The Inspired Hand V

Look for 3 of my cuff bracelets on display at The Inspired Hand V show, January 20 - March 16, 2012.  This is a juried exhibition of work by members of the Maine Crafts Association.  The show will be held at the University of Southern Maine-Lewiston-Auburn College, 51 Westminster Street in Lewiston.  I am honored and pleased to be included in this show.

Earring Commission

Well, this morning I was able to cross these 2 pairs of earrings off my to-do list--yeah!!!!  A client approached me earlier this summer to recreate a pair of earrings she loved from an oversized, photocopied, black and white picture.

We talked about making one pair in gold-fill with cubic zirconias and a second pair in sterling silver with peridot and the only change in design was that they had to be clip-ons.  The lower stone we decided would be 10mm and the top 6mm.  I did the pricing and specs and got to work in late September and here's how things came together.

I started with the sterling pair--I was able to buy the bezel settings and then fabricate the rest.  They went together beautifully and are quite striking.

The second pair I was a bit more concerned about because I have never worked with gold-fill and I really couldn't find any findings that were pre-made except for the clips.  So, I had to fabricate all the pieces and hope for the best.  They went together better than I imagined until the very end when I struggled with one of the little 6mm stones--ugh!  One earring was complete and the other had to wait until I was fresh again the following morning and what a difference it made.  Here they are.

Now here's a comparison to help with scale:

I had to imagine the actual size of the original earrings because this picture was soooo oversized.  I think they look great and I hope she'll be pleased!   

Pearls for Charleston

Now that the fall is here, I've been madly working on some new pearl jewelry to go spend the winter at Coco Vivo Gallery in Charleston, SC.  Here's a sampling of some of the new designs:

EARRINGS

NECKLACES

hand-sculpted fine silver starfish on freshwater pearls

And these new bracelets:

coin pearls with hammered silver links

freshwater nuggets with silver links

Stop on by 25 Broad Street in Charleston, South Carolina and see!