Amari Jewellery

In the Pink

2010-06-24T15:49:00.000+01:00

Wow - I've been so busy just lately with one thing and another, new customers and lots of commissions - brides, holiday jewellery, you name it!

The vintage shop on Etsy is doing well too, I'm finding lots of lovely items to stock it with, and some wonderful regulars already!

I've also had an order for some of these lovely 'bling' rings - fabulous clusters of sparkly crystals and pearls, I'm planning lots of summery colour combinations, with matching cluster earrings.

This rose bush in my garden has some very beautiful and heavily scented blooms, what with this and the honeysuckle and jasmine around my patio it's my favourite place to sit at the moment!

And finally... don't you just love a gorgeous sunset...?

Blowing Hot and Cold

2010-05-30T11:15:00.015+01:00

Well we've been having some very odd weather here in the UK, a tropical heat wave that brought some lovely temperatures and got us all out and about in our summer wear, not to mention the almost daily smell of barbecues - we certainly know how to make the most of it!

Alas it was not to last, we're back to spring temperatures and back in our woollies - c'est la vie!

Some new goodies to show you - 'Glacial Falls' cluster earrings with wonderful plump green amethyst briolettes and a cool Swarovski crystal mix of blues and greens.

For the next pair 'Honey Bees' I've soldered some chain to the bezel cups and set them with smoked topaz Swarovski crystal cabochons - very sweet, and just right if you don't want to wear anything too long.

This next pair are gold-filled - 'Tropicana Earrings', it was really hard work wrapping the beads on these compared to working with lovely soft fine silver! I was pleased with the colour mix though, a fruity mix of Swarovski crystals with raspberry chalcedony briolettes.

Finally a pair from a couple of weeks ago - 'Tutu Earrings', combining silver sheet and wire again, I've topped these off simply with faceted moonstone beads.

More photos and available to buy in my etsy store - Amari Jewellery :)

Summer Earrings

2010-05-12T16:22:00.011+01:00

There's nothing like sunny days to get you in the mood for summer! I'm really enjoying the colour in the garden right now - one of my favourite times of the year, everything is still fresh and green, and lots of good things to come :)

The first earrings are sterling silver, hand sawn and set with carnelian cabochons, with some hot Indian Red Swarovski crystals. They have lots of swing and movement!

These cluster earrings are ever popular - and it's so much fun thinking up colour combinations! Swarovski crystal tanzanite pendants with crystal bicones, all wrapped on my own handmade fine silver headpins.

Both available in my Etsy shop - Amari Jewellery :)

And finally another splash of colour from my garden - gorgeous lemon yellow and white flowers on this beautiful shrub, how can I not be inspired! :D

Sea Foam

2010-04-20T11:31:00.007+01:00

I had so much fun making this pendant, it combines my two favourite types of jewellery techniques of silver-smithing and wire wrapping. I can see this being a bit of a theme in the future, especially as I have a page full of designs just waiting to be created! :)

After hand sawing the 'wave' out of sterling silver sheet, I soldered and then wrapped the wire part of the pendant with tiny white seed pearls and silver seed beads, and faceted aquamarine along the edge.

You can find this in my Etsy store - Amari Jewellery :)

Azurite Flower

2010-04-15T11:00:00.013+01:00

I did a bit of pottering in the garden at the weekend in some unexpectedly warm spring sunshine - it's nice to see some colour appearing, especially in my rather unkempt plot which has been sadly neglected in terms of planting!

This first picture is of a beautiful purple/blue periwinkle flower, or 'vinca major' to give it it's latin name. It holds a special charm for me - when I was a child we moved from the city to a small rural village, and the cottage we lived in was called 'vinca' as the garden was full of these pretty flowers. They make great ground-cover plants, the variety I have has variegated leaves.

I also spotted these lovely pink scented hyacinths in a pot that I'd forgotten about!
I've been creating again too - the sterling silver flower on this necklace has been set with a fresh blue/green azurite cabochon, and hangs on a pretty oval link chain. More pictures on Etsy - Amari Jewellery

Nice Weather for Ducks...

2010-03-31T16:55:00.009+01:00

Well we did have some lovely spring weather here in my part of the UK last week - lots of blue skies and warm sunshine, not sure where it went but the rain and clouds are back far too soon! :(

I'm very fortunate to have a small lake just round the corner from me, I did manage to grab a few of those rays with a couple of nice walks before the weather turned, I'm in desperate need of blowing off the winter cobwebs!

I'm making lots of brighter, more colourful gemstone and Swarovski pieces for the shops I stock at the moment, ready for the spring and summer - my favourite time of the year. Everything in the garden is starting to burst into life again, not nearly enough colour though - I really must plant some more spring bulbs, especially daffodils! Lets hope it brightens up for the easter break :)

Vintage Postcards

2010-03-23T10:22:00.008Z

Just a quick one today to introduce a new Etsy shop selling vintage postcards and photographs. - this one indulges my passion for history and antiques! You can check it out here - Sitting Pretty :)

I've been so busy just lately - we've been doing some alterations and redecorating in our lounge, I meant to take a photo of the lovely Victorian tiles in front of the now disused fireplace but forgot! They were a faded inky blue/white in colour with a floral pattern - oh well, next time! We've left them 'in situ' as most were damaged sadly, but they are nicely protected underneath the flooring. It's mostly finished now, just a few little odds and ends to do :)

I'm also trying to catch up with orders this week, and of course the bridal season is now well under way! As well as revamping the lounge, I've not been well the last couple of weeks, so I'm slowly trying to get through the backlog of paperwork, housework, you name it! New jewellery soon, I promise... :)

Handmade books

2010-02-22T12:26:00.009Z

I think like most creative people I'm interested in all kinds of arts and crafts, I've done so many different things in the past, and I'm sure I'll try many more! I've recently found a renewed pleasure in painting (just for the sheer enjoyment of it, I don't think I'm particularly good!), as well as trying various paper crafts and scrapbooking.

I've had an interest in making handmade books for a while - I've made plenty of little matchbooks, but have finally moved on to something a little more complex (as usual it takes me forever to pluck up courage to just do it!). This book is the third one I've bound, as a gift for my mum on her birthday :)

I've used white linen thread using a chain stitch to bind the pages to the covers.
I added some bead work while stitching, and then some hand-sawn flower motifs in brass, and finally some silver shade Swarovski crystals. The covers are black book cloth, and I've used some green Victorian-patterned paper inside. This was fun! :D

Busy Busy!

2010-02-18T18:22:00.006Z

We are busy with alterations and decorating at our house at the moment, which is why unfortunately I've not had much time to create much just lately! The air seems to be constantly full of dust too, it's a nightmare trying to keep everywhere clean. Still, it will all be worth it in the end!

These are just a couple of the pieces I did coming up to Valentine's Day - a cluster set with ruby Swarovski crystals and garnets, and a commissioned sterling silver heart necklace with rose quartz and crystals.

Stud Earrings

2010-01-27T12:55:00.009Z

Yay - my first pair of stud earrings! I quite like to wear stud earrings myself, especially for everyday (and with long hair much safer of course!). These are nice and lightweight too.

Sawn by hand from sterling silver sheet, then I added some light amethyst Swarovski crystal cabs for a delicate colour and some sparkle. I'm quite pleased with these!

This pendant is similar to one I made before in copper - here it is in sterling silver, with a beautiful Swarovsi crystal cabochon surrounded by a serrated bezel.

Mermaid's Tears

2010-01-26T11:28:00.004Z

Quick little pair of earrings here - these gorgeous turquoise-blue apatite briolettes caught my eye, maybe a bit too early for such a summery colour but I kept coming back to them when deciding which stones to use!

I love the wrapped jump rings at the top, they are just over a centimetre in diameter and remind me of little daisies. I've added a freshwater pearl in between, along with tiny freshwater seed pearls at the bottom of the coiled tear drop frames. I'm really enjoying wrapping again! :)

Indigo Dawn

2010-01-22T15:37:00.008Z

A cluster necklace with a difference - I've coiled some sterling wire round a pretty petal-shaped soldered frame, and added the most gorgeous green amethyst, or prasiolite, briolette in a delicate blue-green.

The clustered beads include faceted aquamarine and iolite rondelles, with Swarovski bicones in montana blue - this is one of my favourite crystal colours at the moment, I have lots of colour schemes with them in mind!

Sunshine Award

2010-01-22T12:29:00.005Z

I had a lovely surprise yesterday from Vicki White who has passed on a Sunshine Award to me! The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspires others in the blog world - I feel very honoured! :)

The rules for accepting the Sunshine award

~ Put the logo on your blog or within your post

~ Pass the award onto 12 bloggers ~

~ Link the nominees within your post ~

~ Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

~ Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

My Award Winners:

Verdigris Earrings

2010-01-20T10:57:00.007Z

Some more wire earrings - this time fan-shaped, I must be drawn to this shape for some reason as I seem to do so many pieces along this theme :)

A little touch of mixed metals again here, with sterling silver and tiny gold-filled barrel beads. The briolettes at the bottom are a lovely golden beer quartz with a very pretty sparkle, and I've picked out some little polished tourmaline beads in mossy and blue-green shades.

Winter Skies

2010-01-18T14:59:00.008Z

Well the snow has finally disappeared from our part of the UK, and the temperatures are definitely milder! It made for a very pretty and festive Christmas and New Year though - I hope everyone had a good break! :)

My first job after the holidays was to give the workroom a bit of a spring clean after all the frenzied productivity coming up to Christmas. I often start projects and then lose interest or get distracted by something else - I found these long teardrop frames in one of my storage boxes and decided to finally finish them!

I've coiled round the frames and added a swirl of fine silver and some tiny sterling beads. We had a little hint of sunshine this morning with the palest blue sky, which inspired the soft colour combination. I've used scapolite beads in a diamond shape which have a beautiful cut and subtle pale gold colour with lots of sparkle, tiny mystic blue briolettes and black diamond Swarovski crystals.

These should be up in my Etsy shop soon!

And the winner is....

2009-12-18T10:51:00.003Z

Thank you for all the lovely comments and entries for my first blog giveaway!

After putting all the names in a hat I'm pleased to announce the winner picked was Alison from Beadangles Jewellery - congratulations! A pair of wire-wrapped snowflake earrings will be winging their way to you just in time for Christmas :)

No more mince pies!!

2009-12-09T15:48:00.008Z

Or sherry for that matter... we started early here and I'm going right off mince pies already! But, the tree is up, and we're getting ready for the festive season - I've been really busy creating for the shops, all sorts of requests for different things so I've been having lots of fun getting everyone's stock together for the Christmas shoppers!

My website is looking tired and jaded I've decided, so that is getting spruced up again in the New Year with a fresh new look. Lots to do!

This is a necklace and earrings set I've done, wire-wrapped with sterling beads and tiny seed beads - this scalloped edge I've done before but the seed beads add a pretty touch and give them a really lacy feel. The drops are red coral, and the clustered beads are gorgeous faceted garnet in a rich red shade.

I've also had a lovely suprise this week and received an award from the incredibly talented Kerrie Slade - thank you!!

If you want to play the game the rules are as follows;

* Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 bloggy friends.

* Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & name of the blog from whom he/she has received the award.

* Each Superior Scribbler must display the award on his/her blog and link to this post which explains the award.

*Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List - that way, we'll be able to keep up to date on everyone who receives the award.

* Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

I am passing this award on to these blogs! :)

Kiamyka - Then and Now

Gemwaith Nia

Alibongo's Anecdotes

Lagaz Designs

A Metalsmith's Journey

Snowflake Earrings - Blog Giveaway!

2009-11-26T15:34:00.005Z

Finally I've had a chance to get at the wire again - and this time I'm in a festive mood, these little earrings were great fun to make, how I've missed wire-wrapping!

As always with silver and crystal these have much more sparkle than I can capture on camera. I've wrapped sterling rings with fine gauge wire, attaching chain to the centre, and embelllished around the edge with Swarovski crystals and pearls for a very dainty pair of snowflakes!

The earrings measure approx 24mm across, with a drop of 3cm from the bottom of the earwires.

These festive earrings are up for grabs in my first blog giveaway! All you need to do is either be a follower of my blog, or a fan on the Amari Jewellery page on Facebook - if you are on both you will get two entries! Then just leave a comment here by midnight on Thursday 17th December. I will announce the winner on the Friday and if you live in the UK you should get your earrings just in time for Christmas! Good luck!

Christmas is coming!

2009-11-25T16:33:00.005Z

I must admit, I do love Christmas - I am counting the days down to December 1st which is the earliest I have allowed myself to start decorating the house! A couple of years ago we bought a really nice quality artificial tree which looks almost real - it's the biggest size we could squeeze into our cosy lounge, I really regret having to take it down in the New Year! We also have a small real tree in the dining room - can't beat the smell of fresh pine, luckily it's a laminate floor so we don't have a problem with the needles other than having to sweep up several times a day :)

I'm busy making stock for the shops again - my workbench is a mass of pearls and sparkly crystals at the moment! I'm looking forward to a break to have a play with the wire - I have lots of sketches dotted around but never seem to find the time to create. I just don't know where this last year has gone!

Room With A View

2009-11-12T18:44:00.003Z

My workshop window (aka the once 'spare' room) overlooks our extension roof, and the backs of other people's houses. Not the best view in the world! The window itself is very small, and although I sit right next to it the amount of natural light is minimal so I have a daylight bulb too, or I would never be able to wrap tiny wires! I'm eventually hoping to move into a studio in the garden, maybe next year if I can get things moving! Watch this space...

However, whilst the view itself isn't always inspiring, here in the UK of course we get bombarded with all kinds of weather conditions - never too much of anything (including sun in the summer, unfortunately!), but it's always changing, and from my little window I'm usually the first to spot the first flake of snow, or an approaching storm. My school reports were always full of 'spends too much time gazing out of the window'. Guess nothing much has changed then! ;o)

Queen of Hearts

2009-10-18T14:38:00.006+01:00

Another sterling silver piece hand-sawn from a drawn design. This features a cut-out of the heart shape, and I've added a lovely denim-blue sodalite cabochon.

The pendant measures approx 3.5 cm in length and just over 3cm wide.

Tick Tock Earrings

2009-10-11T15:04:00.007+01:00

Some more metalwork this time, from one of the many sketches/designs I have littering my desk! I'm beginning to feel a little more confident about setting saw to silver now, without worrying that I'm going to waste a perfectly good sheet of metal by making a horrible mistake. If I do, so be it! There is only one way to get better at it... :)

Hand sawn, shaped and filed from sheet silver, with black onyx cabs.

These are about 4cm long but still quite lightweight, and I love the shape - they remind me of clock hands.

Spice Trail

2009-09-08T14:21:00.006+01:00

Spice Trail necklace - Swarovski crystals and freshwater pearls in lovely autumnal shades of warm copper, gold and rich burgundy, sterling silver and wire-wrapped.

A pair of matching earrings, again with Swarovski crystal and freshwater pearls, wrapped onto handmade fine silver headpins.

More clusters please!

2009-09-08T14:08:00.007+01:00

Everyone's crazy for clusters at the moment - it's the one thing my stockists can't seem to get enough of! These long tassel necklaces are really popular, and very tactile too. The headpins on these are handmade - I always make sure the heads are nice and smooth on each pin to make sure they don't scratch the skin or snag fabric.

Earrings to match - these are Swarovski crystal briolettes with a gorgeous bicone mixture in pale blue/sandy colours, with Swarovski pearls.

As always, click on the pictures for a closer view! :)

How do you doodle?

2009-09-01T12:52:00.007+01:00

I love reading books on creativity, although I don't seem to have a problem with finding creative ideas just lately - more an inability to stick to one thing at a time!

I've been reminded in many of these books about how a child will pick up a crayon and just draw, without any hang-ups or worries about ' what shall i draw', 'will it be good enough', and the dreaded 'blank page' syndrome many of us seem to suffer from!

So, I decided to start doodling again - something I used to do a lot, usually on scraps of paper or notebooks whilst on the phone. It's a great way to get the ideas flooding!

Inspired by browsing through my Arts & Crafts/William Morris books, I've drawn this tile using a black ink pen, and then watercolours - felt very strange to have a paintbrush in my hand, it's been a long time - but great fun! So much so, I started another - so the second one is work in progress!

Black Onyx Earrings

2009-08-10T16:35:00.004+01:00

Some more sterling silver earrings, again hand sawn and pierced. These have black onyx - I love the contrast between the deep black of the cabs and the shiny silver! I was hoping to give the appearance of the stones being 'held' at the bottom - I *think* I've achieved that! :)

Swarovski and Silver

2009-08-04T11:17:00.006+01:00

Sometimes I'm so busy trying to get nice, attractive pictures of my jewellery, that I forget how deceiving they can be - especially close-up photos, pieces can often appear huge compared to how they are real life!

So... some fresh photos of these latest pieces, and especially for Katrin! :)

On a roll !!

2009-07-30T23:00:00.008+01:00

Another hand sawn and pierced flower - this time in sterling silver, and with paparadscha Swarovski crystal.

The pendant is quite dainty at just 2 and a half cm, the cab is 5mm :)

The earrings are sterling again with gorgeous erinite Swarovski crystals.

These measure approx 2 and a half cm long.

I think I need to buy some more silver! :)

Spinel Heart

2009-07-28T18:20:00.001+01:00

Just a quick one! Finished off this pendant today, sawn and pierced sterling silver with a faceted black spinel marquise bead. :)

Must try and get a better picture of this!

Sodalite and Copper

2009-07-28T11:03:00.004+01:00

Another hand-sawn and pierced copper pendant, this time with a sodalite cabochon.

I've also taken the plunge and cut some silver pieces which I'm hoping to finish today! :)

First Bezel!

2009-07-21T13:10:00.003+01:00

My first bezel!! I've discovered I love sawing metal sheet too - this is some copper I've been practising with, then decided to take the plunge and try a bezel - so pleased with how it turned out! I've just strung it on a leather thong, I love wearing this :D

Silver next!!

Shame on me!

2009-07-07T12:12:00.002+01:00

...for leaving it so long without a blog post :(

And I'm starting to miss the wire... I've been so busy with bridal jewellery and stocking up the shops (and a million other things I don't even want to get started on!), I haven't had chance to put together any new designs at all. BUT my head is full of them, so I just need to find some time!

I've also had some interest from a local jewellery boutique - so I'm going to need to get some fresh pieces out soon I hope!! :)

Spring Bling!

2009-01-28T13:32:00.022Z

I've been busy creating to stock up after the Christmas sales, the jewellery shops I supply haven't done too badly at all - despite the credit crunch!

Unfortunately it doesn't leave me much time to play with the silver sheet I've just bought, and the lovely new ~~toys~~ tools on my workbench...!!

More of that soon... :)

So... first a long cluster necklace with Swarovski crystal (I do love this flat briolette shape!) in a gorgeous cranberry red, with garnet, rock crystal, aquamarine and crystal bicones on a sterling chain...

... and earrings to match!

I love the spring colours in this Y-necklace.... I can't wait for my garden to wake up from the winter sleep! I really could do with some early flower bulbs, but typically I remember in the spring, when of course it's too late to plant them..! (Mental note for autumn... plant snowdrops, crocuses, grape hyacinths...).

With matching earrings... in amethyst, aquamarine and vibrant turquoise apatite, on sterling silver chain.

I love wearing bracelets myself, if I'm wearing any jewellery it's nearly always something round my wrist, although for some reason they don't seem to be as popular as earrings and necklaces so I don't tend to make many (and even then I often end up keeping them for myself!).

Bracelet and matching earrings... with chalcedony, apatite, Swarovski crystal and a Hill Tribe shell charm.

I managed to dazzle myself with this one... I'm normally quite conservative with my colour schemes, but amongst other things I've resolved this year to move out of my comfort zones. This is as daring as it gets for me!

In these then... carnelian, prehnite and green fluorite cushion beads.

Roll on summer!!

Winter Snowdrops

2009-01-21T11:22:00.004Z

I always seem to have huge problems photographing anything with a lot of shiny silver - these in particular were incredibly frustrating! I started these a while ago, I have quite a few unfinished projects that I'm determined this year to complete.

I wrapped a fine silver 'art nouveau' style motif to the coiled wire frames, with peridot briolettes, and fine trace chain drops with tiny seed pearls, and vibrant green chrome diopside. Very shimmery and glamorous!

Black Magic

2009-01-10T16:36:00.005Z

I have come out of hibernation finally... looking forward to getting the rest of winter out of the way! I made these earrings back in November, then hit a bit of a wall as far as creativity and inspiration goes (blame the weather!), which is why I haven't been around much.

But... I have lots of projects on the go, and lots of ideas to kick-start the New Year - I am determined to make more, and post more!

Back to these earrings, wire-wrapped on hand-made frames, lots of fine gauge sterling with tiny Hill Tribe faceted seed beads, and wonderful black faceted onyx which have a great sparkle and contrast beautifully against the shiny silver. I've selectively oxidised just the centre of these earrings to show off the twisted wire.

Spiced Pear

2008-10-23T13:57:00.006+01:00

In the autumn my mum and I visit the fruit orchard at my uncle's farm, which used to belong to my grandparents. There was an abundance of apples this year - we timed it just right with the blackberries, and we managed to pick a lovely warm, sunny day too.

As well as pears, lots of different varieties of eating apples, cooking apples, blackberries and rose-hips, earlier on in the year there are plums, damsons, crab apples and elderberries. I was lucky enough to grow up in the same village - helping out on the farm sometimes collecting eggs, picking potatoes, or riding on the trailer stacked high with hay bails ( I fell off it once - or rather the bails did, with me sat on top of them! Amazingly I came away with just scratches...).

I remember my dad went through a stage of making home-made wine, he used to pay us for every pound of elderberries we could collect. That included using a fork to get all the little berries off the stalks - it took us forever. Talk about slave labour! When I was old enough to drink it though, I did appreciate the wine ;-)

These earrings I've made with both sterling silver and gold-filled beads - I'm really liking the look of mixed metals at the moment. The tassel is made up of citrine, tsavorite, and tiny freshwater pearls, with gorgeous beer quartz briolettes at the bottom. Apples, pears, and sunshine :)

Aegean Rose

2008-09-29T11:17:00.004+01:00

Another gold-filled piece - this time a bracelet to match the 'Persephone' Earrings. I had lots of clusters in mind for this... but they covered up too much of the wirework, and spoiled the delicacy of the bracelet, so I decided to keep it simple :)

Gold-filled wire, handmade components, garnet and chalcedony.

Persephone Earrings

2008-09-15T16:33:00.005+01:00

I thought I'd take the plunge with some gold-filled wire... beautiful to work with, and the colour seems so warm after working so long with sterling silver!

I'm really pleased with this colour combination - I've used pale blue chalcedony and aquamarine, with some rich ruby garnet to contrast.

Periwinkle Earrings

2008-08-12T07:57:00.006+01:00

It's been far too long again since I last posted any new jewellery! I have lots of gold-filled wire and findings waiting to be played with too....

Some lacy earrings edged with faceted sapphires, gorgeous denim-blue colour! I've added some tiny peacock freshwater pearls, Hill Tribe seed beads, and mystic blue topaz briolettes.

Renaissance

2008-07-22T21:31:00.008+01:00

Something a bit different from me - and oxidised for a change! This sort of evolved really, from the basic cross shape I originally had in mind I added lots of detail - balled fine wire swirls on the inside, and picot beading on the corners of the cross ends.

In the centre is flashy blue labradorite, with sterling beads and mystic quartz briolettes. Pretty as it looked all shiny, it was crying out to be oxidised, so after much deliberation I took the plunge and dipped it, then polished to a soft antique finish.

Sugar Plum Necklace

2008-07-08T13:40:00.005+01:00

I love the berry colours in this necklace - wrapped and soldered wire focal (this measures about 4cm in diameter), with faceted garnet and amethyst beads.

I've added a cluster of more garnet and amethyst, with faceted pink amethyst briolettes for some added sparkle. Finally to finish off, an amazing plum-coloured ruby drop.

Orange Grove Pendant

2008-07-07T13:14:00.004+01:00

Just a quick one! This is to match the orange grove earrings - this time with a teardrop shaped frame for the pendant. Again, a faceted vesuvianite drop at the bottom, with a cluster of sunstone and peridot beads.

Lemon Merengue

2008-06-27T21:07:00.005+01:00

That's merengue the dance, not lemon meringue... (a play on words, I'm not really that bad at spelling!).

Phew... not especially difficult these ones, once I'd worked out how I was going to do them, but quite simply a lot of careful coiling and wrapping several times to get the effect I wanted!

Gorgeous sunshine yellow citrine, with lemon quartz and freshwater pearls. How fab would these look with a suntan?!

Orange Grove Earrings

2008-06-25T12:09:00.004+01:00

Something fresh! The simple, but very effective weave round the soldered circle makes a really pretty, lacy frame for these summery gemstones!

I've added clusters of vibrant faceted sunstone that has a gorgeous iridescent shimmer, leafy green peridot and faceted vesuvianite drops.

Sapphire Heart Pendant

2008-06-24T16:56:00.006+01:00

Similar to the ruby heart pendant I made before, this time I've used tiny Hill Tribe tube beads to 'fill' the heart shape. I love these sapphire beads - they're a gorgeous denim blue colour and look great with the shiny silver.

I've added some along the chain too, and a cluster near the toggle clasp. The heart itself has a surprising amount of weight to it with all the beads and silver wire!

Click on the photo for a much larger image and more detail! :-)

Ivy Leaf Project

2008-06-23T17:03:00.004+01:00

Remember this? Originally made for a challenge on the UK Beaders forum, I was asked if I would submit a project for this beaded wire pendant to Step by Step Jewelry Magazine.

Check out the current Summer Preview 2008 issue - step by step photos and instructions to make your own variegated ivy leaf pendant! I'd especially love to see what other designs anyone comes up with, based on this tutorial - do email pics to me :-)

Brandywine Bracelet

2008-06-22T11:23:00.008+01:00

I seem to have lots of ideas for bracelets at the moment - which makes a change! The focal came first with this - soldered and wrapped wire inside a diamond shaped frame, coiled with fine gauge sterling wire. I've added some tiny brandy-coloured garnet briolettes, hessonite garnet, and gold filled beads. I've framed the focal with clusters of faceted hessonite garnet on hand made fine silver head pins.

For the bracelet itself I've used some lovely hessonite garnet ovals in lots of caramel colours, linked together with some hand made hammered circles.

Click on the image for a close-up ;-)

Summer Sunset

2008-06-21T12:02:00.003+01:00

The summer weather is still a little uncertain here just yet... it's GOT to be better than last year's miserable effort, surely??

Still... a little consolation - how inspiring is this! Amazing colours - I took this from my workroom window a couple of weeks ago. I'm a sucker for a pretty sunset, a rainbow, thunder clouds and snow. I used to get into trouble for gazing out of the window at school... not much has changed! ;-)

Pistachio Necklace

2008-06-19T11:39:00.003+01:00

I've had a break from wire wrapping and coiling recently, very busy with other commitments! But finally I have one or two pieces to show, and hopefully more on the way ;-)
The focal on this necklace is quite detailed - I've soldered and wrapped the wire shapes, then embellished with tiny faceted peridot briolettes, prehnite, and silver beads. Lots of coiling, but the result was worth it!
I've added a tassel of wire-wrapped prehnite beads and a Hill Tribe 'lotus' bead, also a little cluster of prehnite and peridot near the clasp.

Feeding the family...

2008-05-27T11:31:00.005+01:00

Chris and I were busy digging over one of our vegetable patches this weekend ready for planting - someone else with a family to feed it seems is this blackbird, who decided to make the most of some freshly-turned soil to grab some juicy worms!

He kept coming back for more - we were so amazed at how close he came to us, in the end I fetched my camera and we spent more time watching him than doing any work!

Now the weather has beaten us... so we'll have to wait till later in the week to get the broccoli and sprouts planted :)

Back to the wire and beads!

Blue Wave Bracelet

2008-05-16T17:26:00.004+01:00

Last one for today....

This was fun! I wrapped some little blue goldstone nuggets with sterling wire, adding a little swirl on the top. Hammered rings, lavender Czech glass beads and a twisted wire toggle.

Mint Choc Chip Hoops

2008-05-16T17:22:00.002+01:00

Some more fun little earrings - hammered and textured sterling silver circles, with vesuvianite, smoky quartz, peridot and prehnite.

Oh, and a big bunch of white lilac blossom I pinched from the garden :D

Capuccino Jasper Bracelet

2008-05-16T17:14:00.002+01:00

Hmm... still waiting for my wire-wrapping mojo to return, so some different pieces at the moment while it has (yet another!) holiday....

These gorgeous coin beads are jasper... really lovely stripy markings in coffee, chocolate brown, and creamy white. They remind me of minstrels - no wonder I'm getting chocolate cravings just lately!

The rondelles are faceted smoky quartz, and I've added some hammered, textured rings and a sterling toggle clasp.

Raspberry Ripple Earrings

2008-05-16T15:40:00.004+01:00

Some more bits and bobs I haven't got round to posting yet...

Some summery cluster earrings... I was so pleased with these chalcedony briolettes when I received them a while ago - the raspberry colour is amazing, and they really seem to 'glow'.

The cluster is made up of faceted rock crystals, very pale blue topaz beads and Swarovski bicones in 'paparadscha'.

Lavender Crystal Earrings

2008-05-12T14:22:00.002+01:00

Some more hammered and textured circles - this time in graduated sizes, very lightweight and again look really shimmery when they catch the sun!

I've added some Swarovski crystal heart pendants, and bicones in violet and light amethyst wrapped on handmade fine silver headpins.

The flowers in the background are some gorgeous bluebells from my garden, which are now gracing a little glass pot on my desk and giving off the most amazing scent!

Blush Earrings

2008-05-09T16:10:00.008+01:00

I really enjoyed making these earrings, it's nice to take a break from the kind of wire-wrapping I normally do. I soldered and lightly hammered the sterling silver rings - they have a really nice texture that catches the light, although I haven't managed to capture it in this photo :(

I've added some wrapped pink tourmaline beads on fine silver headpins, these are so dainty and very lightweight - perfect for summer!

Champagne Truffle Earrings

2008-05-08T13:17:00.004+01:00

I'm loving these Swarovski crystal briolettes - the sparkle is amazing. These are golden shadow, which has to be one of my favourite shades as far as versatility goes - I use it a lot in my bridal jewellery as it goes so beautifully with pearls.

I've clustered some lovely faceted rock crystal and lemon quartz beads on some handmade fine silver headpins for a bit of girly luxury. If someone doesn't grab these soon, I may just have to keep them ;)

Amari on DaWanda

2008-05-08T13:02:00.005+01:00

I've opened another shop on DaWanda, which is based in Europe with prices in euros. Fabulous site, with a friendly community and forum, lots of promotional events to get involved with, groups on Indiepublic, and monthly themes where your items can be featured.

You'll need to brush up on your French and German to get maximum exposure by translating your listings! There's lots of help on hand in the forums and from other members if you have any problems. Go take a look!

You can find my shop here : Amari on DaWanda

Lilac Blossom Earrings

2008-05-08T12:56:00.004+01:00

I picked out some pretty pastel shades for these earrings, they have a lovely delicate look, very feminine!

Sterling silver wire frames, coiled with tiny Hill Tribe seed beads, faceted tanzanite, and faceted briolettes in pink amethyst and sky blue topaz.

Dreamcatchers

2008-04-09T08:46:00.005+01:00

I thought I'd play with some fine silver on these earrings - balling up the ends of the wire shapes. This was quite a fiddly design as there is no soldering, I really need an extra hand sometimes!

I've used some rich golden hessonite garnet beads in the centre and on the dangles, and some tiny goldfilled beads - I really like the look of mixed metals, it's quite subtle on these though. The beer quartz briolettes are an amazing colour - I've found it a bit of a challenge to know what to put with them, but I think this works!

Fuchsia Earrings

2008-03-17T17:07:00.003Z

These were fun! Another idea I've been meaning to put together for a while. The top 'sepals' I made by making and soldering wire frames, wrapping with fine gauge wire, then shaped them over the large rose Swarovski crystals.

The 'stamens' are some more fine silver headpins (I need to buy some more wire and make more now!)

There are some more pictures of these on the website :)

Mossy Glade - Vesuvianite Earrings

2008-03-17T16:41:00.007Z

I'm struggling with a nasty cold at the moment and not feeling particularly creative, so I'm catching up on posting a couple of pieces I did last week!

The textured fine silver circles on these earrings are some I made with PMC a while ago, when I made the green amethyst cluster earrings.

This is the first time I've used vesuvianite - the gorgeous mossy green faceted drops on the bottom of the dangles. I've picked out some tourmaline buttons for the clusters, I love these colours - I think they all work really well together! I also made the fine silver headpins too - great fun, wish I'd known before how easy they were going to be :)

Forget-Me-Nots - Sapphire and Pearl Bracelet

2008-03-10T22:21:00.007Z

I decided that this year I would try to diversify a little and do some different pieces, rather than just earrings! This is quite a simple piece design-wise - but involved many, many hours of patient coiling and wrapping!!

I made the links with sterling wire, soldered together, then coiled with fine wire and wrapped again with tiny peacock freshwater pearls. I attached chain in between the links with more wrapping, then added clusters of peacock pearls, white Swarovski pearls, and gorgeous faceted sapphires.

I have forget-me-nots growing wild in my garden that keep self-seeding each year, I'm never quite sure where they're going to turn up! I'm hoping this piece has the same humble charm :-)

Hot Spice - Oxidised Earrings

2008-03-06T17:03:00.005Z

I agonised over these earrings, trying to add beads to the centre, changing my mind - unraveling lots of wire in the process! I finally realised that what I'd actually liked about these was the shapes and the swirls - where I was going wrong was in trying to cover them up!

So, some very fine coiling around the top and bottom with tiny faceted Hill Tribe beads, and dangles of rich spicy garnet beads and faceted marquise drops. I have then oxidised and spent lots of time polishing, buffing and burnishing for a soft antique effect!

These should be up on my website and Etsy shortly, so you can check out more pics!

Whispers - Chalcedony and Pink Topaz

2008-03-06T16:28:00.004Z

I love the shape of these, I made circles first, then gently shaped them into ovals. Some of the swirls in between are soldered, others wrapped. I much prefer the stability and strength I get from soldering now!

I coiled around the frame, adding tiny faceted Hill Tribe beads and faceted pink topaz in a lovely sugary pink. The pink chalcedony I have used before, they change colour from pale rose to lavender depending on the light. I will definitely be re-ordering these!

Vintage Rose Earrings

2008-03-06T15:58:00.004Z

I've soldered individual heart shapes together to make the top component on these earrings. I then wrapped the centre with tiny goldfilled beads and added a pink freshwater pearl.

The cloisonne beads caught my eye while I was shopping for something else... they go perfectly with the pinky shades and the goldfilled beads. I've added a very full cluster of wrapped freshwater pearls and a faceted rose quartz briolette at the bottom.

Thank you Jo and Lesley!!

2008-03-06T15:35:00.003Z

Much belated... but thank you to Jo and Lesley for the 'Make my Day' award! I am playing catch up today... but will be nominating my own shortly, so watch this space! Thanks again :D

Japanese Rose Earrings - Week 5 - Amari

2008-02-19T16:47:00.004Z

A few days ago I spotted this sunshine yellow pompom on the kerria japonica shrub in my garden. A very early bloom - normally this doesn't start flowering until late March/April, so a real taste of spring! Alas it wasn't to last... just as I was thinking maybe it was time to dig out my gardening gloves and grab a trowel to do a spot of weeding... along came the frost and the fog! So out came the woolly gloves instead... :-(

So my lovely spring-inspired earrings are a little premature... but I still like them! I've soldered twisted wire filigree shapes to half-moon frames, added fine trace chains, faceted lemon quartz marquise drops and sunny yellow citrine.

Cluster Earrings - Hearts Revisited!

2008-02-13T18:14:00.004Z

Oh, I know - Valentine's Day coming up and all that. Everyone's doing hearts! These are an adaptation of the heart pendant I did previously -these were just as much fun!

I've joined the two heart shapes with woven wire this time instead of silver beads, for a more airy, delicate look. The cluster is made up of faceted iolite and pink tourmaline, with a pink amethyst briolette drop.

Pearl and Labradorite Bracelet

2008-02-13T18:00:00.006Z

Behind with posting again! So a couple of completed projects here that I just haven't got round to showing.

A bracelet for a change this time, I made the chain and clasp too, which were fun to do. The shapes that make up the focal were soldered together, then wrapped with silver wire, tiny white freshwater pearls, silver beads and faceted labradorite in the centre.

I have oxidised the whole piece, which was then tumbled and polished. I've noticed some people leave their pieces quite dark, which can be a great look - but I chose to keep on polishing this. I love the effect - hard to tell from the photo but it turned to have a lovely soft antiqued finish. Like a piece of old silver from your grandmother's jewellery box ;-)

Azure Skies - Sapphires and Kyanite

2008-01-25T12:52:00.000Z

I have to take a step back occasionally and look at the pieces I'm making to check my range of colours. I think I'm drawn to certain shades when buying beads and gemstones without even thinking about it! I like to look at the latest colour trends for inspiration, but I do my own thing too.

I've had these vivid blue kyanite drops for a while now, so I got some little faceted sapphire beads to go with them for these earrings. I've soldered the frames between the shaped scrolls for a little more stability, and coiled around with fine gauge wire and tiny Hill Tribe faceted seed beads.

Sweet Violets - Tanzanite and Iolite

2008-01-25T12:28:00.001Z

I have the tiniest little patch of violets that manage to peek their way through my wild front garden every year - in fact I tend to forget that they are even there until they start to flower and catch my eye. On my mental list of things to do this year, re-vamping my little square of garden at the front is high priority. I must remember to move those violets somewhere safe, before they get buried in a layer of gravel!

I've shaped the frames with sterling silver wire, soldering in between the scrolls for added strength. I then added a frilly picot edging of Hill Tribe faceted silver beads along the bottom, with peacock freshwater pearls, faceted tanzanite beads, and finished with little iolite drops.

Verdantis Earrings - Apatite and Green Onyx

2008-01-25T12:02:00.002Z

I've decided to go back to basics since I have been out of action for a while. I'm sticking to quite simple designs and just enjoying the beads and the wire again!

Green seems to be gaining in popularity all the time - I'm especially liking these rich emerald shades at the moment. Think lush green meadows in the summer.. (I know I am!).

I've wrapped the soldered rings with the teeny white freshwater pearls, and faceted apatite beads in an amazing colour. The silver beads in the centre are Hill Tribe 'lotus' beads, and the briolettes are vivid green onyx.

Scalloped Fan Pendant

2007-11-25T19:09:00.001Z

I really enjoyed making the pink tourmaline fan, so I thought I'd make another! I shaped the frame from sterling silver wire, including the scalloped edge along the bottom. I then did some soldering to create the framework for decorating.

The top section has been filled in with tiny Hill Tribe 'bamboo' beads. I then added some gorgeous deep teal-coloured apatite beads. The centre of the pendant took me quite a while to figure out, I wasn't sure if it was going to work until I got to the bottom and tightened up the wirework and beads, so there was always the possibility I would have to take it all off and do something different! I'm pleased with the way it turned out though, and because the wire is so fine it almost looks as though the silver beads are floating in mid air. The gemstones underneath are faceted citrine.

For close-up pictures, see my website, or Etsy store! :-)

Narnia Earrings

2007-11-24T11:01:00.001Z

Almost time to get out the tinsel! I needed some for these photos... that's my excuse anyway ;-)

The sky blue topaz briolettes on these earrings are so sparkly, and the blue is very subtle, as is the aquamarine. As you can imagine - very hard to capture on a photo! I've added some filigree details, and as usual lots of coiling!

Desert Rose Pendant

2007-11-24T10:50:00.001Z

I forgot to post this! I made this pendant a couple of weeks ago - another one that differs quite a lot from my original idea... but I'm very pleased with the result!

I soldered some heart shapes a while ago for this project, when I actually put them together into the flower shape I realised I'd need something else to strengthen the shape. I put a large closed jump ring underneath, but then actually quite liked the way it looked so decided incorporate it into the design!

There are some more twisted wire filigree details, and the beads are faceted andalucite with Hill Tribe seed beads and a pale pink freshwater pearl.

Sherbet Lemons

2007-11-06T18:14:00.001Z

Sometimes I like to just do some swingy, dangly earrings - these are my own soldered rings that I've coiled first, then wrapped with tiny faceted prehnite beads - the colour is quite subtle, very pretty!

The silver beads in the middle are Karen Hill Tribe 'Lotus' beads - I really liked the look of these, quite exotic and unusual.

Finished off with faceted lemon quartz marquise beads, for some sparkle!

Labradorite Earrings

2007-11-06T17:58:00.001Z

I really tried to capture a good blue flash on these beads... but they just weren't playing nice!

More filigree work - soldered square frames with shaped twisted wire wrapped in between, quite a lot of coiling went into these, and as I used very fine gauge (0.2mm) it took a while! I prefer to use as fine as possible on this filigree style as it's less visible.

Blue flashy stones (really, they are!) - faceted labradorite rondelles and faceted moonstone briolettes, with the silver they look quite mystical.

I'm quite enjoying designing these filigree pieces... I get to doodle! :)

Tanzanite Earrings

2007-10-31T12:54:00.001Z

Some more filigree work here.. this time not soldered, I've just wrapped the wire shapes in between the two pear-shaped frames. Still a little bit fiddly, but much better than the last ones!

I got some new goodies in the post too... so I used these amazing faceted tanzanite beads (the colour is just gorgeous!), and pretty pink amethyst briolettes in the centre.

There are more pictures on my Etsy store, although you'll need to look in the 'sold' section now ;-)

Silver Spider Web

2007-10-29T17:00:00.001Z

This was fun to make, despite a few creative blocks along the way! I had a sketch of how I wanted the pendant to look, but had to adapt a few of my original ideas to make it work. That seems to be happening a lot just lately... as a result it took me twice as long as it should have done! All part of the learning process ;-)

I made and soldered two frames to form the outer beaded section, which I wrapped with Hill Tribe seed beads. The spines into the centre were added next.. what on earth possessed me to think it would be a good idea to coil 0.3mm wire with 0.2mm wire I'll never know... you can imagine how long that took!!

To finish I added some faceted silver beads, tiny faceted amethysts, and a frosted sterling bead in the centre. I guess it looks quite seasonal in the pic, but it's quite sparkly and pretty in real life, so you could wear it any time really!

Victorian Lace - Spinel Earrings

2007-10-28T15:36:00.000Z

These took me twice as long as they should have done... oh, the joys of trying out new techniques!! ;-) My original idea wasn't workable (maybe when I've had more practice!), so a lot of adaptations later and these are the final result!

These are actually part-soldered, mostly wrapped! I am at least practising my soldering skills, which are getting better. I just need to set myself some limitations sometimes, and not try to run before I can walk!

The filigree work is made from twisted wire jump rings - I've had some for a while that were very soft and not really strong enough to be useful! I've been contemplating putting them in the tumbler to harden, but then decided to try this idea first. I know what to do with the rest of them now.

The beautiful stones in the centre are faceted spinel - the colours are gorgeous. I was waiting for the right project to come along to use them in, I'm happy with these! :-)

Iolite and Aquamarine Pendant

2007-10-18T21:34:00.001+01:00

Another soldered pendant - this one a little more complicated (for me!). I made the three wavy shapes separately first, then soldered them together before coiling the entire frame.

I then wrapped across each section with Hill Tribe silver beads, amazing indigo-blue faceted iolite and pale blue faceted aquamarine.

Lemon and Lime Earrings

2007-10-18T21:28:00.000+01:00

No soldering here of course - these kite-shaped earring frames have been wrapped with fine gauge sterling wire, faceted Hill Tribe silver beads, peridot, faceted citrine and pale green amethyst briolettes - lots of sparkle!

Pink Tourmaline Fan

2007-10-18T21:11:00.001+01:00

I'm finding a lot more inspiration and freedom with the option of being able to solder some of my frames, although it's still only a very small part of the process - there are still hours of wrapping and coiling to follow! That's the bit I like best, the 'colouring in' :)

I made the frame from sterling silver wire, soldering joints in the design before coiling with fine gauge wire. I have used tiny faceted Hill Tribe silver beads in the top section, and for the picot edging, then lots of polished tourmaline buttons in countless shades of pink!

Citrine Hoop Earrings

2007-10-11T18:13:00.000+01:00

I must have forgotten to put these up... this is a new photo of these earrings too, it much better captures the colour of the citrine and particularly the green amethyst, which is a very subtle shade.

Lots of fine coiling and wrapping with sterling wire as usual, these are very sparkly with all the faceted beads!

Ruby Tuesday

2007-10-11T15:08:00.001+01:00

I did actually make this on Tuesday too... I've been waiting for my new light tent and lamps - what a difference to the photos! I hardly have to do any touching up at all other than cropping, and the colours are coming out just perfect. I'm going to have to go back and re-do the rest of my photos now! :)

This pendant was made using two heart-shaped frames, which I've soldered, then wrapped together with tiny Hill Tribe silver beads and faceted rubies, and as usual lots of fine gauge silver wire. I really like the simplicity of this - still lots of detail, but not too much fuss!

Dew Drops - Peridot and Crystal Earrings

2007-10-02T16:40:00.001+01:00

I really like these... they're nothing like the earrings I'd planned to make! That happens often - sometimes it means I'm having a bad day and shouldn't have started, sometimes it's a creative day and I just go with it!!

I started by making some fan-shaped frames, which I then coiled round with fine gauge sterling wire, and faceted Karen Hill Tribe beads. I wrapped some very sparkly faceted Swarovski drops, sterling silver beads, and gorgeous green peridot beads.

Caught the sparkle on the crystal too. It's been a good day! :)

Tangerine Dreams - Carnelian Earrings

2007-10-02T16:30:00.000+01:00

These are made with my soldered rings :)

I've added a length of pretty oval link sterling chain, vibrant orange faceted carnelian drops (these look good enough to eat, trust me!), and tiny miyuki seed beads. Hard to tell on the photo - but the seed beads are actually transparent peridot lined with salmon/orange - just juicy, citrus colours!

Oh, and of course my soldered rings... :) :) :)

First Attempt at Soldering!

2007-10-01T12:07:00.001+01:00

I spent most of yesterday de-junking the shed - just so that I could set up work space for soldering! (We have a parrot in the house, so fumes of any kind are potentially lethal). Great motivation though, I've been putting that job off for months!

These are just simple soldered rings, about 15mm in diameter, sterling silver. One or two are slightly blobby in places, but I got better as I went along. I'm really pleased - you never know how you're going to get on with a new technique, but this was fun!

Ruby Bloom - Layered Pendant

2007-09-20T22:04:00.000+01:00

I know, I know - it looks all festive!!! I didn't realise until after I'd taken the pictures. I'm really NOT one of those people who start thinking about Christmas in September... I don't start shopping until about a week before!

Complete coincidence as I wanted to make something using these gorgeous raspberry-coloured seed beads. I made the large frame first - wrapping the petals with seed beads and sterling wire. The inner petals were then formed separately, and wrapped with fine gauge silver wire, before adding a pale gold freshwater pearl and gorgeous faceted rubies to the centre.

And yes, I guess it would look good at the office Christmas party... :-)

Autumn Bronze Earrings

2007-09-19T12:47:00.000+01:00

Autumn is now here I guess - not that we really had summer! You just can't beat the wonderful colours that go with it though - and I'm anticipating them with these earrings!

Wonderfully rich red faceted garnet marquise beads dangle from these fan-shaped frames, coiled with fine gauge sterling silver wire, and wrapped with topaz-coloured seed beads and bronze freshwater pearls.

Pink Chalcedony Wrapped Earrings

2007-09-19T12:37:00.001+01:00

The wrapped sterling silver wire on the top frames of these earrings has a wonderful sheen to it when it catches the light - a lot like the flower pendant I posted some time ago - almost impossible to capture in a photograph, so you'll just have to take my word for it! :)

Underneath are tiny wrapped jump rings with salmon-coloured glass seed beads, and faceted pink chalcedony briolettes. These are quite long and dangly at 5cm, but they're very lightweight!

Indian Summer Earrings

2007-09-10T23:06:00.000+01:00

Indian summer is a little bit of wishful thinking on my part I think...! These earrings were fun to make - the garnet drops are gorgeous rich autumn colours, and the chains really sparkle when they move!

The diamond-shaped frames are coiled and wrapped with sterling silver wire, I've added some Karen Hill Tribe faceted seed beads - I wish I could capture the shine and sparkle on these!

Rose Quartz Earrings

2007-09-10T22:54:00.001+01:00

I've been wanting to have a go at this 'Danish Knot' or 'Lover's Knot' for ages - it took me a while to get the hang of it, but it was well worth persevering, I love the look of them! And of course they're always a talking point as everyone tries to figure out how they've been made... :-)

The top frame is coiled and wrapped with pink seed beads and fine gauge sterling wire, and the slender faceted briolettes on the bottom of the earrings are the most gorgeous pale pink rose quartz. Very romantic!

Oxidised Carnelian Earrings

2007-09-10T22:36:00.001+01:00

Nearly forgot to post these! I've shown these carnelian earrings before when they were 'shiny silver'. At the time I felt like they might benefit from oxidising - so I took the plunge and ordered myself some Liver of Sulphur (how bad does that stuff smell?!), cleared a space in the shed and went for it!

Lots of polishing and a turn in the tumbler later - and I'm really pleased with the result! Still prefer shiny, but these have definitely benefited from the antique effect - I will be doing this again from time to time!

Peach Moonstone Earrings

2007-09-04T14:38:00.001+01:00

I love this peach moonstone - the colour is so fruity! Orange is 'in' apparently - sheer coincidence - I just fell in love with these beads as soon as I saw them!

I've patiently coiled the frames as usual with very fine gauge sterling wire, adding lots of tiny faceted Hill Tribe silver beads and faceted moonstone - very shiny, sparkly and pretty little earrings!

Green Amethyst & PMC

2007-09-04T14:25:00.000+01:00

Firstly apologies for this dreadful pic - I will try to photograph these again sometime, I just can't seem to capture the sparkle and colour in these earrings!

This is my first attempt at making something with metal clay - these were great fun to make! I'm so pleased with the way these came out - how cool is it being able to make your own components?! First try with my new tumbler too... :-)

The dangles are gorgeous pale green amethyst 'onion cut' beads, pale gold freshwater pearls, and golden shadow Swarovski crystals - subtle colours, and very sparkly!

I've Been Tagged...

2007-09-04T11:40:00.000+01:00

...by Caroline from Crafted Gems

Over 10 days ago - which just shows how long it is since I've posted! I have been quite busy with the Etsy site, and also more jewellery which I'll show later!

But first 6 weird/random facts about me! :

1. My two sons have a 10 year age gap between them - they are 11 and 21! They have a fantastic relationship - I think because there has never been any sibling rivalry or jealousy, they have always wanted different kinds of attention from me at any one time. Just to keep things nice and tidy - I had the first one when I was 20, and the second at 30! :-)

2. I have a butterfly tattoo on my shoulder - I forget it's there most of the time, in fact I just had to look and check which shoulder it was on! (The left, if you're curious :-))

3. I am left-handed, which generally doesn't cause me too many problems, I do quite a few things right-handed - like eating, using corkscrews, using the kettle, etc. I also damaged the little finger on my right hand many years ago - which severed the tendon and means I can't bend it properly. Luckily this doesn't affect my making jewellery - it does however mean I have problems with the more difficult stages on Guitar Hero......

4. .....and talking of computer games - I am a self-proclaimed geek! Along with playing (amongst others!) Singstar and Guitar Hero on the Playstation with my sons, I also love adventuring on the PC with games like Guild Wars and World of Warcraft. I have also dabbled in the past with 3D art and animation - just for fun! lol

5. I love the smell of petrol! Along the same lines.. I also like creosote and freshly laid tar.....mmm!

6. Before I took up jewellery-making full time, my job for 4 and a half years was as a support worker for people with special needs/learning difficulties. Out of all the jobs I've had in the past - this had to be the most wonderful and rewarding one ever! The unsociable hours and shifts however caused a lot of stress for both me and my family, so sadly in the end I had to give it up... if anyone wondered where I got so much patience from, now you know! :-)

Phew - finished! Although it might take quite a while longer for me to find 6 people to tag... who haven't been tagged already that is!

Amari on Etsy!

2007-08-22T22:32:00.000+01:00

I have now opened a shop on Etsy called Amari Jewellery to use as an extra outlet for my pieces. It's taking me a while to upload everything as I am having a bit of a sort out and also experimenting with photos - I don't do things by halves!

I think the dark grey background is perfect for showing off shiny silver jewellery - I'm using a large stepping stone from my local garden centre, which I've coated with a couple of layers of matt varnish to get rid of the 'dusty' finish.

I must thank Jo of Gem Heaven for the inspiration - her gorgeous gemstone and lampwork jewellery is really shown off by stunning photos!

Citrine and Peridot Earrings

2007-08-20T20:00:00.001+01:00

My new favourites... the citrusy colours on these earrings look amazing with the shiny silver, and there is lots of sparkle from the tiny faceted gemstones and silver beads!

I have wrapped the triangular frames with fine gauge sterling silver, Karen Hill tribe faceted seed beads, faceted citrine button beads and tiny faceted peridot briolettes. Just to give you an idea of scale... the peridot briolettes are about 5mm long! Very delicate and sparkly.

Just to add... on all of the pictures if you click on them you get a slightly larger image which shows a bit more detail :)