You CAN get it done, when you have a Round TUIT charm or pendant

This 16mm fine silver charm has a long history, even though it was just finished today. When I was little, my dad carried around a wooden nickel in his pocket with the word "TUIT" stamped on it in red ink. When I'd say I'd get around to cleaning my room, he'd pull it out. "Now you have one, go ahead and do it, " he'd say, laughing. I miss his smile and the twinkle in his eyes when he was pulling my leg.

The highest-hitting post on my blog is about having a round TUIT. I posted the graphic, and people hit on it off of Google like crazy. So I figured that people everywhere are looking for a round TUIT, and I thought I'd make one available in fine silver. This charm is fashioned from PMC silver, which starts as recycled silver in an organic clay binder. When fired in a kiln, it becomes pure silver metal. This one has a particularly rustic finish, and is oxidized with liver of sulfur. I can remake it with a brushed or shiny silver finish, with or without oxidation. This one will be an open edition, as everyone needs a ROUND TUIT.

I can create a bracelet or a necklace, or even mount this to a bookmark, so you can read that book you've been putting off, or a hair stick. The sky's the limit. If you'd like a custom order, please convo me. I can also make pairs of these into earrings, if you'd like.

New creations for the day...

I've been so busy promoting my jewelry that I've not been creating much lately. I have a stack of custom orders on my desk, and I couldn't be happier. Beads are in the mail, on the way to my house. Every day the mailman brings new toys to play with. I'm happy as a clam! Creating is very therapeutic for me. Do I need therapy? Maybe -- ask my kids! But as I'm finishing new pretties for my customers, I'm going to post them and tell a little of their story. Otherwise I'll burst. That would not be pretty!

First up is a pair of earrings I created for my mother for her birthday --- which is TODAY! Happy Birthday, Mom! She gets them next week when she comes for a visit. Juicy little faceted Rhodonite rondelles are embraced by copper wire, and are accented by tiny Tierracast hummingbirds. They're my mom's favorite. Hat's off to you, Mom! Just what you needed, more jewelry, right?

Next up are two pendants created for very special people in very special situations. "neveah" is for the mommy of a very special little girl, and "angela" is for a newlywed soldier stationed in Afghanistan until November. Each are fashioned out of PMC silver clay, then fired. The pure silver that results is then polished and oxidized, then buffed for character. I'm hoping to send these out on Monday.

Next? I'm still working on that. I have about 7 custom orders on my desk, and I'll be working my way through it. First up, a bridal order! A multi-strand bridal necklace and bracelet set with glass pearls, crystal, and other sparkles, and bridesmaids' necklace sets with those beautiful copper-dipped Maple leaves in the last post. Also coming soon: Amazonite graduated rounds with hand-knapped red agate and gold heishi; more blue larimar, this time with lava rocks; Apache dendritic jasper with rhodolite garnets and citrine; faceted chunks of amazonite with rough-cut citrine nuggets; Blue Dyed crazy lace agate with silver and teal..something, not sure yet; white turquoise with carnelian and copper; I have a list a mile long and a heap-big-stash of beads. Time to roll up my sleeves and dig out my Round TUIT!!

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

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 .

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.

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.