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!