Jewelry Is Magical

Jewelry is magical; I don't really mean that in the sense that many people do who believe that certain gemstones can imbue them with positive qualities or cure their ills. Jewelry is magical to me because it can cheer me up, make my day brighter - and make me look better. The right jewelry makes my blue eyes more noticeable, complements my complexion (which I'm a bit vain about), and can bring an outfit together (which is why I love gemstone jewelry containing more than one coloured gemstone). I'm lucky; because I make jewelry, I get to look at it all the time. And just looking at it makes me happy. I've been known to take a collection of bracelets and arrange them on my nightstand so that they are the last thing I see before I go to sleep and their colours are the first things I see when I awake.

I have a "happy-making" collection of jewelry today beginning with the top bracelet of blue topaz and citrine. Gem quality London Blue topaz and gem quality citrine in an imaginative rectangular cut are spectacular together. The citrine gemstones have pointed backs the way gemstones set in rings do, so they are interesting on both sides. I've added 14 karat goldfilled accents to the gemstones, but I like this combination so much that you can expect one soon with sterling silver.

  Below is a rainbow moonstone bracelet with gold vermeil and 14 karat goldfill.  The blue flash of these sharply faceted moonstones looks great with the gold.  Robin Weber's truly excellent ancient gold lampwork lentil beads add more colour and even more gold. I got lucky with the photo of this bracelet since not every single inch of each moonstone gemstone has flash.

Above is a turquoise bracelet made with Sleeping Beauty turquoise in a light blue.  Dark blue and the lighter blue rectangles echo the colours of the square lampwork beads which have a side of light blue and a side of transparent darker (aqua) blue divided by a swirl of silver.  Sterling silver accents include the second strand chain that dangles a turquoise charm with a bezel-set cabochon turquoise in its center.

   Below - more moonstone! These moonstones are a peachy-mauve colour (put them with a peach outfit and the peach comes out, with pink or mauve and they pick up that shade) with little sparkles and a wonderful sheen to them.  The second strand is one of our favorite sterling chains, rather sturdy with charms from the Karen Hill Tribes dangling. A pretty flower-decorated sterling clasp finishes the moonstone bracelet.

   Below the moonstone bracelet is a hefty fire agate necklace that just glows! I love the colours here and I've added a few Swarovski crystals in the crystal copper colour to really make it sparkle. Doesn't it look fantastic with black?

Finally,two bracelets have a winning combination of gemstones that have been quite popular! For a long time, I couldn't find any of the faceted coins of apatite to use, but the moment I did, I grabbed them! The combination of smoky quartz, apatite, and sunstone has proven to be very pretty and versatile. I've got one bracelet with sterling silver accents, and the other with vermeil.

Enjoy the spring weather and don't forget about FREE SHIPPING!!!

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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Almost March!!!

I have an unusual grouping of jewelry today; perhaps I should say "eclectic" since there are a variety of gemstones and colours and textures. I am still working on my "African Rhythms" collection and you will be seeing and hearing more of it. Meanwhile, today's group includes from the top: a fire agate bracelet accented with carnelian gemstones and one of my favorite sterling filigree toggle clasps.  Below are fire agate dangling earrings.

Below is a classic Swarovski crystal bracelet with large clear Swarovski crystals and 14 Karat goldfilled accents. The gold pieces are rather large and include fluted accents on either side of the large crystal cube in the center, a gold flower charm, and a gold toggle clasp.  Remember with care (keep it out of the pool; store it properly) 14 karat goldfill will last as long as 14k gold.

Citrines and chalcedony cluster near the large artist's lampwork which is the focal of this citrine bracelet along with a filigree flower charm in sterling from the Thai Karen Hill Tribes.

One of my favorite bracelets is the kyanite bracelet with its very pretty sterling silver additions.  Ropey rings are near the center; little cluster charms hang from the patterned oval linked chain, and a sweet flower toggle features three flowers on the toggle and one on the toggle bar.  Kyanite is one of the softer gemstones, so be sure to store it properly. It will, however, stand up to everyday wear.

From above, Austrian crystal earrings have two sizes of Swarovski crystal butterflies hanging from each earwire for a dangling delight. Next is a bracelet with a phenomenal drusy flashing sparkling crystals. The Montana agate and Botwana agate play supporting roles. Below, carnelian faceted nuggets and beautiful diamond facets flank another drusy of orange and cream.  The second strand is a chain of larger oval links with three sterling Thai Hill Tribes flower charms.

Finally, the last two bracelets both have two strands: the first is a chalcedony bracelet with artist's lampwork and blue chalcedony. A pretty sterling chain and scalloped toggle clasp complete the feminine look.  The last bracelet is made of very blue turquoise; this turquoise bracelet benefits from the addition of clear Swarovski crystals for sparkle and a slightly more formal look. These blue faceted rectangles are some of our favorites!

More Fall Bracelets and Earrings

It's the busy season; fall is here, winter is on its way, and that means that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner.  Sometimes it's hard to get a moment to take a breath much less write a blog post, but I am quite overdue and here are a few new pieces I've got to get on the site.

The aquamarine bracelet, above, gets a kick from saucy lampwork beads that echo the colours of the aquamarines and black chalcedony and add a soupcon of hot pink for fun.  Of course, three colours means that the bracelet can also be worn with more outfits. The bracelet that you see below is what I call a "one-note" bracelet: it has three rows of pretty faceted prehnite rondelles that comprise most of the bracelet, but a large lampwork glass bead adds special interest.  This exquisite lampwork bead is one of our best made by a master lampworker; it introduces the only other colour (besides the sterling silver) in the bracelet.  A special Israeli clasp features a tulip on the ring part of the toggle; a largish sterling flower charm hangs between the prehnite and the lampwork.  This bracelet looks prettier in person since for some reason the prehnite is really hard to photograph so that I get its real colour; it seems to wash out in the photos, but this one is finally close to the original.

The Salvation Bracelet below is one that I've made a series of; it's called Magdalene, and it's made with precious as well as semi-precious gemstones.  This bracelet has black chalcedony, a large faceted ruby nugget, a smooth sapphire nugget, gorgeous rock crystal, a large faceted emerald nugget, and a large faceted citrine nugget.  Two beads on either side  have a relief cross on both sides.  A scalloped toggle clasp is the closure; a small prayer box hangs beside it.  Although the prayer box is small, it still opens and allows you to put a prayer on a small piece of paper into it.

The bracelet above is made with yellow opal (opal is the October birthstone) rondelles and for a dash of colour has a large slab-like aquamarine nugget.  The turquoise bracelet below mixes pretty blue turquoise with sterling silver and clear Swarovski crystals for a dressier look than you might expect from turquoise.

Finally, two pairs of earrings both feature aquamarine: the first earringscombine the aquamarine with yellow opal (a perfect match for the bracelet above) and the second pair are aquamarine with sterling silver. These aquamarine earrings are made with some of the prettiest aquamarine faceted briolettes I've ever had; they are an intense blue colour. For a special touch, they hang from sterling posts that have a freshwater pearl cabochon in the middle.

Enjoy the crisp fall weather and I'll try to be back with more soon!

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Fall Collection 2010: Turquoise and Chalcedony

The title of this post is somewhat misleading since I have pieces made from Swarovski, amethysts, aquamarine and lampwork along with the turquoise and chalcedony. I simply decided to have a post full of pictures, and to put some pieces here that haven't made it into some of my other posts.
Above is my favorite piece this week: a handmade necklace with two strands of richly coloured gemstones including aquamarines, peridots, citrines, and rose quartz with a "watchchain" third strand with long charms featuring aquamarines, jade, peridot, rose quartz, and citrine. The aquamarine, citrine, peridot, and jade are colours that are "in" this Fall. Below, an amethyst necklace is made from rough, chunky amethyst points, refined sterling silver from the Thai Karen Hill Tribes, and artist's lampwork. I love the special Hill Tribe leaf beads which are a very shiny sterling silver with an interesting twist to them.
The last necklace, a lariat, below, is made from Swarovski crystals, sterling silver, and artist's lampwork. The necklaces have been running a bit longer to look great with the new Fall fashions.
An aquamarine bracelet reflects a growing interest I've had lately in making my own chain and sterling silver elements, as does the lampwork bracelet with the twisted coil immediately below the aquamarine. The lampwork bracelet features a single disk of porcelain jasper with an intriguing swirling pattern.



The next three bracelets, above and below, feature turquoise. Above, a pretty large nugget of turquoise is complemented by orange carnelian and two special lampwork beads that pull the colours of the bracelet together. One of my favorite types of second strands is made of tiny beads from the Karen Hill Tribes and has charms hanging from it. The turquoise bracelet below is simpler, but full of sterling silver and amazing blue lampwork beads. The last turquoise bracelet has one of our favorite clasps, a sterling silver bird with an oval, one of our favorite chains, deep blue faceted turquoise rectangles, and an artist's lampwork bead with a desert scene (not painted on).



The last group of jewelry is all chalcedony in its many different colours. The gold colour in the earrings above is especially striking, while the earrings below, topped with sterling butterflies have faceted chalcedony rectangles in a delicate green (referred to as "endive" in the fashion mags). The two chalcedony bracelets following are perfect matches for the earrings. (All chalcedony jewelry can be found on our Chalcedony Jewelry page on the Cluny Grey Jewelry website.



The next two bracelets are in one of my favorite chalcedony colours, a pretty turquoise; the first features sterling silver accents, the second 14k goldfilled metal. Finally, a three strand charm bracelet showcases the many pretty colours of chalcedony in different shapes and sizes.

The high today was a wonderful 67 degrees! Lovely! I hope it's nice where you are, too!

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