Some New Earrings

Even with the new puppy taking so much of my time (not complaining, just explaining), I was able to complete some new earrings and even made some time to photograph them and list them in my etsy shop.

smooth green amethyst with a cluster of soft pink pearls

a cluster of amethysts

moonstone teardrops

Click on any of the photos to go directly to the listings.  Thanks for looking!

Cubes or Geometry I Can Understand

Actually, I was always good at math in school and geometry was one of my favorites.  Maybe that's why these gemstone cubes really appeal to me.

The bottom one is London blue topaz.  That is followed by amethyst and garnet.  These sophisticated yet playful earrings are for sale in my etsy shop.

And Another Eclectic Color Combination!

Ripe eggplants.  That's what these earrings remind me of. 

I was down to my last 2 smooth amethyst briolettes (that actually make a pair) and thought, "what should I do with these?"  "I know!", I exclaimed, in my head.  "I'll mix them with some beautiful peridot rondelles!"  I love purple and green together ... all different shades of each.

These 2 stones work beautifully together.  Neither one overwhelms the other.  Harmony.  Ahhh ....

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

New Stichtite Necklace

What is stichtite, you ask? Well, it's a stone of dark pink or purple color and is sometimes found in serpentine, which can be all shades of green.

The stone featured in this necklace is the type of stichtite found in serpentine. The contrast of the greens and purple is one that is very striking to me.

I added a little dangle of faceted amethyst to help highlight the purple of the stichtite inclusions.

The chain and all the wire is sterling and has been oxidized for a bit of a vintage look.

This brand new necklace is for sale in my etsy shop.

I will not be updating my blog for a few days while I'm at the Bad Girls of the North craft show in Anchorage. We will be at a new location this year, the Millennium Hotel. If you're a local, please stop by! Hopefully, I will have time to take some pictures and share some of our new vendors with you here.

Rutilated Quartz . Mixed Gemstones . Necklace

I listed a brand new and quite delicious necklace in my etsy shop recently. I'd like to share it with you here. You've seen the gorgeous rutilated quartz briolettes featured in these earrings and in this necklace. I do believe I have made all of the "pairs" I'm going to get from this particular strand of briolettes, so the remainder will become necklaces -- no more earrings. This makes me a little sad.

Sad, that is, until, I created this necklace. I topped the briolette with a collection of rondelles in a rainbow of colors. I gathered some citrine, pink tourmaline, aqua blue apatite, amethyst and bright green chrysoprase.

Now I'm happy.

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

Brand New Earrings!

These earrings are a variation on my new-ish copper hoop style earrings. I've sold a few pairs of those, so it was time to make some more. To keep it interesting, I decided to vary the design. These earrings are the result.

Along the bottom edge of the copper circle, I wire wrapped some turquoise nuggets, tiny lapis beads and amethyst rondelles. I chose to keep that sterling silver wire bright, but I oxidized the hand made earwires. I think I like all of that contrast.

These earrings are available in my etsy shop. Or, click on the photo to go directly to the listing. If you like this style of earring, but would like to see different stones, just let me know and I'll see what I can do!

New Petite Earrings

I've recently listed two new pairs of earrings in my etsy shop that fall into the petite category. I have several more pairs all photographed and ready to add over the next week.

In the spirit of "keeping it simple", this collection of earrings feature single beads that are beautiful enough to stand on their own.

Amethyst cubes with oxidized sterling silver:


Faceted yellow pearls with oxidized sterling silver:


Sometimes, a single bead can speak volumes. Click on the photos to go directly to the listing.

Really, Really Big Amethyst

I listed this necklace in my etsy shop on Friday and it was immediately purchased! So I made another one. These amethyst briolettes are beautifully clear and very deep purple.

I found it very difficult to get a good photo that captured the richness of the color, but this one isn't too bad.

It's hanging on an oxidized sterling silver chain. More details can be found here.

Inspiration and a Bouquet of One

Whatever your art supplies may be -- beads, paints, paper, fabric, all of the above -- on some days they just look boring. You've seen them all before. You love them like the dear friends they are, but they aren't providing the necessary inspiration. What to do?

Go for a walk. With your dog. We walk everyday, on one of two routes: to the inlet or around the Birchwood ariport. While this can seem quite boring to me, Xena never tires of it. Each day she finds something new to sniff, a new rock to climb on, a new leaf to paw and new dirt to scratch at.

Inspired by Xena's view of the world, I looked at my beads with new vision. I've had these petal pearls for years, and the amethyst, well, I've had a bunch of these since 2000! I never looked at them together before. Then the length of wire was in my hands and the wrapping began.

I searched through the little ziploc of completed, but unused fine silver elements and these 2 irregular pieces surfaced. This flower was meant to be created that day.

Look at your art supplies with a new perspective. Maybe another flower will be born, or maybe you will create something even more fabulous than you can imagine.

It's All Patty's Fault

I really never considered purchasing boulder opal before. That is, until my friend Patty told me how beautiful it is. So, I took a close look and she's right! It has wonderfully rich coloration and lots of lovely matrix and inclusions. I've taken some photos in my hotel room, which explains the poor quality.

And just for fun, here's a photo of the HUGE amethyst brios mentioned in my previous post. Stop drooling Brenda!