shadow boxes

Thought I would share how I store/ display some of my favorite pieces. My jewelry collection has rapidly outgrown my armoire jewelry box and shadow boxes are an excellent way to neatly store jewelry and act as wall decor at the same time. (P.S. I am totally in love with our new master bedroom wall color! Not only is the color amazing but it looks beautiful in photographs!)

as beautiful as the sun

Having a love affair with solar quartz! The crackled webbing is so beautiful. The center on this piece is primarily white but there are other varieties that have multi-colored centers. Such an amazing stone. I scored this beauty at a Beadworks bead show yesterday and immediately ran home and turned it into a necklace.

P.S. I am kind of obsessing over yellow gold, although I usually work primarily in sterling silver. I love how yellow gold makes jewelry look so much more... I don't know... fancy, I guess. It might also be because all I ever want to wear is my gold and diamond ring so I have been wearing gold jewelry so much more lately.

blue and white

There is something so classic and inherently antique-feeling about the combination of blue and white. I especially love sapphires and diamonds combined in jewelry (hence my obsessive love of the Art Deco period). New or old this color combination seems to lend an old world charm to any design. (photos from left to right, top to bottom: 1, 2, 3, 4.)

oh so dainty

Just finished some super thin hammered sterling silver bands! These are going to be so much fun to stack. I am going to make a few gold ones and oxidized silver ones too.

ultra thin bands

I love the look of ultra thin wedding bands (1.5mm or less). They look so beautiful on the finger and are perfect for stacking. And the smaller width definitely doesn't mean you have to sacrifice sparkle! (photos left to right, top to bottom: bead set diamond band, white sapphire band, blue sapphire band, hammered gold band.)

200, baby!

This is my 200th post! Thank you to everyone that has stopped by throughout the last 200 posts to read this little blog of mine. I am super excited about some of the new directions I have gone with this blog and I have really enjoyed writing about my endless love of jewelry! This has been an inspiring experience and I hope I have inspired you along the way. (photo from here.)

black and white

I love black and white photos, especially of flowers. I love that color is not a factor in the beauty of these photos and you can focus on the stunning formation of the flower itself. And I love black and white color combinations in jewelry. I love the black inclusions in quartz that make each piece unique and the pop of light stones against oxidized silver. Black and white is classic for a reason! (photos from left to right, top to bottom: 1, 2, 3, 4)

oh the colors we could see...

Just finished my grown-up version of friendship bracelets. One, it was so fun to get back in to this again. It was like riding a bike... once I started, it took me no time to get back in to the swing of it! Two, I am so excited about the color possibilities because cotton embroidery floss comes in SO MANY COLORS! The color combinations are endless!!! Three, they look so cute jumbled in with my array of bangles. I have to say, I am super excited. (Really, it's all about the little things in life!)

happy birthday to my love

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband! (It's the big 3-0!) Seriously... I am so lucky to be married to this man. He truly is my best friend. Without his support, I don't know how far I would have gotten with this wonderful jewelry business of mine!

grown-up friendship bracelets

I am secretly (or not so secretly now!) OBSESSED with the idea of rocking friendship bracelets again. Although the sticker shock may be a bit overwhelming from this bracelet by Brooke Gregson (for rightful reasons though, with her use of 18K gold), I love the grown-up versions of friendship bracelets I have been seeing lately. It makes me want to get out my clipboard and get to work!

turquoise and gray

I have very strong reactions to color (both positive and negative). I love incorporating color into my jewelry and I am often inspired by the colors of gemstones. So I thought... why not start posting about color palettes?! This color story was inspired by the top left picture from an amazing blog called Color Collective. It reminded me of the wonderful gray matrix patterns and perfect blue green color of turquoise. (photos from left to right, top to bottom: 1, 2, 3, 4.)

stacking

Fastly becoming my favorite bracelet combination. I'd love to throw in some fabric bracelets circa 1992. (From left to right: 2 strand pyrite bracelet, silver bead and leather bracelet, 3 strand turquoise bracelet, 7 strand leather bracelet... all Villette Jewelry.)

twig bracelet

My new favorite bracelet! I mean... twig casting + oxidized silver = LOVE! (from Terrain)

sapphires and gold

Hannah Clark's custom designs are outrageously beautiful. I especially love this sapphire set. The scoring in the metal around the stone is a nice touch and I simply love when oval stones are set east west. I can only imagine how lovely this engagement ring and wedding band look together on the hand of one lucky girl!