Nova

I fell in love with these ceramic pieces from Majoyoal as soon as I laid eyes on them. I thought I would give waxed linen cording another try this week and I'm glad I did. At first I was upset that I didn't have two purple Fluorite beads, but now I rather like how it looks. You can find these earrings here in my shop.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous weekend! 

Kristy Abner

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Birdies Squared

Birdies Squared

Or maybe even Birdies Cubed! I've been hoarding these beguiling little ceramic cubes from Stinky Dog Beads--I love just about miniature anything and these really tickled my aesthetic funny bone. It took me a while to come up with a design where they'd be really visible. They have large holes, making them perfect for so many of the current design trends (you could thread them right onto a heavy gauge bangle, or slip them easily onto 2mm Greek leather), and also for that reason lend themselves well to this kind of metal link. I hammered some 18-gauge copper wire and made tight loops at each end, that hold the beads in place nicely. I paired them with these sweet little Czech glass birds (also from Stinky Dog), and popped some teal glass beads (I'm in love with these beads!) from AfroBeadia onto the earwires.

You might have noticed I've been doing this extra wrapping lately across the front of larger beads--I love the way it looks but it has the added benefit of keeping those flat beads from turning around on the headpin. That drives me CRAZY. I want those beads to face forward but they don't usually cooperate. Sometimes I can get it wrapped down tight enough to keep them from moving much, but you risk breaking the bead when you do that. This works great!

These got me thinking about exotic birds. Here are some fabulous birds to inspire you!

Blue and Yellow Macaw by Luc Viatour

Green-Headed Tanager by Lars Falkdalen Lindahl

Rainbow Lorikeet by Misty Bushell

Golden Pheasant by Bjørn Christian Tørrissen

(Public domain photos above from Wikimedia Commons.)

Have a fabulous day!

Keirsten
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Connections

I bought a pair of ceramic connector beads from Karen Totten of Starry Road Studio, awhile ago.  I love the glaze color she calls Pomegranate.  I have a number of her pieces in that color.  But for some reason these connectors stumped me.  Its not that I disliked them, its just that nothing I paired with them seemed to be the right shape that balanced nicely with the tapered shape of the connectors. But yesterday I had one of those ah-ha moments!

It occurred to me that teardrop shaped beads would be a good match, because they would echo the tapered shape of Karen's connectors.  I dug around in my bead stash and came up with these lampwork glass headpins from Havana Beads.   They both echo the tapered shape of Karen's connectors, as well as being a pleasing color combination.  Viola!

These are simple, versatile earrings, while at the same time being distinctively unique!

These earrings would add just the right artisan touch to an outfit like this.

The "Pomegranate Drop" earrings will be listed in my Etsy shop later this evening.

Linda

Linda Landig Jewelry on Etsy

Linda Landig Jewelry on ArtFire

Riffed

So this word has been thrown around a lot and brought over to jewelry work from music. Which is great because they are both creative outlets to express ourselves. 

And this weeks offerings are all about riffing on (I wont say old) great ideas! 

This first set was created and sold clear back in 2010. I remember taking the photos with a camera that no longer exists and at my daughters home which at the time was pretty new to her. This is how I relate to my jewelry. During time periods and what was happening in my life... 

I took this first photo on her back deck. The wood stain was almost worn off and it was really rustic. The tree was allowing the sunlight to only flicker through. The setting was perfect! 

 And then my beautiful daughter modeling the set...

I have been in love with these earrings for almost four years now and wishing I could make another set. However, in the true character of beads you love... I only have ONE blue paddle left. 

Now for the riffed set~~

This set has fine silver rings instead of sterling, the ear wires are wrapped on instead of formed, and the beads are faceted Apatite instead of Czech glass. I hope I have done the design justice. 

My heart still longs to re-create that first set. I will forever be searching for those capri blue paddles......

And one more "riff" this week.

These earrings have been hugely popular in my Etsy shop. A customer recently left me feedback saying "make more like these!". So I thought- yeah, I will! 

Amethyst dangling on a cascading set of fine silver hoop rings...

And the Riff~
Carnelian dangling on a cascading set of fine silver rings... 

If you have a great idea, make it greater. Expand on it and see where that idea will take you! 
Until next time,
Cindy

Go big or go home

Hoops are so versatile and are always in fashion.

From teeny-tiny to gigantic sizes, there's something in there for everyone's taste.

I hadn't made big gigangic hoops in awhile, and I decided that today was THE day :)

So this is what I made... for the big hoops earrings lovers of this world,

inspired by fun Summer nights with family and friends:

These 14kt Gold-Filled hoop earrings are oval shaped, over 3 inches tall (from the top of my cold-forged handcrafted ear wires) by over 2 inches wide.

I have wire wrapped them with rustic chunks of Chinese Turquoise.

I also incorporated some fun flirty chains in the mix.

A little bit of Rustic Chic, as I like to call it. 

You can dress them up or down, these extra large gold hoops are READY for a Summer Party!

You can find these HERE on my website.

Thanks for stopping by and hope you're enjoying your long weekend!

Nathalie Lesage, Metalsmith, Jewelry Artist

NathalieLesageJewelry

Rubies in the Raw

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

Julie Thelen's Jewels by Jules

Happy

I treated myself to a few of Jana's gorgeous ceramic pieces for my birthday. I love pairing red and turquoise together and these came together quickly and effortlessly (love when that happens!). Check out Happy Fish Things and pick up something for yourself. I promise you won't be disappointed. The Czech glass Picasso beads are from Stinky Dog Beads. I thought they were a perfect touch!

Standing Proud by InLightImagery 

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous weekend!

Kristy Abner

Kristy's Kreations 

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