entomology

I have bought a few butterfly and moth pendants over the years but they have not lost their charm. The beautiful designs and colors of these wings make the most vibrant pieces of jewelry (not to mention the fact that most designers are helping support butterfly conservations). But I was shocked when I discovered that this pendant, by CarrieBilbo, is a cicada wing. So beautiful! Be sure to check out Carrie's other designs on etsy... I pretty much want to buy out her entire etsy store!

hoops

I love hoop earrings! They look great on and are simple enough to work with any necklace. I am in the market for some elongated hoop earrings and I stumbled across these beauties on Joy O Designs. Love them!

happy fall!

Happy Fall! By far my favorite season, I look forward to fall longingly when the summer days just seem too hot for way too long. The list of things I love about fall is endless... dropping temperatures and a cool fall breeze, scarves, riding boots with dresses and heavy knit stockings, changing leaves, pumpkin flavored treats, fall light weight coats, Halloween, Halloween candy, anticipation of approaching winter holidays, sweaters and sweatshirts, snuggling under a comforter with the windows open, apple cider and baked apples, hay rides, my wedding anniversary! What are you looking forward to this fall?

two of my favorites

Since I am wearing two of my favorite pieces of jewelry today, I thought I would share some pictures. Above is a necklace I got while I was in Miami years and years ago. I really wish I could remember the designer! I love the melted, gnarled metal at the top and how wispy and delicate the chains look dangling from the bottom. The length is just perfect.

Probably one of my favorite stacked ring combinations. The bottom ring is a cheap CZ sterling silver ring I found in a bin of rings at a vintage store which I bought for the purpose of stacking. The middle ring was a loose 2 carat emerald cut aquamarine I had set high in a sterling silver mount. I wanted it to look like a large cocktail ring but found it looks even better stacked with other rings. The top ring is just a plain cheap sterling silver band to balance it all out. I like mixing and matching my rings but for some reason, when I reach for this aquamarine ring, this is how I end up wearing it every time!

sweet macabre

I have been gravitating towards the idea of using gothic details in sweet, feminine designs... something small and unexpected only noticeable upon closer inspection, to supply a tiny bit of surprise at the discovery of something a little dark amongst an overtly feminine piece of jewelry. I would love to add this small hummingbird skull charm (by billyblue22) to a festoon style necklace with swags of shimmering chain and the sparkle of an array of semi-precious stones.

today's the day!

I can't wait any longer! I need a torch so badly to get a lot of projects done that have been building up so this little guy is coming home with me today (available at Home Depot). This tool is great for smaller pieces and is generally used for small home maintenance projects. Although the flame is small, it reaches pretty high temperatures so I have high hopes that this may do the trick for small rings or, at the least, small silver findings. I'm going to test it out this weekend and see the range of what this tool can do. I'm still saving for a big torch but this will help me get a lot more accomplished in the meantime. I am so excited!

a lazy labor day weekend

To pass some time during my very lazy labor day weekend, I went to Barnes and Noble to peruse their craft section. I snapped a photo of these beautiful earrings in one of the books I looked through (I am awful... I didn't write down the name of the book so I can't give it proper credit!). I was excited about manipulating wire for the frame of these earrings and decided to swap out the sapphires for iolite.

the next frontier

I am very interested in learning how to work with PMC (precious metal clay). I have a few books on the subject and am excited about the prospect of learning a new technique. PMC consists of tiny particles of pure silver and gold in organic clay that can be worked and molded similar to modeling clay. When it is heated to the right temperature, the clay burns away leaving pure silver or gold constructions which can be soldered, filed, and polished similar to pieces made by more traditional metalsmithing means. There seems to be a lot of pros and cons to this method versus the traditional methods of manipulating sheet and wire metals but I am excited about the control this form of jewely making can lend to certain designs.