Today we have a guest post by the wonderful Jewelry Artist
Julie Thelen.
She recently said she's on an earring kick and she's been making some beauties
so I asked her to share one of them on our blog.
Take it away Julie!!
I present to you, Rubies in the Raw!!
The inspiration for these exquisite earrings came from a strand of raw, uncut rubies I found at the Smoky Hills Art Gallery, an artisan gallery in my new, small home town of Park Rapids, Minnesota. I immediately fell in love with these earthy gemstones and purchased them (along with some turquoise nuggets and kyanite ovals) on the spot.
As soon as I got home, I contacted Judith Billig of Icarus Beads, shared a picture of the rubies, and asked her to make me some drippy headpins to coordinate with them. When the headpins arrived in the mail, I couldn’t believe how perfect the coloring matched. I was thrilled and designed the first pair of earrings right away.
These beautiful Earrings are available Here.
Julie Thelen
Ever feel like you're taking a cop-out easy route with one of your designs? But you really don't care because the end result turns out so perfectly that you wouldn't change a thing? 
To be honest, it's almost more difficult to reign yourself in when designing. At least for me, anyways. Plus, I always try to be sensitive to the wearability of pieces. It's one thing to create a masterpiece for a gallery or a competition, but it's another thing to make pieces that people are able to wear and love every day of their lives. That's the miraculous thing about creating art---every artist has unique goals for their work. There's never a wrong or a right answer. It just is. And that's a beautiful thing. 
As we bid farewell to 2014 today, I'm reminded of the importance of making a memorable exit. Preferably a graceful one, although we all know that sometimes that isn't the case ;) 
So while I sometimes feel petty and materialistic for being so obsessive over jewelry, I quickly remind myself that it's about so much more than bead hoarding or shnazzy techniques or the biggest bling. The happiness you bring to others' lives is immeasurably priceless. Because in the end, this life is all we have, and love is the only thing that matters. 
