Ariel's treasure lost but now found...

This necklace was a custom creation commissioned by a pretty lady in Texas for a beach-themed formal event. The trick was to make flowers, but keep it beachy. So, why not use beachy to make the flowers? I was up for it.

The natural beauty and colors of these shells and coral are what makes the necklace. They're showcased in all their glory, and highlighted by gold, czech glass and recycled "sea glass" beads. These beads are not sea glass, but recycled glass designed to LOOK like real sea glass. They're also available in cobalt, which is a very rare sea glass color, and very beautiful.

The conch-like shell at the bottom is wrapped around the top with glass and pearls to tie it in with the focal "flower" and gold heishi plays hide-and-seek with different loose beads for extra sparkle. Closeup photos of this necklace set can be viewed in my "sold items" portfolio in my Etsy shop, here.

I really should take the time to learn the names of these beautiful shells, and go to the local shell conventions that showcase and sell these treasures from the deep. I'd like to use them in future creations. The textures and colors are striking, and will be sure to start conversation wherever they are worn, don't you think so?

If you are interested in a creation all your own, please contact me through my Etsy shop, click "Request Custom Item" or this link.

Something old, Something new, Something borrowed... and Something blue!

This wedding necklace has been my Custom project for December. A custom order won through a bid in Etsy's alchemy section, the task was to recreate the necklace in the low-resolution photo, and turn it into something fabulous for my bride's Vegas-casino/midnight on New Years' Eve wedding. You can view the bid, and the finished photos, here in my shop.

To recreate the necklace, we used oval mother of pearl, glass coin pearl, blue opal, and alexandrite crystal rosebuds with a vitrail finish. The teardrop "leaves" are faceted emerald crystal teardrops. The flower focals were created in polymer clay with swarovski crystal centers by beetreebyme on Etsy. She took our custom requests and turned them into absolutely fabulous focal flowers! What a treat and a pleasure to work with her!

Custom orders are really high on my list of favorite things to do. Of course I LOVE the free-creating process; I think they're both very fulfilling. My pleasure in the custom creation process lies in taking the customer's need and turning it into

something that is much more than they expected. What fun!

Heartfelt congratulations

to Crystal on her upcoming wedding, this New Years' Eve. Blessings and Best wishes for a long and happy lifetime of love and family.

Work in Progress....

I have to replace the previous tree necklace in my inventory, since it sold last weekend, so I've been working on a concept varying from the standard square or round tree of life pendant. This one started out as a long rectangle, and I raised the ceiling on the pendant , sort of like an umbrella, giving the idea of a sheltering tree. Really cool czech glass lentil beads coated with a metallic finish are the "leaves" for the tree, and the wire is bronze, copper and brass. The bails at the top will be attached to links or segments of stone beads wired together. The pendant still needs to be tweeked a little, but, a work in progress is just that. I've got my work cut out for me!

I think I'll find and use some of the newer frosted metallic czech glass beads, along with some vintaj brass findings. I thought I'd made a deal with myself to NOT buy any more beads for a while...

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.

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.

Another custom order finished!!

I'm so happy about this particular bracelet. It's going to a lady for whom these beads have special meaning, and I enjoyed putting it together for her. It features millifiori glass, AB czech glass, faceted crystal saucers, and hand-made wire-wrapped spacers of anti-tarnish brass. It's always so satisfying to present something to someone, and know that it means more to them than just any piece of jewelry. Hat's off to you, Tina! Best Wishes, too. I hope you really enjoy it.

I've been a busy little critter around here. I finished a Sesame Jasper piece this morning, and will post it tomorrow.