your month

Now that the holidays are over and the gifts have been given, I can show a few of the things I made this season.  My Initial Birthstone necklaces (top photo) for my daughter and nieces (ages 4 and 6) were a big hit.  They feature a hand stamped initial on a sterling silver disc that is oxidized with a brushed matte finish and tiny briolette birthstone strung on silk bead cord (in their favorite color) with a sterling silver clasp and extender chain (not shown).  The silk bead cord and dainty briolette make these perfectly age appropriate for the little ones and the extender chain allows their necklace to grow with them.

My Mama & Co. necklace (bottom photo) for my cousin Sarah, who is expecting, is one of my favorite gifts to give at baby showers (because mama deserves a gift too!) and features wire wrapped birthstones for mama and baby on a simple cable chain.  Also featured in this photo is my Just Because tags in my gift boxes.  This is something I designed when I first created my packaging when I started my business and I still use them to this day!

charming

Finally got around to putting this charm necklace together.  I took the chain from another long necklace I don't really wear anymore, and adapted it slightly to allow additional charms in the future.  Not only do I love the sentimentality of this necklace but also the fact that I am wearing pendants again that were no longer getting a lot of wear.  From left to right: water casting techinique that solidified my true love for metalsmithing, clear crystal to represent my daughter's birth month, cut out coin my father made, a moon I wore all the time when I was younger, a skeleton key which was one of the main elements in one of my most popular necklace designs, and a blue topaz which I gifted to all the important females in my life prior to my wedding.  Already considering adding more, like the black pearl I picked up on my Hawaiian honeymoon (although I am slightly concerned about damage to the pearl against the other metal charms). So excited to wear this piece today and for many days to come!

gold links

Just a small piece I created for a taste of something new.  I've been going through my old jewelry and started to recycle pieces from ones I no longer wear.  This was made from the chain of another one of my necklaces and gold wire scrap from a few rings I made.  Simple and basic with great layering potential.  Also, I love seeing pictures of other jewelry artist's benches and equipment and am finding the beauty in my own soldering block.  It's an imprinted history of my studio work.

a sprinkling of newness

I have quite a few lingering projects hanging out in my studio, all planned out and supplies sourced, but I finally got the time to execute some of them last night.  I've been obsessing over oxidized silver and yellow gold for some time now but had the epiphany that this combo I love could also be created with black stones and gold.  Henceforth the onyx bracelet and thread earrings were born!  I've also been craving a pop of blue with my necklaces and whipped up this small wire wrapped blue topaz.  Perfect for layering!

for September babies

September is the hardest month to narrow down a birthstone selection (my love of sapphires runs deep!).  Throughout my various different searches this beauty kept popping up.  Nothing over-the-top extravagant but still stunning and incredibly wearable.  The filigree is just beautiful on this shield pendant, the pear shaped sapphire is picture perfect and the twinkling diamond accent at the top is just the icing on the cake!  Happy birthday September babies!

for August babies

Happy birthday August babies!  The birthstone for this month, Peridot, has a signature color that is easy to spot.  (I actually think it was one of the first gemstones I was able to identify when I was very young, also being my brother's birthstone.)  The peridot on this Art Nouveau beauty is the quintessential perfect shade of vivid chartreuse.  The emerald cut lends beautiful depth to this light colored gemstone.  And the swirls of gold and tiny diamonds compliment this stone nicely.  Such an enchanting piece!

birthday wishlist

So it's almost my birthday.  Last night, while putting my daughter to bed, I asked her what we should do for mommy's birthday.  She replied, "give you presents, like jewelry.  Like rings... and necklaces."  I started laughing seeing as how my 4 year old daughter knows this so assuredly about her mama.  She asked, "why are you laughing mommy? You like that stuff!"  And with a chuckle I said, "I do baby, I really do."  So here it is, my annual etsy jewelry wishlist... filled with rings and necklaces:
1) Antique patterned yellow gold band- I am still looking for juuuuuuuust the right one, but this one is lovely and at an exceptional pricepoint.
2) Diamond baguette eternity band- This one is lovely and thin and perfect for stacking!
3) North Star necklace- I am really quite obsessed with North Star or starburst designs right now.  I love the pairing of this North Star necklace with the side set moon.
4) Antique Starburst ring- I love, love, love this ring!  Tiny diamond set in a starburst and a scrolling pattern on the sides.  Absolutely exquisite!

for July babies

Happy birthday July babies (and happy birthday to me)!  Anyone who regularly reads this blog of mine knows I'm not the biggest fan of my birthstone, Ruby.  But over the last few years, I have started to grow fonder of this stone, especially in antique yellow gold pieces.  I absolutely adore this ruby pendant.  I love the double bail, the lily and scroll details, and how the princess cut ruby is positioned.  All in all a piece I would definitely wear to represent my birth month!

Art Deco lines

Made this necklace this past week, consisting of hammered brass wire and oxidized sterling silver chain inspired by a lot of Art Deco prints I was looking up on Pinterest.  It still needs a few adjustments, like opening the loops on the chain to provide a better slide and possibly shortening the longer piece to accommodate the most common necklines I wear.  I am such a stickler about fit even when it comes to jewelry, something I think many people don't acknowledge often.  (Nothing bothers me more then when a clasp is heavier than the pendant and it pulls at the back of your neck!)  Regardless of the few adjustments needed, I am in love with this piece and am brainstorming different configurations, shapes and patterns.  How stunning would this be translated into another piece:

  (image from Flickr)

for June babies

Happy birthday June babies!  June babies get to boast about having 3 birthstones to choose from: alexandrite, moonstone and pearl.  As I was looking up options to feature of any of the three, I came across this INCREDIBLE Art Nouveau pearl pendant, and the decision made itself!  Here's the description from Christie's: "BY GEORGES FOUQUET - The fire opal drop, set within an opalescent and blue cloisonné enamel winged cap, to the blue cloisonné enamel and rose-cut diamond scrolled trim, enhanced by a pearl, suspended by a blue enamel bail, mounted in 18k gold, circa 1900."  There are literally no words to describe how I feel about this stunning masterpiece!

for May babies

Happy Birthday May babies!  You are so incredibly lucky to have the rich color of emerald as your birthstone.  For my highlighted piece of jewelry this month, I deviated slightly from what I usually select by showcasing an uncut emerald. I usually do prefer faceted gems but just look at that emerald!  Such a lush color even without facets to bring attention to the depth and dimension of the stone!  And the detailed setting pairs nicely with the organic shape of the emerald bead.

for April babies

Happy birthday April babies!  My daughter is an April baby, so lucky mommy gets to have a special connection to this birthstone as well!  This is always a tough month to narrow down to just one selection for my birthstone post, but this Art Deco pendant called out to me.  It combines many of my favorite design elements, including the pear shape of the pendant, the lily shaped bail, the ascending diamond sizes, and the beautiful filigree accents.  Just incredible!

for March babies

Oh you lucky March babies!  Every time I see an aquamarine I want to giggle like a little girl.  I am not sure what elicits this kind of reaction in me.  Maybe it's the enchanting color of this stone and it's pure perfection!  A perfect example is this 15 ct. stunner in a yellow gold milgrain setting with a decorative bail of sterling silver over gold with diamonds.  This pendant hangs so beautifully. And as beautiful as the diamond setting is it perfectly allows the aquamarine to take center stage.

two new aquisitions

Two new pieces of jewelry in the last week!  Just the thing to cheer a gal up (it's been a stressful month).  First up, my Christmas gift from my husband!  After the first Art Nouveau pendant he bought got lost in the mail (tragic to think that pendant is floating around in no man's land!), we found this beauty on Ebay. It's missing its pearl drop but I'm still debating whether I want to replace it or not.  The pendant is so delicate you don't even notice the loop at the bottom and the pendant is already so pretty as is.  I guess if I find the right antique pearl, I might change my mind.  Next up, a star sapphire ring gifted to me from my mother and father.  (You may remember this previous post!) Turns out my father gave my mother this ring shortly after they were married.  So incredibly happy to have a sentimental piece passed down from my parents.

for February babies

When I conjure an image in my head of an antique amethyst necklace, I envision a festoon necklace dripping with rows and swags of amethysts.  A stunning vision that I obviously appreciate but not one I would purchase and wear myself.  So when I started on my search for this month's birthstone necklace, I searched for simple and understated but quickly realized my vision of amethysts dripping from the neckline could not be squashed.  Then I stumbled upon this beauty! A piece I could certainly love and wear with just the right amount of "drippy-ness" and a perfect balance of statement and wearability.

for January babies

Happy birthday January babies!  Garnets are such a rich colorful stone and, in my mind, just perfect for the cold winter weather of January.  In my search, I stumbled across this circa late 3rd Century B.C. garnet necklace and was just blown away.  The style of this necklace is exquisite and very much wearable today.  I am so incredibly inspired by the stone settings.  (Click through the link to see the setting in more detail.) Such a remarkable piece of history.

Eve pendant

This beauty was my special Christmas Eve present and I am so incredibly in love.  This Art Deco stickpin conversion was just what I was looking for to add to my growing yellow gold collection.  I hope everyone had a happy holiday with all those you love and have a wonderful New Year!  See you in 2016!

for December babies

Happy Birthday December babies!  You may have to share your birthday with a very busy holiday month, but at least you have the beautiful birthstone, blue topaz, to adorn jewelry for your birthday or holiday gifts! Each of these stunning necklaces are for sale (from Etsy, Ruby Lane, and Nightingale Antiques).  Such a hard decision to make between the Art Deco lavalier, the Tricolored Gold Filigree necklace, and the Art Nouveau elongated pearl pendant!

for November babies

Wow, look at this stunning beauty!  No offense to citrine, but what stone wouldn't look stunning in this Victorian/ Art Nouveau setting?!  But citrine is beautiful in its own right, with its beautiful warm yellow glow so perfect for the fall month of November.  Colors range from lemon yellow (from which the stone derives its name) to reddish brown, my favorite being the shade featured above.

for October babies

Happy October!  I can't believe I have been doing these birthstone posts for a year now!  Because my love of birthstones is endless, I thought I would continue with this monthly tradition but switch gears slightly.  So this year will be all about antique birthstone necklaces!

I love October and the fall season... the cooler weather, the changing color of leaves.  And with all the remarkable colors that come with the fall season, I find it slightly surprising that pink is the color to represent this month.  But the rich deep hues of pink tourmaline do conjure a feeling of fall, with the usually vibrant pink deepening and darkening with the changing season.  This Victorian pink tourmaline and seed pearl necklace holds the most beautiful tourmalines, with just the perfect shade of pink for the fall season.