A Celebration of Lampwork

More and more I appreciate lampwork beads and the artists who create these beautiful wonders. Yes, it is pink and blue (no surprises there) but the first necklace celebrates lampwork beads and how lovely they look when combined with other elements, in this case, crystal, silver and moonstones. The lampwork beads in this necklace come from some of my favorite lampworkers: Burt and Scott Gumeson of Gumeson Designs, Jim Reeves of Gonzie and V3 Lampworks, and Lynn of Laffingull. Even the small nearly perfect blue spacers that you see here are lampwork beads from Laffingull as are the exquisite flower beads on either side of the focal bead in the lower strand of the necklace. The "bumpy" beads are from Gonzie and the ;ink beads with zigzags and blue "bumps" are from Gumeson Designs "jewel " collection. This necklace will be first put up for auction on our eBay site under the username chloemarie99.
My next bracelet is a favorite of mine since it features green garnet (also known as grossular garnets). I especially love the large flat faceted green garnet nugget that is the focal gemstone. The rough stone and the smaller lighter green stone are both green garnets in just 2 examples of their endless variation. Oddly enough, with green garnets, it is their inclusions that make them really complex and beautiful. The second silver strand features sterling silver Karen Hill Tribe flower charms and Vesuvianite rectangles (akin to green garnets). The silver-laced lampwork beads are by Lisa Sharik, a glass artist from Texas.
The last 2-strand bracelet here that combines lampwork and gemstones has more beads by Lisa Sharik, showing a more delicate side of her work. The gemstone featured here is chrysoprase, and only chrysoprase, a gemstone that has been considered of great value since ancient times. It is mentioned many times in the Bible when describing the wealth and beautiful possessions of some individual. Here most of the sterling silver accents are from the Karen Hill Tribes of Thailand including the delicate bright silver green leaves that dangle from the chain strand of the bracelet.
All of these pieces may appear first for auction on eBay at a far lower bidding price than they will be on our websites. Check them out by searching for Cluny Grey or by username chloemarie99.

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Blue Moon

A charm bracelet I made over the weekend while watching movies. I am in love with flashing rainbow moonstone; here I paired it with blue lace agate and a sterling silver textured link chain.

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Lampwork and Gemstones

I have been finding a lot of beautiful lampwork beads lately, and it's very hard to resist buying them. The charm bracelet to the left is an example; these wonderful lampwork beads by Flameworks are deep transparent blue and have deep pink roses on them. For someone who is going through a pink and blue phase, I couldn't pass them up. The rhodonite you see here, especially the ovals, rondelles, and long tubes are a beautiful pink - not the mauve you so often see in rhodonite. They were made for these beads - and how better to show them off than in a charm bracelet with a lot of bright sterling silver, both Turkish and Karen Hill Tribe, and vintage lucite flowers in the same deep transparent blue. I doubled the sterling silver chain because this bracelet is heavy!
I kept with the pink and blue theme, only this time I used the more delicate end of the colour spectrum inspirted by the "Jewels" lampwork beads of Burt and Scott Gumeson of Gumeson Designs. Mixed with blue lace agate nugget and rounds, rainbow moonstone that flashes blue, and a blue chalcedony nugget and a sterling silver bead embedded with 2 blue chalcedony cabochons, this is a very feminine bracelet. The second strand has more wire-wrapped rainbow moonstone faceted rondelles, some dangling, and a link chain that has an engraved pattern on it. The little "S" clasp is sterling silver with a rainbow moonstone cabochon bezel set in its middle.
The necklace to the left features Peruvian pink opals, pale pink Biwa stick pearls and more lampwork beads ("Jewels") by the Gumesons and floral beads by Laffingull beads. All the metal components are sterling silver.
Finally, just to prove that I am not totally fixated on pink and blue, my 2 strand fluorite bracelet also makes use of an artist's lampwork beads. These are by Alyson Straley and are the perfect colours to mix with fluorite.

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The Silver Parrot Speaks: Peyote!

I've found a new jewelry designer to admire: KJ of Silver Parrot Designs! I checked her website out and fell in love with her tubular peyote earrings and bracelets. KJ is a natural jewelry artist; she started out as self-taught, then took classes to refine her skills and techniques. What is amazing to me is the perfection of the peyote tubes she does - all handcrafted - but, oh so perfect! Their subtlety, the colours she employs make these pieces classics to wear a lifetime, and then pass down to those in the family who treasure one of a kind artisan work.

Her whole Silver Parrot site is not just peyote however; check out the David Christensen furnace glass bracelets that she does - and then everything else (very nice drippy chandelier earrings). Don't you just love beautiful jewelry?
**The elegance of the "Grey Flannel" tubular peyote earrings were the first thing that caught my eye (1st picture above). I love gold and the colours of this peyote bracelet really appealed to me. The peyote earrings and bracelet below illustrate one of KJ's sets done in this painstaking timeless artform.
While you're on the site, check out her Silver Parrot Designs Jewelry Blog also where she posts her newest work!

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A Little About Lapis

Lapis Lazuli is an alternate September birthstone to sapphire.
I have loved lapis lazuli since 1977 when I received a ring with a lapis inlay set in sterling silver from a boyfriend whose sister had crafted it herself. A lovely deep rich blue stone with flashes of pyrite (also known as "fool's gold), it appealed to me instantly.
Lapis also has a rich history. It was used lavishly in ancient Mesopotamia and in Persia, and was favored by the Greeks and Romans as well. The Mesopotamian city of Ur traded in lapis as early as 4,000 B.C. The name comes from the Latin for stone, lapis, and from the Arabic for blue, azul.
The Romans believed that lapis was an aphrodisiac (didn't the Romans think everything was an aphrodisiac?)
In the Early Renaissance, ground lapis was used to colour ultramarine, the paint used by artists to portray seas and skies in paintings (and very often the robes of the Virgin Mary). It is still mined in Afghanistan at ancient sites as well as Chile; there are also a few deposits in Colorado.
The lapis bracelet above contains a large nugget of lapis lazuli, longish pillow beads of fine lapis lazuli with nice flecks of gold pyrite, long rice beads of fine lapis, very blue small lapis coins, lapis cubes, iolite rondelles, and a very liberal use of vermeil - beads, chain, toggle, accents. The wonderful lampwork beads are borosilicate by the talented James Reeves of Gonzie and V 3 Glassworks. This bracelet will be listed for sale on our website Cluny Grey Jewelry.

For those of you interested, here are some of the supposed benefits of lapis lazuli:

• Protects from physical danger and psychic attacks
• eliminates of stress
• helps overcome depression
• helps symptoms of vertigo and insomnia
• brings good luck
• increases love, wisdom, compassion, friendship, prosperity, fertility, spirtuality, mysticism, healing, creativity

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In Praise of Purple

I am not the only person currently in love with purple, a colour I normally stay away from. But purple stones are very much in fashion, not just the amethyst, the purple classic, but lesser known stones such as lepidolite, sugilite, and charoite to name the top 3 that are currently in vogue. I shouldn't forget about purple turquoise, however, although it is actually, according to Dakota Stones, Sleeping Beauty turquoise that has been colour enhanced to look purple. I've been "drunk" (despite amethyst's meaning "not drunk" in Greek) on purple lately.
In the bracelet above and to the left, I've used a luscious faceted amethyst nugget, carved oval and faceted oval amethysts, little amethyst rondelles, and a Cape Amethyst (very light coloured) flat rectangle. To add to the mix, I put in 3 large faceted purple crazy lace agate rondelles separated by Bali-style vermeil and a largish carved flower of mingled purple and light green fluorite. I love the 14 karat gold and vermeil with this. It just wouldn't be as rich in silver!
The large teardrop earrings are lepidolite, a stone that is known for its flakes of mica that cause it to sparkle (and I love anything that sparkles) in the light. The opaque lepidolite does look good with the bright sterling silver. The large slab of lepidoloite in the bangle bracelet shows the sparkle of lepidolite to better advantage. The small lepidolite rounds seem tame by comparison. Once again I've use the very bright, or as some call it "white" sterling silver because it picks up the sparkle of the lepidolite so well.


The bangle bracelet below features 2 large sugilite barrels on either side of a lampwork bead made by Gumeson Designs (I highly recommend the work of Burt and Scott Gumeson). The sugilite, too, is usually opaque and is usually described as "violet" although I have seen creamy swirls in both sugilite and lepidolite.
By the way, all the jewelry here will be posted on theCluny Grey Jewelry website within the next week.

The rarest of the purple stones is probably charoite, found only in Russia. I'll save my example of charoite jewelry for the next blog since at present the stones are sitting by my workbench!The
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Jewelry: Meat & Potatoes or French Cuisine?

Maybe my analogy isn't very apt, but the basic nugget bracelet is what I sell the most of; I think of the nugget bracelet as the "meat and potatoes" jewelry although if you look at the pink rhodonite bracelet to the left with the smooth oval nuggets and Bali white sterling silver, meat and potatoes may not be what comes to mind. But it is a favorite - and even when it is plainer - no sterling silver other than a clasp perhaps. But most designers savour what I am calling the "French cuisine" of the bead jewelry world: the assymetrical piece that may mix colours, textures, types of stones, cuts of stones, and even stones of different quality so that the end result is a bracelet that really is "one of a kind."
First, the ruby and lampwork bead bracelet here mixes genuine natural ruby rounds in a loosely braided strand that curves around forming about 65 % of the bracelet; the artists' lampwork beads are by Burt and Scott Gumeson of Gumeson Designs.



The rubies are a darker purplish colour, so the lampwork with its glowing white bumps on an amethyst colour is perfect. Three Swarovski crystal rondelles in amethyst provide interest on one side of the lampwork (the 3 large lampwork beads are sandwiched between Turkish sterling silver filigree) and a smaller plain dark purple lampwork bead is on the other side. Bali beaded accents join with Turkish silver and Karen Hill Tribe (from Thailand) charms and beads and ruby dangles so that opposite the clasp there is a charm bracelet effect. The clasp, a round lobster clasp latches onto one of a number of links in a large link sterling silver chain, so that the bracelet is adjustable.


Finally, in answer to an "Orange Challenge" the International Jewelry Guild was holding (which I didn't get to enter because of family circumstances), I bought the small lampwork beads in cobalt and orange from Laffingull beads. I still made my bracelet though after the challenge ended. One strand of this bracelet features wirework and sterling silver chain. A couple of Laguna Botswana agates are thrown into the mix of carnelian heishi, rondelles, and little charms - all accented by sterling silver. The larger strand has the lampwork beads grouped together (the cobalt blue really pops!), more heishi, rondelles, a carved rectangular bead, a large unformed nugget, a translucent faceted rondelle, and a great carved round bead - all looking great with groups of sterling silver beads and rondelles around them.
I've been told that you wouldn't want to eat French cuisine everyday (I don't believe it though) and that people would yearn for meat and potatoes after such fine fare (maybe not us vegetarians), so while I love to experiment and mix, I still have a large inventory of nugget bracelets. The
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Special Note to Jewelry Designers: The Jewelweaver, an online site selling jewelry supplies from precious and semi-precious stones and beads to all kinds of findings from sterling silver to vermeil, tools, wires, etc. is donating 5% of every order they receive to help the victims of Katrina, including our animal friends who are often left behind to fend for themselves as their families barely escape with their lives. You have to do nothing - only order - the donation is automatic and spread amongst the charities. Their quality is superb and I recommend their products anytime, but if you've never been to their site, please check them out. The Jewelweaver

Charm Bracelets: A Thousand Points of Light

I was explaining my method of making a "full" charm bracelet to someone on About.com's jewelry-making forum and didn't post a picture (I couldn't figure out how), so I'm posting my latest charm bracelet here.
I call this one "A Thousand Points of Light" and it has just about everything around here that is shiny except the kitchen sink! (Which by the way is not exactly shiny right now, but has last night's pasta pan still sitting in it---I've been making jewelry all day). This bracelet is sterling silver and contains Swarovski crystals, Preciosa crystals, some Czech fire-polished beads, vintage lucite flower beads in frosted white and crystal clear, rock crystal gemstone points, Bali sterling silver beads, rock crystal nuggets, and lots of rainbow moonstone with its flashing blue fire. In fact, maybe I should have called this bracelet "Flash"; in the sunshine it does look as though someone had plugged it in! Click on the picture since you have to see the large version to appreciate this. I lost count of the number of charms. .The
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The Jewels of Autumn

Perfect for this Fall, back-to-school season: a briolette necklace in a wonderful Fall orange-red tone that enhances everything you wear it with. Great for basic black, looks fantastic with bright pink, camel and turquoise especially. Only the little rondelles are carnelian; all the other stones, including the glowing teardrop briolettes, are Laguna Botswana agate! These are a wonderful translucent stone so clearly beautiful that the whole necklace reminds me of hard candy!

Here is a small bracelet that can match the necklace. Once again, only the little rondelles are carnelian; all of the nuggets are Laguna Botswana agate. The stones in this bracelet show the wonderful translucence (what I call the "hard candy" effect) and the range of hot colours in this gorgeous stone. The stones are so beautiful that the only embellishment for the bracelet is its sterling silver toggle clasp.

Below is a bracelet with a pale carnelian oval as its centerpiece. Red carnelian rondelles and nuggets in deep orange join with different coloured carnelian heishi beads and a few sterling silver accents. While the carnelian is beautiful, look at the difference between it and the Laguna Botswana agates.

Finally, an example of breaking my own rule. I usually always put something, a tiny stone or even a tiny freshwater pearl if I want a nugget necklace with nothing detracting from the nuggets. I don't like even a hint of the wire underneath to show. However, here I wanted the effect of these Indian agate nuggets with their characteristic banding and beautiful tones and shadings of colour without the detraction of any other element, even silver, so I have broken my rule. Luckily, the nuggets have smooth ends and even drill holes so that when worn, the wire does not show at all. The "matching" bracelet however, has carnelian heishi beads between the same Indian agate nuggets. They work to make the bracelet more physically flexible which is important since we're dealing with a smaller circle of stones here. I finished this bracelet with a star-shaped toggle clasp that I love for its different look: feminine yet sturdy. I have also made nugget earrings to match this set which I will post later. The Indian agate is perfect to wear to work or school; its many colours mean that it looks great with khaki, camel, almost all the neutrals--even taupe--yet it uses the colours that we have come to associate with autumn. If you make a nugget necklace and do not want to add any other elements, you must be sure that the ends of those nuggets have consistent even drill holes and that the ends will fit together smoothly. the jewelry blog
NOTE: Most of my pictures are extremely large if you click on them so that you can see details up close. In most cases, they will fill your entire screen.The
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Charmed, I'm Sure

This is a charm bracelet made from exquisite floral beads from Jon at Bubblebeader. I don't know how he does it! The floral beads have white petals, green centers, and are a marvelous shade of yellow that has a blush of apricot in some places. They have a matte finish and are just beautiful. The cream beads with buttercream swirls are by Lisa Sharik. I added handmade charms of sterling silver Bali beads and genuine citrine nuggets, Turkish sterling silver, and little gemstone citrine rondelles. The earrings are really special and show off the floral beads. Thanks, Jon! This is on auction at Ebay this week, sold as a set. the jewelry blog.The
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Fall Fashion Forecast: Jewelry to Match

According to many Fall fashion forecasts, plum, ginger, spice, burnt orange, dark wine, moss green and dark olive are going to be the colors for clothing as we leave Summer behind and start briskly stepping toward Winter. Of course, if you want to be really chic (and I do mean that in the French sense) your jewelry will complement these colours. I am happy since some of the jewelry I've finished will look great with them whether you're wearing an entire ensemble or just a touch of the "new" colour.
I love leopardskin jasper, and it's a perfect stone for this Fall. Its many patterns, the main one gives it its name, add variety and interest to a monochromatic outfit--my favorite! (I really do believe that dressing in one colour from head to toe makes you look slimmer). And leopardskin jasper is exceptionally versatile because of the interplay of colours in its striped, spotted, streaky and mottled patterns. This bracelet and earring set uses what some people refer to as red leopardskin jasper to distinguish it from its counterpart with a more brown or golden tone. The peach and pink are beautiful with brown, grey, charcoal, black and even what appears to be some dark olive green running through it. There is really no way to list the colours in leopardskin since just when you think you've finished, you realize you could identify another shade of peach or pink or red or grey. Of course, this set would jazz up basic black, but would look smashing with wine, and with olive green, and moss green, and ginger and spice....and well, you get the idea. The earrings are large enough to show up even on those with long hair.

This bracelet features roughly cut but highly polished tourmalines in varying shades, from the bright dark pink to a dark green. We don't need to go over those Fall colours again for you to realize how well this bracelet and earrings would match. What really makes this set special is that the little round beads between each of the tourmalines are genuine natural rubies. They are opaque and a rich, dark red. This is a weighty bracelet that will be able to carry those heavier Fall clothes.
All of the metal on the jewelry photographed here is sterling silver.the jewelry blog

Back to School Jewelry

It's been 100 degrees and over the past couple of days here in Arkansas and it's hard to think of Fall, Fall colours, even going back to school. But I know that it is that time. I have got to start thinking in terms of brighter colours, Fall colours, and leaving the white behind.Some recent new work:
I have earrings to go with the cherry quartz bracelet. I love these faceted nuggets, which are almost emerald cut.















Candy jade is just gorgeous. This 2 strand necklace uses briolettes and the peachy-pink and green candy jade that I love.

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Jewelry and the Personality

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When a woman gets older, what helps her look her best? Jewelry! Yes, that's right, jewelry. Not necessarily the largest diamonds or gemstones, but jewelry that says something about her, jewelry that says something about the person that she has become over her lifetime. Cookie-cutter jewelry will not tell anything about a unique personality. It takes unique jewelry carefully chosen for its style, colour, size, and statement. The over 40 woman should not be putting on a pair of earrings just because they are in style--or the colour of them is "in" this year. She should be developing her own style, and by now, she should be brave enough to wear that style that announces (or shouts or whispers, as the case may be) exactly who she is.the jewelry blog

More New Work

First is an ankle bracelet made with Karen Hill Tribe silver and fire-polished Czech beads with a Turkish butterfly charm. I used to love to wear ankle bracelets in the late '70's. They're gorgeous on slim ankles. Next, just for August is a 2 strand genuine peridot necklace with a sterling silver pendant with 2 high quality bezel-set faceted peridot. Lovely green.



Finally , a Cluny Cat made from rainbow moonstone with lots of fire and flash. The briolettes in the center of the bracelet are especially nice. It's very hard to get a good picture of good rainbow moonstone. More Hill Tribe sterling silver accents this piece.

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Peridot: Gift from the Volcano

The commonly accepted birthstone for the month of August is the green gemstone called peridot.
The Egyptians had peridot mines in ancient times on Zeberget. Believing that peridots could only be seen easily at night, the Egyptians worked the mines from the evening on fighting the many snakes inhabiting the area. The Romans used peridot referring to it as an "evening emerald" since its light colour continued to show up at night and believed also that peridot possessed many powers including the ability to heal stomach ailments and fortify the nerves.
In the Middle ages, peridots were often used to adorn chalices and reliquaries in the Catholic church since its light, bright green colour symbolizes rebirth and renewal.
Peridot crystals can be found on beaches in Hawaii, (peridot is thought to be the tears of the goddess Pele) since it is a gemstone with volcanic origins. However, most peridot is mined in Burma, Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka, and on an Indian Reservation in Arizona.

• Astrological Signs of Peridot: Sagittarius, Scorpio, Leo, Virgo
• Emotional and Mental Properties: Helps with wealth, gives protection, helps with childbirth; increases eyesight; enhances meditation, relaxation, spirituality, friendship, pleasure; increases wisdom, love, fertility, healing.
• Description: crystalline gemstone from olivine mineral ranging from a pale to a deep clear green

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Chicago

I spent yesterday afternoon in Nordstrom's and Saks amazed at the jewelry selection. What was really amazing to me however, was how much of it:

• resembled the artisan work my colleagues and I are doing
• seems to be of a poorer quality than the artisan work
• how most of it is extremely overpriced--and priced at more than the one-of-a-kind pieces that so many of the members of the International Jewelers' Guild are creating

At one time, I could have pointed out perhaps that presentation might be the answer, but most artisan jewelry designers now have their own labels, boxes, logos, etc that are unique to their companies.
When examining some of the pieces I found that:

• most of the pieces were not necessarily sterling silver or gold-filled--but base metal gold-tone or silver-tone, some were plated.
  
• jump rings were flimsy; some already had visible openings where they had pulled apart
• what appeared to be weak metal
• in some cases, stones that looked acrylic, rather than glass
• too much plastic

This is not to say that many of the pieces weren't beautiful--many were--and some I would like to have (although not at those prices). And of course, these pieces were not "one-of-a-kind."

More Work

The pearls and seed beads together are a departure from my usual combinations. I then added vintage leaves, glass flowers, and Swarovski crystals for the centers of the flowers. The larger flower is pink jade.
The pink zebrastone jasper I love! I think I'm keeping this one.













This is one furnace glass bracelet that I am tempted to keep for myself. I really like these colours together. The Preciosia crystal cubes are really neat, too.
I'm about to go to Chicago and I'm hoping to see a lot of good jewelry (jewelry in museums, I mean). Meanwhile, some more jewelry I've created in the past few days.

A Little Work

I've been working a little lately and experimenting with adding vintage components to my usual gemstones, mixing vintage metal with my sterling silver.

Some of the beads I bought in Portugal are used in this slim bangle bracelet. I love the bright "white" silver. And I'm becoming very fond of crystal beads although I cared little for them in the past, and being a jewelry purist, never used them in any of my gemstone designs.

Some of my experimenting with lucite vintage flowers mixed with an old style filigree. There are 3 chains on either side of the bracelet although they don't show up very well in this picture. The filigree is what is called a "brass ox" and the chains are 14 karat goldfill. The middle of each flower is a Swarovski crystal. The flowers are attached with 14 karat gold-filled wire.

One of my "Bracelets of Summer". I like the double chain instead of having gemstones going all the way around, and of course, I love the colours. The aventurine turtle is in honour of Leslie, of course, (must have turtles in the summer).

Turquoise jade with an old filigree and vintage lucite flowers, Swarovski crystals, Hill Tribe sterling silver. Bangles are my favorite bracelets usually and it was fun to put disparate elements (or disparate for me anyway) in this one bracelet.

The Bracelets of Summer

I just finished some bracelets tonight (3 to be exact) that I'm calling "The Bracelets of Summer" because they are a mix of gemstone nuggets of different colours with small different coloured rounds or rondelles between each. The colours tend toward the strong pastels (as opposed to spring pastels) that remind me of summer: the colours of pastel flowers with dashes of red tossed in. They remind me of the strappy sundresses people wear around the beach.
I'll post pictures tomorrow. I'm tempted to keep them all myself though...even the one that is made for a larger wrist!