A Year of Jewelry by Beth

I have taken some time away from the jewelry.  I think it is mostly because my life came crashing down around me and I have had to stop and pick up the pieces.  Another reason is that the landlord has someone coming in to fix the cracks in the walls and paint and my jewelry equipment and tools are buried.  Every thing seems to be stacked against my creativity right now… but my muse is getting restless and I will be forced to create even more and better very soon.  So for now my jewelry is on hold and the rest of my life seems to be too….. I am stepping back to see the “forest” and not just the “trees” and taking this time to regroup and take care of my major issues head on….

Teardrop shaped drusy stone in a simple wrap of 14 k gold filled wire (22 and 26 gauge).  There is a simple elegance that is appropriate for this stone.

So what is drusy…. The particular one is a creamy agate like stone covered with tiny clear crystals that have formed, leaving an amazing, sparkling surface.  The stone has been cut to this shape and the back is as nice as the front… slightly faceted to show off the layers.

I absolutely love the blue flecks of fire that flash in labradorite as the light catches the stones.  These earrings are just a bit swingy which give lots of opportunity for the light to play with the labradorite.  The stones surrounding the pearl are faceted which give more opportunities for the flashes of blue.  This picture only capture one blue flash but it is enough to whet your appetite for more.

This was a commission like the green jade earrings from week 14.  I was given a string of sodalite beads but rather than go plain I’ve added a swirl of sterling silver wire to dress them up to add interest and a bit of flash. I think if I were to do them again I would add a silver bead at the bottom, but I am pleased with how they turned out. The rest of the beads were strung on elastic to be worn as 2 bracelets and earrings as a set.  

Check out the Year of Jewelry (YOJ) blog to see what others in our group are doing.

This necklace alternates clear swarovski crystals with Japanese glass pearl beads.  A cross enhanced with clear crystals makes this the perfect gift for a first communion. I’ve been busy catching up on special orders after returning from a 2 week trip to move my mom from Florida back to her home in Illinois.

22 guage sterling silver wire… square frame… pretty pink czech glass cubes with AB finish.  I added a little swirl to the earwires on the front end.  The bottom wire’s end was melted into a bead.

These earrings are delicate looking and the pink coloring adds to that look.  My pictures don’t show off the beautiful color of these cubes.

A customer gave me 2strings of beads on a stretchy red cord.  She asked me to take 2 animal beads and 2 round beads from each string to make the earrings.  She wanted them simple and without extra ornamentation.  There is a beautiful knot in the red elastic that I don’t know how to duplicate so I cut the string on the opposite side and put in a plain square knot with a little glue, also at the customers request.  They are interesting beads and no two animals are the same on each string.  Not what I would have chosen but it was a challenge to fulfill the customer’s requests.

Red czech glass beads on 21g sterling silver (ss) wire and ss beads. The wire holding the beads was melted into a bead on the end and then hammered.  I remembered a while back someone talking about doing that in the CWJ forum and found the results to be very nice.

Simple, comfortable and attractive earrings.

I picked up 2 turquoise donuts at the gem show a few weeks ago.  This one has the black streaks and another had more golden streaks.  I am going to wrap the other one in gold wire.  This one uses sterling silver wire in 22 guage and 24 guage.  I like the sun ray effect that is created with the wires. I don’t think I will sell this one… I reeeeally like turquoise so this one is for me.

I am actually ahead this week.  I was inspired to create this pendant from 22 and 26 guage 14k gold filled wire.  There is a little weaving and a little wrapping and a lot of swirling.  The centerpiece is the champagne colored freshwater pearl.  Three hexigonal beads balance the woven side of the swirl and add a little contrast to all the smooth round edges. The whole thing top to bottom measures just an inch, so it is rather smallish and compact.

 I don’t usually follow the weekly theme.  It is a guide at most, but this weeks theme ”Ocean Breeze” inspired me.  The swirling breeze surrounding the pearl.  It may take a bit of imagination, but it shouldn’t take much…  I’ll be in Florida in a couple weeks enjoying those breezes and I think that is what was in the back of my mind as I wrapped the wires.