Turquoise Trio

A Facebook friend asked me to make some turquoise earrings for her niece. She said they should be under 1.5 inches long and be made with Sterling silver. Other than those two guidelines, she said I should make whatever I wanted to. Since I'd never met either her or her niece, it was impossible to know what style of earring the young woman would want. So I ended up making three pairs and letting my Facebook friend choose the pair that she thought would be best suited for her niece. Here's what I came up with.

This is the pair of earrings which were chosen. The disc shaped beads are Peruvian opals. Such a lovely milky turquoise! I placed Bali silver spacers beneath the opals and between the opals and the lampwork beads by Paradise Beads. I then topped the earrings with sterling silver beads. Unfortunately this is the only photo I took, before sending the earrings to their new home.

The other two pairs of earrings are in my shop now. I like all three pairs of earrings, but I think this pair is my favorite. They feature lovely hammered Sterling silver hoops with dangles of turquoise "cathedral" beads that are coated in silver on the tops and bottoms. I placed small embossed Thai Hills Tribe beads beneath the cathedral beads.

The last pair of earrings features the most wonderful, shimmery turquoise beads by Sue Beads. I can't stop admiring these lampwork beads. A photograph really can't do them justice. I used the same Sterling beads at the bottom of these earrings, as I used on top of the first pair. Then I topped them with some beautiful Sterling bead caps and more of the embossed Thai Hill Tribes beads.

So there you have it - a Turquoise Trio.  Which pair would you choose?

Linda Landig Jewelry

Simple lines

Sometimes things get too complicated in life and we're reminded that we should aim to keep things simple.... go back to basics. Lines. Metal. Wire. Pure lines. No color. Simple. Minimalist. Simplicity.

My brain is still adjusting to verrrrry slow and verrrrry gradual increases in my new epilepsy medication (this stuff is potent, wow), and I do feel better for awhile, but when the next small increase comes up on the schedule, it takes awhile for my brain to adjust and then it's a challenge until I've adjusted.

Because of this, I don't have anything new to show you today, but I pulled a few pairs of earrings I've made in the past that show this concept of keeping things very very simple.

Sometimes when the creative muse isn't 'happening', maybe just going back to pure simple lines is a way to create while the muse is on vacay ;)

Here's a few examples for you:

What do you do when your muse wanders off?
I'd love to hear!

Be well,
Nathalie

Visit my shops:
My Garden of Love on Etsy
The Crafty Tribe on Etsy

Time to say goodbye - for now

Hi lovelies.
Yes, it is time for me to say goodbye. At least, as a regular blogger here on Earrings Everyday.
After two years I feel it is time for me to step aside and make room for other talented jewelry artists. There are so many very talented jewelry artists around, who have beautiful earrings to share with you.

In this last regular post I like to share with you a design I have been making over the years. It is a perfect way to use up left-over beads or just showcase a combo of beads you love. You can just about use any beads you like, in any color combo.

My first pair, made in 2010. Using Aventurine briolettes, Swarovski crystal and Swarovski pearls.

















A pair I made a couple of years back. I still wear these in summer. 


Normally I use ready made rings, but this time I made them myself with sterling silver wire. That's why they look a bit, well, what shall I say, not perfectly round. But that is what I like about handmade items. They are not perfect. Just as we all are. We are perfectly imperfect and that makes us all unique and beautiful.

I had some left over briolettes (Labradorite, no idea what the other one's are), sterling silver beads and rice pearls. voila, my beloved charm earrings.

Thank you all for looking. Thank you for the love I received from you readers and my friends here on earrings everyday. It was heart-warming. It kept me from slipping into a deep depression after my parents passed away. Thank you all, you are a wonderful bunch!

Janine
Esfera Jewelry

My etsy shop
My website/blog
My facebook page

Throwback Thursday Favorites

I was archiving pictures of jewelry pieces I've made over the years recently, and as I was looking through my designs, I was so thankful that it's so easy now with digital pictures to keep a record of what we've done over time.... how we progress.... how our style changes.

It's also great to keep pictures of all our past work, to be able to go back and revisit old favorites, and maybe change them up a bit and offer a new updated version of the designs. I also realized that I've forgotten some of the designs I'd done (is it because I'm getting old? Or too many years of design work? Maybe a bit of both...)

So today, instead of making and showing you a new pair of earrings, I wanted to show you a few designs I had almost forgotten, but love so much - hopefully they will inspire you with some new design ideas!

One of my favorites is wire wrapping. Some wire wrapping with unusual pairing (pearls and Labradorite - these pearls were huuuuuuge and almost perfectly round - just stunning), or incorporating some wire work in building unusual shapes.... like the triangular design of the Tribal Turquoise earrings below:

Large Freshwater Pearls, Labradorite, 14kt Gold Filled wire wrapped Earrings

Tribal Turquoise and Sterling Silver Earrings

Designs vary from what appears to be a complex chainmaille design in Copper and Sterling, to the simplest of creation (a gemstone dangling in the middle of a chain -> that one made the front page on Etsy back in the day and was a popular seller for me for a little while):

Kings Scale Copper and Sterling Silver Mystic Topaz Earrings

Fancy twisted cut Amethyst on a simple sterling chain - Made the front page of Etsy

We can't forget hoops! They come in all sorts of style (I never get tired of 'em):

Triple Sterling Pink Tourmaline Soldered Hoops

Summer Daisies Fine Silver and Sterling Silver Rustic Hoops

Tanzanite Vine Sterling Silver Hoops

So what about you? Do you enjoy looking back and revisiting some of your past work? Do you use them as inspiration when your muse has taken a vacay? Do you have a favorite technique (chainmaille, wire wrapping, soldering, viking knit, cold connections, stringing, etc) that you tend to go back to or incorporate every chance you get?

I hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane with me. I hope that I will eventually feel well enough to be able to make more of these designs again, but if not, I'm going to go with the flow, and see where the currents take me.

You can find my latest jewelry designs in My Garden Of Love Etsy shop HERE, as well as my handmade jewelry components.

I want to wish my fellow Canucks a very Happy Canada Day (150 years!!!) as well as a Happy 4th of July to all of our dear American readers!

Cheers,
Nathalie
My Garden Of Love Etsy Shop
The Crafty Tribe Etsy Shop

Have Pliers, Will Weave Silver!

I learned my first chainmaille weave about seven or eight years ago and have been hooked ever since.  I read tutorials, experimented with different weaves, and then discovered the fabulous "Spider," a chainmaille teacher well-known and beloved in the chainmaille community.  I got her DVDs and discovered that she was a young woman with a soothing voice and a way of clearly explaining how to get those pesky rings to slide into place and weave together to make intricately patterned jewelry.  I also watched how she held her pliers and how she opened and--even more important--closed her rings (there is a very particular way to do it).  And I learned.

I love it when I get into a rhythm weaving a pattern from the rings, watching my project take shape.  It is surprisingly meditative.   I've made necklaces, lanyards, earrings (these below are antiqued copper in European 4-in-1, with spikes by Karen Totten)...

...and bracelets (this one is copper woven in half-Persian 4-in 1, with a pretty dotted heart by Kristi Bowman-Gruel):

I once even weaved a flat piece of chainmaille to use as a mesh backing on which to connect a LOT of little jasper gem dangles for the focal of a necklace.  This is the back of the focal, showing the mailled mesh:  

And the front of the necklace...

That said, I haven't been making much chainmaille recently.  There just seems to be too many other things competing for my time, creatively and otherwise.  But a few days ago, out of the blue, I got the urge to spend some time "weaving silver" (as Spider would say), so I decided to make some new earrings especially for Earrings Everyday.   They're made in one of my favorite weaves, Japanese 12-in-2, and are sterling silver from top to bottom.  I love their graceful, sinuous shape.  

These earrings can be found here.

As always, thanks so much for reading--I'll see you all again in two weeks!  

Meridy

xoxo

My Etsy shop  

My Facebook page 

Weathered Wild Flowers

My hubby and I can't resist snapping pictures everywhere we go. Thankfully, in this digital age, it's easy to take and store a ton of images almost effortlessly. I love having this huge pool of images to inspire me, and remind me of the places we've visited together throughout the years.

My inspiration this week is a picture taken by my love, as we strolled through a field of wildflowers at sunset in the Peace River region, Northern British-Columbia, Canada:

Northern Wildflowers at Sunset by "Mr. Nathalie" :)

I just love the colors, and that sense of freedom and peace I feel when I look at that photograph.

These flowers have been there for a long time, wild and free, sun-kissed and happy.

I used both copper and sterling silver in making these wild flowers earrings.

Softly weathered, definitely wild and rustic.

 Topped with small handmade multicolored artisan glass beads from Little Crow,

which capture a variety of colors that we found during our sunset walk in the forest.

The antique patina creating shadows, and the satin texture on the petals softly catching the sunlight.

Thank you for stopping by! Enjoy your weekend!

... and believe in your dreams... 

Nathalie Lesage

www.MyGardenOfLove.com

Strength in nature

"Let’s take our hearts for a walk in the woods,

and listen to the magic whispers of old trees." 

~Author Unknown

Trees are healing, nurturing and comforting,

not only to us, humans, but to animals and our entire planet.

 I was inspired to create this week's pair of earrings

by my latest watercolor painting called Strength...

Strength Watercolor Painting by Nathalie Lesage

Strength Trees Of Life Sterling Silver Hoop Earrings with Gemstones by Nathalie Lesage

I pulled the colors for the gemstones from my painting, and painstakingly created two fairly similar Trees Of Life using 26g Sterling Silver wire. It takes patience to work with the delicate wire, and try to make the small 1" trees come out as similar as possible.

The gemstones that I used are all AAA... Purple Garnet (amazing purple color),

Green Tourmaline, Neon Aqua Apatite from Brazil, and Carnelian.

You can find these Tree Of Life Earrings listed HERE on my site.

As a special gift, the person that will purchase this pair of earrings, will also receive

a 5" x 5" limited edition print of my painting as well in their package :)

Have a wonderful week!

Nathalie

http://www.NathalieLesageJewelry.com

http://www.TheCraftyTribe.com

Winter White Frost

Hoarfrost in Northern Canada by Nathalie Lesage

A couple of weeks ago, as my husband and I ventured out to Alberta to run errands in a larger city center before Christmas, I was delighted to see Hoarfrost or White Frost in the trees lining the road.

It was a little bit eery and magical at the same time, and I took lots of pictures for inspiration :)

And these are the Winter White Frost Earrings I've designed...

White Frost has such a cool look, with its white needles and lines, I wanted to recreate that texture and feel in the Sterling Silver sheet metal that I've cut and used in this design.

Using a couple of different hammers, I've manually created this texture which reminds me of the frost, and I've used an antique finish to bring out the details.

These earrings feature a gorgeous chunky pair  of faceted "blue flash" Rainbow Moonstones, which capture the eery bluish light of the frost in the early morning light... it's a bit difficult to capture on camera, but you can see some of that blue flash in this image:

These are a really gorgeous pair of Moonstones, loaded with beautiful feminine positive energy...

I have not yet listed these on my website, as I'm taking a bit of time off for the holidays, but you will soon be able to purchase them on my website: Nathalie Lesage Jewelry.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year... 

May all your wishes come true in 2015!!

Nathalie

Blue Boho Chic

It's party time for the Boho-Chic girl... Perfect for the holidays, or perhaps a cruise... 

Sensual and playful, my Desire Charm Earrings are ready for special occasions:

I've created this Blue Boho Chic set on Polyvore,

that I think these earrings would have a lot of fun partying with:

Blue Boho Chic by nathalie-lesage featuring tree wall art

These charm earrings feature a gorgeous pair of handmade glazed ceramic discs made by our wonderful Cindy Pack of ArtAndSoulJewelry.com - I managed to snatch these beauties up recently and couldn't wait to work with them.

I have wire-wrapped the discs with sterling silver and copper wire, and suspended some Olivine and Topaz color Swarovski Crystals to add some sparkles (it's the holidays after all!!) and various copper and sterling accents... and a pair of my handmade sterling silver ear wires.

I'll be adding these and other jewelry (including some of my famous Trees of Life) after the holidays. I'm taking a break for a  couple of weeks, working on updating my website to kick off 2015 with new designs and surprises.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!!

 from

Nathalie Lesage at www.NatLJ.com

Winter Moon

On Saturday, I had the chance to participate in a local Arts & Crafts Sale. It was wonderful to meet local women and their families, and get their feedback on my work.

I haven't had the chance to participate in such events too often in the past, but I do my best to join in the fun as often as I can. There's absolutely NOTHING more precious than receiving real-time, face-to-face feedback from potential buyers.

And inspired by their feedback, and by the beautiful Winter Moon that greeted me on Sunday morning, I have designed these pretty Tanzanite Earrings:

Tanzanite Earrings inspired by the Winter Moon

The women that I spoke with mentioned that they loved gemstone earrings, but that they preferred shorter, more delicate designs (shorter than 2" in total), and it dawned on me that a lot of the earrings I've been making lately were longer than 2". 

It really doesn't take much to get over 2" in length, counting the ear wires.... So I listened to them, and came up with these lightweight little hoops :)

Soft Lavender Tanzanite Gemstones are a beautiful go-with-anything neutral shade

Yesterday morning, when I woke up, I opened the bedroom window's blinds, and found this bright  (almost) full moon, greeting me, and the sky had beautiful painted wisps of lavender, light blue and pink. It was such a beautiful sight. 

I knew right there and then that I had to make earrings inspired by that gift from nature.

I really had a great time meeting everyone at the show on the weekend. If you don't normally do Arts & Craft Sales, I encourage you to go out and meet women and ask for feedback on your designs. Sometimes, they see something that we don't...

You can find these Tanzanite Earrings here on my website...

Thank you for your time! Have a wonderful day :)

Nathalie

http://www.NathalieLesageJewelry.com

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

Calling all mermaids!

My hubby and I were recently on one of our road trips (yay!) and of course, we were blessed to see some beautiful scenery all along the way. This always inspires me :)

I always enjoy taking the ferry to cross from Vancouver Island to go to the main land. 

I love the sight of the ocean, the water, the sailboats, the whales, etc... 

Sometimes, I wish I could be a mermaid :)

So, of course, I was itching to get back to my bench and make some sea glass jewelry!

I made a few necklaces and I found a couple of chunks of glass that went well together,

enough to make this cute pair of earrings:

I love that they sort of match, but not fully match.

I added some cute sterling silver fish charms that I found in my stash,

purchased many years ago from FMG. 

(they were links originally,  but I removed the bottom rings to turn them into charms instead)

I wrapped them up to a pair of large rings and suspended them from

one of my pairs of handmade ear wires.

You can find these earrings HERE as well as other sea glass jewelry on my website.

Thanks for having a look!

Nathalie Lesage, Metalsmith/Jewelry Artist

http://www.NathalieLesageJewelry.com