I've been working with blue Peruvian opal and Swarovski (among other things) this week; I adore blue Peruvian opals when they are really blue, or that pretty aqua colour. I feel about blue opals the same as I do the pink ones - the dark inclusions make them better much of the time - giving them character and contract. Above, the blue opal bracelet is mixed with antiqued vermeil accents. This is listed on the Opal Bracelets page. 
I always find Swarovski addictive once I start working with it - the sparkle, the colours, the finishes. I don't often work with pink Swarovski, except for the opal colours, but I had the large Helix beads (10mm I believe), and the larger the Swarovski is, the better. Below, the copper crystal bracelet has the new large crystals (about 14mm) mixed with the Helix, rounds, and rondelles, and all goldfilled accents, including the toggle clasp. These are listed on the Swarovski Crystal Bracelets page.
Below is a pink Peruvian opal necklace with a large, flat, faceted nugget as its focal. The focal nugget is wonderful. I mixed small pink opals, flat rectangles, rondelles, and carved scarab beads along with the sterling silver. I like working with opals, but pink opals can be challenging because I like the opals to match in colouring - and pink opals are often very disparete even on the same strand. Some will be peach, some pink, some have a slight yellow to beige tinge; others will be slightly translucent with dark inclusions, and some almost perfectly pink. I don't really like to mix them all, but keep them together according to hue. The pink opal necklace below can be found on our Opal Necklaces page.
What next? A charm bracelet - I haven't made a nice full one for a long time!
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Prayer boxes are very "in" right now, but they probably originated thousands of years ago in Hindu or Buddhist cultures. It seems a pretty sentiment, and a deeply faithful one for the devout, emphasizing the belief in the miracle of prayer, its efficacy in affecting our lives.The prayer box reminds me of Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall, as I watched while the faithful pushed little rolled up pieces of paper with their prayers, their requests written upon them into the cracks of the Wall, believing I suppose that God would get to them faster there, or that the act of travelling to the Wall, writing the prayer on paper, and making the commitment to put it there emphasized the importance of the plea.
The prayer box also reminds me of the Medieval period when God was such an important part of people's lives that worship was not relegated to Sunday, but a part of every waking moment or many parts of the day. God surely had a more immediate and constant connection to people in this age where a recipe instructed the cook to let the mess boil as long "as it takes to say the Rosarie." And everyone knew just how long that was.
The prayer boxes on the Cluny Grey Jewelry website feature different designs, some embedded with gemstones, some plain with relief scenes or figures, but all with a lid that opens and closes to keep safe within a piece of paper with your prayer written on it. Most prayer box necklaces are a prayer box hanging from a chain, but I've tried to improve upon the simple chain by making the necklace a part of a wardrobe so that the necklace becomes a part of an outfit, an accessory as well as a symbol of faith.
All of the prayer box necklaces here, and more, can be found on the Prayer Box Necklaces page of the Cluny Grey Jewelry website. Also, this week we're running more auctions on Ebay; for great deals, check user id: chloemarie99 or do a search for Cluny Grey. Also, for those of you who are as impressed as I am by someone who can work wonders with polymer clay and turn it into works of art, check this link: Elise Winters and see the gorgeous work of Elise Winters. How does she do it!jewelry jewellery fashion accessories necklace beads handmade beaded jewelry handmade jewelry 
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I've had an ebay store, Studio G for about three years now, and much of the time I've run a few auctions since store items don't come up in the normal search results. However, I'm about to give up on Ebay. It's a grand idea, and works I suppose for many things, but Ebay continues to raise fees everytime you turn around, and changes things constantly it seems to make it more difficult to sell so that I don't think I've had anything up for auction for at least a month -maybe a bit more - and probably not the month before that. That said, I do have 5 bracelets up for auction this week although one does end tomorrow night I believe - the others on Wednesday. They all have starting bids substantially lower than what they would sell for in my store or on my Cluny Grey Jewelry website. So I'm going to see what happens. The labradorite bracelet that you see above is up for auction. I love this bracelet and every gemstone was chosen for its flash. It also has some great beads in sterling silver. The bracelet below is all Swarovski crystals in the colours of silk and morion, an unbelievably great combination - I couldn't believe it (the bracelet is much prettier in person). I'm auctioning the earrings with the bracelet so that could sell for about half of what they would be on the website. I'm really taken with Swarovski lately because I love the new larger beads and the wonderful new colours (rose water opal -yum!).
Finally, a great blue chalcedony bracelet that has matching lampwork bead earrings to go with it; again, I'm auctioning both together. The great lampwork beads are a sort of periwinkle blue with a dash of metallic silver encased in clear -very pretty, very hard to describe. They are the work of lampwork artist Irene Collier.
So, if you get a chance and you're in the market for some graduation or Mother's Day gifts or maybe something to wear to the prom, check my Ebay auctions this week: my user id is: chloemarie99 or you can do a search for Cluny Grey - or simply click on the link in the first paragraph here. Hyvästi! Tchau!jewelry jewellery fashion 
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I've been working with blue Peruvian opal and Swarovski (among other things) this week; I adore blue Peruvian opals when they are really blue, or that pretty aqua colour. I feel about blue opals the same as I do the pink ones - the dark inclusions make them better much of the time - giving them character and contract. Above, the blue opal bracelet is mixed with antiqued vermeil accents. This is listed on the Opal Bracelets page. 
I always find Swarovski addictive once I start working with it - the sparkle, the colours, the finishes. I don't often work with pink Swarovski, except for the opal colours, but I had the large Helix beads (10mm I believe), and the larger the Swarovski is, the better. Below, the copper crystal bracelet has the new large crystals (about 14mm) mixed with the Helix, rounds, and rondelles, and all goldfilled accents, including the toggle clasp. These are listed on the Swarovski Crystal Bracelets page.
Below is a pink Peruvian opal necklace with a large, flat, faceted nugget as its focal. The focal nugget is wonderful. I mixed small pink opals, flat rectangles, rondelles, and carved scarab beads along with the sterling silver. I like working with opals, but pink opals can be challenging because I like the opals to match in colouring - and pink opals are often very disparete even on the same strand. Some will be peach, some pink, some have a slight yellow to beige tinge; others will be slightly translucent with dark inclusions, and some almost perfectly pink. I don't really like to mix them all, but keep them together according to hue. The pink opal necklace below can be found on our Opal Necklaces page.
