Chain, Chain, Chain...

My newest earrings started with these tiny (under 2 cm long) rustic black clay hearts with their pretty metallic bronze glaze... 

Made by Sarah Kandell-Gritzmaker of Slate Studios Supply, these little hearts are one-of-a-kind pieces that beautifully carry off both rustic and delicate.  I wanted that balance to be the focus of what I brought to the rest of the elements of the earrings I would create with the them. 

Since the ceramic hearts are so small, everything else needed to be equally petite, including these little bits of sparkle, 7 x 5 mm Czech glass rondelles, opal with mercury style and AB finish...

Maybe the most interesting thing, though, are the bits of chain that became crucial parts of the earrings.  I cut two "crescents" from a strand of antiqued copper crescent moon chain (below) from Beadshop.com.  (They also carry this chain in bright silver tone, antiqued silver, antiqued brass, and gold.) 

In the finished earrings, the copper crescents from the chain remind me of armor, a contrast to the pearly Czech rondelles and the delicate open-wire petals of the copper bead caps.  

When I finished the earrings, I wrapped some 15/0 silver-lined pearl seed beads to each copper ear wire to continue the quiet sparkle.   

These little earrings (less than 2 inches long) remind me of the famous quotation from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" about the petite yet very strong-minded Hermia:  "Though she be but little, she is fierce." 💗

 

Thanks so much for reading!  I'll be back again on June 13.

xo
Meridy

My Shop

Cube With Facets or a Wrecking Ball

Large faceted acrylic beads. Over the years I've managed to collect quite a few of them. In different colours and shapes. So attractive I just have to buy them whenever I come across them. However, so far they have rarely come to use in any of my jewelry designs. So the stash of them has gradually built up. With many of them I have only just a pair. So suitable for making fun and exciting earrings.

And finally, over the last few months I have been on a roll with them. Having so much fun. Each pair of earrings in this 'series' has it's own distinctive character, still with the common factor of large faceted acrylic beads. 

Which ever style you use or method of designing the main purpose should of course be that the earrings shall look great when being worn. These ones do I think. To me they are everyday earrings, but with a touch of boldness. Simple and dramatic at the same time. They are long and dangling yet still light weight. Handmade earrings hooks in heavily oxidized sterling silver. I have a feeling I will wear them often over the coming period.

On another note:
If you have read many of my blog posts over the years you might have noticed that my designs often mirror something going on in my subconciousness. This connection I always discover firstly after the design is finished and I take a step back and look at them. It's rather fascinating. Almost like a sort of diary in design.

With these earrings I think it is rather obvious that they could be a version of a wrecking ball. Like in the song by Miley Cyrus. It's not a style of music I generally listen to and the video is a bit too much in my opinion, but that aside some of the lyric lines in that song I can definetely relate to. But mostly there are some things in my life that could do with ...  deserve some serious treatment by a wrecking ball ...

ALL MY BEST,
Malin

We're All Ears :: March Challenge :: Monochromatic

Seeing Miss Malin's earring post the other day inspired me. I loved the sleek look of these earrings that relied heavily on a play of patterns and contrast.

That lead me down a rabbit hole that included Anthropologie and their front page feature on Black & White. Here is what their graphic says Celebrate the Contrast.

Now I don't know if I could go fully monochrome in my life. I like color way too much! But the cool thing about monochromatic color schemes - in this case specifically black + white - is you can add in literally any other color and it becomes really exciting! It can be contemporary and sleek, elemental and tribal (hello, Black Panther!), and also vintage and romantic, depending on the patterns, placement and colors that you use. I also think that mixing patterns that are exclusively black + white is a bold way to bring in texture and life and a bit of whimsy to any design. I think we can all agree that the entire world could use more life with a bit of whimsy, n'est ce pas?

I found some great advice from a Buzzfeed article entitled "21 Ways to Mix, Match and Clash Prints Like A Pro" that has some applicable guidelines whether you are dressing, decorating...or designing.

Here are some of my favorites from the article (and my suggestions for designing earrings):

1. Choose one print to dominate and one as an accent.
3. Keep your fabrics (or beads ;-) in the same color family (monochrome, baby!).
4. Pick different prints that share a single color (like red plaid with red stripes).
6. If you want to use the same pattern, invert the colors (so black windowpane on white, and vice versa).
8. Use the same exact pattern in both a larger and smaller scale (like large circles with tiny dots).
10. Break up patterns with a belt (or in our world I would suggest a metallic or solid color accent spacer - but you could think of it as a belt!)
11.Tie a plaid shirt or printed sweatshirt around your waist for an easy and casual dose of added print (how about using patterned ribbon or colorful fibers to break up the bold patterns?)
12. Textured fabrics (or beads or components), like perforated leather, totally count as a print.
14. Pair two types of the same print (like mixing two florals or two stripes or two dots).
17. Pair neutral (or tone-on-tone) prints with a bold monochromatic print.
21. When in doubt, polka dots and stripes always work!

And here are some pictures of interiors and outfits to get your creative juices flowing.

For the March challenge of We're All Ears, I am encouraging you to go monochrome - black + white. Mix all the patterns. Throw in a pop of a color if you like (and don't forget, metal is a color, too! Just look at that awesome copper light fixture and the gold accents above! And a red hat or shoes...yes, please!). Play with scale and texture. Above all...have fun! See you on Friday, March 16th!

Basic Black Earrings Beach Stone Jewelry

What is the main color that fills your closet? Mine has a lot of black. I don't want to be that "emo" girl who always wears black but I am drawn to it. (no offense emo girls!) I love wearing black and it's easy to fit any other color with it, so it's a good go-to accessory & clothing color. 

These earrings are another take on my beach glass/stone earrings. The only two stones I found that were so beautifully smooth and really *black. All the other stones I collected on this day were some sort of gray. I really love the look and feel of these smooth stones. 

photo by Cindy Pack free for personal use

They pair well with the silver and add a nice contrast to the metal, even in it's rustic patina'd state. 

My original idea was to have the asymmetrical rings hanging side by side. But I was inspired by some of the many asymmetrical earrings I've seen here on the EE blog and I mixed it up a bit. I'm really pleased with how they came out. 

Part of my "Peace, Love & Rocks" Collection

http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/collections/peace-love-rock

Found black stones, handmade fine silver rings, 
and black stone beads from Alexanders Bead Bazaar (Seattle, WA). 

What's your go-to color? 

(original post date Oct 2014)

My Favorite Things

Favorites---we all have them. 

Whether it's your favorite color (olive green), favorite food (garden-fresh tomatoes), season (autumn), author (Cormac McCarthy), shoes (black biker boots)...the list goes on. We can learn so much about a person by looking at their favorite things. See, look how much you just learned about me? Of course, we as humans are much more nuanced than a condensed list of favorites, but these are great starting points. 



One of my most favorite stones---and honey, I've worked with a LOT of stones---is chiastolite. A form of rosy brown andalusite and otherwise known as "cross stone", this wicked material features completely naturally occurring black graphite crosses or Xs at its center. The iconography of the cross goes back thousands of years across untold cultures. I love the provenance and fluidity of such a symbol.

So any time I see a nice piece of chiastolite, I tend to snap it up like a hamster---hoarding it away for future use. These little teardrop pieces weren't in my hands very long before they spoke to me. I gave them wee soldered caps and dangled them simply beneath vintage wood beads and ratty pronged black metal bead caps. Ever so slightly industrial and gothic (see aforementioned proclivity for black biker boots) with a crunchy earth goddess vibe thrown in for good measure. Hey, that pretty much sums me up.

OK, now tell me some of YOUR favorites!

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

The Wild Child

These earrings were inspired and created to match a necklace I recently made, using similar components and beads. The inspiration necklace included a beautiful artisan lampwork focal I picked up in a tiny little (The best kind!!) bead shop in AZ last year. Really nice workman ship. I love buying artist's beads. Knowing that I can contribute to someone elses art while feeding my own creative needs is the most rewarding experience for me.






The artisan lampwork bead has shades of black and gray and a bit of a lavender hue as well. 

I played off the colors of the bead by adding in some lavender jasper (from Alexanders Bead Bazaar- Seattle, WA) along with some gray labradorite, white African glass and finally some handcrafted ceramic beads (Cindy's Art & Soul) in shades of gray.

Wild Child by cindybeads featuring nars cosmetics

Black stone, Periwinkle Jasper and Handcrafted Ceramic Earrings by Art & Soul Jewelry

With the earrings I had to get creative since I didn't have the large focal to work with - I chose some small (found) black stones. The stones were hand picked from the beach here in WA - just last week! I drilled them and wrapped them with fine silver wire - adding in the lavender Jasper and handcrafted ceramic beads by Cindy's Art & Soul. The ear wires are hand crafted, sterling silver.

You can find these earrings along with the matching necklace at www.ArtAndSoulJewelry.com
If you are looking for ceramic beads - there's a small collection there for those as well. And more coming next week! (ya!)

Peace & Blessings,

Black Inspiration

I was recently asked to make some black earrings for a client. Ideas and inspiration exploded in my head. I believe with jewelry designers, artisans, this is how it happens sometimes. 

It's either feast or famine, right? 

Dry times of "making" can be so discouraging. I get through the "dry spell" by looking through my past work, cleaning my work space, and then just randomly digging through my supplies. Generally that's all it takes. Beads and components start coming together like magnets. 

However, this was not one of those dry times. This time, the inspiration was flowing like a river in the winter. It's like being filled with a spirit and your hands are not your own. For a few hours you are in another dimension being guided by a muse and when it's all over... you can sit back and bask in the glow of your creation. (hopefully) or be applaud by it- that's happened a time or two as well. 

Back to the black inspiration. 

 I am thrilled with how this came out. 

These earrings feature micro faceted Black Spinel gemstones, flower charms created from bits of recycled pure silver, and small fine silver hoops, hand forged. Available at Art & Soul Jewelry. I see a matching bracelet in the future!

See the rest of my Black Inspiration here!

peace, blessings, and INSPIRATION~

Mirror / Mirror

As you may well be aware of by now, our own Claire Lockwood happens to make some of the most deliciously unique ceramic beads, in addition to her inspired jewelry. I've missed out on quite a few new sets because they tend to sell so quickly---wonderful for Claire and maddening for me! 

However, on her latest batch update, I was able to snag some beautiful "naked" fluted porcelain rounds. Claire carves the grooves into each bead before firing once, and then used oxide to color them in a second firing, giving them that smoky velvety texture with slight minty green overtones. 

I'm just crazy about these beads! So crazy that I knew as soon as I took them out of the package that I was going to make something for myself using them. No equivocating here, no sharing, just MINE!

I'm a big fan of mirroring shapes, textures, and colors of the various component in my assemblage pieces. And I'm also a big fan of old wood beads. So when I saw the fluted grooves of Claire's beads, my mind immediately jumped to a pair of wood "pumpkin" beads that I've been saving up for a special occasion. The textures of the two sets play beautifully off of each other, but they still manage to maintain their own individual flavor and flair. 

I tend to wear simpler styles, myself, so I kept these earrings minimal using wee crusty metal bead caps and some decorative blackened soldering for effect. The result makes me squeal every time I wear them---earthy, swingy, dark little baubles.

Thank you, Claire, for sharing your beads with us!

Happy Wednesday :) 
Nikki 
LoveRoot on Etsy

We're All Ears :: September Inspiration

"Geometric shapes hold an energy pattern, and scientists did some experiments which say certain geometric shapes can affect matter around them. It's simply because when a human looks at a shape, they instantly receive energy from their brain."  ~Tom DeLonge

That is exactly what I thought when I watched this mesmerizing performance art from Japanese dance and art troupe ENRA.




ENRA’ is a visual dance performance troupe from Japan performing stunningly unique animation-based digital performances. The images used in the performances are not attuned to the dancers, but interactively staged in a way never imagined before. The members of ENRA are experts in genres including martial arts, gymnastics, ballet, animation, dance, juggling and street dance.

'Torque Starter' is a feast for the mind. Using stunning visual effects combined with the perfectly timed movement of a lone performer who is juggling a lighted ball, 'Torque Starter' is filled with a frenetic energy and a host of geometrical shapes and images. Because the video is completely in black and white, the shapes become the dancers, morphing into one another at every turn and transforming the blank 'canvas' of the screen into a living painting, or almost more like calligraphy, with the absence of any color. 

I have watched this several times and each time I see something different. One time I might try to focus on each element as it moves across the screen. Another time, I might narrow my vision on the dancing orb of light that the juggler is spinning, almost blurring the rest of the images. It becomes almost meditative, except for the hyperactive pace. As I have viewed this multiple times, I have been sketching, and like Tom DeLonge said, the shapes are bringing an energy to my brain. I can see components forming from the geometry that is being imprinted on my brain each time I start the video over. So tell me...

What shapes are you most drawn to?

Without color to rely on this month, the shapes and forms will certainly take precedent in your designs and I am excited to see what you come up with!

Show us your interpretation of this mesmerizing mix of art, graphics, music, shape and light!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To participate in the We're All Ears creative challenge:

Make earrings inspired by this inspiration.

Write a post on your blog.

Add your exact blog post URL link to the
InLinkz code right here on 

Friday, September 18th.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wild Child

These earrings were inspired and created to match a necklace I recently made, using similar components and beads. The inspiration necklace included a beautiful artisan lampwork focal I picked up in a tiny little (The best kind!!) bead shop in AZ last year. Really nice workman ship. I love buying artist's beads. Knowing that I can contribute to someone else's art while feeding my own creative needs is the most rewarding experience for me.






The artisan lampwork bead has shades of black and gray and a bit of a lavender hue as well. 

I played off the colors of the bead by adding in some lavender jasper (from Alexanders Bead Bazaar- Seattle, WA) along with some gray labradorite, white African glass and finally some handcrafted ceramic beads (Cindy's Art & Soul) in shades of gray.

Wild Child by cindybeads featuring nars cosmetics

Black stone, Periwinkle Jasper and Handcrafted Ceramic Earrings by Art & Soul Jewelry

With the earrings I had to get creative since I didn't have the large focal to work with - I chose some small (found) black stones. The stones were hand picked from the beach here in WA - just last week! I drilled them and wrapped them with fine silver wire - adding in the lavender Jasper and handcrafted ceramic beads by Cindy's Art & Soul. The ear wires are hand crafted, sterling silver.

You can find these earrings along with the matching necklace at www.ArtAndSoulJewelry.com
If you are looking for ceramic beads - there's a small collection there for those as well. And more coming next week! (ya!)

Peace & Blessings,

Chains and Leather

We're into the swing of the Holidays, and this means lots of parties coming up!

Are you ready for it?

In my humble opinion, just like a woman's wardrobe is not complete unless she owns "That little black dress", the same goes for her jewelry box... You've got to own that perfect pair of earrings for your nights out on the town:

A little bit mysterious with the Black Spinel gemstones and Hematite Beads...

A little bit edgy with the Sterling Silver chains...

Textures that catch the light and dazzle the room...

A touch of Fire Engine Red lipstick and nail polish... your favorite black dress and it is time. to. party.

Black Leather Holiday Style by nathalie-lesage featuring black tights

I looooooove leather, and I couldn't resist creating a couple of Polyvore boards

featuring black leather :)

Of course, the board above features a more 'upscale' style, but these Black Spinel/Hematite Hoop Earrings would work equally well with this more casual leather outfit:

Black Leather Holiday Style 2 by nathalie-lesage featuring lace up ankle boots

Now that is versatility!

You can find my Belinda Black Stones and Chains Hoop Earrings HERE on my website.

Enjoy the Holiday Season!

Nathalie

http://www.NatLJ.com

Basic Black

What is the main color that fills your closet? Mine has a lot of black. I don't want to be that "emo" girl who always wears black but I am drawn to it. (no offense emo girls!) I love wearing black and it's easy to fit any other color with it, so it's a good go-to accessory & clothing color. 

These earrings are another take on my beach glass/stone earrings. The only two stones I found that were so beautifully smooth and really *black. All the other stones I collected on this day were some sort of gray. I really love the look and feel of these smooth stones. 

photo by Cindy Pack free for personal use

They pair well with the silver and add a nice contrast to the metal, even in it's rustic patina'd state. 

My original idea was to have the asymmetrical rings hanging side by side. But I was inspired by some of the many asymmetrical earrings I've seen here on the EE blog and I mixed it up a bit. I'm really pleased with how they came out. 

Available at Art & Soul Jewelry 

http://www.artandsouljewelry.com/

Found black stones, handmade fine silver rings, and black stone beads from Alexanders Bead Bazaar (Seattle, WA). 

What's your go-to color? 

Peace~

Cindy 

Something Wicked This Way Comes...

 


We're getting closer and closer to my favorite holiday of the year - Halloween. When else do we get the legal (and sane) opportunity to dress up and assume a different identify? And to celebrate all things dark, taboo, and disturbing? And to eat candy...guilt-free?

I'll admit I've always had a fascination with the darker side of life. As the saying goes, you can't have the light without the dark. I lived through quite a few dark years in my 20s, and I wholly believe that my struggles then have made my happiness now that much more sweet. So it's no coincidence that my designs reflect this fascination and respect for the dark. 

 



This pair of earrings is perfect for any time you're feeling a little brooding, a little mysterious, a little edgy. And the colors are very Halloween-ey without being cheesy: sooty grungy black pewter charms from Inviciti, vintage African bauxite trade beads, and my own mossy green polymer clay nuggets.

So start counting down the days...and make sure you've got your black eyeliner handy ;)

Happy Wednesday!
Nikki


LoveRoot on Etsy

You Stud, You

A little tongue-in-cheek homage to my first pair of stud/post earrings - what took me so long? 

I guess I have always gravitated to longer more dangly earrings because you can add so many bits and pieces to them - a small collection of parts that come together to make a provocative whole. Post earrings, however, are an exercise in minimalism that can go horribly boring if not executed well. Plus, I just hadn't taken the time with my metalworking to hone in on the details necessary to make a wearable set of posts. 

So last week when I was in Austin, Texas visiting my brother and sister-in-law, they took me to Nature's Treasures, a fantastical rock shop. I think we spent about three hours in the store - me working myself up into a frothy lather while pawing through bins of crystals, fossils, and rocks. It wasn't pretty, but my haul sure was. When I saw these little cross-section coins of petrified wood branches, I knew I had to have them. A split second later, I knew that I was going to have to make them into earring studs. As soon as we set foot back home, I made a beeline to the studio and worked these babies up. Who wants to unpack when there's art to be made?

Primitive organic post-punk wicked faux-gauge-looking little devils - these will serve as a prototype for many pairs to come. In the meantime, I think I'll keep them for myself - you know, for research's sake...*cough*

Hope everyone has a great week :)

Nikki
LoveRoot on Etsy

Turquoise Earrings - Or Why I Need To Go To France Soon

Since I started writing for Earrings Everyday, I've added a lot more pins to my Fashion Finds board on Pinterest, because I've always enjoyed the posts here that paired earrings with outfits.  It turns out that I've really had fun adding to this board (I'm more than a little bit addicted to Pinterest anyway).  I seem to be on a turquoise kick lately and I just fell in love with this outfit.

If you look closely, you'll see that it is actually a 2 piece outfit.  It includes a cute little vest with it.  The sleeves are semi-transparent and the whole thing looks all twirly and soft.

Here's what I'd wear with it.  That is, I'd wear these earrings with this outfit if I lived in France, because that's where this dress is sold.  I know...le sigh.

Lampwork discs by Outwest

Au revoir!

Linda

Linda Landig Jewelry on Etsy

Linda Landig Jewelry on ArtFire