One More Before The Show Goes On The Road

Alrighty – yay, me!  I am hereby managing to get a couple more pieces posted before the baby arrives – whee!!

Going back to my traditional silver theme here, we’ve got some minor metalsmithing going on.  Let’s start with Orrery…

Orrery: hand-domed silver discs align their orbits gracefully at the end of a handmade silver chain

The center disc is shiny, the others satin/matte.    It adjusts from 17-19″ long and the drop is 3.25″ from there.  (In case you’re wondering about the name, an orrery is a model of the solar system.)  I am particularly proud of this one as I slogged through the making of the chain as well!

From there we move to Swoop!  Hand-hammered curves cradle a rutilated quartz round.  This is a lonnnnnnggg baby!  22″ plus another nearly 5″ in the drop.  It’d be great over a bulky sweater for fall!

Swoop: hammered sterling silver with rutilated quartz

I think this will probably be it before the baby comes and, as it turns out, the hospital I’ll be at doesn’t have wifi SO you probably won’t be hearing from me for a while.  I am hoping to make some jewelry while I’m there though – the repetitive things that I don’t usually have time for.  I owe a cousin a rosary (which are incredibly, time-consumingly tedious to make – no wonder they have to bless them afterward) and there’s a chain maille pattern I want to try.  See?  This is how you can tell a c-section veteran… we know the cable in the hospital is lousy and we plan for it!  Also, we know this is as close to a vacation as we’re likely to get for months so we’d better enjoy it!

Cheers all!

K2

Back to the Beach

At least briefly before the summer’s over!

We used to get to our favorite beach at least 2-3 times a year before the little ones came along making such trips more hazardous (and expensive!).  Maybe that’s why I was inspired to combine these little blue and cream shaded opal rondelles with a mother-of-pearl backdrop!  It just seems like an early morning sky at the shore to me.

The pendant drop is about 2 1/4" and the chain adjusts from 16.5 - 19.5".

Blue and cream opal buttons against mother-of-pearl: necklace

And because we all need to be coordinated in our beachwear…  matching earrings!

Earrings have sterling silver earwires and hang a mere 3/4" from the top of the curve

Pretty soon, it will be time to back to the warm tones of fall.  I’m having a hard time letting go of the cool summer colors though (probably because it’s SO flippin’ hot and muggy out) so you may see more summery stuff before I reluctantly move to fall.  I know, I should’ve gone to fall already.  The business aspects of jewelry design seldom occur to my creative side.  Unfortunately.  Still, let’s enjoy what’s left of the summer.  Before I know it, I’ll have a newborn in the house again and life will be crazy (well, crazier!).

Cheers all!

K2

Gardening… Jewelry Style

Ok, first up today,  we have the Cassie Rings… Cassie’s in the Garden and Cassie at Work.  Why Cassie?  Well, Cassie Donlen, a very talented lampwork bead artist and jewelry designer, developed the design for these rings to show off cool lampwork beads.   She then taught the technique in a jewelry making magazine and even sells the little brass screws in her online shop.  So, yes, with time, patience, and the right tools, you too could make these!  But, honestly, it’s easier to get someone else to do it… I promise!   The band on these is a bit heavier than in Cassie’s version – mostly based on what I had on hand.

Sterling silver bands, cool lampwork beads, and brass screws make for fun rings!

In putting my own touch on these, the bands of the floral rings are stamped with leaves and the plain bead has a plain band.  Theoretically, the screws can be removed and the beads changed out.  Frankly, this would be a royal pain in the bahooty so I’d suggest against trying it unless you have the patience of a saint!

Ok, and now back to one of my own designs… also floral themed.  This is Garden Volunteer… featuring hand-stamped leaves in copper riveted to sterling silver hand-stamped with dragonflies.  (Why, yes, it is the same leaf stamp as in the Cassie rings!)

copper stamped with leaves meets sterling silver stamped with dragonflies via copper rivets and dangles on a sterling chain.

I’m getting more and more used to working with copper.  It has a great organic quality to it that I’m liking more and more.  It will never replace sterling for me – because I can’t wear copper without looking sickly – but I’m definitely enjoying it.

Hope y’all enjoyed these!

Cheers,

K2

Shimmer in the Moonlight…

Not sure that’s the best post title but my mind seems to be drawing a blank at the moment!

So, what do I have to show today?  Two newish (i.e., new to the website but created a couple months ago) bracelets that couldn’t be more different.  Ok, well, maybe they could, but they’re pretty disparate!

Let’s start with some hand-hammered silver leaves and labradorite.

hand-hammered sterling silver leaves interspersed with small labradorite rounds form a bracelet. Rivets and a handcrafted toggle add a touch of industrial chic

The labradorites are small but, boy, they’ve got flash.  Mmmmm!  I love labradorite.  I’m also particularly happy with my little hole-lining tube rivets and my happily-whanged handmade toggle.

Alrighty, looking in the direction of more stone, less metal, may I present Moonlit Sand?

moonstone and pearls with a shell toggle bring to mind the beach in the moonlight

I love the toggle on this.  I can’t claim credit for it – I don’t have the skills or the equipment to shape shell like that – but it’s perfect for the feel of the bracelet, don’t you think?

Hope you’re all well!  If anyone’s looking to do a jewelry party later this fall, I’m booking for mid-October (i.e., after the baby) and beyond!  It’s a great way to get yourself a pretty cool discount on some pretty cool jewelry and, unlike the mainstream jewelry parties, I won’t guilt your friends into hosting parties.  Just think about it, ‘kay?

Cheers all!

K2

More Copper! (Is that Proper??)

Alrighty… I seem to be in a copper mood this summer.  Go figure!    I just put these two casual beauties up on the website.

First up is “Pretty in Paisley”…  I love how this one puts me in mind of bohemian chic but, unlike the true thing, in an understated kind of way.  A simplification of the fun and flair for those times when we can’t go over the top!  I am proud of the clasp on this one too – like the necklace, all hand-crafted, but not the typical hook and eye either!

Small faceted apatites adorn a copper paisley, 2 strand necklace with hand-crafted, apatite-dotted, clasp: necklace

hand-crafted copper clasp dotted with faceted apatite

Pretty in Paisley is about 18 1/2 ” long and the paisley itself drops about 1 3/4″ from the ‘chain’.

On to necklace number 2!  I’ve been wanting to do more with this set of letter stamps I bought (because, after all, what fun are tools if you don’t use them??) and, while noodling around with my saw one day (yes, I noodle with my saw – take that as you may!), this emerged!  Sapphires were the obvious choice to accent the copper as sapphires have long been associated with thought.

Satin-finish copper disc with polished insert stating "think", accented with smooth polished sapphires, on a satin cord.

The necklace adjusts from 17-20″ long and the pendant drops about 2″.  The adjustable bit in the back features a couple more smooth deep blue sapphire droplets to give it a polished look behind you as well.

Hope you enjoyed these!  Check them out in more detail at the website!

Cape Present…

I told you I had some new stuff to show!

And here I present… Cape Present.  There are lake people and there are ocean people.  I am an ocean person.  I made this thinking of Cape May and the shore and I love the name on several levels.  Not only does it showcase a present from the ocean environment to us but it reminds us to be present to the natural happenings and small beauties that come into our lives on the fleeting passage of time.

It features a gorgeous double-faced abalone, which I encircled with a hand-netted copper bezel.  The bezel by itself bored me and needed something else, so on went a bundle of tiny Czech glass beads in ocean tones – encrusting it as a long-forgotten fishing net might be encrusted with barnacles.  The pendant is hung on a ‘chain’ of crocheted copper wire, also dotted with the tiny flecks of color.  The chain finishes with a handmade hook and eye and organic extender chain allowing the necklace to be adjustable from 17-19″.  The pendant itself is 3″ long.

Cape Present (necklace)

And because earrings that matched would be a bit much so close to the necklace, I settled on a matching bracelet instead:

Cape Present (bracelet)

I’m Appalling… I Know.

But hopefully I’ll get better with the updates!!  I do have some new pieces to start showing though so here’s one!

Star of the Sea

In other news, I’m just back from the Strawberry Festival in Cape May, New Jersey.  I love Cape May.  It’s a great town and simple to find – take the Garden State Parkway all the way to the very, very southermost end, and there you are.  It was great to see so many people out enjoying the day.

Personally, we’re expecting another baby this fall.  A little boy this time.  My husband is delighted as am I.  I love my girls but it will be nice to see both sides of the coin, so to speak!

Ok, I’m off for now.  Now that the Strawberry Festival is over, I’m really hoping to get back in the swing of web updates so watch out!!

A couple of oldies brought back and a new one!

Ok, a friend was on my case about a couple of her favorite necklaces that she thought I ought to bring back.  So, I’m not much on having friends on my case so here they are!

First up, a necklace first designed as a medal of honor for a heroic mom!  It’s named Greta after a friend who saved her daughter from drowning and features a lovely agate centerpiece surrounded by a dyed black agate ring, hanging on a leather cord…

Greta - agate

And, of course, Frame of Flowers – jasper and poppy (brecciated) jasper – also on a leather cord…

Frame of Flowers - jasper

While I was rummaging around to see if I had the “ingredients” to make a second one of each of these, I came across some cool jasper teardrop shapes that were floating about in my “jasper” drawer that were just begging me to do something similar with them.  Like friends, I tend to obey my rocks…

Garden Meditation - jasper and amethyst

Hope you enjoyed them!

Earring Update!

8 new pairs up on the website – 4 of them under $20, 3 more under $30!  The last pair?  Well, it’s expensive, I know – but it’s chockfull of lovely faceted spinel, carved fluorite, amethyst, and Hill Tribes silver and worth every penny!!

Come on by and see the new pieces!

Cheers and a lovely weekend to all,

K2

No Pictures This Time – Sorry!

But I didn’t want you to think I wasn’t working on some new things!

I’m currently working on a sterling cuff bracelet in a simplified art nouveau kind of style.  I’ve got the piercing down and about half the cutting done, then it’s on to shaping, rounding, sanding, polishing, swearing a lot (just kidding… hopefully!).

I also got in some cool faceted amethyst stones, cut like you might for a solitaire, that I’ve got some great ideas for.

Meanwhile, I’m now offering gift certificates on the site!  Buy one before Thanksgiving and I’ll send you a second $5 gift certificate free as my gift to you!

Cheers all!

K2