Holiday Sale in my Etsy Shop!

Starting now, I'm offering 15% off your entire order from my etsy shop.  Simply enter the code:

NOV2010DISCOUNT

in the brand new Coupon Code field upon checkout and the discount will be applied automatically.  How cool is this new feature?!?

This offer is valid through end of day Monday, November 29.  HAPPY SHOPPING!

Here's a new pair of earrings from my etsy shop:

These earrings feature robin's egg blue briolettes of chalcedony and small apatite rondelles. 

Holiday Party Bracelet

This bracelet is festive, but also great for everyday wear. The colors are a great mixture of blues, greens and purples.

It starts with a modified right-angle-weave stitch for the base. I then add lots and lots of tiny fringe to the top surface. The fringe consists of seed beads and interestingly shaped pressed glass beads.

This bracelet is finished with a vintage glass button, which makes for a very easy clasp to do by yourself.

The best part? It's on sale. Originally $125, the bracelet is now on sale for $98. And, FREE SHIPPING continues through year end.

Click on the photo to go directly to the listing in my etsy shop and see some more close up photos and one of the entire bracelet.

Double Blue Earrings

You've seen these plump gray-blue quartz briolettes before -- in various pairs of earrings. This time, I've paired them with medium blue freshwater pearls.

The circle that they hang from is fused from fine silver wire and the sterling silver earwires are handmade, by me.

I don't know about you, but I wear jeans nearly every day. These earrings are perfect for jeans!

They are for sale in my etsy shop. Click on the photo to go directly to the listing and see these earrings from some different angles.

A Slice of Turquoise

For this necklace, I started with a slice of natural turquoise with lots of coppery matrix. I wrapped it with some sterling wire and added two chocolate colored freshwater pearls. That's it!

The colors in this particular piece of turquoise range from the bluest blue to teal to pale green. It's probably not gemstone quality, but for this type of necklace, the color variations make for a much more interesting piece of jewelry.

And the chocolate pearls were just begging to be included in this necklace. I think they are the perfect complement.

Awesome Spectrolite

I purchased several of these spectrolite nuggets from my dear friend Deb. Spectrolite is a form of labradorite found only in Finland. As with all stones with a chatoyant quality, getting a truly representative photograph is a challenge. It tends to look very different on different background colors.

For this necklace, I added some sterling silver spacer beads and a teal colored faceted freshwater pearl at the very top. The color of the pearl comes pretty close to matching the color of the flash in the stone.

I've added this pendant to a sterling silver chain. It is for sale in my etsy shop, or click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Kyanite and Filigree

I found this long slender piece of Kyanite at the local rock shop -- gasp! not at the bead store -- and thought it was gorgeous. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to wrap it with filigree. The challenge was how to wrap it without covering too much of it.

It took 2 smaller pieces of filigree to achieve the look I was after. I enhanced it with some glass beads in light blue, periwinkle and lavender. The brass chain is one of the smaller and delicate chains in my inventory and it only works in certain applications. Many of my brass necklaces are just too bold or chunky to be carried by such narrow chain. I think it works nicely with this slender stone.

This necklace is for sale in my etsy shop, or click on the photo to go directly to the listing.


I still have my April special going on in my etsy shop. But it is only available to newsletter subscribers. Sign up using the form on the right and I'll send a copy to you!

Chalcedony Necklace

The name Chalcedony refers to wide variety of stones including jasper, agate, onyx and carnelian. It comes in many colors. This pendant features a faceted nugget in a light blue. It's a little bit freeform and is drilled across the top.

I've topped the nugget with a cluster of freshwater pearls, fluorite, keshi pearls and iolite. Many more little iolite rondelles flow down the sides, in waterfall fashion. This necklace is most definitely one-of-a-kind, as I obtained this nugget as part of a bead trade with a very good friend and and talented bead artist, Linda Smith of "Mistress of Chaos".

Lovely Kyanite

One of my favorite purchases at the Tucson Gem Shows this year was a strand of beautifully smooth kyanite briolettes. When using this this past week, I decided to keep the design simple. I used some oxidized sterling silver wire and chain and a pair of my hand forged earwires. This necklace and these earrings are perfect for dressing up an outfit of jeans and a crisp white shirt.

Both are available in my etsy shop.

Golden Citrine

The citrine briolettes featured in these earrings were purchased at the Bead Shack in Anchorage. They are incredibly clear and smooth. I'm usually attracted to faceted gemstones, but these just spoke to me.

I've suspended them from a short length of sterling silver chain. From each link, I've added a gemstone, alternating iolite rondelles and peridot briolettes.

This color combination is regal and also makes me think of spring!

Click on the photo to be taken directly to the listing in my etsy shop.

A Nostalgic Necklace

Ready for a little romance and nostalgia? Have a look at this necklace. It's more of an assemblage than a pendant. I love incorporating an assortment of materials into a necklace such as this one.

The rich warmth of the brass elements is nicely offset by the cool blues of the beads. That dotted bead is a treasured one from my (vast) collection of vintage glass beads. I'm not sure how I convinced myself to actually use it!

I've been collecting skeleton keys for quite some time and this necklace features a really nice one. the heart beads? Well, they just seemed to want to be part of this necklace.

It is for sale in my etsy shop. Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Aqua Blues . The Necklace

These colors are so reminiscent of the ocean and all things tropical. I enjoy making these free-form wire wrapped elements, but the real fun is in composing the collection of drops.

Here, I've used a large rondelle of chrysocolla, an abalone rectangle, a faceted amazonite rectangle, little teal coin pearls and a beautiful glass leaf. You see an assortment of other little goodies as well -- turquoise, sterling silver beads and a crystal.

All of the silver has been oxidized and hand sanded to reveal just a bit of the shiny silver. This necklace is for sale in my etsy shop.
litt

A Study in Blue

Freshwater pearls again. Are your tired of them yet? I hope not because this necklace is full of them -- in all different shapes and shades of blue.

This 17 1/2" necklace features coin shaped pearls, round pearls and faceted pearls. I selected the simple lighter blue round pearls to create matching earrings, which are included with the necklace. Visit my etsy shop to see more photos of this necklace and the matching earrings and plenty more jewelry.

Blue Chalcedony Teardrops

This is a new style of earring that I introduced recently. I handcraft the earwire from sterling silver wire and embellish it with tiny gems on the leading edge. Not only is this decorative, but it keeps the main dangle from sliding off the back of the earwire.

This pair features stunning faceted blue chalcedony teardrop beads at the bottom. I used tiny faceted rondelles of mystic topaz on the leading edge.

These lovely earrings are for sale in my etsy shop.

New Lampwork Earrings!

Now that the State Fair is over, I can get back to concentrating on my jewelry making. Here's my latest pair of earrings featuring some beautiful lampwork beads that I purchased in Tucson.
These beads contain so many colors, but the colors are subtle and work so well together. Sitting on the surface of the beads are raised swirls of black glass, deftly applied so as not to hide the colors below.

I have suspended them from sterling silver leverback earwires. Hanging below is a collection of 4mm Czech glass beads in coordinating colors.

These earrings are for sale in my etsy shop.

New Lariat Style Necklace

Starting with sterling silver rolo chain, I created this lariat necklace. I love rolo chain for it's sturdiness -- it can carry substantial designs, using large pearls and stones. I oxidized the chain and the other silver components, then tumbled them for this highly polished steel gray finish.

I created the textured circle by fusing a length of fine silver wire and then hammering the resulting circle. It acts as one part of the toggle closure and the stick pearl acts as the other part. The pearls I selected for this necklace begin with a deep midnight blue, transitioning to a paler blue and then gray, and finishing with stark white. The asymmetrical aspect of the necklace has huge appeal and really works with this style.

This necklace is available for sale in my etsy store.

Another Grand Entrance!

My first Grand Entrance necklace sold so soon after listing it on etsy that I decided to make another one. This one features the same escutcheon pendant and an antique key. I chose to use light blue and lavender beads for the color. The etched blue bead with the dots is from a vintage necklace that I deconstructed. There is also a glass leaf bead and a two-toned heart shaped bead.

Blast From the Past Earrings!

These 2 pairs of earrings feature color combinations that remind me of my youth -- avocado green refrigerators and turquoise blue princess phones!

I forged the earwires myself using 20 gauge sterling silver wire. I heated one end until a ball was formed. When cool, I hammered the ball on my anvil to make it flat. Added a few artful curves and voila -- earwires!