My Sweetie

A picture really is a priceless!!!

I'm Winding Down

Well I've finished the Craft Shows now. I'm officially on sabbatical from selling. I have a few pieces left and will hopefully just sell them by word of mouth. Above is an Exclamation Pendant that I was commissioned to do. The stone is garnet.

Last night I bought 5 rough cut cubed diamonds. And this morning a pair of biwa coin pearls on Etsy that are inset with clear topaz in a 18k gold bezel. In the next few months I hope to be able to fabricate with ease small gold bezels together to form organic looking pieces. Of late, Todd Reed has been an inspiration to me. He a self-taught jeweler who is very in touch with the organic side of fine jewelry making at it's best.

Moving onward with Jewelry

This past week has been hectic for me. I've been crazily making jewelry from all my hundreds of semi-precious and Swarovski crystals. I made about 12 necklaces of freshwater pearl necklaces at 11:00pm or 5:00am, to have them sell instantly. Earrings, oh my, last week, I made about 40 pairs and all sold. I'm exhausted, but feeling good that my supplies are dwindling.

What irony, I wanted to move my jewelry that has been sitting in my jewelry room, some for 2 years now, and when you tell everyone that you are moving on to different jewelry projects, then all of a sudden, wham.... people are wanting my jewelry...

Finally read the camera manual

I've been really trying to work on my photography with this digital camera I have. I actually read the manual and went online this week.

Here is a photograph, without a photo tent. I used one halogen lamp, put camera on the P zone, and changed the AEB to 1. Done in the dead of the night. I'm pretty pleased that my photo came out as good as that. No photoshopping done to it at all.

Snowdrops Pearls and Lemon Quartz Earrings

I'm testing my new circular non-interchangeable earwires. These earwires have several dangles wirewrapped around them, so that you know you'll never loose any dangle since it is soldered together.

Ocean Breeze Blue Chalcedony, Blue Peruvian Opals, Green Amethyst and Labradorite Earrings

I'm working on my new dangle type earrings. I'm trying to evoke elegant, streamline and eye catching. hmmm.

Tourmaline, Tanzanite, Citrine Briolette Necklace

At the Fraser Valley Bead Show, I fell in love with many sparkly, facetted briolettes. This strand is said to be of the Tourmaline Family called Tandrite. I wirewrapped random number of briolettes, with an odd dangle of a Ruby rondelle. On the side of the necklace is a cluster of round smooth tourmalines, with rubies and one lonely Tanzanite facetted rondelle.

The other half of the Heart of Gold for United Way

Here are the matching earrings to the Heart of Gold Necklace.

Emma's Return from Girl Guide Camp

I picked Emma up from Hollyburn this morning. The rain has been relentless this weekend. Thank goodness for wick away clothing and 100% rainproof gear from Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC). I think Emma could qualify for the outdoor store magazine, she was dressed from head to toe in all their gear. Special thanks to her guide leaders, Agnes, Andrea and Hayley.

Heart of Gold for the United Way Silent Auction

The focal glass bead is the "Heart of Gold" by Kerri Fuhr (lampwork BC Artisan). This beautiful necklace I've handcrafted for my Periop Team at the Vancouver General Hospital for the United Way Basket Silent Auction. I wirewrapped Swarovski crystals to accent this beautiful focal lampwork bead. The dangles from the bead are Tandrite, a type of Tourmaline stone. All components in this necklace are hand fabricated by me and are all in sterling silver. Matching earrings to follow.

Northern Lights

Yesterday I went to the Fraser Valley Bead Show. I spent way too much, but have a beautiful selection of faceted, Mystic Topaz, London Topaz, faceted rubies, citrine, amethysts, periodot. Today I bought some Tandrite Tourmaline and Green Amethyst (presiolite). So I must make lots of jewelry now to get out of debt. I made these earrings this morning using my own sterling silver headpins and earwires. The top beads are sapphires, then I have a beautiful lampwork bead by Kerri Fuhr. The bottom of the earring is Labradorite and a Blue Peruvian Opal. I named these earrings Northern Lights. The Inuit have a ledgend that the Northern Lights are captured in Labradorite, and this is the spirit of these earrings. If you like these earrings, they are for sell!!! JFAA

I also purchase a big hollow lampwork bead from Kerri, named a Heart of Gold. This will be the focal bead of a necklace for the United Way silent auction at work, donated by my team, Perioperative Services.

Clouds

A really cool thing happened today in Vancouver, first the sun came out and we had beautiful white puffy clouds, (now for those who do not know, this is like rare occurrence, especially since it is Thanksgiving Day). Last night I made these earrings called "Clouds". They are chalcedony, sapphires, aquamarines and one lonely Swarovski crystal. I caught the clouds in the reflection while taking photos of these earrings in my "photoshop area".

Using My Stones!!!

Here is my Autumn Cornelian Necklace joined with the bracelet. In the spirit of making jewelry that can be interchangeable. This necklace may be extended form 21.5 inches to 28 inches when the bracelet is attached to the necklace. I hand fabricate all my sterling silver clasps and try to make them appealing enough that you want the clasp to be in the front!!! If this necklace and/or bracelet is calling your name, visit my online store






Another whole set, using all my Amazonite stones. Again, the bracelet and necklace may be joined together. For added flare, I've added Karen Hill Tribe silver lentils.

Turquoise & FWP Necklace No. 16

So what to do on a Canadian Thanksgiving weekend? Start actually making jewelry from all the huge stash I have of semi-precious stones. What a concept?!!! Well above is a beautiful natural turquoise nugget necklace accented with bronze freshwater pearls and two Karen Hill Tribe 12mm silver lentils that are oxidized. And of course the clasp is one of mine. All components are sterling silver. If you feel the urge to buy this beauty go to my online store here

I'm a Devil, a dirty little devil....

Today we went and bought fabric. Emma wanted to be a devil for Halloween. Needless to say, there is never a perfect pattern, but we had lots of fun improvising.

Study of Circles - Bubbles in Motion (BIM) No. 2

Shown with just two rings.

Another one of my Bubbles in Motion (BIM) No. 2. Again using the same concept that you can blow real bubbles using the (left) bubbler ring. The middle ring, omega open and closed is new in this series.

From L-R we have bubbler ring, omega open and closed, and the bubble in motion ring. This ring may be purchased right now from my JFAA website.

Sept 26th Emma has no BRACES!!!

This is what Emma and I did yesterday!!!

Daisy FWP Pendant Necklace

Here is my Freshwater Pearl Daisy Necklace. I made this for a friend today who would like to give it to his wife for Christmas. These are 5-7mm FWP in blue peacock and cream pearls. Each pearl is accented with a 4mm oxidized Bali Daisy Spacer. I made all my own components, the clasp, daisy, and headpin. I've not done wirewrapping in awhile and it nice to take a break from metalsmithing every so often. The necklace is 20" in length, the daisy Pendant measures 2.75 x 1.25 inches.

I've taken a break from madly listing all my findings on Etsy. I found that I couldn't keep up with making findings and was not making any jewelry. I'll still do custom orders for all my regular customers. I hope to actually start selling my jewelry from my website and from Etsy.

Cornelian Ring

Today I've been busy. I cannibalized my garnet bullet ring, I took off the 4mm garnet cab (sawed it off) because I didn't like the look of it. I've been saving the cab platform that I made awhile ago. The carnelian cab is 14x10mm. I'm quite happy with the way the ring turned out. I'm getting better at smoothing the bezel and prong pushing the bezel evenly. The setting of the cabochon, in my opinion is the most difficult part for me while constructing a ring.

I'll reset the garnet bullet cabochon in another ring or maybe one of my study of circles pendants.

Evolution of the Bubbles - Study of Circles Ring/Pendant

Quite by accident I discovered something totally different last spring. To practice my soldering I did various "circles". I created 3 circle rings and wore them for awhile as stackable rings. I made two small stackable circle rings for my daughter, Emma, but they were too big, so they sat sadly on my workbench.

I then got into soldering and linking chains. As I sat at my jewelry bench one day I felt lazy, and decided to use the stackable rings I was wearing as part of a linked chain and decided to incorporate the two smaller rings. I soldered on twisted oval links and attached a big circle to an oval link then to a smaller circle... I think you get the picture. After I finished this small chain, I looked at it and wondered if it would still fit my ring finger, so I accordion the 3 big circles together and presto!!! I had a jingly new ring.

I wore this ring for a couple of days, and again as I sat at my workbench, I thought, this would make a great pendant, so I soldered on one more small twisted oval link so it would attach nicely to a necklace --- and born was the ring that converts into a pendant.

I worn this ring quite a bit and discovered that the two smaller rings fit my pinky. I can wear this ring on my pinky, on my ring finger or on both my fingers simultaneously.

I went to many jewelry shows and my jingly ring was noticed by other jewelers who kept saying to me, "what and interesting concept". This "concept" has become part of my jewelry creativity, using bracelets to extend necklaces into asymmetrical pieces. I've called these pieces "bubbles" since this is the nickname for Emma. You may purchase my Study of Circles Pendant Ring in my Etsy Store.