Save the Date!

Announcing my "Almost Annual" jewlery party show and sale being held on Tuesday, August 3, from 5 to 7 pm.  Please stop by Gleason Fine Art, 31 Townsend Avenue in Boothbay Harbor to see my newest  jewelry designs, as well as some older favorites.  Cases will be open and ready for you to try things on and take things home.

Flowers for Inspiration

I thought I'd show you some of the new flower and leaf jewelry I designed over the weekend.  I always look to nature to give me a little push in the designing direction.  Here's a pair of silver dapped flowers that I stacked back to back and dangled an amethyst bead.  

Another pair of flower earrings, these with silver balls soldered in the centers and the petals are curled out--very graceful and light.

And these little cuties.  They are sterling with 24k gold centers.  They are about 1/2 inch in diameter and have stud backs--perfect little touch of summer. 

And finally a couple pairs of joined leaf earrings.  Each pair is sterling with a bead drop--the left with green tourmaline and the right with rhodolite garnets.  

Super Sunday

Got a call from Barbara at CRAFT and she told me I had my first sales!  Yeah!!!  A reticulated cuff bracelet and a pair of earrings.  I am so excited and it added to my creative drive this weekend. 

I thought I'd start this entry off by showing you the finished reticulated rectangle bracelet from a couple days ago.  I set two 4mm amethysts and really like how it turned out.  The overall photo doesn't show the bracelet off, but you get an idea.  This detail focuses in on one of the rectangles and you get to see the texture and added balls and bars. 

I hopped right into designing a couple of new reticulated cuff bracelets too.  They have been very popular and I really like to make them.  The first has an overlap in the center with sterling balls and three curly bars.  I heated the edges until they softened and the line became very organic.     

The second cuff was an excercise in "design as you go."  I had a few pieces of silver to work with, so I reticulated them and then joined them to form the cuff.  So you have a little sense of scale, the center piece is 2 inches square.  I added a bunch of silver balls along the seems and thought the result was very effective--they brought the attention to the center.  I continued adding random balls to the front and decided that a stone (or stones) would be a great touch.  So, I started playing around placing various cabochons on the square and came up with these assorted green stones in different shapes and sizes.  The large square is an 8mm green tourmaline.  There are also two 3mm green tourmalines and two peridots, one 4mm, one 3mm. 

That's all for today--more flower designs in process for tomorrow. 

July Tourmaline

Had a nice visit with Robert and Sophie, RHB Enterprises, one of my bead and stone suppliers and was thrilled with the new black tourmaline beads they received from Brazil.  I try to stock black beads because it's nice to have options other than the typical onyx.  They also had some lovely emerald beads that I just couldn't resist.  Look for these beads in some new designs soon!

Summer's Here

It's truly summer--I'm busy, busy, busy with work, family, and friends.  Here's a little sampling of what I've been working on in between the craziness.   

This bracelet is in process.  It is made from reticulated silver rectangles with added balls and bars.  I've also included a couple bezel cups that I think I'll set with amethyst cabochons.  Here's a detail of the surface and hook clasp: 

I've also continued with new flower designs.  Here is a new pair of flower earrings.  I love the simplicity of them and have been trying them out and love how they wear.  They are light weight and wiggle while you walk. 

I have a bunch of other things in process and hope to post again soon.

Happy Fourth of July

What a great 4th of July weekend!  The weather has been spectacular and I've been lucky enough to enjoy time with my sister and her family, my parents, and my husband.  A great day started with a morning at Grimes Cove Beach and then a delicious barbeque at Mom and Dad's.  I was also lucky enough to have a little time in the studio to create some fireworks of my own.  Here's some new pieces in the reticulation series. 

First, I made a new circle link bracelet.  It has four 1 1/2 inch circles that I reticulated and embellished with some silver bars and balls.  I shaped them into soft rounded forms that curve around the wrist and then linked them together.  A simple hook clasp is easily closed by the wearer.  

Here's a detail of one of the circles.

I've been very fortunate to have sold a few things so far this summer and have had some requests for more reticulated rings and round pendants.  So I took the opportunity to create these new pieces:

a sterling ring with silver and gold ball accents and a 3mm rhodolite garnet gemstone.  The shank was reticulated first and then formed.  I then added some of the balls and continued adding more as I modified the design. 

and this silver pendant with swirls and balls and 6mm blue topaz cabochon.  It will be suspended from a silver cable neckwire.  I really like the way the swirls extend beyond the circle and add a new dimension to the piece.  They remind me of ocean waves. 

Hoping to get a little more studio time tomorrow.  More work in process.