Reflections of Growth {Earrings of the Month}

The end of the school year almost always brings to me tears with the chaos that ensues from tying up all the loose ends and unfinished projects. But, as my boys were reflecting on their respective school years and finalizing their summative assessments for various teachers, I took some time to pause and look at the tremendous growth we’ve seen this year. No tears, just deep breaths. From their typing skills to their analytical abilities, this school year has taken my kids to new heights. So, on that note, I was inspired to create pieces that – to me – illustrated growth and change. I had some Rhyolite from a trip to Oregon a few years ago and love how the colors remind me of an old growth forest – with its palate of green and brown and I used green onyx for growth and the glittering Golden Pyrite represents success.

Oregon Rhyolite, Golden Pyrite, Hematite, and green onyx are handwired with sterling silver findings to create one-of-a-kind pieces just for my subscribers. Enjoy!

Whispers of Pearls {Earrings of the Month}

"And the music of the pearl drifted to a whisper and disappeared..."

John Steinbeck, The Pearl

I just love the international legends I found about pearls. For ancient Chinese, natural black pearls were created in the brains of dragons and fell from the sky when dragons fought. Chinese art often depicts a dragon holding onto the pearl safely between its teeth or paws.

An ancient myth from Ceylon portrays a lake of tears created as a result of tears shed by Adam and Eve. From Eve’s tears, white pearls were created whereas from Adam’s tears came black pearls. Since men were thought to shed fewer tears than women, the scarcity of Adam’s tears is used to explain the rarity of black pearls as compared to white ones. 

The Japanese equated pearls with tears of mythical nymphs, mermaids and angels. Ancient Greeks believed that pearls were formed when rain or dewdrops haphazardly fell into an oyster.  In ancient Greece, pearls symbolized love and marriage; wearing them supposedly promoted marital bliss. And we could all use some of that, right?

The MAY EcoChic Designs’ Earrings are made with freshwater pearls, icy aquamarine, pale amethyst, and glittering moonstone. All are handwired with sterling silver findings to create one-of-a-kind pieces...and they are in the mail to my subscribers today. I hope they enjoy them.

Magical Ice Crystals {Earrings of the Month}

We just returned from seven days in the snow. We headed up to Lake Tahoe for the first week of the boys’ Spring break. 

We skied, threw snowballs, hiked, snow-shoed, read books, played games, and watched Frozen. I had steered clear of it in the movie theatre after a little friend of ours declared it ‘a girls’ movie.’ I figured we could wait till it came out on DVD. And when we were at the grocery store in Tahoe, I spotted it in the RedBox and rented it for the evening. I have to say: we enjoyed it more than the LEGO movie and watched it multiple times before returning it! The patterns of the ice fractals were gorgeous…and we hunted for them during our outings.

Inspired by these ice columns we encountered on a trek to Bill and Flora’s Point near Royal Gorge, I created this month’s earrings…

Magical Ice Crystals

Clear quartz, icy moonstone, pale blue aquamarine, and barely green prehnite are all handwired to create these one-of-a-kind pieces made especially for my subscribers!

 

‘Lighting Sun’ Tulip Necklace and Earring Set {Donation}

Inspired by the shades and stature of the Lighting Sun tulips, I created this especially for the York School Auction Gala, April 2014.

Carnelian nuggets, orange recycled glass, and faceted moonstone are all handwired with sterling silver to create this one-of-a-kind necklace and earring set. These pieces feature upcycled sterling findings and chain; the sterling ear wires are handmade by an artisan in the San Francisco bay area.

Ravishing, Radiant Rhubarb {Earrings of the Month}

My kitchen and my jewelry are colliding this month. I have a slight obsession with rhubarb. Whenever I see it, I swoop in and buy it by the armful during the two months I can find it; I pine for it the other ten months out of the year! It’s so fresh, so tart, and so pretty. I love the bright crimson stalks and emerald green foliage.

Needless to say, when I saw this...

it's candied rhubarb on top of an ice cream sundae at the Penny Ice Creamery in Santa Cruz, I was inspired to create this month’s Eco-Chic Designs earrings-of-the-month…

RAVISHING, RADIANT RHUBARB

This month’s earrings are made with pink and green quartz, pink and green tourmaline, watermelon tourmaline, pink agate, green aventurine, and green onyx - all handwired with sterling silver, hanging from handmade sterling silver earwires. I hope my subscribers enjoy these!

And I'll share a few of my favorite rhubarb recipes as well. These, and more, are all posted at my kitchen blog: Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

Rhubarb-Oregano Quinoa Tabbouleh

Rhubarb Crostata

Roasted Lobster with Rhubarb Sauce

The Heart of the Matter {Earrings-of-the-Month}

I think my aversion to Valentines’ Day must be thawing because I actually found inspiration in those chalky candy conversation hearts. The messages have been updated; ‘text me’ read one. Whaaat?!!? But I was drawn to the colors and decided to make some EcoChic Designs earrings in those same cheerful hues. I hope my subscribers enjoy these playful, one-of-a-kind earrings made especially with each one of them in mind.

This set is made from glass hearts, vintage glass beads, orange aventurine, handblown glass beads, pale amethyst, and prehnite. They'll be in the mail this week.

Gemstones for Healing: TEAM GRAMMA

Right now I have two women in my life who are fighting for their lives. One is battling breast cancer and the other recently discovered that she has a growth on her liver.

Years ago my mom had done a lot of reading into gemstones for healing. I don't know if it helps. But, my attitude: it can't hurt.

Here are some pieces I made for TEAM GRAMMA. Amethyst provides protection and cleansing while smoky quartz teaches that there is light in the dark and provides courage. All are hand-wired with sterling silver and have upcycled sterling findings such as links, chain, and clasps.

Pieces for TEAM LAURA are coming soon. Stay tuned.