Water Droplet Earrings and Necklace for They Are One

They Are One is a local non-profit raising funds to provide the Cornerstone Children’s Home - an orphanage in southern Sudan - with a supply of fresh, clean water. And since a friend of mine from high school is one of the founders, I am happily donating to their benefit luncheon and auction this week. Read the Off 68 article about the group and their project.

Inspired by their mission of providing water for the orphanage, I used water-colored glass beads and aquamarine chips in the creation of this one-of-a-kind necklace and earring set. A variety of blue milky glass beads are handwired with sterling silver to form water droplets. The earrings hang from hammered artisan-made ear wires and the matching pendant is suspended on a sterling silver chain.

A Nice Email

Often I package up my jewelry, send it off, and have no idea what the gal thinks, especially for my earrings-of-the month members. I ask for their preferences (style and length) when they subscribe to my club, then I custom design a pair of earrings - each month - that I think will fit the bill.

It's nice to get some feedback...especially one that tells me that I nailed it!

Hi Camilla, Just wanted to tell you how beautiful the earrings are which you designed.  They have become a "uniform" for me. And, I have received many compliments. Many thanks.

You are welcome!

Wine and Chocolate

When I received an email from a friend of my dad, asking for a donation to her fundraising event, I didn't hesitate. Her event - a wine and chocolate soiree for Girls, Inc. - immediately got my creative gears turning. Wine and chocolate. Two of my favorites!

I created a necklace and earring set with small, deep violet pearls that remind me of ripe Pinot Noir grapes, bronzite and a milk chocolate-hued Kazuri bead.

Years ago a friend invited me to a Kazuri bead party. Click here to read the whole story about Kazuri beads. The short version: these are made by women in Kenya, giving them gainful employment through a marketable handicraft. Kazuri, in Swahili, means "small and beautiful."

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.

The Color of Bergy Bits

When we listened to the naturalist on our ship talk about glaciers and icebergs, I think I laughed when he started talking about "growlers" and "bergy bits." Turns out those are technical terms that he did not make up. Whoops.










Growlers are very small chunks of floating ice that rise about 3 feet out of the water.When trapped air escapes as the iceberb melts, it sometimes makes a sound like the growl of an animal.

Bergy bits are small icebergs, rising 3-13 feet out of the water. These may be small icebergs in the latter stages of melting, iceberg fragments, or pieces of floebergs or hummocked ice.

A cruise up the Tracy Arm Fjord, past the growlers and bergy bit, around Sawyer Island all the way to Sawyer Glacier, inspired these beauties - for myself and for my EcoChic Designs Earrings-of-the-Month club members. They'll be in the mail at the end of this week.

Faceted London blue topaz, rough neon blue apatite, milky aquamarine, faceted aquamarine, and crazy blue lace agate all make up the hues of blue that I saw on that trip. I hope the gals enjoy these as much as I enjoyed making them!

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

Glaciers, Berries, and Gorgeous Seascapes

I found inspiration for next month's earrings-of-the-month collection during our family vacation to Alaska's Inside Passage. I'm having a blast creating a dozen one-of-a-kind pieces for my earrings-of-the-month club members. Ladies, look for these in your mailboxes in about a week and a half.