Pre Holiday Sale is Back

Save the Date for my home sale……Great prices!

Sunday November 16, 2014

Dyed Rainbow New Jade and Brass

Prices will be slashed this year since this will be my last public sale….I NEED  more time for grandbabies!  There are 3 now, and one lives in Seattle.  I still love making jewelry and will continue to make custom pieces or take private appointments so you can see if there is something already made that you like. This website will be updated once more to reflect what remains in stock following my sale.

Claire

William

Adrian

Jim came through again, with photos of my newest necklaces set against the backdrop of his wonderful new yard.

Onyx, faceted carnelian, brass

Ceramic beads, leather, copper clasp

Sponge coral, Java brass

My most recent pieces lean heavily toward the use of brass chain. These chains are handmade in Indonesia and are so unique and beautiful, I love working them in to my designs.

Smoky Quartz, Java Brass

Resin and Sterling…$90

You will still find many necklaces made of silver and copper and a few that feature leather or ribbon. I still have some bracelets left. Please stop by on November 16 if you live near the Twin Cities. It is hard to capture in photos how these pieces will look on you. If you don’t live nearby and see something that interests you, don’t hesitate to email me; I can send more photos, explain the colors, give dimensions, prices, etc.

Have a Nice Fall!  – Deb

. . . and the winter spawned. . . Bracelets!

Cabin fever hit me this winter, even though I was originally happy to snowshoe in any weather.  I grew tired of finding the balance between breathing with a neck gaiter and fogging my glasses so I started making bracelets. I haven’t stopped! Now they are piling up and I still have ideas. So do call or email me if you want to take some off my  hands! I am selling them for $25 –  $30.

I first saw the interesting magnetic and hooked clasps at a gem show in fall.  A company made them to go with a thick leather they called Regaliz leather and the resulting bracelets are being worn all over Europe. Regaliz is “licorice” in Spanish.

The fun for me comes in experimenting with different  materials to make these bracelets unique. Swarovski crystal goes much better with leather than I had previously thought!

These vintage charms, found decades ago in an antique store, finally found a home. The turquoise rawhide is a new find; it is really soft and supple and goes well with copper as does the hand dyed ribbon.

Copper, Suede, Hand-dyed Silk

Vintage Charms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silver looks great with black in my mind.

Hammering copper wire to texture it is always fun and I found a way to showcase some of my larger stones.

Hammered Copper

Stones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some designs playing with color and two sizes of leather.

Leather Wraps

Leather in Two Widths

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Metal and Cubic Zirconium Crystal

Braided Leather and Regalize Clasp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stop by, email or call if you want more information, photos or sizes.  For proper fit, measure the full length of your favorite bracelet including the clasp.

Wonderful Memories

“What do I do with mementos from the wonderful woman who raised me?” That question brought back much emotion from the time when I also lost my mother.  Joni, a great friend of mine mentioned jewelry as a part of her mother’s past. Most of it was not of a style Joni would choose to wear. We got together and sorted through many pieces, reminiscing with stories about our mothers’ travels and where Joni’s mom had purchased some of her treasures.  Ideas for new pieces, built from a mother’s past, emerged and the wearable results can be seen below. This is the second time I have had the privilege of making a new necklace from vintage treasures and I would welcome the opportunity again.

We composed the piece above from 2 different necklaces made entirely of pearl-like beads; updating it by multiplying the strands and adding chain.

When visiting Colorado, Joni’s mom had lapis earrings custom set in a gold bezel with diamonds. Since Joni does not have pierced ears, I was able to mount them on her mother’s vintage rhinestone necklace and bracelet set that was popular in the 50’s.

This sapphire pendant was very pretty but needed a chain so I hung it from sterling silver with tiny jade beads of the same blue as the sapphire.

I loved doing this and would welcome this type of work again.

Jewelry makes a Great Gift

Adrian Fudge is now 4 weeks old and I can’t wait to get back to Seattle to hold him. Take a look at my last blog post and you will also see that I am not going to be able to have my yearly pre-holiday sale this year. I am already missing it but made the right decision for the present time. I am still making jewelry, as you will see below, and would still love to show it off.

If you are considering purchasing jewelry for gifts (or for yourself!) please don’t hesitate to contact me.  You can come to my home to see it or I can pack it up to show at your house, a coffee shop, etc. It is fun for me to just show it off; you don’t have to feel any pressure to buy.

The turquoise necklace below is made from the stones I bought several years ago from a roadside vendor in New Mexico. The cut of the stones and the way they are graduated in size makes them unique to the 60’s/70’s when they were shaped.

Kingman Turquoise & Karen Hilltribe Silver

Garnet is my birthstone so I am particularly drawn to it. These tiny garnets are faceted and shiny so I put them in a beautiful tiny chain of sterling silver along with sterling silver droplets.

Faceted Garnet & Sterling Silver

In contrast to the tiny garnets, I found several beautifully set ammonite fossil slices from the Cretaceous Age (found in Madagascar). The chambers are really well defined in all of them. I placed one of the single ammonite pendants on braided leather with sterling silver leather ends and clasp. Others are on sterling silver chain. The second photo is of an ammonite slice paired with a large fresh water pearl and faceted smoky quartz. I think this looks great with a rolo chain of sterling silver and additional smoky quartz.

Ammonite pendant on braided leather

Ammonite slice, fresh water pearl and faceted smoky quartz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At least once a season I make a necklace from semi-precious stone nuggets because I love the colorful, larger size. They aren’t easy to find and I am always on the lookout. These green chrysoprase stones are one of my favorite “finds” at the Tucson Gem Show last winter. I think they look really good with the Java brass links that pull the rust colors out of the apple green

Chrysoprase & Java Brass

I highlighted the next 2 pendants in my last blog because I found the stone pairings unique and interesting. The  first has a large, faceted, green amethyst, a moonstone and a druzy. A druzy is a coating of fine crystals on a rock fracture surface or within a geode. There are green amethyst earrings to match (see last blog). The second pendant has a larger moonstone with a fresh water pearl and faceted amethyst at the bottom. I have this hanging from a sterling silver chain at the moment. Never hesitate to ask if I can change the length or style of a chain, etc.; sometimes it is very easy to do.

Green Amethyst, Druzy & Moonstone

Moonstone, Pearl & Amethyst

The last necklace featured here is very different, for someone who likes a long necklace and an “earthier” style. I have made several necklaces from similar pieces of lapis lazuli set in silver and imported from Afghanistan and they have been very popular. The silver content is unknown but it is tarnished, giving it an antique look.

Lapis and Silver from Afghanistan

So enjoy the season, take extra time to sit in front of your fireplace, and let me know if you want to see anything “in person”. The colors are always better, you can feel the coolness and heft of a real stone, and you can try them on!

New Holiday Plans

Change is good, right? I am someone who embraces change, but this one is tougher. I am still making jewelry like crazy and have some new, exciting designs, but I am not going to have an organized pre-holiday sale at my home this year. I am already sure I will miss the event and will miss seeing everyone. However, if you want to see my new pieces or want to see if I have potential Christmas/Hanukkah gifts for your purchase, I DO want you to contact me to set up a time and place to look. I can meet you for coffee with my bundle, you can come here, I can go to your place…… consider having your friends over and inviting me to bring my jewelry. As usual, I will not make you feel like you have to buy if you just want to look!

The best reason for the change is that I am excitedly “on-hold”, waiting for Baby Fudge to arrive in Seattle! Jessie’s first baby and my second grandbaby. In addition, I had too much fun this summer whitewater rafting and hiking in Yellowstone, Glacier and Banff.

Rafting the Green River

Sperry Glacier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellowstone

Mountain Goat in GNP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite Gem Show was in town this past weekend so I went a little crazy, picking out new things that might be “gift worthy” for the upcoming holidays. The following pendants are sterling silver, very well made and very reasonably priced. I have new sterling silver chain to go with them,  and plan to insert a few tiny semi-precious stones into the chains of some to make them more personal.

Ammonite, pearl, smoky quartz

Ammonite Fossil

Green Amethyst, Geode, Moonstone

Moonstone, Pearl, Amethyst

This photo shows a sample of the new clasps I  found to go with leather strapping and lacing. I always love working with leather and these make really fun, chunky bracelets and collars – it will be fun to see what materializes.

antique copper clasps and braided leather

So come see me or set up a time to meet somewhere if you want to see what I have in stock or if you want to have something special made. If you like any of the above materials, let me know before I start working on it and I can turn it into a custom item for you.  Most of all, Enjoy our Fall!

What’s New For Summer!

I had the opportunity to take care of my granddaughter for most of May and June so I took a little break from jewelry making – except for some very fun custom pieces.  Here is a sampling of what I did manage to get done! The first piece features dyed fire agate. The colors go really nicely with the gold vermeil chain and I particularly love it because it includes many druzy stones. Druzies are crystal-covered rocks. Tiny quartz crystals have formed on the surface or within the cavities of the agates. Like a geode, these crystals often form on the inside of a stand-alone stone and when cracked open, the crystals inside are revealed.

Here is a close up of one of the druzies

Tourmaline is one of my favorite semi-precious stones so when I found these rough cut and “leather” polished stones in so many colors of tourmaline I couldn’t resist! I paired them with a fine silver flower made by the Karen hill tribe people, many of whom have relocated to the Twin Cities area.

These are my favorite photos. Jim Lane worked his magic in my backyard this time and my necklaces have never looked so good!  This necklace is made from faceted labradorite set in brass on a dainty java brass chain which looks similar to gold.  I wore a similar necklace at my 3rd daughter’s wedding with a sparkly pewter colored dress. Labradorite shimmers; it is a beautiful translucent gray color that goes with anything.

The last two pieces chosen for this blog are very different from the shiny ones above. I love turquoise and had several stones left from a gorgeous strand of turquoise mined from the Pilot Mountain mine in Nevada. I paired them with Bauxite, knotted them onto silk cord and fastened them to leather.

This last necklace is made from irregular rings of glass I found in Rome. I think they are left over from glass blowing works, but maybe someone knows better. I love the colors and found hand-dyed ribbon, leather and cord to bind them together.

I hope you will also take a look at my Gallery. I have added a few new photos, including quite a wild and blingy necklace with large, irregularly faceted amazonite stones. Thanks for visiting! – Deb

Dress Up Your Name Badge!

This idea came from my daughter, Jessie, who must wear her name badge on a lanyard to work.  She wanted to know why it couldn’t look like a necklace….no good reason I can think of!

These are necklaces I purchased retail and remade into lanyards. The metals are unidentified base metal. Most are 34 inches long including the ring where you clip on your name badge (all are close to this length but make sure you ask if this detail matters). I am selling these for $25 each which includes shipping. Each one has a number and brief description. Please contact me for more detail if you are interested in purchasing a lanyard for your name badge.

#1

The faceted links on the above chain are silver, but often look black.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

# 2

Black faceted beads with seed beads

————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

# 3

# 3

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

# 4 Wood and Plastic – SOLD

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

# 5

gold, bronze and pink

——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

#6

multiple chains

——————————————————————————————————————————————————-

#7

gold colored dangles

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

# 8

silver color chain with gold color beads

Playing with Metals

Learning how to work with metals was quite a switch from my usual late January activity – skiing – but it is something I have wanted to do for awhile now.  So I hauled out my collected books on metal work, liked the excuse to buy a few new tools, and started making things. Here is an idea of how that week went…..

My New Tools!

First, I needed materials…..

When I was in Rome last fall, I roamed the streets and enjoyed the everyday art.

My Favorite Street Vendor

I particularly enjoyed meeting street vendors and my favorite one recycled metals to form interesting shapes that he linked together for jewelry. As is typical of me, I bought them to take them apart. I made the necklaces sturdier and, in my opinion, even more interesting!

Street Vendor Jewelry from Rome

Above are the chains I bought, mostly from the vendor pictured. Below you can see what I did with them.  Riveting and forging have become my favorite new skills.

I also started to work with copper and sterling silver wire of different gauges. Below are my first attempts, before and after I applied a patina.

Metalwork before Patina

Copper and Silver Bracelet with Patina

Copper Earrings with Patina

Have a Nice Spring! – Deb

Valentine’s Day Fever

It is too early to have Spring Fever, so maybe it is Valentine’s Day Fever….

Whatever it is, I have been going crazy making necklaces in spring colors.  Think shiny (bling), sterling silver, gold, pink and purple with a gorgeous magenta thrown in!  I hope you will take a look and if you like something, drop by to see it or email me to ask for details such as length and versatility.  Some of my longer necklaces can be doubled and work long or short.  Hover over the photo to see a price; if one is listed, the item is in stock.

Ruby Quartz with Gold Vermeil

I have always loved aquamarine, maybe because it reminds me of glacial ice but probably because of its soft blue color.  I paired it this time with a beautiful sterling heart handmade at Oakhill Silver Supply.  The word “REACH” is etched in the back.  I had a tough time with focus and color in the right photo but I am antsy to get this posted ……..so I am not going to bug Jim Lane, my usual photographer, today.  I think you can tell which photos are mine and which are his!

Rubies set in Vermeil and paired with fresh water pearls would make a great Valentine’s Day gift.  I made this one with Java Brass, handmade brass chain from Indonesia.

Rubies, Freshwater Pearl, Java Brass Chain

There are so many colors in the next necklace that it is hard to describe; shades of pink, rose, pale yellow and rust.  It works really well with the large nugget of rose quartz

There is a lot going on with this necklace using aquamarine again and sterling silver.  I was lucky to find the stones in a variety of shapes and the size was just right for some Bali Silver pieces I have been wanting to use.

Aquamarine and Sterling SIlver

The asymmetrical and faceted nuggets of purple, white and grey in the next necklace is known as Cape Amethyst (again, and obviously, not Jim’s photo!).  The white stone is a nugget of moonstone.  Some of the stones are handknotted on silk and it is all linked together with sterling silver chain.  I hammered some of the links to add more interest.

I am not sure why this is last.  I love tourmaline and I love these uniquely shaped pieces set in sterling silver.  I also love that Jim took the photo on a drawing made by my niece!  This chain was hammered and I added some Bali Silver pieces for interest.

Tourmaline and Sterling Silver

Need a Last Minute Holiday Gift??

I still have some inventory left after my annual pre-holiday home sale and last weekend’s sale at brother-in-law Dave’s Ponderosa Bar and Grill in Mazeppa. (I don’t know how he keeps his nachos from getting soggy; and his hamburgers are great!).  Here are a few ideas if you still have gifts to buy.  Hover over the photo to see a price and email me for more detail or purchase info.  Here are a few ideas (most items in my gallery that list a price are also available).  Come back in Jan/Feb to see new designs!

I buy lapis lazuli charms and links (above) from a man who returns to his native Afghanistan yearly, bringing back these unique set stones for me to make into necklaces.  Many are vintage or antique.  I wear a similar necklace and am always receiving compliments.  Looks great with jeans, dressed up or down.

The enameling on these gorgeous beads was done in Russia (see detail below) and I showcase them in my necklace using gold vermeil chain.

The necklace on the right is a little more affordable but still has a little “bling”! It is made with lavender cubic zirconium and copper chain.  This one can be worn as a long (36 inch) single chain or doubled as in the photo for a shorter necklace.

An updated classic look can be had with these gorgeous dyed blue fire agate beads that I hand-knotted with matching blue silk (20″ long).

If your recipient loves wearing yellow, consider this necklace with 3 strands of yellow jade and Java Brass.

I  also have quite a few earrings for sale.  The photo below is of my favorite type but only the green are left; these have been very popular!  If you want earrings, let me know a color and/or style and I will send you photos of what is available.

Here are some fun and more affordable pieces with flowers made of glass and semi-precious stone.

My mother loved old sayings, one of them being “when pigs fly” so I have a heavy metal flying pig statue in my garden to remember my parents by.   When I saw a handmade sterling silver flying pig on Etsy I had to use it in a jewelry piece and you can see the results below.  What a great gift for someone with a sense of humor!  The little heart is very unique, handcrafted and affordable at $22. Both pendants are designed and made by the husband and wife team at Oakhill Silver Supply and the necklaces are designed by me!

If you like the more offbeat, artsy jewelry, take a look at this one on the right  …..The copper was shaped by an artist and torched to give it the wonderful colors.

The heart on the left is enameled by Sara Lukkonen of  C-Koop Beads in Duluth.

And for inspiration over the coming year, take a look at what my daughter Kelly’s husband Jim designed for her! It was a fun collaboration as he brought an idea along with the stones he found at the North Shore where their wedding took place. He added Thomsonite found by family  members and drilled the holes himself.  I was left to figure out how to make his dream come true!  My  Nana’s crochet lessons came in very handy.