Beautiful Brass

While most of my jewelry is made from sterling silver, I have found that antiqued brass can be very warm. It is especially well suited for use with glass beads of all colors, especially the bright ones. This is perfect for me, as I have a huge collection of vintage and contemporary glass beads . Best of all, brass is very affordable.


I've recently listed these 2 pairs of earrings featuring brass filigree, some bold glass beads and antiqued brass leverback earwires. Click on either of the photos to go directly to the listings in my etsy shop.

Brand New and Very Special Necklace

I started using some of my new Tucson purchases as soon as I arrived home. Well, after I unpacked them, sorted through them, ogled them, fondled them and logged them into their appropriate spreadsheet. It was exhausting!

This brand new necklace features some of those purchases. I was going to say "favorite purchases", but then I realized that I can't say favorite every time I refer to a gemstone. It loses some of its meaning when overused.

Anyway, the large faceted drop is bi-color quartz in shades of purple. I used tiny rondelles of tanzanite and spinel for the clustering around the top. They move a little, which helps to show off the inherent sparkle in these gemstones. As I was adding these rondelles, I was trying to cover the sterling silver wire that is wrapped around the top of the quartz. I kept finding "bald spots', so I kept adding rondelles. As a result, there is a generous number of these rondelles.

The colors of the tanzanite and spinel coordinate perfectly with the quartz drop. I may have to make another one of these to keep for myself. Click on the photo to go directly to the listing in my etsy shop.

A Simple Necklace

Several years ago, I found an amazing necklace at an antique store in Phoenix (I'll cover my addiction to vintage jewelry at another time). It was full of these faceted football shaped violet glass beads, with knots separating the beads. The condition of the necklace was poor, so I didn't feel bad about taking it apart to "rescue" the beads. The beads show some wear, with small chips here and there, but I love this aspect of vintage glass beads. It shows that they've actually been worn!

I've used the beads sparingly over the years. This simple necklace features one of these lovelies hanging all alone on an oxidized sterling silver rolo chain. I added a front toggle closure and that's it. This great necklace is for sale in my etsy shop.