Labradorite

Hello there.

Hopefully spring has arrived where you live. Currently I am in the Netherlands for my day-time job and oh boy, it is cold. Very, very cold. What a difference with Greece. 

Remember these? 

I love labradorite, it’s one of my favorite stones. I made this design a while back and got a bit bored by it. So, time for a make-over.

I think the new design had just that bit extra. What do you think?
Labradorite, amazonite, yellow ceramic bead caps, crown bead caps, tiny Swarovski crystals in fuchsia and my favorite ear wires made by my friend LucyHaslam of Faerystones.

Now available in my shop.

Thank you for looking and till next month. And you know it by now, I love to read your comments, so don’t be shy. Let me know what you think of the new design. 

Janine

Esfera Jewelry

My etsy shop

My website/blog

My facebook page

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

Textured Bronze Earrings by Cindy's Art & Soul

Textured Bronze Earrings by Cindy's Art & Soul

Textured Bronze Earrings By Cindy's Art & Soul

 Hand cut and forged bronze with a light embossed fabric texture with Labradorite stone dangles, wrapped in sterling silver. Hand forged sterling silver ear wires. Available at Art & Soul Jewelry.

Denim Ready Set Go

With Fancy Heels. by s-elle featuring retro posters

 Boho Blues Handmade Earrings 

Featuring handmade ceramic beads 

with Denim blue glaze by Cindy's Art & Soul.

Wrapped in fine silver wire 

with hand forged silver bead caps, 

paired with flashy blue Spectrolite gemstones. 

Handcrafted sterling silver ear wires are 

stamped with tiny accent images. 

 

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

Stormy Skies

We're having a bit of a strange Summer so far... 

It's our first time spending any length of time in Northern Alberta, 

so we're not sure if this is the norm, 

but someone told us that they see snow once a month here.

So far, June has been snow-less (but it came close a few times). Pretty much every evening, 

we end the day with a storm. I see so many clouds, and they really fascinate me.

So in keeping with our stormy skies of late, I've designed this pair of earrings, which

features various shades of grey, and lines representing clouds and lightning:

This design features a pair of gorgeous Artisan Lampwork Beads (I've lost the seller's info, I bought these a long time ago), a couple of chunky nuggets of Labradorite, and natural grey freshwater pearls.

Coupled with Sterling Silver, and these earrings have all the shapes of a cool storm, if you ask me :)

You can find these earrings HERE on my website!

Happy stormy days...

With love and inspiration,

Nathalie Lesage, Metalsmith/Jewelry Artist

http://www.NathalieLesageJewelry.com

Athena Earrings

I have an extensive collection of pearls, including some beauties from the Sea of Cortez, some salt water pearls and large cultured freshwater pearls (as shown here). I've been hoarding them for some time, and I do make the occasional special jewelry with them, but other than that, I keep my stash close to my heart.

I've decided that they really need to come out and play. It's not fair to keep them stored away. They are meant to be enjoyed and worn. It's just hard to let go sometimes...

So today, I introduce you to my Athena pearl earrings, featuring a pair of large (~10mm) natural cultured freshwater pearls, wire wrapped in 14kt gold-filed wire and surrounded by an eclectic cluster of sparkling Labradorite gemstones that seem to 'dance' around the pearls.

These sassy earrings would go great with this adorable little quilted Jeans dress, don't you think?

Athena Summer Outfit by nathalie-lesage featuring a flower arrangement

You can find these modern flirty pearl earrings HERE on my website.

I will be making more in various colors of pearls/gemstones combinations... they make me happy :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Don't forget to participate in our We're All Ears May Challenge! (details HERE)

Nathalie Lesage

Metalsmith, Jewelry Artist

www.NathalieLesageJewelry.com

Catching Dreams

I recently got some new Vintaj Brass Co. components - these are called Stained Glass Windows. But my vision once I got some Labradorite and Amethyst dangling off of them, was dream catchers.  To dress them up I attached some vintage crystal buttons with some linen cording.

I love the pretty purple, gray and blue flash colors in the stones, and imagine they would probably be pretty hanging in a window! :)

These are available in Lorelei's Etsy shop