Smokin' Hot Earrings and Necklace

Last night we helped one of my best friends welcome in her 40s. Her husband had planned, and executed, a surprise dinner with a few close friends. Complimenti! That's pretty hard to do when we all have very big mouths.

I figured I would commemorate the milestone with - what else? - jewelry. 

I decided to make something with her birthstone, smokey topaz. I thought about trying to squeeze forty stones into the design somehow, but that was a lot of weight since I had gotten large, faceted briolettes.

Instead I handwired a trio of briolettes to a sterling silver chain. The earrings hang from hand-hammered sterling earwires from an artisan I know in San Francisco.

The matching necklace mirrors the briolette cluster with heart-shaped topaz and sterling silver chain making up the rest of the piece. 

She said, "Ahhh...you made me jewelry with smokey topaz because I'm smokin' hot?!?" I went with it.

Love you, Pia. Happy 40th!

The Ice Cream Orchid

I am easily swayed to make new jewelry. And it's usually spawned by something I'm reading...or eating. Since I just started reading Tim Ecott's Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Ice Cream Orchid, I suppose it was only a matter of time before I wanted an orchid necklace.

Luckily I located a local artisan who handcasts all of his pieces using the lost wax method. Check out Pete Conder's shop on etsy.

I handwired his sterling silver orchid with clear quartz coins and faceted rondelles of golden citrine to create this one-of-a-kind necklace. Then I made coordinated earrings with faceted pear chalcedony briolettes and clear quartz coins.

I'll have to check out more of Pete's pieces. This orchid is eye-catching and gorgeous without being too heavy. It was exactly what I wanted.

Olive Love

I recently won an olive oil recipe contest - check out my Malfatti di Ricotta e Bietola (dumplings with chard and cheese) - and, as part of my prize, get to attend the Paso Robles Olive Festival this weekend. I get some other fun perks, including access to the We Olive! VIP tent, wine, beer, a gift certificate, and tickets to the growers' dinner! Woohoo. I love olives.

So, naturally, I had to make some jewelry to wear - to the festival, during my interview...and just to get in the olive mood.

I used a sterling silver olive leaf as the focal point, dangling a deep purple, kalamata-shaped recycled glass bead from the finding. Then I handwired rough garnet nuggets - wrinkled like the gaeta olives - with watermelon tourmaline slabs - with colors of green picholine to the purplish liguria.

The matching earrings have garnets and watermelon tourmaline as well. Can't wait till Saturday!

Inspired by Tracy Arm Fjord

Of all the things we saw and did on our cruise along Alaska's Inside Passage this month - to celebrate my parents' 40th anniversay - I think cruising up the Tracy Arm Fjord topped my list. Yes, I did yank the boys out of bed at 5:30am; yes, we were the only people on deck for several hours while it was drizzling; and yes, it was a loop that we could have seen everything on the way back down. But, you know me...I'm all about the adventure - and being an early bird!

From the vibrant Caribbean blue of the bergy bits to the steely blue-grey waters and the glassy emerald hues around Sawyer Island, the colors along Tracy Arm Fjord were truly amazing and inspiring. And, as usual, that translates to jewelry for me. I created this 'Tracy Arm Fjord' set for myself. I don't buy trinkets on trips, but I do make pieces that I wear to remember great vacations.

This piece is handwired with faceted London blue topaz rondelles, rough neon blue apatite nuggets, a smooth aqua chalcedony nugget, and some rescued sterling silver chain and clasp.

I do have more beads like this, so if you're interested in something similar, let me know. constantmotioncamilla [at] gmail [dot] com.

Alaskan Forget-Me-Not Necklaces

It used to be a struggle to find souvenirs during our adventures for the boys' friends. Riley and Dylan always wanted to bring home books. Books are great - don't get me wrong - but cumbersome and arduous when your bags are already packed to max capacity.

So, we've resolved that (1) their friends will get postcards while we're away. (2) We will pick up a couple of books - for close friends who are boys - and beads - for close friends who are girls. And, then, (3) I will create something with the beads when we get home. All agreed.

So, while we were in Alaska this month, they bought a couple of books and found these forget-me-not beads in one of the ports. The Forget-Me-Not is Alaska's state flower. I just finished the necklaces last night...

Left: forget-me-not clay bead handwired with glass beads hangs from a trio of green cords
Center: forget-me-not clay bead handwired with an amazonite round hangs from a trio of blue cords
Right: forget-me-not clay bead handwired with a recycled yellow glass bead hangs from a trio of yellow cords

Mint Chip Necklace

I recently got some rough chrysoprase nuggets -  bright opaque green and rich brown matrix - that remind me of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

I paired one of the nuggets with bronzite, Peruvian opals, prehnite, recycled green glass, and oxidized sterling silver chain to create this one-of-a-kind necklace. I have a few more chunks of chrysoprase, so keep your eyes open for a few more mint chip creations.

Pretty Peacock Necklace

Like a peacock, this one-of-a-kind necklace sports various shades of blues and green. Matte recycled glass, rough fluorite nuggets, amazonite, Russian amazonite, fluorite rounds, and green jasper are handwired to form this chunky one-of-a-kind necklace and closes with a sterling silver lobster clasp. A sterling silver peacock feather pendant hangs at the center of this piece.

Click here to purchase this through my etsy site.  There is also a matching bracelet.