A Few Pieces from the Fall Collection and Sapphires

If you've been following the fashion news, you know that the big color news this fall is black and navy, burgundy, and winter white. Since all are basically neutrals, that makes me very, very happy. I love to wear neutrals and add bright touches with scarves, and of course, jewelry. So this fall, where jewelry colors are concerned, almost anything goes!
    Above, a new style for Cluny Grey and one that I'm sure that you'll love!. Three strands of flashy labradorite faceted coins glimmer across the front of your wrist while two large nuggets of labradorite, also flashy, hold the bracelet in place. The labradorite clasp adds that special touch that makes the piece extra elegant.

Agate jewelry has been in vogue and shows no signs of going away. The agate bracelet that you see above illustrates the interesting patterns that can be found in the gemstone. It also blends wonderfully with many other stones as well as you can see in this agate bracelet that has large flat faceted agate nuggets separated by faceted ruby rondelles.  Gold is back stronger than ever!

We are well into September and here are some new pieces in sapphire, the September birthstone: above, a sapphire bangle bracelet in sterling silver with Thai Karen Hill Tribe dangles hanging from the sides. Below, a gold bangle bracelet with smooth oval sapphires.

Below, a simple chain necklace with a single drop featuring 3 faceted rondelles topped with a smooth oval sapphire. Last, the prettiest sterling silver chain made of cutout hearts with three smooth sapphire ovals hanging beside the swivel curved lobster clasp.

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Unique Bracelets

I've been doing a lot of catch-up work since returning from Paris, but have made 4 rather different bracelets in the last week.  Each unique bracelet has something about it that I love.  

  In the top bracelet, I love the combination of the warm sparkly sunstone with the cool aquamarine and sterling silver.  The little Thai Karen Hill Tribe beads in the second strand are an accent I am especially fond of because of their sparkle.

  Below, the drusy bracelet that you see here has one large sparkling focal drusy with a bluish tint to it.  The agate beads (which are smooth in contrast to the rough drusy) are a wonderful mixture of black, bluish grey and grey with some translucence.  The sterling silver charm here is a faceted blue topaz bezel-set in sterling silver. I love this bracelet because of its versatility; with jeans, it has an organic, semi-hippy look; with a little black dress or a suit, it's very sophisticated.

The third bracelet, above, is one of my favorite mixtures: turquoise, lapis, and carnelian.  The turquoise here is especially beautiful, a deep blue, and the large lapis nugget has sparkling gold pyrite in just the right amount! The accents are all 14 karat gold-filled with the exception of the clasp which is vermeil.

The fourth bracelet is made of cherry quartz (this is glass, not a real gemstone) with cloisonne and vermeil accents. Cherry quartz is such a cheerful material to work with that I don't mind that it isn't really a gemstone; when it works (as it does here with the cloisonne), it just works!
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Back from Paris: French Jewelry!

 I've returned from a trip to Paris - a wonderful time! Unusually cool weather made walking in Paris even more fun than usual.  Of course, I had to check out the jewelry, not always easy to do when I'm with my DH, son, daughter-in-law, and three-year-old grand-daughter.  I was especially careful to notice what French women were wearing, both young and old.

  Some eye candy first:  above is a wild creation I fell in love with (the matching earrings are below the necklace.  It's made of rhinestones and crystals and is certainly not what you'd call an everyday piece!  Crystals shoot out from long strands of silver in a way that reminds me of 4th of July fireworks!

   Below, another statement necklace from our Pantheon of French jewelry.  I think of this as a peacock necklace and believe that it would actually be very wearable with the right dress. It does not look cheap and is very beautiful in person!

 Below, more rhinestones and crystals.

 The French are known for their whimsey and their jewelry is often no exception. Below is a pretty necklace and earring set that is made from mother-of-pearl buttons.  It's really quite striking.

 Another statement necklace: I found quite a bit of what I would call the "tribal influence" in the jewelry in stores.  I didn't see many people wearing these however. The one on the bottom is made with lucite.

 Another necklace made from natural materials, such as bamboo, mixed with lucite.

 The skull trend is still on spot in Paris as you can see here.  The little turtle in the middle is made of colored rhinestones and I did see younger Parisian girls wearing them - on jean jackets!

 Below, I saw quite a few people wearing chandelier earrings, some quite elaborate. 

I also saw more frequently obviously Parisian women wearing something like this simple cross (but a very expensive antique) with a shorter chain.  And I saw that most women, especially those over 30, were wearing gold.  Almost all the gold here is 18 karat which is a richer, more yellow gold than the 14 karat that we are accustomed to.

  French women seem to wear pearls for everyday often.  Below is a Cluny Grey necklace, but it is very typical of what I saw French women wearing oddly enough.  Pearls mixed with softly colored natural stones were fairly common, as were pearls in white, cream, grey, pale pink, beige, and gold.

Many women also wore something similar to the Cluny Grey chalcedony necklace above when they were a necklace other than a simple pendant on a gold chain or pearls.  The gemstones were almost always in soft colors or pastels. But when they wore these gemstone necklaces, their earrings were very simple, a stone or pearl stud, and the only other jewelry they wore was a ring or a gold bangle or chain bracelet.

Above, dangling earrings that would look right at home in Paris.

  For all the glitz I saw in the shops, I seldom actually saw them on Parisian women, daytime or nighttime.

  What did I wear? Smallish plain gold hoops, a small mixed gemstone necklace and a bracelet that my grand-daughter would choose for me daily.  The bracelet wasn't always a perfect match, but she certainly enjoyed choosing it.  What did 3 year old grand-daughter wear? One of my good gemstone necklaces - yes, she really did!

Rubies and Heat!

I am one grateful person! Close to noon on the Fourth of July, after being without electricity for 5 days, we regained power! I LOVE air conditioning, tv, and most of all my computer and the internet! I didn't make jewelry during that time since my studio is on the fourth floor and you can just imagine what the heat was like (it was 100 degrees outside for at least 2 of the days). So in celebration of July (ruby is the birthstone) and the power returning, here are some red-hot ruby bracelets!

   Above, my favorite flat faceted rubies team up with dragonfly bangles in sterling silver.

   Below, rubies bring some heat to the cool creamy white freshwater coin pears you see here.  The sterling toggle clasp with its bevy of flowers is an extra pretty touch!

A bangle bracelet, below, features pretty faceted ruby nuggets and bangles from the Thai Karen Hill Tribes of sterling silver.  The sterling toggle clasp has a cabochon ruby bezel-set in the teardrop.

Quartz faceted nuggets are cool and classic and each is separated by pretty neon aqua apatite.

Above, the colors of turquoise and coral are echoed in the lampwork beads.  A scalloped filigree sterling toggle is the closure; two charms, one fish and one seahorse, hang near the center of the bracelet.

STAY COOL!!!

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!

Our Favorite Jewelry Pieces Under $70

I am busily making jewelry and trying to enjoy the summer, too! While the prices for my supplies, especially sterling silver, continue to rise, we do have some great deals on our Cluny Grey website. All the bracelets here are on our website and are under $70.00!!! Naturally they are well made with genuine stones (unless otherwise specified) and sterling silver, vermiel or 14 karat goldfill. The earrings that you see here are mostly under $30.00! So if you are looking for a bargain, a gift, or just something special to spice up last year's summer outfit, check these out! They are the tips of the iceberg in our lower-priced jewelry!

  Above, on our Nugget Bracelets page, we have a blue opal and amethyst bracelet with sterling silver. The soft blues of the opaque blue opals complement the wonderful purple translucence of the amethyst.  At $53.99, it's a real steal!

  Below, one of the few glass stones we have ever used is strawberry quartz.  We just had to have these because the flat, faceted stones are so pretty and chunky.  The horseshoe-shaped clasp and charm hanging beside it are both sterling silver.  And it's under $50.00!

My favorite thing about this chalcedony bracelet (found on our Chalcedony Jewelry page) is the chalcedony gemstones.  They are a wonderful yellow that seems to glow!  How perfect for summer! The sterling silver toggle clasp is large enough to carry these pretty faceted nuggets. We also have yellow chalcedony earrings found on the same page (there are more yellow chalcedony earrings, too). These earrings are special because of the pretty earwires which have intricate roses on the front.

Some of our best bargains in bracelets can be found on our Freshwater Pearl Bracelets page. About 5 years ago I was fortunate enough to buy a huge quantity of freshwater pearls in different shapes, sizes, and colors. I bought so many that I received them at a wonderfully low price and I still have some stockpiled!  Below, this freshwater pearl bracelet is made with creamy marquise freshwater pearls and rainbow moonstone rondelles with pretty flashes of blue! The flower charm and curved lobster clasp are sterling silver. At 51.99, this bracelet with its quality rainbow moonstone is a bargain!

The bracelet below is composed of larger yellow freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals.  The sterling silver really adds to the feminine look of this bracelet.

   The brown freshwater pearl bracelet below boasts 14 karat goldfilled accents and a gorgeous faceted olive bead of smoky quartz.  It will be on our website shortly.

The earrings you see above can be found on our Coin Pearl Earrings page.These bronze-brown earrings have Swarovski crystals and sterling silver. These are gorgeous and they are only $19.99!

   The earrings below are from our Coral Earrings page and mix peachy-pink coral rounds with vermeil and pretty black onyx faceted teardrops.  They have a wonderful Deco look to them and would be perfect for your summer wardrobe.

Above and below are ruby earrings, yes, genuine rubies! Above, the rubies are mixed with 14 karat goldfilled accents, and below they are mixed with gold vermeil. Can you imagine owning ruby jewelry for under $70.00 - and these are not microscopic ruby chips, either.

Here is a pair of my favorite earrings, found on our Unusual Jewelry page.  These gorgeous earrings are made with 14 karat goldfill, gem-quality Swiss blue topazes and rectangular citrines, and amethysts carved into the shape of flowers.  I love these! Unique and beautiful!

Another good source of bargains on the Cluny Grey website is our Bangle Bracelets page.  Here are two sterling silver bangles, the top with citrines, the bottom with Swarovski crystals. The bottom bracelet is made with older sterling silver stock bought when it was much cheaper. The result: this silver bangle bracelet is only 56.99!  With today's materials, it would be close to twice that much since it not only has Thai Karen Hill Tribes sterling curved, hand-decorated sides, but intricately made accents of Turkish sterling silver.

Also, to keep costs down, don't forget that we ship first class FREE in the USA with every purchase over $50.00 and a low $1.95 for purchases under $50.00! Enjoy shopping!