Racheloj

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Sparkle and Gleam

The Austrian crystal earrings above (Swarovski Austrian crystal) are a perfect match for the Swarovski crystal bracelet that you see below. Both earrings and bracelet feature the ruby Swarovski crystals in the Graphic shape, perfect for earrings and bracelet. The Graphic shape is an elegant, dressy shape, perfect for bracelets since it will lie flat on the wrist, and the shape is a classic, timeless look for earrings. I find Swarovski's labeling the colour "ruby" interesting since it is not what I think of a ruby colour immediately. Swarovski's "ruby" has a pink, well, really, a fuschia tinge to it, while I think of ruby as being a totally clear but dark red. No matter what you call it, the colour is gorgeous as are the Graphic crystals.
Below the ruby bracelet is another Swarovski crystal bracelet, this one made with pale golden topaz crystals and morion crystals. I love the morion crystals; at first, they appear to be a translucent black, then maybe they have a blue tinge? Then you realize it's a teal-green, maybe? Whatever, I love the morion because it looks so great with the lighter Swarovski crystals.

The lampwork bracelet below has gorgeous lampwork with a partially pink opal look to it. Swarovski's pink crystals work well with them. The sterling silver disks are special beads I just received from Bali; they are completely covered with hand-decorated flowers. A Swarovski butterfly in pink hangs beside the toggle clasp.

The new gemstone bracelets posted are below. First, a smoky quartz bracelet made with some of Robin Weber's beautiful silver-laced lampwork beads. The faceted smoky quartz beads in this bracelet are especially pretty. Below, the smoky quartz bracelet are two bracelet sets (although they are sold separately, I will give a discount if you wish to buy them as a set). The first is a favorite gemstone of mine: sunstone. The sunstone bracelet and earrings are made with sparkling sunstones that glitter in the light - artificial or sunlight. The bracelet also features some more of those special sterling beads from Bali.

Finally, the amazonite jewelry that you see below is handmade from turquoise-blue amazonite of unusually even colour. Faceted teardrop earrings have special earwires with a rose decoration on the front. The bracelet has one of my favorite huge nuggets, faceted, as its focal; it is accented by lampwork beads by Suzette Celestin and sterling silver.

If you are considering buying handcrafted jewelry as a Christmas gift, now is the time to buy. You will avoid the worry of whether your gift will arrive on time, and you'll still have time to return it to get it resized or to exchange it if something isn't quite right.
Also, consider taking the pledge to "buy handmade" this holiday season. Go to Why Buy Handmade to learn how buying handmade articles can help the environment, the economy, and the satisfaction you receive when gift-giving.

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handmade beaded jewelry

Monday, August 18, 2008

Lariats: Pearls and Gemstones, Gold and Silver

I like lariats, but like some other things I forget, I sometimes forget to make them until I realize that the Lariat Necklace page has only a few necklaces on it, or I put one of my own around my neck and think how much I like fastening a necklace in the front. I always have to take a break at some point during the day when working on custom pieces, especially when I am trying to think how I want the finished result to look (when someone has simply said, "Make a necklace for me" when its design is left up to me. Working on a lariat takes me away from the task at hand and refreshes me, and usually it doesn't take me that long to make one.
Here are a few lariats I've made over the past couple of weeks at odd times.
Above, getting ready for September and its sapphire birthstone is a sapphire lariat necklace with sterling silver. And yes, those yellow gemstones forming the stamen of the flower are sapphires also.
Below is a lariat necklace featuring freshwater pearls, Biwa and coin, with mother of pearl and flashing rainbow moonstone. Hanging at the end is a special Karen Hill Tribes sterling silver dragonfly pendant and a carved mother of pearl flower and leaf.

Below is a lariat necklace made with a 14k goldfilled textured oval link chain, a Swarovski crystal copper butterfly, 14k goldfilled pansy, and a 14k goldfilled dragonfly and disk.
Finally, the last lariat is one that I put on and reluctantly took off when it was time to go home (I try on almost all my jewelry pieces, especially bracelets, to make sure that they hang correctly and are well-balanced). It's a sterling silver chain with a double toggle and one of my favorite colour combinations from Swarovski: morion and silk Swarovski crystals. It also features a little sterling shell charm and a butterfly charm from the Hill Tribes. (There are two pictures of it: one on a white background, and one on a black background - getting the subtle silk colour to show up is especially difficult - it's a pale peach).
I'll be posting these on the Cluny Grey Jewelry website the next two nights (days are for making jewelry; nights at home are when I do the online postings usually).