Inspiration

New lockets are in! These are a bit different from my other lockets. Simpler, but still sweet, and admiring of nature, particularly the signs of a long awaited Spring. As you can see, I have a new, smaller size locket in both sterling and gold vermeil. I love working with this new size, hanging them from a thin sterling or gold filled chain along with just one sparkly little gem. The images are from a vintage book which I copied and then silk screened onto clear acetate, for a clean, graphic look. The new small size are about the diameter of a dime, the larger ones around the size of a quarter. More of these vintage images will be coming along later in the Spring.

A Ring

It's nice to have time to experiment.

This is what I have been playing with lately, with more to come soon.

The ring itself is sterling silver. The image is an old postage stamp, this one from Thailand. It's truly a one-of-a-kind, as that's all I could find!

Slowly but surely...

I am getting new things on the site! Here's a peek...

The skeleton leaf "au natural".



One from the new geode collection. Lots of amazing sparkly things coming!!



The skeleton leaf in black-love the contrast with the shiny sterling silver...

I have a feeling...

The other night I could not sleep. I was exhausted and turned in (on a Saturday night-I am officially "old") at 9:30. All night I tossed and turned. I woke early, exhausted. The "problem" was: too many ideas. This is a recurring theme in my life, but only every six months or so does it keep me up all night. Here are the culprits:







It's the whole oxidized silver look. I can't get enough! I am worried that the "Fall and Winter 09 Collection" (which these images are a part of) will be completely black, moody, industrial, faded elegance....oh well, at least I'll get some sleep.

We have a new winner...

This sweet little shell has taken over the front-runner spot in the Vineyard (Summer from Seattle) 09 popularity contest. Congratulations little shell, you are very sweet and easy to wear.



Also available with a gold filled chain and tiny citrine gem-photo coming soon!


A close second is a new comer to the collection: the "wave" bead. A beautiful, handmade silver bead, available on sterling silver or gold filled chain, as well as oxidized, for a lovely contrast (see next post). A most versatile contestant.



Both are available here, as well as other pretty things which get an "A" for effort.

Last week Rocked!

For some reason, a particular planetary alignment most likely, last week I said goodbye to some of my favorite pieces...geodes and "the fossil" (not the one I made for me!). Here's what went:











Thank you, cool women who love these pieces (two grandmothers, by the way!) as I do. You rock too! Enjoy!!

A lesson learned

Every year I go to work (and shop) at a huge bead show in Milwaukee. Every year my heart beats a bit faster as I approach a certain booth. This one particular man finds, cuts and drills the most amazing stones, fossils, vintage glass, and just about anything else he can get his hands on-including what looks like billiard balls and something he calls "ford-ite". I basically spend any free time and a good chunk of my salary at this booth. Two years ago, I bought a gorgeous ammonite fossil there and decided it would be just for me. This is rare (the decision and the fossil, both) and almost as soon as I got home, I stung it up with keishi pearls and aquamarines, bringing out the irridescent pale blues and pinks of the surface.
A few days later, I went "off-island" to do a big three-day show in the Berkshires. I love it there, but the show was not a good one for me. In foolish desperation, I put my ammonite necklace on the table. An hour later it sold. And I felt terrible. Was nothing sacred? Was I worshiping the almighty dollar? Where were my principles? Never again, I promised myself.
This past June, I was off to Milwaukee again. No sooner had I walked into the massive show, I ran into "my stone man" Gary. I went with him directly to his booth and told him the story of how I had been waiting a year to redeem myself. I found another ammonite (plus several fabulous geodes-for you) which struck me with its colors and shape. The other day, playing with some new pearls, the idea for the new necklace came together quickly- and this was the result.

~mine~

It fits my neck perfectly and the feeling of wearing something which is more than 100 million (think about that for a second) years old makes me feel grounded, connected and reminds me to appreciate this moment in time.

this fleeting world is like a star at dawn,

a bubble in a stream,

a flash of lightning in a summer cloud,

a flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream...

- the diamond sutra

What's hot on the Vineyard. Hint: it's not the weather.

You never really can tell what's going to be the most popular item at a show. I have only done five markets so far this summer, but these two necklaces are already the obvious front runners.

It may not seem like it...

but it IS Summer, and as usual, I am all caught up in the blues and greens. Been having fun making these little treats....


They are in my shop now, along with lots more NEW pieces, so enjoy looking around!

Show and Tell Time

Well, yes, I have been attending a jewelry course down here in Argentina, and so I thought I'd show you it is I have been working on. I carved each of these pieces in wax first, then had them cast in silver. Sounds easy, right? Not exactly, but I have found that I really love carving wax and being able to transform my drawings into 3D objects. I have a great teacher, Carlos, who is also just really funny to be around, so I often stayed at school, carving away for 8 hours a day (like a "real" job!). Here's what I have finished so far:

A reminder to wear on your wrist...

A simple and sweet bird...

For the shell collector...

This is one half of what will be a small seashell locket...
All of these pieces are to be incorporated into my "Summer 09" jewelry line. There's more coming, too-rings! Stay tuned...

Spring...

....needs a little encouragement to really show her face, I think.

Why not honor Spring and wear a flower around your neck?

The dogwood in gold is here.
(Also in silver and antiqued black!)

House of Quatrefoil

Many know how much I love the quatrefoil shape (and how controversial its use can be). Its pretty, curvy, yet strong and statement-making presence works perfectly in jewelry. I guess the person who designed this apartment building in the Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires thought it was a great addition to a home as well. I have to agree.

The main entrance.

Front door detail.

The side entrance (there is one on each side of the main entrance). Very Confectionary.
Those little "awnings" over the windows are so sweet.

A beautiful column.

The metalwork in front of the windows.

Side entrance doors-so pretty!
It's hard not to love this shape. You probably can't buy this apartment building, but the jewelry is available here!

The Nature of Contrast

Looking at the similarities in my jewelry to architecture started me thinking about comparisons in nature....particularly gemstones, a favorite subject of mine. I was reminded of this necklace I made a few years ago. In the locket is a monarch butterfly wing I found on the beach on the Vineyard. I paired it with a heart-shaped piece of "picasso stone" bought from one of the most creative lapidarists I have ever met. I love that the colors and patterns in these two item are almost exactly the same, but one is a stone, the other light as a feather.
From that idea, my minded jumped to a place I love to visit and yet don't get to often enough, the Harvard Museum of Natural History. My first stop will always be the gem and mineral rooms. I snapped some photos last time I was there and in reviewing them, was reminded of other photos I had taken this past year.
I especially like the contrast between something so light you could just pffff blow it away and a solid, unyielding stone.
When I was teaching art, I talked to my students a lot about the concept of contrast and how it could made their work more interesting. Something to keep in mind for future designs....

Inspired

I don't know if I was inspired by my last trip here to create this latest line, but it's hard not to see a connection in the texture, pattern and colors.
Perhaps it was a subconscious thing, floating around in my head for a year or so....
..or maybe I just like playing with the photos I take. Guess we'll never know.
So many of the buildings here have a definite patina to them, but the beautiful decoration and ornamentation is still there, as well as some left-over sparkle and luster, if you really look.
See more of the new line here.