The prayer box itself is made of vermeil (gold over sterling silver) and the very long chain is 14 karat goldfill.

The earrings below are, in order: briolette earrings;  aquamarine earrings created from lovely faceted aquamarine briolettes of an intense blue;  ruby earrings handcrafted of ruby briolettes, vermeil, and goldfill.

   The last piece is unusual for me; it is a watch and not just an ordinary watch.  The face of the watch is encrusted with Swarovski crystals; the band is made of Swarovski crystals and faceted black onyx and, of course, sterling silver.  It would be great to wear to a Christmas or New Year's party.

   I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving and hope that you get to spend it with people you love!

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Cloisonne, Et Al

I've been working with cloisonne a bit; it seems that when I get some cloisonne on the site, it sells (a good thing), but it does make keeping the cloisonne page full difficult. Cloisonne has been around for a long time - supposedly since the Yuan Dynasty in China (approximately 1279 A.D.) although some sources say that it originated in the Middle East and was perfected by the Chinese and the French (in fact, the term cloisonne is French). Little wire filaments (usually gold) are applied to metal then filled in with enamel. The cloisonne can be made with base metal, bronze, copper, brass, gold-plated, goldfilled, or genuine gold, or sterling silver. The cloisons are the spaces or sections within the wire that are filled with enamel, thus making the design. All of the Cluny Grey Cloisonne is on one page: the Cloisonne Jewelry page.For me the challenge is finding cloisonne with sterling silver filigree instead of gold since sterling silver is very popular now. I've been finding also that much of the silver cloisonne that I've come across tends to be very finely made - usually a bit superior to the gold cloisonne (which is usually gold-plated or goldfilled). The three bracelets that you see here are some of my favorite cloisonne colours mixed with, top, Swarovksi crystals in Dark Indigo AB, the red with a long cinnabar bead and tube "bangles" from Thailand in vermeil, and below with cherry quartz. I've used vermeil and goldfilled components with the cloisonne.
Below are a couple of other pieces I will also be posting soon: a Turquoise Bracelet with the addition of pink chalcedony and pretty lampwork beads of pink and turquoise; a double-stranded Garnet Necklace with a pretty cross pendant with garnets and green and black onyx.

Contest News: Leslie Turtle will be choosing the contest winner of the "Name the Necklace" contest. We've had quite a few entries (customers are sending their entries to the clunygre @ clunygreyjewelry.com address). I will post some of the finalists in the next day or so.

Blogs: Got an honourable mention in Marie Cramp's blog about beginning jewelry-making. She's located in Calgary (why does Canada so appeal to my imagination?) and you'll be hearing more from her, I'm sure. See her blog at: Skye Jewels.

A woman after my own heart: L.L. draws, loves animals (volunteers at her local nature center), has cats, and on top of that, loves Tiffany's and Louis Vuitton! See her blog at Tiaras and Talons.

Gemstones, Swarovski, and Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is always a whirl of last-minute gifts - people seeking presents for those they care for and want to remember on the holiday. In this business, I've been surprised, pleasantly, I must say, by how many men buy jewelry gifts or make arrangements for them well in advance of holidays whether Valentine's, Christmas, or a birthday. Strangely enough, it is often women who seem to wait until the last minute and decide that they want an extra stocking stuffer or that they want to get their daughters or daughters-in-law something for Valentine's Day. I'm surprised, I suppose, because my husband will wait until Christmas Eve to buy a Christmas present for me (but he always does a great job, so I'm not complaining!).
While we do have a special page with a few suggestions for Valentine's Day jewelry gifts, the best gifts are those that are meaningful to the recipient in some way. For instance, the amethyst bracelet makes an especially good gift if you know that she has a February birthday, since amethysts are the February birthstone. Or maybe you know that she is just crazy about amethysts - or even wears purple often. Some of the bracelets below are great for those women who take their faith seriously and wish to wear it. The gold-filled Salvation bracelet that you see below has a special meaning for Christians. The gemstones, or in some cases Swarovski crystals, each is a symbol of the progression of one's faith. The black bead represents being lost in sin; the red, the blood of Christ; the blue, faith; the clear bead (or in some cases a white bead) represents purity of heart or a clear heart; green, for growing in faith; and finally, the gold bead represent Heaven with streets paved with gold. I always try to add other Christian symbols as well, and most of my Salvation bracelets will have a sterling silver or goldfilled cross charm or a prayer box attached to them. The following 4 bracelets are each an interpretation in gemstones or Swarovskis of the Salvation bracelet:

Two more bracelets - just for fun. The fire agate and chalcedony bracelet, above, is an attempt to recreate a favorite bracelet - often very difficult to do because the special lampwork beads are so hard to come by. And, below, a sweet freshwater pearl bracelet with Swarovski crystal butterflies has a fresh, ingenue appeal.

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Into the Light!

Last night was absolutely wonderful! Why? Because at one point, while we were staying late at the office (I think it was about 10:00 or so) we checked the Entergy map that was online and saw that instead of red lines marking our street, we had green! We packed up quickly to go home, hoping all the way that the electricity was really in, that it wasn't some kind of cruel joke that the electric company had played on us.
At the back door we were greeted by the cats and warm air and a hall light that we didn't know that we had left on. What bliss!

Yes, Thank God, we now have electricity once again. The difference is amazing. It's not that we're warm, strangely, the cold didn't bother me that much, or rather, I managed to stay warm. What is wonderful is having light again - how I missed lamps! - and the Internet connection. And of course hot water. Night before last I took my first cold shower; I wanted a shower so much that I didn't even mind that the water was cold. Luckily it wasn't the ice cold of outside water, but the milder cold of water that had been in the hot water heater for 2 days - cold, but not icy.
I spent a lot of time at the office, so I do have some work to show, thank goodness, since Valentine's Day is coming soon.
I've been working with rubies so much lately (a commission for a client) that when I take a break, I've been mixing them with everything. As you can see in the top necklace, I've mixed some rather pink rubies with apatite; because of Suzette Celestin's wonderful lampwork beads, it's a winning combination.
Below that is a 14 karat goldfilled bracelet with pretty textured oval links and wirewrapped gemstones: ruby (of course), apatite, chalcedony, and aquamarine. I especially like this one - and almost wore it home (I always try on my bracelets and wear them for at least 30 minutes to make sure that there are no rough spots, that they are well-balanced, and that the clasps work well).
In following order, a lampwork pendant, a fire agate necklace, blue pearl necklace, and an amethyst bracelet.




I did adapt to the lack of electricity better than I thought I would have, but it really isn't an experience I want to repeat anytime soon!

The Ice Storm: Diamonds Outside; No Electricity Inside

Hello, everyone.
I have been suffering from Internet withdrawal, lack of heat, hot food, and hot showers. Why? Tuesday evening when we arrived home, we had just walked in the door when the electricity went off. It has never come back on at home. We have an all-electric house, so that means we have no hot water, no heat source but our fireplace, and no light but candles. Did you know that you can read by candlelight?
Unfortunately, the electricity has been off at our offices also until this afternoon. When we found out that the electricity was back on at the office, you've never seen two people leave a house in such a whirlwind! The cats still had perplexed looks on their faces as we ran out the door!
We have had a huge ice storm; trees that I thought were so old and strong that they were untouchable have had limbs broken off from the top and sides so that they are only half as tall as they were. (I took a picture, then left my camera at home, but I will post). Everything outside is shining, beautiful like some kind of fairy land . Hans and Gerda may run through my back yard any minute! But the sounds Tuesday night and Wednesday night were horrible, the cracking sounds of branches breaking off trees - all night long.
I've never experienced a power outage this long before, and as soon as I got to the office, I tried to find out when it would end. It may be Sunday before we have power (and we live in town - and all of our power lines are underground!). It could be longer.
As long as I can get to the office and on the Internet, I may be able to keep my sanity (thank God, our offices are across from the police station and the county courthouse!).
PLEASE if you have any tips for living without electricity, share them with me!

Meanwhile, a bracelet and necklace that were made before this catastrophe:

Swarovski for the Holidays and a Happy Birthday!!!

First, I want to wish a Happy Birthday to my younger sisters (twins) who turn 50 today! If you don't have a least one sister, you don't know what you are missing. Sisters are the touchstones for who we are; they are our past, and good sisters are our encouragement for our future. So a big Happy Birthday - and a cliche, but it's true nonetheless - you're not getting older, you're getting better!

I've been working on Custom Jewelry this week, but some new Swarovski caught my eye (I made the mistake of opening the package) and I just had to do a little with it. I've been know to get Swarovski shipments and leave them untouched until I had the time to work with the crystals, since when I open any Swarovski crystals I am immediately entrapped by its sparkle.
The first Swarovski that really caught my eye in this package were the Galactic pendants (shown at the top). But, I thought, why use them as pendants when they would be so much more striking and beautiful as earrings? So that is what they ended up being (also a picture of the pair at the bottom of this post). The Galactics have wonderful movement and of course, their sparkle is gorgeous. Perfect for these oddly shaped crystals are these modern looking earwires from the Karen Hill Tribes, so that the result is a very modern earring. I put them in the Holiday Gift Ideas section.
Below the Galactics are earrings made with Swarovski's new green opal crystals. It is a great Christmas green.

Alexandrite Swarovski crystals in their changeable colour are featured in these Swarovski crystal earrings. These earrings have earring posts made of sterling silver; these domed posts are great if, like many of us, you have unsightly holes from years of wearing dangling earrings.
The earrings below are created from huge 12mm bicones, then hung from sterling silver earwires with a flat diamond shape on the front. They are wonderful for a holiday party.
Below those is another picture of the Galactic earrings from the first picture in this post. Most of our other Swarovski crystal earrings can be found on the website in the Austrian Crystal Earrings page or on our Swarovski Bridal Jewelry page.

I hope that everyone is getting on with his/her Christmas shopping. I'm trying to order a few things online, trying to get a head start this year! I adore shopping online, avoiding the crowds, aching feet, and that long drive from this small Arkansas town to Memphis (where most of the Christmas shopping in this area is). While I like people, it's sometimes much easier to keep the Christmas spirit intact when you don't have to circle mall parking lots 3 times to find a parking space scrunched next to someone who is probably going to dent your car or wait for a salesperson who decided to go to lunch just when you were ready to pay for 15 items that you've painstakingly shopped 4 hours to gather together.


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