for March babies

Happy birthday March babies!  Let's all take a moment to collectively sigh over these AMAZING aquamarine earrings by Annoushka!  Not only are these aquamarines absolutely stunning, pairing them with apatite and blue tourmaline creates the perfect trifecta of beautiful blues.  The pave diamonds set this to a whole other level of glamorous-ness that I can only dream of one day achieving.  The price tag definitely reflects the quality of stones and materials, but it's fun to dream a little dream and admire this truly outrageous masterpiece of jewelry design.

for February babies

Happy birthday February babies!!!  Some might think that amethyst is such a blasé stone but these incredible Plukka amethyst earrings beg to differ!  The champagne diamond pavé drop is the perfect compliment to the outrageous purple hue and so-right irregular shape of these amethysts.

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!

for January babies

Happy birthday January babies!  My best friend falls into this category and she has received some seriously nice garnet jewelry over the years.  The deep red of garnets pairs beautifully with a rich higher karat gold.  These stunning Cathy Waterman earrings feature domed garnets set in 22k gold.  I absolutely love the matte gold wheat leaf design... earthy and sophisticated.

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!

holiday etsy wishlist 2016

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!! I am so incredibly excited for this holiday season.  My family is coming in from CA and it will be the first time we have all been together in 4 years.  This year I've been trying really hard to cut back on my shopping, so my wishlist is relatively long this year.  And as always, jewelry is the top contender on my list.  So once again, here is my annual holiday etsy wishlist:
1) Antique yellow gold engraved band-  This has been on my wishlist for awhile now, but I think I have finally found the perfect one!
2) Vintage large oval marcasite ring- In my dreams, I have been pining for a large diamond cluster ring but this is my reality option.
3) Art Deco marquise banded agate yellow gold ring- The key to this ring is the extreme marquise shape and the lily setting on the sides of the stone.  I've looked for this setting with other stones, but the banded agate seems to be the most readily available option out there.
4) Small flat yellow gold hoops- I desperately need some good basic yellow gold earrings and I pretty much wear hoops every day.
5) Flat circle yellow gold studs- Would pair perfectly with other gold earrings and are the kind of studs you could wear for eternity.
6) London blue topaz yellow gold studs- These weren't even something I was looking for but ones I stumbled across while looking for my December birthstone post.  I love this stone, it is such an incredible color, and I love the unique shape of these earrings.

for December babies

Happy birthday December babies!  I know you may have to share your birthday with a whole month of holidays, but at least you have a stunning birthstone to call your own.  Traditionally, blue topaz is a true bright baby blue, but if this were my birthstone (oh, I wish it was!) I would fully embrace the London Blue topaz.  I mean look at the color of these stunning earrings!  And the hexagon cut just puts these over the top.  So beautiful!