¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

or Adiós a los Franceses

Mexicans celebrate this day as a victory in battle against French occupation after the Mexican-American war. Americans are more likely thinking of the first great party opportunity of spring? Whatever your reason, it's a day to be festive and colorful and just have a little fun.

I chose bright orange carnelian as a contrast to the verdigris brass shields for my Cinco de Mayo earrings, along with tiny tube beads of green turquoise stone. The wonderful shield components come from Dime Store Emporium on Etsy. They actually come with three holes, but I punched in a couple of extra. Don't do this if you are concerned about the patina remaining totally intact, because it did chip a bit.

© Igorr | Dreamstime.com - Tequila And Lime Photo

My husband and I are aficionados of añejo tequila, aged at least one year in oak barrels. You don't need a lime with this smooth fragrant tequila, but the lime looks great in the photo.


Gloria Ewing

Chrysalis Too on Etsy
Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry

Boho Navajo

You may have noticed that I have an attraction to southwestern and native American themes. The Navajo stand out among the native tribes for their skills in weaving, pottery, basketry and maybe most of all for their luscious turquoise and silver jewelry. I have always admired Navajo art, and purchased my first piece of authentic Navajo silver jewelry in 1984. You can probably see native American influence in much of my work.

For this design, I decided to keep the focus on the verdigris brass conchos from Dime Store Emporium on Etsy. The weight of these brass components is perfect and I absolutely love the rustic look of the verdigris patina. The conchos are stamped but not flimsy. Their weight is substantial but not overly heavy for use in earrings. I arranged tribal looking Czech seed beads in colorful columns to coordinate with the verdigris patina, and added copper and bronze accents.

Gloria Ewing




Chrysalis Too on Etsy
Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire