Quiet Moments and Elegance

As we've been simplifying our life for the 15 months, we've been even more aware of the preciousness of special moments. There's a certain softness and peacefulness that moves into this type of life transformation.

Winter peacefulness - Photo: Nathalie Lesage

It can be a scenery, a glimpse of something surreal, a feeling of a magical moment. When we collect too many physical things, it takes space not only in the space surrounding us, but it also takes up space in our mind.

In a world where we're encouraged with every single commercial on TV, Radio, Newspapers, Magazines, online adds, etc, to 'consume' 'consume' 'consume'... more, more, more, it's good to take a break and re-evaluate what we truly need. Turns out there's a lot of things we don't need at all.

Less is more.

So in that theme, I've decided to design this simple pair of earrings:

The blue-flash Labradorite gemstones remind me of the picture (above) that I took on one of our road trips up North. I've set these gemstones on a pair of lilac drop shape Amethyst gemstone sterling silver headpins (with the cute little trio of dots/detail at the bottom) that I've been hoarding for many years. I only have a couple more.

Although it's hard to see the color of those Amethyst gemstones, the Swarovski Crystals that I've suspended on the Anodized Aluminum rings are the same color... a soft lilac, cool and peaceful.

At the top, I've used a pair of handmade Polymer Clay beads (wavy textured croissants beads, in black and silver) made by the love of my life, my husband Darren :)

Long, Lightweight, Slender, Simple, Quiet Elegance that catches the light... you have to stop and take the time to get a glimpse of the blue flash in the Labradorite when the light hits them 'just so'. It's like a little secret that only a select few will get to enjoy.

Do you have any plans to lighten up your surroundings this Spring? Try it and see how it feels!

Wishing you a peaceful and quiet relaxing day!

Thank you very much for stopping by :)

You can find these earrings in my Etsy shop HERE.

Cheers,
Nathalie Lesage
My Garden Of Love on Etsy
The Crafty Tribe on Etsy

Subtlety in textures and color

I'm attracted to the textural subtlety that my "silk" Fretz hammer produces when I hammer metal with it... I wasn't sure about it when I first ordered it a few years ago, but I always love the results when I use it. My inspiration this week is Subtlety in Textures and Colors:

One of my very favorite "subtle" gemstone to use is Labradorite. See the hint of purple on the top left gemstone? And the hint of green flash on the top right one? (seen in both the picture above and just below)... the purple (especially) makes me go ga-ga lol

I love to chase the "flash" of Labradorite, depending on the direction that the stones are cut, and how the light hits it, you get these gorgeous colors, it's like opening a present on your birthday :)

 

You can also see some beautiful flashes of blue in the larger bottom gemstones... yummy!

And look at the "Silk" texture on the bottom hoops... I love how the look changes depending on the angle and how the light hits the copper (above and below):

 

This is the hammer that I've used. 

It looks funky a bit, and it's not a cheap tool, 

but the results are subtle and pretty darn cool, if you ask me :)

Silk Texture Fretz Hammer at RioGrande

Of course, I had to mix my metals again... I've left the copper and sterling silver au naturel, because so many love their metals bright, but I can oxidize them if a buyer prefers the antique look.

The rich warm hues in the copper are perfect for Fall.

These earrings are listed HERE on my NatLJ.com website :)

So, what about you??

Do you have a favorite subtle touch that you like to use when you make

(or 'see' when you buy) jewelry?

Do you have favorite textures that you tend to be more attracted to?

I'd love to hear about it!

Have a great day and thank you for stopping by!

Nathalie Lesage

Metalsmith, Jewelry Artist

http://www.NathalieLesageJewelry.com

Fit for a Princess

These earrings are made with Labradorite gemstones that have an AB coating and I love how they reflect the light. To see more of these gemstones, visit Rock Candy Bead Studio. I made these earrings for the Bead Soup Blog Party this past September. To see what I made with my bead soup, click HERE.

I could see myself wearing these dramatic earrings with this...

Or even with this, if I wanted to be more casual.

I like how this blouse has the teardrop shape that is reflected in the earrings.

To see more of Kristy Abner's work or to contact her please visit her website.

To view these earrings on her website please click HERE.