New Work

I thought I'd show you some new work that has been taking up some of my time this summer. I've been using some of Gem Show booty, trying to make a dent into my stock that threatens to overwhelm. I went back to some of my older styles as I have a ton of pretty glass and gemstone beads that should be out there adorning you!

Rare old Bohemian glass beads made for trading in Africa in brilliant green with a hint of blue. The darker beads are bluer in life than in pictures. Paired with brushed sterling silver hollow nugget beads.

This is the third iteration of this sea colors lampwork glass bead set. I bought the beads at a now-closed upper west side bead shop and love the color combinations - the yellowy green really adds summer heat, and the pretty blue enameled Vintaj clasp blends nicely.

This bracelet is a candy-lover's dream. I chose gemstone and glass beads and paired them with handmade sterling silver components.

I bought these beads about 10 years ago when I first opened my shop on Etsy, and this is a sample necklace that I made for a custom order. I love the glass drop beads with their red, blue, orange and green ashes of color. It's a simple necklace and the only one of its kind, lightweight and colorful for summer.

Dendritic agates are so gorgeous, and this fern agate is really lovely and evocative of seaweed. I cut the sterling base to echo the organic look of the stone.

Here's a landscape or picture agate - doesn't it look like sandy terrain dotted with trees? I added a moonstone moon and gave the silver a brushed satin finish.

Botswana agate with its striking stripes! The stone is smooth and domed and has great light and depth, and the patterned Art Nouveau ring band is so lovely.

More gemstone candy. Pink rhodonite bisected by black, set in sterling with a bright finish.

 I snagged some beautiful swirly blue and green chrysocolla at the JA/MJSA show in March and will be making pieces for my shop, but these earrings, with olivine for added oomph, are for me, to match a turquoise dress that I wear in summer. If I can't go to the beach, I wear these and feel cool and calm.

Happy summer to all - stay safe and cool if you are in a heat zone (as I am). Fall isn't far away - that's my mantra.

Winter Landscapes

Happy New Year to all. I hope that you enjoyed lovely holidays and that the New Year has begun well. It was a crazy holiday season and I have been enjoying a bit of a rest from it all, but it's back to work now.

We had our first snowfall yesterday where I live and the quiet beauty of winter may stay with us for a bit. Last winter's snow and ice was an unending onslaught, but it doesn't really feel like winter without it, at least to me. 

I found these gorgeous stones last March at the Gem Show and am finally getting around to using them. I didn't want to rush it; I wanted to think about the stones and listen to what they wanted me to do with them. Some will be pendants, one pair will be earrings and a ring or two. Some want to be combined with other stones, so I am on the hunt. 

Love the paired white, gray and black marquises that will be earrings. I'm thinking of pairing them with iolite or chalcedony to bring out the lavender. If you look at them lengthwise, they resemble a snowy landscape, and I may use them in that direction.

The large oval is called a Mocha Stone, and it's from India. The rest are dendritic agates, and they resemble landscapes, trees, ferns. My favorite is the slender little oval in the bottom row with its delicate trees that seem to be growing alongside a lake in autumn. Does anyone else see a face in the oval on the bottom row, lower right?

I wish you a peaceful January, the perfect time to think about what lies ahead, take stock, plan changes and new interests, enjoy the comforts of home and hopefully enjoy this beautiful season.

Click on the picture to enlarge.