All Silver . Bracelet of Mixed Chains

I've posted here several times about the mixed chain bracelets that I make. They are excellent sellers for me -- both at craft shows and in galleries. I've even sold a few on etsy over the past couple of years. I make them with all sorts of color drops, but the best sellers are the ones where I use all silver beads and charms.

I recently listed one of the all silver variety in my etsy shop. This one features some Thai Hill Tribe beads. Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

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Asymmetry Rules

These necklaces were quite a hit at my shows this fall. It was a new design for me this season and it appealed to customers with an eclectic sensibility. The design is a bit out of the ordinary and more rustic than most of my pieces.

I currently have 2 of them listed in my etsy shop. This first one is the longer of the 2, at 19 1/2". It features iridescent green freshwater pearls.


This second necklace is shorter. It is about 17 1/2" long and has peacock colored pearls -- a mix of purple, gray and a bit of blue.



Click on either of the photos to go directly to the listings and find out a little more about these pieces.

Fun and Whimsical Lampwork Necklace

I recently started using some of the wonderful lampwork beads I purchased from my friend Marcy. They are incredibly lifelike and the food beads make me drool!

This necklace is on sterling silver textured chain and I made the circle from fine silver wire.

The beads are a beautiful slice of watermelon, a chocolate ice cream cone and a miniature sand dollar. Aren't they amazing?

You can click on the photo to go directly to the listing in my etsy shop. And be sure to visit Marcy's etsy shop.

Farmer's Market Necklace!

I purchased these adorable lampwork vegetable beads from Studio Marcy. She's an amazing glass artist. Be sure to visit her shop. I've been enjoying these vegetables for quite a while now, and finally decided to combine them in this simple necklace, which is perfect for the gardener in your life.



Peas and carrots happen to grow very well in Alaska, because of the relative coolness. It is said that we grow the sweetest carrots for that very reason. There really is no comparison between a supermarket carrot and Alaska grown carrots!

Minty Fresh!

I found this yummy mint green chrysoprase cabochon while buying gems in Tucson last February. There was only one, so this particular necklace is definitely one-of-a-kind (OOAK).

I wrapped the stone in brass filigree and added some vintage glass beads in contrasting greens. The final addition was that great art deco pyramid shaped charm.

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

Labradorite Flash . The Necklace

This brand new necklace started with an amazing labradorite cabochon. I wrapped it in brass filigree, added a few charms and suspended it from antiqued brass chain.

While at the Tucson gem shows, I found a vendor who carried cabochons in just the size I need for filigree work. I think I purchased 6 labradorite cabs and an assortment of other stones.

Click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

Owyhee Blue Opal Necklace

These lovely stones are found in eastern Oregon. I love their milky quality. Here, I've used three of them to create a simple necklace. They are attached to a twisted ring, which hangs from an oxidized sterling silver chain.

Blue opal is so smooth and glossy, it almost looks like glass. But it is definitely stone.

This necklace is available in my etsy shop.

The Palest Pink Stone - Morganite

The strand of Morganite briolettes that I purchased in Tucson was a real splurge for me. But I figured I would only use them one at a time, thereby making any finished necklace quite affordable. What I didn't count on, was how very difficult it would be to photograph the stone!

Morganite is such a pale pink that it fades on a white background and provides a bit too much contrast on the black background you see here. I spent a loooong time photographing this necklace and finally had to stop and "call it good enough".

I paired the Morganite with a small garnet and suspended them both from an oxidized sterling silver chain.

It is available in my etsy shop. You can click on the photo to go directly to the listing.

More Citrine!

The cut on this stone is fabulous! It's a fancy cut marquis citrine. A marquis like this has four vertical lines and faceting all around.

And the color is like the deepest golden honey you've ever seen. This stone is so beautiful on its own, that I decided it didn't need any other elements. You will notice several new necklaces in my shop along these same lines of simplicity.

Click on the photo to learn more about the necklace.

Long and Slim . Labradorite . Necklace

I purchased these wonderful labradorite briolettes several months ago. I've made a few pairs of earrings with them, but today I'm featuring a brand new necklace. Alongside the labradorite, I've added a small bead of blue tourmaline and a small aqua blue cubic zirconia bead. The addition of those beads really brings out the blue flash found in the labradorite.

This necklace is available in my etsy shop.

More Rutilated Quartz ...

... this time with a deliciously smooth Ruby briolette! Black and red is a classic color combination. This necklace captures that, but adds a modern flair.

I found it very difficult to get a good photo of these stones, so I'll share two photos with you here. The photo on the right shows the beauty of the rutilated quartz. It's full of needle like inclusions of black tourmaline.


This second photo better highlights the depth of color found in the ruby. It's the nicest quality ruby I've ever seen in bead form. It was a real splurge for me to purchase that strand of rubies while in Tucson, so I'm using them very judiciously. Click on either of the photos to go directly to the listing for this necklace in my etsy shop.


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Gray Quartz . Tourmaline . Necklace

This necklace is a personal favorite of mine. The colors are the ones I would choose for myself. The pale blue-gray of the quartz drop is soft and lovely.

Alongside the quartz is a small bicone of green tourmaline topped with an even smaller rondelle of periwinkle colored mystic topaz.

I've used these two small gemstones to start the chain, which is finished with ready made chain and a lobster clasp.

This necklace is for sale in my etsy shop.

Beautiful Blue Kyanite

I purchased a strand of these large, smooth kyanite nuggets a few years ago in Tucson. I've been using them very slowly, for fear of running out. You beaders out there know this ridiculous feeling. An idea came to me for this necklace and I finally decided to use my 4th kyanite nugget -- the original strand only had 21 stones, so panic is still a few stones away.

I wired some softly faceted garnets together, along with small kyanite beads that I think of as bean-shaped. This was then attached to sterling silver chain to finish off the necklace. Something was missing. I decided to add a small teardrop shaped bead of deep burgundy tourmaline to the same ring that was holding the kyanite. Perfect!



This necklace is for sale in my etsy shop.

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!

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.

Iolite and Garnets

I added this necklace to my etsy shop over the weekend. I love the simplicity of it. I started with a wire wrapped smooth briolette of clear blue iolite. I then added two drops of teardrop shaped garnet beads. They provide the perfect accent for the casual look of this necklace.

All of the silver is sterling and it has been oxidized to an understated gray.

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And now for something completely different ...

I've been playing around with some new ideas over the past few weeks. My "Bowl of Shame" (credit to Anji for joining the phrase) is full of failed pieces of jewelry, and while I don't have the process completely figured out, I did manage to make a few pretty good pieces.

Here's the necklace I have listed in my etsy shop. I started with a disc of sterling silver and debossed the flower stems using brass wire and my rolling mill. I drilled holes for the flowers and used handmade ball-end headpins to hold the 2 layers of Bali silver spacer beads in place. Then the tricky part: ball the OTHER end of the headpin to hold the bead flowers in place.

The challenges I encountered were numerous. The length of the back end of the wire needs to be to just right to create a ball large enough to NOT go through the hole. The silver disc acts as a big heat sink and really slows down the melting of the back end of the headpin. This can definitely affect (and begin to melt) the silver disc and the spacer beads. Ask me how I know.

I'm still figuring it all out, but I'm pleased with this necklace. Not so pleased with the huge pile of silver in the Bowl of Shame.

Rum Punch Necklace

I created this necklace the same day as the Fruit Punch Necklace. I was obviously in a mood some heat ... or at least some warmth!

This necklace features a large briolette of whiskey quartz. It's the color of warm honey, or rum if you prefer. It is joined by a flat teardrop of garnet and an opal in an unusual shade of pink ... like the flesh of a ripe papaya. Juicy.

The chain is 17" long and is finished with a lobster clasp. I purchase lots of different styles of chain in bulk, so I can make whatever lengths I need. This sort of versatility works for me because I don't know what design I'll be working on tomorrow!

Fruit Punch

Here's a new color combination for me! I've used a lemon yellow faceted freshwater pearl, a peach moonstone briolette and a slice of pink tourmaline.

Looks almost good enough to eat, doesn't it? These bright, fresh colors are just what I need this time of year, when everything is still shades of gray.

This sweet necklace is for sale in my etsy shop.