Warm Weather Bracelets: Gemstones and Coral and Pearls, Oh, My!

Coral and Freshwater Pearl Bracelet

 Dark clouds are gathering outside; there are severe thunderstorm warnings for areas surrounding me.  It's the perfect time to make jewelry! 
Why a storm puts me in a creative mood, I have no idea.  I am just glad that it does.  I cannot wait to hit the workbench.  Meanwhile, here are some of the newest creations:
Above and below, coral, it's a sign of the season.  I especially like pinky-peachy angelskin coral that you see here which I've paired with the prettiest color aqua freshwater pearls.  These pearls have such a pretty glow and they are perfect with the coral.  Three strands of the pearl and coral mixture also have little sea-themed charms hanging from them.  The clasp is one of my favorite elegant toggle swirls.  All sterling silver.

 Below, I love mixing gemstones and this bracelet is an unusual mixture that I've never used before.  A large prehnite faceted nugget centers the bracelet; on either side are pretty faceted dark lemon quartz nuggets that are a yellow color.  Little faceted prehnite rondelles, each with its own faceted ruby rondelle on the bottom, dangle from around the bracelet.  The toggle clasp is sterling silver with an oval cabochon ruby bezel-set into the toggle diamond.  Two very intricately decorated sterling beads from Bali are on either side of the bracelet.

Gemstone Bracelet with Prehnite, Lemon Quartz and Rubies

 This gemstone bracelet features lapis, aqua chalcedony, and citrine.  On one side larger rounded corner rectangles of lapis glitter with pyrite.  On the other side is a double strand of gemstones, chalcedony and citrine.  In the midle are charms of citrine, chalcedony, and rubies with one of our favorite sterling silver cherub coin charms.  The sterling toggle clasp feautures a double-sided toggle clasp with a faceted iolite on both sides.

Unique Bracelet with Genuine Lapis, Chalcedony, Citrine, and Rubies

 Cluny always helps me when I work!  He finds it a great time to nap.  The more I work, the more he naps!

Cluny, my number one helper!

Lemon Quartz Nuggets with Sterling Silver

The chunky bracelet above is made up of some of our prettiest quartz nuggets with beautiful faceting.  This simple bracelet has minimal silver so that the nuggets get all the attention.  The toggle clasp is a larger sterling one with flowers both on the toggle ring and on the toggle bar.

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May Is the Month for Emeralds!

 It's no secret that I love emeralds.  I am a May baby, after all, so the emerald is my birthstone.  My dream is to have a huge emerald cut emerald ring - but I haven't gotten around to that yet.  
Emeralds belong to the same class of gemstone as the aquamarine;they are beryls. The green color in the emerald comes from chromium.  Emeralds are one of the four so-called "precious" gemstones, along with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.
It is very difficult to find a "perfect" emerald since almost all of them have inclusions.  And finding pretty emeralds in the form of beads is especially difficult, since most of the least-included emeralds are used for cut gemstones.  Most emerald beads are quite heavily included or opaque (or often both).  Even included and imperfect, I still adore emeralds.
One of the reasons I love emeralds is because they are very versatile. Emeralds look very good when combined with other gemstones, both precious and semi-precious.  The emerald bracelet shown above and below also has neon blue apatite and rubies with sterling silver.

 The emerald bracelet shown in the next two pictures, below, features neon apatite rondelles and peacock blue apatite coins.

 Of course, plain emeralds, here they are in the form of faceted nuggets and smooth coins which are quite rough, are a classic on their own with just a touch of gold or silver.  In this bracelet, the faceted nuggets are accented with 14 karat gold-fill.

 Little faceted opaque emerald rondelles dangle from these sterling silver chandelier earrings.

In the emerald earrings below, bezel-set opaque cabochon emeralds hang from sterling silver earwires each decorated with a single flat heart on its front.  Hammered sterling silver rings hang below the emeralds.

 Two emeralds piggy-backed and surrounded by sterling silver make the perfect precious pendant necklace. The flat faceted emerald nugget is a favorite shape of mine.  The dark inclusions add to the texture and interest of the gemstone.

Emerald Necklace

 Emeralds and pearls are a combination dating back hundreds and hundreds of years.  Here the emeralds are with freshwater coin and keishe pearls in a creamy white color.  Two almost oval faceted emerald nuggets are on each side of the necklace. Three gorgeous faceted briolettes are the centerpiece of this emerald necklace.

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For more about emeralds, see Emeralds: The May Birthstone

Shades of Blue and Purple

 I love the colors of Spring this year! The turquoises, blues, and purples are my favorites, and they are becoming on everyone no matter what her skin or hair color.  Swarovski crystals just continue to get more and more popular, so you will be seeing quite a few on the pages of Cluny Grey Jewelry!
The first bracelet, above, is a luscious shade of orchid complemented with 14 karat gold-filled accents, charms and clasp.
Below, the neon aqua apatite is a favorite gemstone of mine. It is translucent and looks wonderful usually combined with other gemstones.  In this case, those gemstones are gem quality amethysts and real Lightening Ridge opals from Australia!  The perfect metal is gold,  of course!

 Above Swarovski crystal bracelet, Swarovski's Pacific Opal looks fantastic with sterling silver and a single artist's lampwork bead.  The second strand of sterling silver chain (from the Thai Karen Hill Tribes) dangles more Swarovski crystals.
Below, Swarovski's Chrysolite and Pacific opal look great with the opal cyclamen.

 Two versions on an aqua and white theme: top, Swarovski's Pacific Opal and marquise freshwater pearls, in one bracelet and below, Swarovski Azores and freshwater pearls in the shape of clovers or trefoils. Both Swarovski bracelets feature pretty sterling silver toggle clasps.

Oscar Nominees and the Cluny Grey Jewelry They Should Wear

As I was looking at the Oscar nominees for this year, I thought about what Cluny Grey jewelry I would choose for several of them, not for the Oscars, of course, since Harry Winston and Bulgari among other famous jewelry houses generally outfit the stars. But I thought it would be fun to choose some jewelry for them for other occasions.
 Here are my picks for some of the Oscar Nominees:
Amy Adams:  I love Amy Adams' look, and that she has that gorgeous red hair.  With her warm coloring, she just has to go gold!

I chose the lariat necklace below as a piece for Amy because it features copper Swarovski crystals and bright gold which would look great with her hair and skin.  I've also noticed that she apparently likes to wear small chain necklaces and lariats based on her photos.

Lariat Necklace

For a striking statement, I would love to see her wear the Biwa pearl necklace below.  It has large Swarovski red magma crystals in it and a gold toggle clasp.  It would look dynamite against her wonderfully fair skin.  I would need to make a pair of earrings with the red magma crystals in gold to match this necklace and to sparkle against her gorgeous hair!

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Below, aqua and turquoise look great with hair this color.  This Peruvian opal 14 karat gold-fill wrapped necklace suits Amy Adams perfectly!

Meryl Streep:  I love the way Meryl Streep looks here.  The simple black dress with that wonderful collar, her hair pulled back, she is the epitome of elegance.  The necklace, above, made of tourmalinated quartz faceted ovals would look great for an elegant look everyday.  Plus the colors, with the black and many shades of grey, would not overpower her features although the gemstones themselves are rather large.

The ruby earrings, below, would also enhance Meryl's look by adding color and shine to her face.

Garnet Necklace

Cate Blanchett:  I am a huge Cate Blanchett fan; she is probably my favorite actress. I think of her as a chameleon, which is a good thing to be if you are an actor. Whether she is wearing stark black hair as in The Shipping News, red hair as Queen Elizabeth, or a pale blond, her looks are striking, interesting.
With her shorter blond hair, I would put her in garnets; above is a wonderful, double-stranded garnet necklace with a gemstone cross pendant that would look fantastic on her (shades of Queen Bess?), and the garnet earrings, below, would be marvelous with her skin.
Cate would also look amazing in the citrine necklace with the carved carnelian flower pendant, below.

Citrine always enhances blondes!

Sunstone Jewelry

Sunstone was made for Cate Blanchett.  The peachy-orange color of the sunstone with the sparkle and gleam is reminiscent of her complexion and would add to her already amazing glow.

Lupita Nyong'o: She looks stunning in red, but I think I would put her in some softer colors. Above the rose quartz necklace and earrings would add a touch of femininity. With a pink lipstick and a white dress, rose quartz would be beautiful on her.

I also think that clear quartz crystal would add sparkle to her look without overpowering her.  Her beauty is such that she needs strong jewelry, but not too much of it. When your looks are this strong and your complexion is this dark and beautiful, you simply need to let it shine through!

Handmade Necklace

Those are my Oscar picks!  What do you think?

All of the jewelry above can be found on the Cluny Grey Jewelry website.

I'm Loving Multi-Strand Gemstone Bracelets

Snow for two mornings in a row here in the Washington, D.C. area! I am in heaven!  It's a wonderful snow, pretty while it's falling, sticking to the grass, but not to the streets (or the sun or higher temperature is melting it).
The first bracelet, above, was influenced by the snow.  It features bright sterling silver with what I call "snowflower" charms as well as rainbow moonstone, and genuine deep blue aquamarines. The three strands have a healthy dose of my favorite Thai Karen Hill Tribe tiny sterling beads and a sterling silver toggle clasp.

This unique bracelet, pictured above and below, has gemstones of all colors as well as sterling silver. The toggle clasp is one of the sterling hand-decorated ones that I get from Bali. Little charms, both gemstone and sterling silver, hang at intervals around the bracelet. The gemstones include chrysoprase, carnelian, ruby, iolite, sapphire, lapis, garnet, apatite, and labradorite.

The cultured freshwater pearl bracelet below is made with my favorite silvery-grey pearls and those deep blue aquamarines. Four pearl charms hang from one strand; another strand finishes with Karen Hill Tribe chain links.  Everyone needs a pearl bracelet in her wardrobe, and one with gemstones is the way to go!

Keep warm, wait for Spring, and wear your jewelry everyday!

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Thinking of Spring, Weddings, Bridesmaids, and Pretty Things!

 It's never too early to begin thinking of wedding season.  While I don't do a lot of bridal jewelry, one thing that I've done since I began jewelry-making was making jewelry for bridesmaids. After being my friends' and son's weddings, I was familiar with the frenzy of wedding planning, and especially the difficulties of finding gifts for the bride to give her bridesmaids.  I thought bridesmaids' bracelets were the perfect answer to the problem.  Not only does the bride have a long-lasting gift to present those who are in her wedding, but the bridesmaids can actually wear the bracelets as part of their bridesmaid attire. Also, it's easy to personalize each bracelet just a bit, so that each bracelet is a slightly different from the other while keeping with the wedding theme.  For one wedding, a very caring bride sent me an email with a description of her bridesmaids' personalities so that I could make a bracelet that would fit with their styles.  All of the bracelets were made of amethysts, but each was unique!

The bracelets and earrings here feature two staples for bridesmaid jewelry: Swarovski crystals and freshwater pearls. The first bracelet, above, with creamy white freshwater pearls, a large cosmic Swarovski crystals, and a single blue heart is my favorite. With the blue heart (something blue) it also makes a great bridal bracelet. The bracelets are made either with sterling silver or 14 karat gold-fill.

Above, genuine coral mixed with Swarovski crystals is great for a beach wedding.

Earrings are also great for bridesmaids.  Again, Swarovski crystals and freshwater pearls with sterling silver or 14 karat gold-fill is not only on trend, but a classic look!