My pendant is featured today!

My pendant, "Beneath the Surface" is featured today in the Mystic Wind's blog, "Family Friendly Musings from the Handmade World of Mystic Wind". She's gathered a beautiful collection of rust colored items and talks about what images the word 'rust' conjures up, sometimes undeservedly. Click on her link and enjoy all of the beautiful things she's found ! While you're at it, subscribe to her blog. She always has something interesting and insightful to say. Karen makes beautiful jewelry also, so visit her etsy shop, Mystic Wind, here.

A few new pieces

Fall is in the air and I've been enjoying time in my workshop this week! I finished and posted 3 new pieces to my etsy shop this week. I also spent a fun day creating "Autumn Splendor" (below) with my local etsy friend, HalinaB. We talked, worked, inspired each other and laughed alot. Check out her etsy shop and show her some love!

Here are my new jewelry pieces this week. Click on the titles to view each one in my etsy shop :

This first one is an Opal in Ironstone from Australia. It's an exceptional stone, with gorgeous flecks of opal underneath the surface. It has a tube bail underneath the sterling silver nugget at the top. Polished to a high shine, it sparkles with unique interest and depth.

"Beneath the Surface"

This second piece is a Pisco Blue Gem Chrysocolla. The color is simply beautiful, so I've set it in a very simple setting. It's a sweet, calming necklace for those who prefer small, simple, yet interesting jewelry.

"Once in a Blue Moon"

This last piece is a tribute to autumn. Here in WA, the leaves are already turning colors and the furnace comes on in the evening. Fall is in the air! I've hand cut and formed this copper leaf using chasing and repousse techniques. With a few freshwater and Swarovski pearls, plus some cute little twigs. The entire piece has been antiqued, tumble polished and sealed with a special wax to inhibit color change. This necklace makes a bold statement for anyone who loves autumn colors.

"Autumn Splendor"

Wishing everyone a wonderfully creative week!

Busy, Busy

It's been a busy and happy couple of weeks since my last post. I've been working regularly at my jeweler's bench; I had forgotten how happy I am when working on jewelry. My daughter came for a visit and we enjoyed a few days in Victoria, B.C.. I've posted several new pendants and purchased some wonderful new stones for future jewelry. I'll post photos of the new stones later in the week, just in case you want to "dib" one of them!

This weekend, I finished a custom order for a special friend. It's a fiery labradorite, set in shining silver with 3 little silver balls on the bail. I wish I could keep it for myself, but I delight in knowing that my friend will enjoy wearing it.

Here are some of my newest etsy listings, just in case you missed them:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/54488131/blooming-sterling-silver-ring-size-7

http://www.etsy.com/listing/53693576/fossil-fossilized-coral-stone-set-in

http://www.etsy.com/listing/53485149/desert-landscape-jasper-pendant-set-in?ref=v1_other_2

http://www.etsy.com/listing/53444604/midnight-blue-lapis-pendant?ref=v1_other_2

Wishing you all a happy, creative week!!

Stormy Weather - a pendant with thunder and lightning

The main focal stone in my latest pendant is a Purple Storm, mined in Utah. I love how you can practically see lightning and hear thunder crackling through this stone. There's nothing like a good thunderstorm to cleanse the spirit. The accent stone is a soothing lavender Holly Chalcedony and nicely picks up the purple in the focal stone. I'm pleased with how it turned out and I think this is one piece I may keep for myself. While I don't wear jewelry often, I find it a little ironic when I have an occasion to wear jewelry and I don't have a piece to wear that I've made myself.

Actually, this pendant has been a thunderstorm of sorts for me to create. I started it last January, sketching several different versions of a setting for the focal stone. I finally settled on the one I liked the best, created about 75% of it and then ruined it by frying the sterling silver with too much heat on the final solder. Defeated, I used this as a wake-up to take a break from making jewelry for awhile. I needed the break to concentrate on other things.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've recently been struck with a burst of inspiration to get back to my workbench. The components for this pendant; stones, sketches and fried silver have been sitting on my bench since last January, collecting dust and haunting me like unfinished business that needed to be taken care of before I'm allowed to truly forge ahead with new work. So, I pushed myself through the storm, crafting a few design changes as I went (including 3 different bails) and finally finished this pendant today, warts and all.

In my long wait for the storm to pass, I've learned a few things, both technically and personally. I've learned that it's OK to sit back and ride out the storm. Wait till the thunder passes. Then forge ahead when the time is right and you can see clearly again.

One more interesting thing about this stone that I didn't notice until today - I see a cross amid the clouds and lightning. Do you see it? Oh yes, this pendant is mine and I'm keeping it.

Fire in the Grass!

Fire in the Grass! That's the name of my new pendant. I bet the title got your attention, didn't it? It's a wonderful, labradorite stone with deep greens and lots of internal fiery highlights.

Truth be told, I've been slacking off from my jewelry making endeavors this year. I've only made about a dozen pieces and most of them have been custom orders and special requests from past clients. But on Friday, I had the pleasure of attending the Bellevue Arts Festival and was reminded how much I enjoy being at my bench, creating and experimenting with metal and stones. Freshly inspired, I dug out my stone collection, dusted off my workbench and started working on 3 pendants this weekend. This labradorite pendant is the only one I have finished so far. The other 2 are works in progress, but I hope to have them done by the end of this week. One features a blue lapis and the other will have 2 stones in it; a purple storm plus a holly lavender chalcedony accent stone.

So stay tuned, I feel a flood of creativity coming on!

Inspiration Through the Eye of a Friend.

Today I had the pleasure of a jewelry making "play date" with my fellow Etsy friend, Halina B. Halina makes beautiful jewelry and sells her work both through her etsy site and many shows in the Seattle area. She wanted to learn to rivet, so I showed her a few basic things about riveting. I have made a lot of jewelry using rivets, but had very little in stock to show her. One of the things I did have though, was a failed rivet. I'd been meaning to remake it, but was a little stumped as to how to fix it because the bead frame holes were much too big for a wire rivet. I showed it to her because I wanted to explain what went wrong with it. While we were working, I started to show her how a tube can be used for riveting. Halina immediately said "Oh that tubing would work well for the bead frame you're having trouble with!" Why hadn't I thought of that before? I needed to see the problem through the eyes of someone else. I finished the necklace this evening and hung it on a 36" sterling silver chain. It's a breath of springtime!

While I had Halina at my house, I thought it would be a great time to test out a jump ring maker that I had never used before. I want to make a byzantine chain maille necklace and need loads of jump rings for it. After we read the assembly instructions several times, a few failed attempts including grinding noises and smoke, I finally managed to make some usable jump rings. However, on my last attempt of the night, my saw blade broke in half. I'm not sure about this contraption - it seems a little dangerous to me. Perhaps I still don't quite have everything set up correctly? If anyone has used a PePe jump ring cutter before and has some helpful tips, I would very much appreciate it!

After I had made enough jump rings to get a good start on my byzantine necklace, I realized that it has been a couple of years since I've made byzantine chain maille. In my search for a website with good instructions, I found the Davidchain Jewelry website is great! It has clear, easy to follow instructions for several chain maille patterns.

All in all, a productive day in the workshop with an inspiring friend. Thanks, Halina!

Back at my Bench - Finally!

I'm back at my bench and inspired after a long hiatus. Yesterday, I took a class and had a great day making these fused fine silver earrings. The class was taught by Janice Berkebile of Wired Arts. I always enjoy Janice's classes because she's a great teacher and she makes her classes fun with her relaxed style and sense of humor. It was a full class with really friendly women, too. Anyway, I left inspired to finish the earrings I had made and ready to create more new items. The earrings are posted on my etsy site and called "Hidden Treasures" because there are so many cute little things about these earrings; many textures, balls on the front and back, waves, curves, movement and of course a couple of surprise spirals. I'm eager to show you what else I've been working on, but not until it's done! Stay tuned...

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42639673