περιδέραιο της βασίλισσας - Queen's necklace - SOLD

I finished this chainmail necklace last night and when I modelled it for hubby, he named it instantly 'queen's necklace', περιδέραιο της βασίλισσας (in Greek). So this regal name remained for this piece. It's truly beautiful.
Based on the European 4 in 1 pattern, all sterling silver with handcoiled and cut jumprings, it is currently a chocker length and measures ~ 42 cm with the clasp. I can extend it to up to 45 cm at no additional cost.
It has been tumble polished this afternoon for over 2 hours in my Lortone tumbler for extra shine and strength.

45 Euros

Overwhelmed...

I'm amazed when again and again the goodness in people shines through so brightly.
In my favourite rock forum there is a rocks and lapidary material box being prepared to go around to different members who signed up for it, among others, me as well.
Of course, when I signed up, I didn't realise the costs involved. The box is starting from the US, then coming over to Europe, and finally going back to the US.
As a newb rockhound and hobbyist, I don't have much rough rock yet, and shipping of 20 pounds of rock abroad would cost me at least 70 Euros, which is A LOT. When I tried to bow out of the game, I've received pm's and forum posts saying that I won't bow out, that I'll be helped with shipping costs and with extra rock just for me, as a pay it forward kindness.
I'm simply overwhelmed. We're talking here about people that I hardly know for 2 months, and only know over the internet. People who proved that it really doesn't matter, they're willing to do anything possible to keep me in the game.
For this, I thank you.

Back into jumpers

"WARM HEART"

So I added a warm pic!! Maybe its just me, I've had this awful cold, but today and last night I have been freezing. The sun is warm but the wind has a bit of a cold freshness to it - I suppose after the balmy weather we had it just feels a little chillier!!

"DRUANTIA"

More silver work today to show which I did mean to show you last week, I also have some lampwork pieces to show - hopefully if my brain is in gear tomorrow I can show you some more. I ordered some new saw blades which is why I made these two pendants - It was definately the right decision as it was an far easier then before.

"GROW TALL"

This last picture shows my latest earrings - they are long yet I think extremly easy to wear! I enjoyed the experiment though with the vines twisting around the square silver. Watching our honeysuckle go wild was the inspiration - its taking over the top garden but I can't wait for the flowers!

Cross my heart

After one week of 'jewelry absence', I made these two pieces yesterday.

The silver cross using square wires, with white jade bead in the middle, measures 5x2.5cm and it comes on a sterling silver chain.

28 Euros

The sterling silver heart measuring at the widest points 3x5cm with rubylite round bead dandling from the bottom.
The heart is courtesy of Eni Oken's wonderful latest tutorial.

35 Euros

Both can be purchased directly from my blog, and for those who are Dawanda members, I will soon add them to the Dawanda shop as well.

It's My Birthday!!!

It's my birthday, and I cannot believe how old I've become!! But I still love bracelets! My sister and niece and I used to joke that someday I would be an old lady who wore big rings and too many bracelets: I think I've arrived! It is true that I have a tendency to think that the more bracelets you can wear at once, the better - but again, I don't really have the "old lady" feeling yet.

The bracelets here are influenced by the recent trip to Florida I made; they are all happy, aqua, pink and peach, created with the colours of the tall beach houses, the many shades of the sea and the land around it. The first bracelet above is made with coral and amazonite while the second one echoes the shades of coral and aqua with Peruvian chalcedony and aventurine; it can be found on the Unique Handmade Bracelets page.

The unique bracelet above features lampwork from Suzette Celestin in colours matched perfectly by natural aquamarines and - believe it or not- Australian Lightening Ridge opals! Now these opals are not the Peruvian opals I usually use; they are the same opals as those you see with the pink and blue colour-play that you think of when you first think of opals. These are not white-based however; they are a beige colour, but in the light you can see deep within the colour-play to a smaller degree. They are an interesting gemstone to be beige - they have a luminiscent quality and a translucence that you never really see in most beige stones.

The bracelet directly above, Pompano Point, is one of those "spring/summer" mixtures of gemstones that I love so much. The faceted olive bead is peach aventurine: other gemstones are blue lace agate, cherry quartz, rutilated quartz, aquamarine, amethyst and other shades of aventurine. The sterling charms represent sea life.
The last bracelet is handmade of turquoise, coral, lapis, smoky quartz, boro lampwork beads, and light green quartz; it, too, has the "beach" influence. Both Pompano Point and the bracelet below can be found on the Cluny Grey Jewelry site under Unique Handmade Bracelets.So, I'm going to wear all the bracelets that I can cram on my wrists and as my mantra continue to murmur,"You're not getting older, you're getting better."

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Process Pics. Autumn Splendor

I made the necklace Autumn Splendor last late fall, when Joan Jensen from TazWood Creations suggested me to try her wood cabochons in my designs. A burl is a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch. Burls yield a very peculiar and highly figured wood. Because the number of trees that produce burl wood is quite low, the wood is scarce. These hand turned by Joan Jensen cherry burl wood cabochons have subtle inlays of turquoise in the burl's natural void.


I was so amazed by these beautiful cabochons, that immediately started designing my "autumny" necklace.


Then I beaded around the cabochons...


...and after that blended two sizes of wooden round beads, six colors of seed beads in three different sizes, as well as bugle beads and dyed cultured pearls. A brass toggle clasp was the perfect closure to this beadwork.


Beautiful TazWood cabochons and Autumn Splendor are shown together in the current issue of Beadwork magazine. The necklace was a finalist in the Wearable Expressions 2008 international contest and was being exhibited by Wearable Expressions in California. Here is the slide show of creating my necklace, and closeups:

Autumn Splendor

Received my book prize from the raffle

I got today two books which I won in this raffle organized by Ana.
Great books, both on my wishlist!
Thank you Ana!
Now I hope the pendant I sent to Alex as winning my raffle will arrive soon AND that she will like it *blush*

Ready to tumble

My double-barrel tumbler arrived today! I woke up earlier than usual to pass by the post office and pick it up before going to work. It's a Chicago tumbler, not the best brand, but right now that's the only one my money is enough for, considering the high shipping costs to Cyprus. I'll give it a try and if I will continue with this hobby, I will invest in a good Lortone or Thumbler later on.

I used two batches, one in each barrel. No idea what the stones are though as they came with the two tumblers (some stones today, and some came with the previous Lortone tumbler, which I'm using for jewelry only). I saw some nice jaspers, a small piece of rhodonite, and in the other one some pretty quartzes. Added 4 tablespoons of coarse grit, water to to almost cover the stones by 3/4 and a spoon of soda bicarbonate for the gasses that accumulate in the tumbler.

These are the two batches of stones I'm using in each barrel (and no, the white dish is not the barrel, it's where I washed the stones).
I guess I'll be seeing them next in about 7-8 days *sigh*. Sorry about the crappy pictures, but without a tripod I'm pretty much lost. And the tripod is in another place in the flat :D

I thought the tumbling process would make much more noise, and it would even interfere with my meditation sessions, but it's actually rather soothing, I have a feeling like I'm around a stone waterfall in a reiki office :) Even hubby doesn't get bothered with it (well not yet, anyway *grins*), so I guess for now it's all running in the living room. We'll see later on...

Process pics. Poppy Field

The story of the Poppy Field necklace began a few months ago. I wanted to create something springy/summery and bright, even hot. I had a dream to design a collection with beaded flowers, I love poppies and decided to start with beaded poppies. I didn't have the exact plan of my design, I was just thinking on my future creature, and started making poppy petals and putting them together. At that time I didn't have any idea how many of them I would need.


Then I created a lot of green leaves of different shades.


First of all, I decided to check out my color combinations and some design decisions on a bracelet. I woven a base from bugle beads using peyote stitch, and embroidered it with a poppy flower, leaves, small light green teardrop beads, and accent beads.


Next day the bracelet was sold out and a friend of mine asked me to create for her matching earrings and a small necklace with "poppy field" centerpiece, that I created keeping in my mind the bracelet design, just adding fringes made using coral technique.


I had almost all elements of my future necklace ready to put together, but I decided to add poppy buds, and I made them wrapping some of the petals. Here is the full slide show of creating my necklace:

Poppy Field