And the feathers were flying....

Had some fun recently with some Pheasant feathers! A lovely Etsy customer contacted me to commission a necklace that featured these beautiful orange-tipped feathers. I was intrigued by the design, and set to work. She sent 9-10 feathers for me to work with, and they were all just gorgeous! I chose 7 of them to mount onto the necklace, and she'll have the rest to use as replacements if the original ones are damaged in any way. What a fun project!

The front part of the necklace has a chain that features antique gold finish leaves, and chain. a center piece of chain also runs across the front. The sides of the necklace are hand-wired with round onyx beads and matching chain links. The wire used for mounting the feathers is Artistic wire, in a bronze finish. I completed the set with earrings that are descending clusters of onyx, hung on short pieces of the leaf chain that stretches across the middle of the front of the necklace. Since the necklace is a long 32", I skipped the clasp.

New Listing, just in time for Mother's Day!

Large and beautiful Cross of Christ beads, these Andalusian Chiastolite beads come from the Andalusian mountains in Spain. It is the only place it is found and has to be cut very carefully to ensure a complete cross shows. The Cross is formed by carbon inclusions in the stone.

I haven't seen much of this stone at bead shows recently, so when I saw these beautiful beads, I knew I had to have them! The necklace is a succulent combination of sterling silver Bali beads, onyx, silver spacers, and Andelusian Chaistolite. Wavy Onyx beads are the exclamation point. Together these beautiful elements create a stunning and elegant 20" (50.8 cm) necklace set that can be a silent but eloquent testimony and conversation starter. The earrings are just as unique, with 3" (7.62 cm) dangle featuring sterling wire, onyx, coordinating Chaistolite and handmade 1" sterling silver ear wires (21G). With a total length of 4" (10.16 cm) these earrings are long and dramatic. I can design smaller less flashy earrings to match, if desired.

What better realization of Luke 19:40 ... “I tell you,” He replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

New listings today! Plus, I love custom work!! See my newest creations!!

Here's another 3-in-1 combo set hot off my beading table. Recently I'm giving more emphasis to everyday pieces that can be worn to the office, the grocery store, and the ballpark. I love love love to create statement pieces, and have a few custom orders for them right now, but creating items with beauty AND utility has been my main emphasis in my shop for a while. In this set, czech glass apples in peachy pink and green are accented by leafy green droplets and spacers, then hand wired together to create a delicate jumble of smooth pendants and eye-pleasing color. Antiqued brass chain doubles the bracelet and adds a rustic, vintage-like flourish that you'll wear over and over again. This set would be perfect for a lady who avoids ostentatious jewelry, but likes a feminine, flirty touch to wear every day. The front section detaches at twin toggle clasps to form a bracelet, and the 15.5" necklace extender can also double as an additional bracelet. The earrings closely match the design of the bracelet, and can also be worn alone. Czech glass apples anchor the earrings, and they're surrounded by droplets of green and crowned with cherry quartz and antiqued brass.

My other new listing is a cute little pair of earrings featuring carved onyx beads, and mother of pearl. These will please just about any girl who likes floral, feminine fashions, and likes a little dangle to swing when she turns her head. I'm that kind of girl, maybe that's why I make earrings like these!

I know I've said before that I love custom work, but did I mention that I LOVE custom work? Maybe I did. I really love doing custom work. I've had a few jobs lately that have been extremely fun, and stretching at the same time. Here are a few...


Here they are, from left to right: The first one is a sea-themed bracelet, with TierraCast charms, from Lytha Studios. They are not only a TierraCast distributor, but also designers of beautiful jewelry. Kits are available on their site, or you can ask people like me to assemble them for you ;) I also did these earrings for the same customer, but the pictures didn't come out very well. The second is a Fine Silver charm in a line I'm working on for my Etsy shop. The top one was oxidized, and the identical bottom charm is a photo taken before oxidation. Stay tuned for more information, coming soon! I'll offer customized bracelets and necklaces based on themes like Mother's Day, New Baby, Wedding, Graduation, Engagement, and other life's milestones. The last photo on the top is a pair of wire-wrapped "statement" earrings. They're as flashy and swinging as a miniskirt at a club in Miami's South Beach. Imagine the attention you'd get wearing those babies! The bottom charms are all Fine Silver charms, and the one on the right, f.r.o.g. stands for "fully rely on God," from a line of missions fund-raiser jewelry I'm working on at the moment.
I've been a busy girl. For a while the discouraging economy really got me down, but I've found that when I am able to create things that people like, I don't have time to worry about anything else.

Jaspers by any name are just as sweet!

The endless variety and beauty of semiprecious stones gives me a lifetime of possibilities for creating jewelry. One of the broadest varieties is Jasper. My most recent Jasper creation is with Leopardskin Jasper, Poppy Jasper, and handmade Copper coils. And here's what I found out about Jasper, specifically, Leopardskin Jasper...

From Wikipedia, "Jaguar Stone" :
Jaguar Stones are created from a type of mineral known as Leopardskin Jasper -- an opaque tan, brown, and ochre form of impure quartz. This variety of Jasper is most often found in South America, and gets its name from the leopard-like spots covering its surface. The term Jaguar Stone has also been known to refer to stone carvings of jaguar heads created by the Ancient Maya. Not necessarily made out of Leopardskin Jasper, these Jaguar Stones can still be found in Maya temples, including Chichen Itza in modern-day Mexico...

... As one of the oldest known gemstones, Jasper, in all its varieties, has long been thought to have positive mystical properties. Natural healers recommend its use as an aid in the self-healing process. Jaguar Stones specifically have been associated with shaman travel and spiritual discovery, helping their bearers traverse between worlds in order to gain spiritual growth. Among believers, a popular practice is to display a sphere made of Jaguar Stone prominently in the home to promote the flow of positive energy. Also, wearing Jaguar Stones is said to be important to the 1st, 4th and 7th Chakras, and Jaguar Stones are often moulded into jewelry.

And I just thought they were pretty! (I don't give a whole lot of time to the other stuff, but I thought the history was interesting!)

I have two other Jasper listings, one for brown Sesame Jasper with Bronzite and brass, and one for Minty-Green Sesame Jasper. Stop by my shop to take a look!

A bouquet of new listings for Valentine's Day, or any day

Valentine's day is coming! time to get something special for your sweeties! I've been a busy little critter around here. Finishing 6 new sets since January has left me with a LOT of make-up postings to do. I'll try to post two a day, and dare myself to stay ahead. Gotta continue to create, so the inventory doesn't get stale. To get a sneak peek at what's coming up on my blog, check out my Etsy shop, here, or click on my mini in the right column...

Eeney-meeney-miney-moe, which to pick first? Here's a new favorite design, one I created with labradorite slices and blue aventurine.

Were they dyed? probably, but these are semi-precious stones, and not gems. They're put together in these combinations for their beauty as they are, as part of an overall design. So, hope you enjoy what you see! I think this one looks surprisingly light and airy, in spite of the chunkiness of the stones! If you're familiar with Labradorite, it's a rather plain-looking stone until natural light shines on it and BANG! Blue lightning seems to flash from within the stone! Gorgeous! I paired it with the blue aventurine, which exactly matches the glimmering highlights in the Labradorite. Antiqued brass findings harmonize the piece, and the tiny swinging blue pendants that adorn the set add playfulness and fun. I might make one of these for myself!

The next set features a combination of stones I've had in my drawer for a couple months. I kept looking at them, putting them back, looking at them, then I just started "feeling it" one day and this set is the result. Ever have that kind of experience? These beautiful Tourmalinated Quartz beads and pendant look drop-dead gorgeous when paired with silver, foil-lined "e" beads and onyx. Also known as Black Rutilated Quartz, this quartz stone contains "rutiles", or needle-like inclusions, of black tourmaline.

What do you think? I think it's a keeper! I especially like the small donuts that were so easily filled with onyx. I can't stand it when I see donut beads with wire running through them -- might as well NOT even use those if you're not going to highlight them somehow. OR, use headpins with flat bottoms and leave the donuts empty. That gives the eye a little to consider. Anyway, like I was talking to a fellow jewelry designer the other day -- the elements can be beautiful, but if you screw up the design, that's all anyone will notice anyway. Design will always be just as important as materials.

I've uploaded a mess of earrings as one listing on Etsy. Great for last minute gifts and stocking stuffers, these babies can be sent out quickly for your gifting. The prices are unbeatable, too!Check out my listing for the details!

While playing around with my beads or cleaning my table, sometimes I get on a roll. Same thing happens when I just decide to clean up or reorganize a small portion of a countertop -- pretty soon I'm up to my eyeballs. This d=beading session was no exception. I had lots of fun creating sassy little doo-dads of every color, and finding the perfect colored beads to complement the focal beads. Fun, Fun, FUN!!

If you have any questions on any listing, please convo me on Etsy. I'm online all the time!

20% off sale! Save big for Christmas!

I guess I'm jumping on the bandwagon in the middle of the parade, or maybe I'm just overflowing with Christmas Spirit. Starting today I'm offering 20% off my entire store inventory! Since I have 49 listings, I'll create an adjusted listing for each buyer who contacts me prior to the sale. AND, as an added bonus, whoever mentions my blog in the "notes to seller" section will receive an additional gift! Just enter "blogger" and you'll receive a surprise with your purchase.

Since it's getting so close to Christmas, if you'd like, I'll send your gift directly to it's destination, and include a card with your name on it. I'll send your free gift to your address. To accomplish this, put the giftee's address in the notes to seller section.

New Necklace Set!!

Just going up on Etsy is this Sesame Jasper set. This is an unusual stone, which at first glance looks nothing like my previous sesame jasper posting, but when you look closely, the stones are quite similar, with the exception of the color. These stones are gorgeous, and are set off perfectly with the Bronzite. Alternating black glass beads antique finish brass spacers and a black onyx focal bead in the bail makes the whole design just pop! It should be listed on Etsy tomorrow morning.

From Auntie's Beads....

Bronzite gemstone beads have a lot of personality. This stone is found deep beneath the surface of the Earth and contains iron. The color of Bronzite is either brown or sometimes green. Bronzite has a submetallic luster and the sparkles of bronze light are called shiller.

Luster is right. These beads have a tiger-eye-like shimmer, but deeper color, which gives them depth. They are uniquely drilled, and create an interesting look when strung together. This set has a unique style for ladies who don't want to look like the crowd.