Friday, June 26, 2009

Ta-Da!! Wedding jewelry with a garden theme!

bridal jewelry lilac stone wedding set at laurastaley.etsy.com custom orders welcome
I'm so excited to finish this beautiful Bridal set with a Thai Silver dragonfly, Lilac Stone, Amethyst, Czech glass, florite, and fine silver. It funny to think about how a set comes together on the worktable, and where all the materials come from. Almost like a symphony, every element works together to create a finished piece. They're a fusion of different materials, techniques, and color combinations. Plain, pale lilac stone takes on a new look when paired with amethyst and grape-colored czech glass .

custom wedding jewelry bridal set with lilac stone and Thai silver dragonfly and amethyst at laurastaley.etsy.com custom orders welcome
In this set, the lilac stone pendant came from an etsy seller in North Carolina, and the 8mm lilac stone beads came from Glen Allen, California. The 10mm lilac stone beads came from Oakland, California, and the Dragonfly cam from Thailand via my favorite bead store here in Jacksonville! The czech glass flowers on the pendant are from a cute little bead store I found in Tallahassee, Florida, last summer when we went to my husband's family reunion. The fine silver wire came from an Etsy seller Texas, was torched by a great find at Lowe's, and hammered by an antique hammer passed down from my husband's grandfather, who is also my son's namesake, Emanuel. The Precious Metal Clay used for the leaf tag, inscribed with her wedding date and hanging on the pendant, is only made in Japan. My rawhide mallet, used in the hand-forged ear wires, belonged to my grandfather, who was a jeweler.
custom wedding jewelry and earrings laurastaley.etsy.com all custom orders welcome
And the set goes to a lovely lady in Tennessee, getting married outside in a Japanese garden. She'll be wearing a hemp silk dress, and silver flip-flops. She's a beautiful lady who teaches music lessons, and was so great to work with I'd like to consider her as my friend. On July 5th, we'll toast her wedding day from Jacksonville, and pray for a long life of love and laughter for her and her husband.

Sometimes it's fun to stop for a minute and think about the design process from concept to design to finish. So much goes into the creation of a One-of-a-kind set that it's hard to take credit for any of it. I'm pleased to have had one page in the story.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you Laura! My jewelry is so pretty and has so much love "hammered" into it. This is such a special day for me and I am honored to display your art around my neck! I really wanted to have as many handmade items as possible. That proved to be easier than I thought! I designed all the invites, programs, canopy we're standing under; my sister and parents grew the favors (lavender and rosemary eco pots); my best friend since 10th grade (high school friends, college roommates, practically sisters!) made my dress; My bridesmaids are wearing necklaces made by another artist friend; a longtime friend is catering, yet another friend is making the cakes; a college buddy's band is playing the reception; a teacher friend of mine is playing guitar for the ceremony; all the "coiffing" that will occur will be done by the hands of good friends; and - maybe best of all - one of my oldest and dearest friends got ordained (on the internet, of course) and will be officiating the ceremony...I LOVE IT! I feel surrounded by love and support!
Please, toast us on our big day (and have a few more just for fun!)
I'll be sure to send pictures from the garden so you can see how your dragonfly friend liked his new home!
Raine

Ever After Weddings and Events Gatlinburg Weddings - Gatlinburg Wedding Packages said...

I originally found your blog through "Tennessee Weddings". I checked out your jewelry, and it is absolutely stunning! The garden theme you incorporated for the Tennessee bride was beautifully crafted and well executed.

As the owner and consultant of Ever After Events in Gatlinburg, Tn, I hope to send many jewelry seeking brides your way in the future. Please feel free to check out my site as well at http://www.everafterplanner.com

Laura said...

Wow! I'm honored (and blushing) by the beautiful comments you've both left for me! As I've written on my facebook fan page, I have finally found my niche in jewelry. And, in the process, I've found so many wonderful friends. In order to make the perfect custom set, I thinkit's important to "get inside" the customer's head, so that their vibe becomes yours. On the way, I get to share in the excitement and preparations for life-changing events. What could possibly be better than that?!

storybeader said...

very pretty!

Hot Rocks said...

Gorgeous..and the bride seems extremely happy!

Theresa said...

What an absolutely gorgeous necklace and earrings! Love the colors.

Youniquely Chic said...

Beautiful!!!!

Split Rock Ranch said...

This is just absolutely stunning. Every time I come to your blog and see these photos I'm captivated yet again.

Laura said...

WOW. I'm humbled by all the praise. I think the beauty is in the rocks, it's just my job to arrange them so that they shine. Thanks so much.