Fleur Violette Jewelry

YOJ 2012 - week 3 Agate pendant with woven bail

2012-01-24T17:47:00.000-08:00

This time I did not pick up an old unfinished project. Instead I picked up an old bead I had bought years back. I had this woven bail in mind for it, but the bail turned out a tad too big for my liking. However, I decided not to undo it, because first, it doesn't look too bad, and second, I am still trying to get back into the flow of jewelry designing and creating once again. It is really easy at this time for me to just give up and stop. So I am going to keep it as it is :-). The bail is made with fine silver wire, and a sterling silver Sea Horse charm hangs in front. The tiny beads on the bail are Carnelians. the main focal bead...I think is an Agate. I bought it so long ago, I don't remember what it is. If you have a clue, let me know. I am guessing Agate because of the banding.

YOJ 2012 - Week 2 Goldfilled wire and unknown beads bracelet

2012-01-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

In carrying on with my "Turning a New Leaf" resolution, and finishing all unfinished projects, I fished this piece out. Someone had given me these beads some 3 or more years ago to make a bracelet for her. I know...shameless of me :-((! But what happened was, I had these beads in my purse. The purse got stolen. Then the purse got recovered. Then I started to lose all interest in everything possible, including jewelry making, and even though I had started this bracelet, I never finished it...just like many other pieces. Now that I have solemnly resolved to hereby complete everything, I dug this out too. I hope the owner of these beads is not too mad at me. Of course I will not charge her a dime for this. But I sure do want her to have this. And I hope she likes it, and receives many blessings. I don't know what these beads are. They look really pretty though. And they are quite light. So this is my YOJ week 2 project.

Turning over a new leaf in 2012

2012-01-10T22:28:00.000-08:00

I haven't been making jewelry for the longest time. And when I would try to, I would end up leaving projects incomplete. I have a whole graveyard full of stuff that need to be completed. So I decided to turn over a new leaf this year...and decided to get back to making jewelry again, and completing all my past projects. So I joined YOJ to motivate me. I had made this leaf with PMC, and then did nothing with it. It was made from a leaf from a tree just outside my home. So I fished out the leaf, and added a Ruby brio, and several Peridots to it. Added a chain, and made a clasp for my first piece for YOJ 2012.

Click on the picture to see it enlarged and clearer.

A Mary Magdalene Ring

2011-10-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

I don't know if Mary Magdalene really existed. And if she did, I don't know how she really was, or how her life was...etc. But I do know I am very intrigued by her! Very! I like the stories about her....things I read, things I hear about her. She is fascinating, an enigma. I was told by a very intuitive friend that Garnets and pearls together signify Mary Magdalene. And recently a lovely woman, who is very intuitive herself, and very close to Mary Magdalene spiritually, asked me to make a Garnet ring for her. I asked her if I could add a tiny pearl, and ask MM to weave her energy and blessings too into the wire weavings. She said yes. And this is the result below. Made of sterling silver, fine silver, garnet, a tiny pearl, and a tiny sterling silver bead.

My first paisley earrings

2011-09-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

I followed Joslin's tutorial in creating these paisleys. I have always loved the ones she makes. These earrings are made with sterling silver, fine silver, Rubies, Citrine, and Lemon Quartz. I made these for one of my dearest friends -- Anna Taylor. She is a beautiful person, and an awesome singer. Here is her webpage. You just have to listen to her songs...beautiful voice, beautiful words, and music that touches your heart. My favorite song by her is "Like Me". Do visit her webpage:

http://annataylormusic.com/

I had made this pair for her, when she was going for a show here in California. She lives in UK. But she was visiting CA then for her shows. It was one of the fun-nest evenings ever!!!

Two handmade jewelry gifts I cherish with all my heart!

2011-08-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

I cherish all gifts given to me, but here I will talk of two handmade jewelry pieces I got from two friends who are very special to me. They are both amazingly creative jewelry artists. Both make totally unique pieces...that are their very own style. And they both are huge inspirations to me.

1) AMETHYST PENDANT
Last year....in 2010, Shay made, what in my opinion was her VERY best piece until then. I really loved it, but knew I could not afford it. And guess what Shay did? She sent it to me as my birthday gift. I was speechless. Her work is so different from most, and yet her style is very her. I can recognize her work anywhere! I will not speak more about what she made...let her piece speak for herself. It a lovely silver and Amethyst pendant. She hasn't made jewelry for the longest time due to pain in her hands. But now her hands are getting better, and we will soon see beautiful pieces being created by her once again. And here are her links:

http://www.ShayStone.blogspot.com
http://www.AllThatIAm.etsy.com
https://www.facebook.com/ShaysBook

2) LEAFY BROOCH
This year I was blessed again with another beautiful gift! This was from Mary. I often just go to her blog when I am feeling sad, low, uninspired, or plain and simple just to drool over eye-candy. She is very dedicated to the wire arts, and is always challenging herself to make something different, better. I love everything she makes, especially the vessels! Various shapes, sizes of vessels made entirely of wire weaving. You have just got to see her work! And I often wondered what should I buy from her, because I always wanted to own one of her pieces. I had never said this to her, but one day she just emailed me and asked me if she could send me a piece she made!! I was once again left speechless! Here is the piece she sent me...one I had looked at for many consecutive days, marvelling at the simplicity, elegance, beauty and craftsmanship...a leaf brooch. And here are her links:

http://www.theangstyartist.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wired-Elements/127714920578975?ref=ts
http://www.etsy.com/shop/wiredelements

If you aren't already familiar with the work of these two jewelry artists, I will suggest you head off to their blogs as soon as you get the chance! :-)))

My second Artfire collection: For the Sun God -- Yellows and Oranges

2011-06-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

This is for the Sun God :-))). I love you very much Mr. Sun. You are awesome! :-))) Please click on the "View this collection" button so you can see all the gorgeous pieces made by various Artfire jewelry artists.

Sunny Yellows and...

Curated By: fleurviolette...

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

Another Blue Topaz Ring

2010-12-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

This one seems to be quite popular! People keep asking for it. Its an emerald cut Blue Topaz with sterling silver.

"Tribal" necklace and earrings

2010-11-26T15:07:00.000-08:00

An acquaintance gave me some brass beads and asked me to create a tribal design inspired necklace and earrings for her. I didn't get the time to take proper pictures...she was leaving for India for good. But here is a picture taken with her iPhone. And this is the customer posing with her new jewelry. I made this one in October. Made these pieces with copper.

Red Jasper heart necklace for a bride

2010-11-12T19:10:00.000-08:00

I had recently donated a piece for a fundraiser, and 2 people contacted me later saying they couldn't win it, and if I could make a similar piece for them. One of them was a would be bride, and wanted to wear it for her wedding. I felt so happy and honored to do this for her. I feel a marriage is so sacred...and to be part of it in any way is an honor. Here is what I made for her, and she did wear it with her beautiful white wedding gown. She sent me a picture and she looked gorgeous! :-))). I made the chain with fresh water pearls. The clasp is a Bali flower clasp.

On Blues and Purples...My first Arfire Collection

2010-11-07T23:43:00.000-08:00

This is a collection of blue and purple jewelry done by some jewelry artists on Art Fire. I love blues and purples, and especially together:

On Blues and Purples...

Curated By: fleurviolette...

ArtFire.com

Craft Supplies

Two rings - Aquamarine and Citrine

2010-09-24T00:33:00.000-07:00

Made two rings for two lovely ladies -- twins. One sister - Anna -- got the Aquamarine ring made for her twin sister for her birthday. And I made a Citrine ring for Anna for her birthday. There is a secret wish which is stamped on the lower side of the Citrine ring shank...and it is there for a reason...so when Anna closes her fist, the wish is within her grasp. The three rings signify the holy trinity, and the Citrine stone, in that shape and color, signifies the flame of love.I pray that her wish comes true....very very soon. The Aquamarine ring holds a message too...from one sister to another...that message is stamped inside the shank. The metal used is sterling silver in both rings.

Went on a date with this handsome young guy today :-).

2010-08-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I went on an Artist Date...all by myself. This afternoon I had lunch at Pasta Pomodoro with this wonderful guy. At first we decided to sit indoors. But then I took one look outside and changed my mind. The place was surrounded with arbors of pink Morning Glory vines. And just outside the arbors were rows of grape vines, laden with grapes. The building was surrounded with Spanish style architecture, mountains...and the atmosphere was so serene! The afternoon sun was mild in the shades...and we sat together, enjoying the beautiful day.

He was humming some tunes happily... He wore blue jeans and a gray t-shirt. The waitress was really sweet, and I ordered the most unpronounceable item there. Hey, it was time to be adventurous...what with sitting there with this gorgeous guy and all! LOL! So while I waited for our food to be served, I decided to walk among those rows of grape vines, while he lazed on his chair, humming, and looking at me so sweetly!

Then the food was served. We ate in silence and peace. You know, how you can be comfortably silent with some people? The food was delicious...and I had such a wonderful time, that I wondered, why had I not done this before? So what if I have been married 15 years now? I've had this wonderful new guy in my life from the past 4 years....why did I not go out on a date with him before?

Oh...the reason I went on this date today? Well...I picked him up from his preschool in the afternoon, and he clung to my legs, looked up beseechingly at my face and said, "Mamma, I'm hungry!". ;-)

Pearls, Citrine and 14k gold-filled earrings

2010-07-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

These earrings are for an order. Light peachy cream colored fresh water pearls and really bright and clear and sparkling onion cut Citrine briolettes woven on 14K gold-filled hand made wire earrings.

"Message in a Bottle" necklace

2010-07-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

This piece too has been inspired from Mary Tucker's work. The basket weaving here is a bit different. There were about 15 different pieces of thin copper wire going in all the directions of the oval, all together as I formed each coil and shaped the "bottle". I have pictures of work in progress because it looked interesting...but they are in my hubby's iPhone, and he and his iPhone are in India at the moment. When I get hold of those pictures, I will post those too.

I tried making a bottle...a bit like the small perfume bottles (this is a teeny bit more than an inch in height), but it looks like a jar more than a bottle. :-). However, tiny perfume bottles do look like jars. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. LOL! This bottle carries a small scroll of paper, that has a message from a wonderful man for his beautiful beloved. He is away at the moment from her, and they both miss each other a lot. So I thought she could wear a message in his own handwriting near her heart while he was away. I will soon be giving this to her. And I hope she will like it. She usually wears pretty conservative jewelry, so I am hoping this won't be waaaaaay too weird for her. LOL! Anyhow, even if she doesn't wear it, she can keep it with her.

The piece is made with copper wire, and has tiny fresh water pearls on it. It has been LOS-ed to give it a rich antique look and depth. The clasp is hand made too.

Puffy Marquis Champagne Quartz, Tourmaline, 14k goldfilled, handmade, wire wrapped earrings

2010-06-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with these gorgeous puffy marquis champagne quartz briolettes when I saw them at the Intergem gemshow. Bought myself the whole strand :-). And this is the first thing I have made with these brios. I have them listed at my Artfire store:

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=1523378

Opened my new Artfire Store!

2010-06-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

Finally I have an online store again. I used to have an Etsy store, but I got tired of relisting. So I chose Artfire. No relisting because nothing ever expires. And listing is much simpler too. I hope this store does well :-)). Visit me there :-)).

http://www.artfire.com/users/fleurviolettejewelry

The Angsty Artist's Copper Wire Locket

2010-06-05T01:02:00.000-07:00

This Copper wire locket is made by following a wonderfully written tutorial by Mary Tucker of The Angsty Artist. She is an amazing wire artist, and makes the most mouth watering designs! I love visiting her blog to drool all over it. This is only my second copper piece I think. Her work made me fall in love with copper. I always work with silver and gold-filled metals. But her work made me go and buy lots of copper wire. LOL! There is a beautiful poetic depth, a richness about blackened and polished copper. This I realized only after studying Mary's work. So thank you Mary :-).

I did not make this locket a photo keeping one. Instead, I made it a locket to keep something very dear to me. It is a little blue heart that someone very very dear, very precious to me gave me. The story is very magical. It is out of this world. I will not write it here. It is beyond the belief systems of most...and it is very close to my heart. So the locket hangs on my heart, carrying this precious gift given to me.

I really enjoyed making this locket, and will be working more with this...varying it here and there. If you want to buy the original one made by Mary, go to her Etsy shop :-).

Grandmother's pendant - Mabe Pearl, birthstones, 14K gold filled

2010-05-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

I was asked to create a grandmother's pendant by a lovely lady called Caitlin. She wanted this for her mum. So I created this, on a Mabe Pearl...the Mabe Pearl stands for motherhood, the love of a mother, in this case, the love of a grandmother. Yesterday I read somewhere in the mall that, "A Grandmother is a wonderful mother with a lot of practice". I liked that :-))). The CZ's I have used are the birthstones of the beautiful grandchildren. The metal used is 14k gold filled wire. Caitlin was not sure if her mum would wear a pendant or not, so I hid the bail behind a design at the top. This way she can choose whether she wants to wear it as a pendant, or as a brooch, with the help of a safety pin.

When Caitlin saw the picture of this pendant, she wrote something lovely to me. With her permission I am copying and pasting what she wrote to me. Its words like these that touch my heart, and make me feel that its all worth it. When I question myself, "Why am I doing this?", and I question myself sometimes, then its words like these that make sense. This is what beautiful Caitlin wrote to me:

Oh it's wonderful Swati!! Just GORGEOUS, she is going to be over the moon!! It's very - her! Hard to say why exactly, you just have tuned into her in the most delightful way :)

SWATI I'M SOO EXCITED!!!!!

Thank you so much for all the love you have put into this for my lovely mam. I really appreciate your talent and attention.

Love love Caito

14k gold filled wire wrapped bangle bracelet

2010-05-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I have made a bangle like this. I have made soldered single bangles before. And strung bracelets. But not this kind. I had actually made these for an order, but they ended up being at least 2 sizes larger than required size. So I put them together and wove them...a weaving style I have learned from Iza Malczyk from one of her earring tutorials. My friend, a gifted wire artist, Mary of The Angsty Artist, has made a silver ring like this. I have been wanting to make a similar ring too, but for now, here is a bangle of that style. The wires are 18gauge 14k gold filled, and 26gauge 14k gold filled. Each individual bangle is soldered. And then they are all woven together. Next time I make this, I will not solder them individually. Instead, I will just coil the 18 gauge wire a few times to desirable width.

Amethyst and Moonstone earrings for Monday

2010-05-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

OK...these are some of the crappiest pictures I have ever taken. Seriously...I have NO idea why I am unable to take better pictures of these earrings. I promise you, they look much better than this. LOL!! This is the first time I have used chains in my design. I like it. :-). This pair also is for Dawn. She said one should wear Amethyst and Moonstones on Mondays. The Amethyst brios are such a LOVELY color, and really really awesome quality...but does not show in these pictures. The Moonstones are Rainbow Moonstones with an amazing blue flash in them, making them look so divine! You know...it makes one think of the divine spark within each of us. But....it doesn't show in the pictures. In the pictures they look like blah white globs! LOL!! The metal is 14K gold-filled wire. The chain is also 14K gold-filled.

Emerald and Rose Quartz earrings for Fridays

2010-05-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

These earrings are also part of the Weekdays earrings by Dawn. On Friday, she said one should wear Emeralds and Rose Quartz, so here are some Emerald and Rose Quartz hoops. I love the Emerald beads, but even more, I love these Rose Quartz briolettes! They are sooo clear and so lovely, and such an awesome color!! The cut is gorgeous too. The seller had called them coconut brios. But my friend Shay found out that they are actually called Marquise Puffy Brios. Maybe he was joking and I didn't get it :-P. The metal is 14K Gold-filled wire.

Sapphire earrings for Thursday

2010-05-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

This is part of the order for Dawn. I chose multi-shaded Sapphire beads for this project. The metal is 14k Gold-filled wire. The inspiration was "leaves" :-). Dawn said Sapphires are for Thursday.

Blue Goldstone, Kyanite and sterling silver earrings

2010-05-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

I had made these sometime back for my daughter. But never got around to taking pictures or blogging about them. The tiny blue beads are Goldstone. And the briolettes are Kyanite. They do look very nice on her :-).

My Fleur Violette :-)

2010-05-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

I had planted this Iris last year, and now it is flowering. I love Irises! I don't really have a green thumb. So once in a while when something accidentally grows, I must show it off to the world. :-)))

And here are some roses:

And this one is a special variety of flower that grows only in my house. See his precious monkey smile :-))).

Ruby, Pearls, 14k gold-filled beads, 14k gold filled wire earrings

2010-05-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

NOTE: TO SEE ENLARGED VERSIONS, PLEASE CLICK ON THE PICTURES :-)).

These earrings are a part of an order by my beautiful friend Dawn. She got earrings made for each day of the week, depending on which gemstone goes with which day of the week. Ruby is for Tuesday, and she wanted earrings made of Ruby, fresh water pearls, and gold. So here is the pair for Tuesday. I really enjoyed myself creating all these earrings!! :-))) I will keep posting them one by one. Thank you Dawn for trusting me to make so many pieces for you. (((hugs)))

Carnelian, Garnet, Pearls, Citrine, Sterling silver necklace

2010-05-05T00:43:00.000-07:00

Note: To see enlarged photos, click on the pictures.

I had started this necklace long back. Months back. Then I stopped mid way. I had some health issues at first because of which I couldn't do any jewelry work. And after that followed a long "blah" period when I felt totally uninspired, and didn't want to do anything. I thought I wouldn't make jewelry ever again. But the last Emerald piece..the story...everything brought the passion back, and I completed this too.

The main stone in the pendant is a delicious Carnelian. The two small yellow beads under it are top class Citrines. And the briolette hanging underneath is a beautiful Garnet. The stones have been brought together as a pendant by means of weaving and sculpting sterling silver wires.

I have made the chain with sterling silver wire and fresh water pearls. The clasp is hand made too. There is a chain extension added to the chain, so that the necklace can be between 16" and 20".

To gauge the approximate size of the pendant and the stones, see the picture of the pendant on my hand.

Emerald necklace and earrings - a love story

2010-05-01T13:51:00.000-07:00

Note: To see enlarged images, click on the pictures.

The infinity shaped pendant is made of teardrop Emerald briolettes, sterling silver and 14Kgold-filled wire. The chain is made of sterling silver, and I have attached tiny fresh water pearls to the chain, and small Emerald beads.

This story is about a beautiful lady who I shall call Ms. H. She remembers a love very special from times long back...long long back. Sometimes, people remember their lives lived at another time, and another place. This is one such story. This story also is about twinflame love. They say that we as souls have soul families called soul groups. And even in that group, there is one soul very special to each soul...they form pairs, and are called primary soulmates according to Dr. Newton, or as many people say these days -- "twinflames". It is said that twinflames rarely ever incarnate together as a romantic pair. Usually, one partner stays in the spiritual realms guiding his or her twinflame.

Ms. H told me that in that other life when she and her twinflame were together as a romantic couple, he had given her an Emerald necklace. We shall call him Mr. P. She still remembers that, and therefore Emeralds are very special to her. I asked her to tell me why the infinity symbol...she said it signifies eternal love, and the two Emeralds on either side signify P and H in different realms...different dimensions. I asked Mr. P's Higher Self to guide me as I designed it....and as I picked up various shapes of my Emeralds, he insisted I used the tear drop shaped ones. So I created...and then I weaved together threads of gold, praying that the Higher Selves and love of these two beautiful souls be entwined together as I weave each millimeter of my wire.

Ms. H wrote to me the following:

My Twin Flame, my Soul Love held me cradled in his arms, holding me from behind... He showed me the infinity symbol and told me that the symbol represented us, out togetherness, our love. He chose to follow me in spirit, from where, he told me that he could be of much more help to me. It would have been wonderful to have him here, but I also knew that human physical love has a way of getting damaged, so I was happy in one way that we were together in this untouchable way; a way that could never fade, jade or lessen. He told me too that our gem was the Emerald, to match my eyes and set off my fiery hair...which delighted me to no end, because the Emerald is the stone of perfect love; perfect in every way. He has followed me now for many centuries from the time of a war that separated us. But nothing breaks true love, nothing, no matter what it is. In that life I died making my way back to him, and I would die a thousand times if it meant never being separated again...

Last night as I completed my work, I talked to Ms. H. I had not told her anything about the piece till then. Neither had I told her about the prayer of entwining souls as I weaved my wires. She went on to describe to me the Emeralds Mr. P had given to her in that life...she said he had chosen them himself...they were tear drop shaped! I was so happy to hear that, because that meant, I really did communicate with Mr.P as I asked him to help me create this necklace for Ms. H. He had asked me also to choose the tear drop Emeralds!! Then Ms. H went on to tell me that Mr. P's spirit told her that when I make jewelry, I entwine loving souls together. And I couldn't believe it when she told me that! Because that is exactly what I prayed as I made the jewelry...I asked the Divine Selves of Mr. P and Ms. H to come and be entwined together in love as I weave each millimeter of my golden threads...Mr. P had heard my wishes...and he went and told Ms. H word to word what I had asked for!

I must say...when I work with stories of people, their lives, their loves, their experiences, I am often taken along with them on a really beautiful ride!

Ruby, pearl, 14k gold-filled hoop earrings

2009-09-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

These hoops are made with 14Kt gold-filled wire, and I have wrapped fresh water pearls and genuine Ruby briolettes using sterling silver wire.

I hear that hoops are the "in things" in earrings these days. Unfortunately, unless the hoops are really teeny tiny, they don't look good on me. But I am sure there will be someone else who will look really good in these luscious Ruby hoop earrings :-)). I do love making hoop earrings. They look so lovely....something really delicious about hoops that are laden with yummy gemstones.

Emerald, freshwater pearls, 14k gold-filled wire, earrings

2009-09-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

After a few days of really horrible pain, my doc doubled the pain-killer dose...he explained very nicely too, "Don't be afraid to take more painkillers...this is temporary". I was a little worried about taking more painkillers because it is after all narcotics. But this one sentence from him was a huge relief. Yes, its just temporary, even though I am feeling like this is going on and on and on. It will end.

Yesterday I felt really good, so I made 2 pairs of earrings. The one I am showing here in this post is made of 14k gold-filled wire, emerald beads and briolettes, and fresh water pearls. They are simple to make, but took me a long time to complete. It took me the whole day to make these. I really like them, and my daughter loves them too. I will have to make her one pair like this one.

Bird's Nest Pendant

2009-09-16T22:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't been doing any jewelry work for a while, mostly because of a muscle injury in my right shoulder blade. The pain is in my right arm too. It was really bad, but many painkillers later, I can type a bit now, and I decided to make this cute little bird's nest pendant for my 11 years old. The eggs are fresh water pearls, and the nest is made of brass wire. Its not my original idea...the bird's nest is made by many as pendants, earrings, rings etc. I always found it really cute, but got around to making it only now. This is the only thing I can do at present because it is not tough on my hands....easy to make.

"Flame of Divinity": A cold connections, sterling silver, fine silver, Rhyolite, fresh water pearls necklace

2009-08-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

If you want to see the image enlarged, click on it. This piece is based on the spiritual journey of a beautiful person I met online. She said she felt she was asleep for a long time spiritually, but has awakened now. She has been having beautiful spiritual experiences...her words glide like poetry...gently...as she expresses her thoughts to me in emails. I see this piece as the flame of re-awakened spirituality or Divinity in her...burning steadily, brightly. The old, battered feel of the antiqued silver around it, cold connected with brass tubes represents her human journey so far. Often even the most gentle human journey can be quite hard on the free Spirit that is used to no limits. The fresh water pearls are wrapped up with fine silver which has not been antiqued, to represent the pure glory of the awakened soul pouring out of this steadily burning flame. The pearls have different hues of earth and gold tones....very soft and gentle...very softly divine...very pure in their feeling. This piece represents you dear Cynthia.

I still have to make the clasp. But I am leaving for the weekend...be back on Sunday and will complete it then :-).

I had this Rhyolite Cabochon with me for sometime. It looks like a perfect flame. When I saw it I loved it...it looked like the perfect flame of Divinity. Each time I had tried to pick it up, it said, "No, not now" to me. But when I heard Cynthia's story, I knew the Rhyolite was for her. This time when I picked up the Rhyolite, it did not refuse.

An interesting thing happened in the meantime. The stone disappeared while I was working with the other orders. I looked everywhere. Made my hubby look too. Finally I asked the supplier if he could cut a stone exactly like this. He did his best to help. And he did cut an excellent Rhyolite cab...only, it didn't have the flame. So then I was gong to email Cynthia and apologize that I lost her stone..when I heard very clearly within my mind to go look in my dresser. I thought, "Yeah well, I have looked. So has hubby. So many times. It wasn't there". But the voice was firm, and yet gentle that I looked once more over there before I emailed Cynthia. I thought it didn't hurt to look. So I did. And to my utter surprise...it was right there!!! Not even hidden under things. It was right there in plain sight in the middle drawer where I had looked so many times before. Hubby had looked too. We were both mystified....but I was very very very thankful!!! I guess the stone was truly meant for you Cynthia! :-)))

Fine silver leaf

2009-07-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

Oh if I could make and post flowers, then I think its time to make and post a leaf as well. :-) This leaf is made with PMC...which is 99.9% silver. The stone is a Blue Zircon. The little blossom on the leaf is the one Jennifer (my PMC teacher) made when she was showing me how to sculpt flowers like the ones she made in one of her famous necklaces. The leaf is from one of the trees near my house. I had always been wanting to make a leaf with PMC...ever since I first heard of it years back. Finally gott he nerve to try it out. I have 2 more leaves I need to finish.

My fabulous Pink Topaz, Citrine & Sterling silver pendant!! :-))

2009-07-28T18:06:00.001-07:00

Click on the pictures to see them enlarged.

Okay, I know its not very polite to blow your own trumpet. You must let others do that. LOL! But I really really really like this pendant I finished today! :-)))))))))) Took me ages to form and weave this flower. The Citrine is just GLORIOUS! The Pink Topaz looks GREAT! And for once I like the picture I took of my jewelry! LOL!! I guess the trick is in taking it in the highest resolution possible. Ever since I did that, I started liking my pictures. I'm still not sure what kind of chain I should put on it. But for now...that thin delicate chain it is! :-)))

Wooohooooo!!! :-))) I'm happy!!!

My new lapmwork beads!! :-)))

2009-07-25T19:05:00.001-07:00

My cousin bought me some lampwork beads from my favorite lampworker: Jennifer of Sky Valley Beads & Designs. These are the first ever glass beads I have acquired....and I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE them!!! When I got them yesterday, I couldn't stop staring at them. I spent a lot of time just touching them and staring at them. The photos are GREAT, but the beads are even more magical in person! I spend a lot of time at Jennifer's shop, just drooling all over her work. It seems like I have many talented Jennifers in my life. In my last post I talked about Jennifer who taught me PMC classes...and how I love her work! And this post is about yet another extremely talented lady called Jennifer who makes the most amazing lampwork beads. She also gave me a free bead which is absolutely amazingly gorgeous!

Something about the swirls and her colors and designs...they take me to a fantasy land of streams of colors that move gracefully and mix into amazing swirls every now and then. And then Jennifer told me something about where she lives, and what she does with her beads that tickled that part of me that lives in a fantasy world forever. She said her house is in the forest, and she makes lots of beads, and often goes and throws many of her beads in the forest. The people who go to the forest to visit and walk by those places find the beads and feel happy to find this treasure! That must be soooo cooool! I would love to go for a walk in a forest and find a treasure of such LOVELY beads scattered on the ground!! It will drive my hyperactive imagination in all directions!! LOL!! I will surely imagine forest fairies flitting around and waving their magic wands and voila! Beeeyooooootiful beads appear magically with a mist of sparkle, and settle gently down on the ground. The fairies then bless these beads with good wishes for anyone who finds them. And when a human does pick up the beads, the fairies (of course invisible to the humans), dance around on the flowers and giggle...sparkly fairy dust flying all around! Oh yes...I really actually do imagine these things! LOLOLOL!! Even Jennifer's description of where she lives makes me wish I had a house there too. This is what she writes about where she lives, and what she thinks about her creations:"My name is Jennifer Setters and I live in chilly chilly northern remote part of British Columbia, Canada. I work from my studio SkyValley here on my acerage. The name SkyValley comes from when I look out my windows of my studio all I see is sky and the huge valley. It takes my breath away everyday. I absolutely love to create with glass and silver. It is a passion that drives me everyday. I create beads and jewelry because it comes from within me and when I am gone I feel that there will still be a part of me still out there." This is taken from her profile from her Etsy shop (link at the top of this post). Wouldn't it be awesome to live where she lives? :-))) I will surely be buying more lampwork from her. Not only are her beads just breathtakingly lovely, something about her, her energy, her creations, her words...they make everything sound very magical and fairytale like :-))). Go visit her shop and see for yourself! :-)).

My first PMC pendant: "Compassion & Gratitude".

2009-07-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

I am SO excited! I finally got to try my hand at PMC as well. PMC is 99.9% silver in clay form. When it is fired, the clay part is gone, and 99.9% silver is left.

My teacher Jennifer was REALLY sweet. We had been trying to get together since forever. But I have lots of limitations on my time because I have 2 little kids, and then I have to wait till hubby has enough time to drive me to wherever I want to go. I do very limited driving because I have absolutely no sense of direction. Not even a bad one :-P. So Jennifer said she will come to my place and teach me! Wow!! People really do such things for others? That was so absolutely AWESOME of her! I was overjoyed, and very very grateful. She didn't even really know me. She had "met" me online at a jewelry forum, and I was always in awe of her work. Her work is not very typical PMC work. The "typical" PMC work is lovely too...I have nothing against it. But what I am saying is, her work is VERY different from most other PMC work I have seen. Anyway...so she didn't really know me. I was practically a stranger to her. But because she understood how much I had wanted this class, and yet could not make it to her house for some reason or another, she said (so easily) that she will bring everything over to my place and teach me. And she reassured me that she understands what it is to have little kids...she has raised 7.

So to me, this pendant symbolizes kindness, compassion, generosity...the qualities that Jennifer displayed with such ease. And it also symbolizes gratitude....what I feel for her. She had no need to do what she did. But she did it anyway.

She is an awesome teacher! I highly recommend her to anyone! I think this is a fabulous piece...and its just the first project I did with her! Do go through her website:

http://wearablebydesign.com/Wearable_by_Design/Welcome.html

You'll see amazingly beautiful pieces. And do contact her if you want to learn to work with PMC.

This pendant is 3/4" in diameter. A 4mm lab created Ruby is set in it. I have antiqued this pendant using silver black, and then polished it, so that its beautiful design can be seen. The back has a pattern too.

Agate and sterling silver pendant

2009-07-18T18:22:00.000-07:00

This is for a young woman and a young man whose origins are from countries, and religions that have been clashing with each other forever. But they rose above all that, fell in love, and got married...setting a beautiful example of peace, love and beauty. Below is part of my letter to them, I have removed their names and the names of their countries of origin, religions they belong to, to protect their privacy. And changed it so it doesn't directly address them.

The silver beads at the bottom of the pendant signifies the dormant souls of the world who are moving up to awaken to who they really are. The colors at the bottom of the stone (an Agate) stand for the very different kinds of people in our world. Different because of race, color, nationality, religion...and so many other divisions. The colors green and red are very different from each other...but they combine into beautiful patterns in this stone, they do not clash. They do not even change each other. They simply accept each other for who they are, and harmonize with each other. Just like this young couple.

The colors, as they rise up in the stone lose their differences and become “one” by turning white. Just like people...when they rise above their differences, and move more towards their Divine Selves, realize they are not different really...they are just “one”.

I spent many many days to find the perfect stone that represented the story of these two beautiful people. When I saw this one., I knew, this was the one.

The designs around the stone show an upwards movement, showing the rising of human consciousness when they rise above their seeming differences, and only love one another...just like these two people did.

I weaved the bail of the pendant with silver wire, as a prayer of blessings that their lives be woven with each other's in complete love, harmony, and beauty.

The young man told his cousin (who commissioned this pendant), that one of the special moments of their lives was the time when they both saw a movie called “Arth”. “Arth” means “meaning”. And they have certainly showed by example the “meaning of life, and the meaning of love” through their beautiful love for each other. This is what I have hand stamped behind the pendant, to not only remind them of that special moment, but also to honor them for showing us the meaning of life and love.

It is through people like them that our world will change, and will know peace. For many, it is unthinkable for people originating from country X and country Y, of A and B religions to unite in matrimony. You both have shown that not only is it “thinkable”, it is completely normal, and completely loving to rise above outward differences and acknowledge our inherent divine One-ness. Their union will change many, their love will change much.

This pendant is one of a kind. There will never be another pendant just like this one, because this pendant tells their beautiful story.

Blue Sapphire Stamped Sterling Silver Ring

2009-07-18T18:00:00.001-07:00

This ring is made with sterling silver and opaque dark blue Sapphire. It has been stamped with the names of the twins I wrote about earlier in the Sapphire pendant. Here is the letter I wrote to the grandmother for whom this ring was made..it explains the meaning behind this ring:

Dear XYZ,

Your nephew and neice-in-law asked me to make a ring for you for your 60th birthday. You are very special to them, so they wanted this ring to be something that is meaningful to you...they wanted to make your special birthday memorable, because you mean so much to them. They told me about how you are always there for the family, and how much you have done for everyone.

I thought about what would be most special for you at this time, and immediately thought of dear Deeya and Aarya. Who can be more special than them at this time to you? Beautiful twin grandchildren...they must be the highlight of your heart! So this ring signifies your beloved Deeya and Aarya. Their birthstone is Blue Sapphire, so I set a pear shaped opaque Blue Sapphire on this ring to signify them, and stamped their names inside the ring shank. This way their names will always touch your hand, and your blessings will constantly be touching their lives.

The metal is sterling silver, which develops a patina over time, giving it an antique look. If you like the antique look, you could keep it that way, but if you prefer it to be white for a longer time, then when you are not wearing it, wipe it and put it in its box and put the box in a ziplock bag. This prevents tarnishing for a long time. Keeping it away from chlorinated water will also help in preventing tarnishing.

Ruchi and Siddharth give you this ring with all their love and admiration for you. Wishing you a very Happy 60th Birthday!!

Love,
Swati

Sterling silver and Citrine earrings

2009-07-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

I found these gorgeous Citrines in my stack from my gemshow loot a few years back, and wondered why I hadn't used them! So out they came from their packets, and I pulled out some sterling silver wires, and set them in these prongs to make these delicate earrings. My handmade earwires have tiny Citrine beads wire wrapped on them.

Blue Sapphire, sterling silver pendant

2009-07-01T23:52:00.000-07:00

This sterling silver and Blue Sapphire necklace is for a very sweet grandmother with very special grandchildren. She is celebrating her 60th birthday, and her cousin got this made for her, for her birthday. Her grandchildren...a beautiful boy and a beautiful girl, are twins. Their birthstone is Sapphire.

So I designed this pendant to represent the twins. The sterling silver circle is divided into two by a sterling silver wire in the shape of the yin-yang. And I bezel set two pear shaped opaque Blue Sapphires in each half, facing opposite directions. I added texture to one half of the yin-yang, to show it is different from the other half. The Sapphires are the twins, in the same womb (circle), but still separated to have their own space...connected, yet individual...equal, and opposite (yin-yang space in the circle).

I have stamped the words, "my pride, my joy, my deeya, my aarya" behind the pendant to represent their grandmother's feelings for her grandchildren Deeya and Aarya.

The chain is a sterling silver rolo. I made the clasp with sterling silver wire, and wire-wrapped a tiny pearl on it to represent motherly/grandmotherly love. I hope she will like her gift :-).

A ring for a girl named Anna...

2009-06-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

This sterling silver spinner ring is for a very special person called Anna Taylor. She placed an order for a sterling silver spinner ring with these words to be stamped on it:

"I love, I dream, I believe, I sing, I share". These words speak a lot about who she is, and how she is.

I know her through a spiritual forum I go to. And I see her generously devoting her time and energy to as many people there as possible, replying to their requests for prayers, wishing them happy birthday, taking part in everyone's joys and sorrows. You can see how she genuinely LOVES everyone. Loving comes easy to some people, and Anna is one of those special people.

She has a dream, which is to reach many many people through the songs she writes and sings. The words of her song are such that they touch the hearts of anyone who reads them or hears them. She also has cerebral palsy because of which she needs crutches or the wheel chair. Yet, when you talk to her online, you will not always be aware of what she faces on a daily basis. She is always listening to people, responding to them, praying with them, laughing with them, holding them when they cry. She is just 29 years old. This beautiful young woman (beautiful to look at, and beautiful within) wants to be a successful singer, and reach many many lives, and let people know that even if they are "different", they can succeed. This is Anna's dream.

And she has faith. She totally believes that she will succeed, and will be able to help many hearts heal.

She sings like an angel. She sings from the depths of her heart. Anna's had a life - long love of music and singing and has shared her voice internationally, with performances in London, Dublin, California and Hawaii. She is currently raising funds to record her debut album with her co - writer and producer, Robert Berry, at his Soundtek Studios in San Jose, California.

On June 4th 2009, her local newspaper featured an article about her and her story. To view the online version and video of Anna, (which includes details of the 'Wall Of Love' where for $US 111 people can sponsor one of 111 hearts and have their initials added to this special page on her website and CD booklet), click here:

http://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/videos/SINGER-ANNA-Taylor-is-hoping.5335003.jpg

To know more about her songs, and her upcoming CD's please visit: http://www.AnnaTaylorMusic.com.

She generously shares of herself, her time, and her wisdom with everyone. Anna is an ANGEL THERAPY PRACTITIONER® certified by Doreen Virtue, PhD. She is also a Theta Healing™ Practitioner. She offers sessions in person in West Sussex, England as well as via telephone and email, and holds monthly Sound Healing Telecalls where she connects with the Angels to offer healing through her voice.

To know more about her, go to her website: http://www.Anna-Taylor.co.uk.

When she asked me to make this ring for her, we thought for a while what words would be most appropriate for her, and when she came up with, "I love, I dream, I believe, I sing, I share", I was thrilled! Because I know Anna, and I know that these words speak a lot about her.

I added a 14K gold-filled spinner ring on top, because gold helps in manifesting dreams. And the spinner ring concept itself comes from the Tibetan prayer wheels where they spin wheels and pray. This action is supposed to help in manifestation too.

I pray that all your dreams are always fulfilled dear Anna! (((hugs)))

This ring is for $70. Plus shipping and handling. If you want such a ring made for you, please contact me.

Blue Topaz Ring

2009-06-13T01:08:00.000-07:00

I had made a similar ring long back which got sold. A lovely lady saw its picture on my Facebook album, and placed an order for it. So here it is, a beautiful emerald cut Blue Topaz, wire wrapped in sterling silver, made into this open, free size ring.

Stamped Silver Stacking Rings

2009-06-05T17:05:00.000-07:00

I am now making sterling silver stacking rings. These rings are 2mm wide, and 1mm thick. I stamp messages on these rings. The rings pictured here is a set of 4 rings I made for myself. They have the 4 agreements from the book "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz stamped on them. Each ring carries one agreement. I love this book, and it helps me keep my sanity when things get tough. The book has 4 very simple "agreements" that it says we should make with ourselves:

1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don't take anything personally.
3. Don't make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.

I HIGHLY recommend this book for anyone who ever has had a tough time with another person. When you read this book, it dissolves all hurt and pain into understanding, stillness and peace. It really works like magic!

I cannot go into details on each agreement here on the post, but I wanted a constant reminder of these agreements at my finger tips so they could always help me. So I made these stacking rings for me to always be reminded of these 4 very important principles.

If you want certain messages that you would like to remind yourself of, or if you want to have stacking rings with names of your children, grand children, your family, or any other affirmations or messages, please let me know your ring size, and the words you would like on these rings. Each ring is for $18. You could start with one ring, and add a collection as time goes by, or you could have a bunch of these rings made together for you.

Lost my blogroll in this "url move" :-(

2009-05-20T23:41:00.000-07:00

I had such a nice list of blogroll here, but in changing the url, I seem to have lost my list :-(. Will need to make it again, and I hope I will remember all the links I had. And I hope I'll remember everyone who has given my link in their blogs, so I can do the same for them. I hope I still have the other list (blogs I "follow") intact. Will go check now.

Amethyst, sterling silver, wire wrapped prong ring

2009-05-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

To buy this ring, go to my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25176190

I have a few of these really pretty emerald cut Amethysts that I bought at Intergem show a couple of years back. Its been a while since I have worked with this particular wire working technique. I had learnt making wire prongs of this kind from Robbie Ward. And when I first learnt it, I was so in love with itthat I made many pieces with prongs of this kind. Then I moved on to weaving wire. A few days back when I was uploading pictures to my facebook account, I saw some of my pieces which were made using this technique and I wanted to make more. Also, I got an order through Facebook from a very sweet lady to make a similar ring in Blue Topaz (a design I have sold before). So while I was waiting for her ring size, I made this ring. My daughter was very happy to see me use this technique again.

The shank is made from square and half-round wires. The ring is "open" and adjustable between sizes 6 and 8.

If you want to a similar ring in another stone, please contact me.

Garnet and Gold-Filled Wire earrings.

2009-05-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

Got sold today itself! :-)) I wrote this blog entry this morning, wrote about it on Facebook and Twitter, and a wonderful gentleman on Facebook bought these and my bio-lemon drop earrings :-)). Thank you Andrew! :-))

I was going to make hoops, but then 1/4 way (yes, exactly 0.25 of the way ;-) ) I decided I wanted to try a spiral earring instead. So I first made these spiral earrings in 14k Gold-filled wire, hammered it, and was going to leave it at that. It looked pretty good that way. But 2 days later I changed my mind (of course), and now we have Garnet beads woven/coiled on the spiral frame. These are beads that I totally fell in love with. They are absolutely gorgeous, and one of those things I went over my budget to buy.

AMETHYST: physical, chemical and metaphysical properties

2009-05-13T00:58:00.000-07:00

Description & lore:

This is a transparent stone, mostly purple/violet in color. Its crystals are pointed, and they can be found as cluster, as geodes or as single points in various sizes. They are found in a few different colors like various shades of Purple and Violet. Some are pink in color, and then there are green ones too. The name Amethyst means "not drunken" in Greek :-). It used to be thought of as an antidote for drunkenness.

There are many variations of the mythical story of Amethyst. Here is one. The story goes that the Greek God Dionysus was really upset with a mortal. So he got very revengeful (as Gods in stories are supposed to get often! lol!), and swore that the next mortal he sees has had it! That poor mortal would be eaten up by his tigers. I wonder though, why he didn't go after the guy who made him angry in the first place. Anyway, back to the story. The next mortal who came in his path happened to be a lovely damsel called "Amethyst". She was on her way to pay her respects to the Greek Goddess Diana. Now Diana, being the smart woman she was (or is?), knew the damsel Amethyst was going to be in much distress if she didn't help. So she turned Amethyst
into pure crystalline quartz. When Dionysus saw this absolutely gorgeous crystalline statue of a very lovely damsel, he cried...and he cried tears of...WINE! Cool, isn't it? ;-) So this wine he wept was purple in color, and all his tears flowed all over Amethyst's statue...turning Amethyst completely purple. And that's how my friends we have Amethyst to make jewelry with ;-).

I wonder...did Diana ever change the poor damsel back into human?

Physical & Chemical properties:

Amethyst is the most valuable variety of Quartz, and it occurs in crystal form. The color purple of Amethyst is due to the presence of Manganese and the variation in the coloration is due the Iron content. It has a specific gravity of 2.65, and its hardness is 7 at Mohs' scale. The chemical formula is SiO2 (Silicon Dioxide), the crystal system is Tetrahedral. If you heat Amethyst, it turns colorless or yellow. Most commercial Citrine is made by heating Amethyst to yellow color.

Metaphysical properties:

It is the birthstone of people born in February. Amethyst is said to raise consciousness and intuitive abilities. It is a powerful stone to use in healing and protection. It opens, clears, balances and stimulates the throat & the heart chakras. It clears auras. It is protective and transmutes all lower energies like anger, fear etc. Amethyst inspires creativity. It gives rise to divine, selfless love, love for God, and promotes loyalty in relationships.

It helps relieve one of physical and emotional pain. And it is said to balance the production of hormones. If you have trouble sleeping, keeping an Amethyst crystal under your pillow is said to aid in having a good restful sleep. Keeping Amethyst around when you sleep also helps in having out of body experiences. You might also get intuitive dreams.

If you are injured, it is said to help reduce bruising. It heals hearing disorders, digestive problems, and headaches.

Amethyst opens a conscious channel between your earthly self and your spiritual self. It calms you down and makes you more at peace. It makes you compassionate and heals troubles from this life as well as the past lives.

It aids in contacting your spirit guides and angels, and helps in channeling divine messages.

This stone also helpful for people who are about to cross over to the other side. Amethyst is said to help with mental disorders, but it should not be used in cases of schizophrenia and paranoia.

Amethyst is a great stone for using in jewelry because of its strong healing powers and high vibration. It is especially helpful as a pendant that hangs over the throat chakra or the heart chakra.

Sources of Amethyst:

Brazil, Canada, East Africa, USA, UK, India, Mexico, Russia, Sri Lanka, Siberia, Uruguay.

Credits:

Over the years I have read many books, internet articles on gemstones because I just LOVE gemstones. And I have collected points that I found interesting, in my notebook. I don't remember all of these sources because there are so many. But some of my favorite books on crystals and gemstones are "Love is in the Earth", "Gems and Astrology", "The Crystal Bible".

Tourmaline, Green Gold, sterling silver, gold filled, woven, wire wrapped earrings

2009-05-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

To buy these or to see more pictures, go to http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24908216 I am offering free shipping during May and June for celebrating the opening of my new Etsy shop for wire jewelry.

These earrings are 3" long from the top of the ear wires to the bottom of the green gold drops. They are 1.1" wide at their widest part. The green gold drops are 15mm long, and beautifully faceted. The tourmaline beads that border the frame are micro-faceted and glitter in light. I have blacked the sterling silver wire, and used 14K gold-filled wire for design inside, and for the hand made ear wires. The combination of black and gold looks very dramatic.

The stones are so beautifully faceted and of such high quality that when you wear them, they catch and reflect light absolutely divinely! To me this is very important when buying most faceted stones. They should reflect light really nicely.

I have tried them on with regular dresses for the day time, and really "dressy" party dresses for night time, and strangely they look perfectly great on both kinds of outfits. They give a very feminine and elegant look.

PLEASE NOTE:
----------------
I always change the ear wires to new ones before selling them.

I am still learning how to photograph gemstones properly so my photographs really don't show how remarkable all these stones are.

Healing properties:
-------------------
Tourmalines are said to enhance understanding, increase self-confidence and amplify psychic energies. It is also said to dispel negative energies, fear and grief. They help with concentration and communication. They energize you, and also relax your body and mind, and relieve you of anxiety. It is said that Tourmalines help with arthitis pain and heart disease.

I won an award at a juried art show!!

2009-05-08T01:26:00.000-07:00

Yep! I'm on cloud 9. At school they have a juried art show going on for the entire arts department (jewelry, painting, drawing, sculpting, digital media, photography...and I don't know what else is under "Arts" here at school). I submitted my prayer box pendant from last semester's "Fabrication Jewelry" course. It was my final project...quite tough for me to do, and I almost melted the entire thing down while making it. LOL! My teacher was Theresa Vu. After I submitted my entry, I dreamt that my entry was rejected by the jury. And when I woke up I thought...yeah...maybe...there were mistakes in it. And many times I've had very prophetic dreams, so I took this one seriously too.

However, I was very happily surprised when last Tuesday the head of the jewelry department walked into our class (casting class) and said that I had won an award! I didn't know till then that it was even accepted in the show! LOL!! So this was a huge surprise and a huge honor too. The pictures above are of course that of the winner.

To read the whole story behind this piece, what it means, what it stands for, what it is made to be, please read: http://takung.blogspot.com/2008/12/prayer-box-pendant.html

Signature/Handwriting rings

2009-05-05T23:50:00.000-07:00

I got the idea from the book "500 Wedding Rings". These are also made through lost wax casting. In the book, the rings were made from additive process (adding wax). But I don't have the expensive equipment to do that, so I used my good old hands and a needle and made these through reductive process (carving out wax). My ring has my hubby's signature on it, and hubby's ring has my signature on it. Quite pleased with it :-))).

When I finally buy casting equipment, I would love to offer jewelry with things written in people's own handwriting, or making jewelry with finger prints...I feel this kind of jewelry will be close to people's hearts. Having jewelry with words written in your own handwriting, or in the handwriting of someone you love or admire, or wearing jewelry with finger prints of the ones you love...these things can have sentimental value for people...I know it does for me.

Of course, I can always etch these on copper and then roller print on silver (because I hate to etch away silver). Might try that too one of these days.

Wooohooo!! My Upper Case Kismet Stamps are ALMOST here!

2009-05-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

Sometime back I had received my lowercase Kismet stamps, and have been making stamped jewelry with those fonts. Today I received a notification from Beaducation that my upper case stamps have arrived as well! I'm so happy!! LOVE this font!!! It should be in my hands in a few days now :-))))))).

New blog name and url, new Etsy shop etc

2009-05-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am FLEUR VIOLETTE JEWELRY now :-). I will be changing the url of this blog too very soon. So if you have been following my blog, the url of my blog is soon going to be:

http://FleurVioletteJewelry.Blogspot.com

I have a new Etsy shop as well:

Fleur Violette Jewelry at http://FleurVioletteJewelry.Etsy.com

Why did I change everything? A very very long story. I am sure you do not want to know ;-). Anyway, the important thing is jewelry. What's in the name after all? :-P

My First Lost Wax Casting Piece

2009-05-02T22:17:00.000-07:00

This is the very first piece, a sterling silver ring, I made through the lost wax casting process. I highly recommend the books: Basic Wax Modeling - An Adventure in Creativity by Hiroshi Tsuyuki, and Practical Wax Modeling Advanced Techniques for the Wax Modeler by Hiroshi Tsuyuki and Yoko Ohba for learning how to carve wax. The books are project based, and each chapter is a project. The projects are explained step by step, with pictures. Haven't yet seen any other book like these! My ring was made following one of the chapters from the first book. Mine has a tiny "twist" of its own...lol...but mostly I have made it following the steps given in the book. I know, I should have taken pictures of the wax model too. But I am mostly in such a hurry that I never got around to doing that for all my lost wax pieces so far. For my next one I will take pictures of each step as far as possible.

Stamped Personalized Copper Spinner Ring

2009-04-13T00:29:00.001-07:00

You can place your order for this kind of a copper spinner ring here and let me know the ring size, and the words you want stamped on it in the "notes to seller" section. Price is $39 + $4 shipping & handling.
My friend Tammy makes the nicest spinner rings I have seen. She makes them in silver, gold-filled, copper, brass, mixed metal. She's the queen of spinner rings! If you look back several months into my blog, I had made a kind of a spinner ring...not really a spinner, but a fluted silver ring with another fitting roller textured ring on top that had a Tourmaline set in it. After seeing spinner rings by Tammy, I wanted to make some too. She helped me with very helpful instructions. Thank you Tammy! :-)))

So this is my version of spinner rings, 1/2" wide....of course, stamped all over with my favorite Kismet stamps! LOL! The words are (if you're wondering), "Whenever I want you, all I have to do, is dream...". Oh I can make up a neat little love story about my beloved so faaaaar away...and me pining for him and singing these words. But nah...no such interesting story. Mr. Beloved is happily sleeping with beloved baby, while I have my kid-free time here.

These words are from the song "All I Have To Do Is Dream" by The Everly Brothers. Its a beyoooootiful song! And the reason I stamped these words is because these were the words that were stuck in my mind when I was making this ring. Know how sometimes some songs just get stuck in your mind? Yeah that. But I didn't mind it, because its a lovely song. Here are the lyrics:

Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
When I want you in my arms
When I want you and all your charms
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream

When I feel blue in the night
And I need you to hold me tight
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam

I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
Anytime night or day
Only trouble is, gee whiz
I'm dreamin' my life away

I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam

I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
Anytime night or day
Only trouble is, gee whiz
I'm dreamin' my life away

I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream

The spinner is made of 20 gauge copper wire which I have twisted and have inlaid silver solder in the twists. I must say it is a LOT of fun to wear this ring and keep spinning the spinner! Its quite addictive. LOL!

Next I am going to make this in silver and in brass...and find some other words to stamp all over it. Do you have any suggestions? These will be for sale on my Etsy store soon: http://PurpleflowerSwati.Etsy.com/

These rings make great personalized and meaningful gifts because you choose words that have special meaning to you or the person this ring is for.

How to clean tarnished Copper

2009-04-11T00:14:00.000-07:00

Ketchup or lemon juice + salt are very good for cleaning up your tarnished copper jewelry, in case you like it all clean and shiny :-). After cleaning it and washing the ketchup or lemon juice off, polish it well with a handy-dandy sunshine polishing cloth...and its as good as new! :-)

And Tammy added in the comments: Worchestershire sauce or vinegar and salt work great too! Thank you Tammy!

Stamped and domed personalized earrings

2009-04-10T01:15:00.000-07:00

You can place your order here, and let me know the words you want stamped on your copper earrings in the "notes to seller" section.

Copper Earrings: $23 + $4 s&h

You can place your order here, and let me know the words you want stamped on your sterling silver earrings in the "notes to seller" section.

Sterling Silver Earrings: $38 + $4 s&h

My new love -- Copper! I never used to pay much attention to copper, so in love with silver I was. I always used it as practice metal. Sheet or wire. But recently I have been paying attention to copper jewelry made by a few other jewelry artists, and I just loved the look of copper in their work. Today to play more with my new Kismet stamps, and to use my disc cutting tool, I again pulled out a copper sheet....yeah...once more to use as "practice metal". Punched out a few discs, stamped some words on them...then felt like doming them....then felt like making earrings out of them, and I did just that...went ahead and polished them too....and what do you know? I have a new love in my life! COPPER! I just LOVE how pretty its color is. I am in no hurry to antique it. Right now I am in love with its pretty color. It looks pinkish. I could not do justice to it in the photographs, but here they are!

And then I went ahead and made a pair in silver too. However, this is the first time I like my copper ones better than the silver ones.

I stamped these words inspired by a wonderful jewelry artist: Chris Kerr. She often stamps her jewelry with beautiful words. And just by looking at those words in her jewelry I feel really good. So inspired by her work, I stamped words like Love, Faith, Joy, Peace.

These earrings make great personalized gifts because the words you choose are meaningful and special to you or the person these earrings are for.

Stamped personalized rings

2009-04-07T14:11:00.001-07:00

To order your ring, please click the buy now button, and let me know your ring size and the word(s) you want stamped in the "notes to seller section".
Price: $40 + $4 s&h

I got my new lowercase Kismet font stamps from Beaducation! The "i am" ring is an order. And I made the "i breathe" ring for me because I have started doing yogic breathing exercises (pranayams), and this ring is to remind me to do my exercise. The breathing exercises have helped a lot with my migraines :-).

These rings are 18 gauge in thickness and 4mm wide. These rings make great personalized gifts with names, or other meaningful words stamped on them. They also make great gifts to yourself to use positive words as affirmations, or any other words that hold special meaning to you.

Bio Lemon drops necklace, earrings

2009-03-18T23:43:00.000-07:00

These Bio-Lemon briolettes are simply GORGEOUS! I am unable to photograph them well. But they are really really LOVELY! The colors of those drops is a beautiful golden brown...kind of hard to describe. They are beautifully translucent, with awesome deeper brown line patterns inside. But in the photograph they're looking like dark brown opaque blobs! LOL! I will have to try and photograph them better. The wire is fine silver and sterling silver. The set is embellished with a sprinkle of fresh water pearls. The knot on the top of the pendant is called a "Danish Knot". Love this knot! :-) To see more detail, click on the pictures to see them enlarged.

Swan Earrings - Designed by my daughter

2009-03-18T23:35:00.000-07:00

These earrings are designed by my 11 year old daughter. She made the ones on the left, without the pearls. They are made with craft wire. I tried to copy her (in sterling silver and pearls), but the shape of mine didn't turn out as good as hers! Booohoooo!! But I am very very proud of her, that she could come up with some design herself, and made the shape and showed it to me. No help from me till there! I just showed her how to weave. I didn't try to teach her the weaving...I had a migraine...so I told her I'll weave one, you watch, and if you can follow it, do it....or else, I'm sorry, I'm in no mood to teach right now. Well, she saw me do it, and did it exactly like that in the other earring! Did I say I am proud of her? :-) Click on the picture to see it bigger.

Blue Sapphire Earrings

2009-03-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

These are made with fine silver wire, sterling silver wire, Sapphire beads and Blue-Grey Quartz briollettes.

Spreader of Love Award :-)

2009-03-06T00:14:00.000-08:00

Yep, I was lucky enough to be given this award again :-D. Janice gave me this award because I stalk her on her blog, and go there everyday religiously trying to convince her that she should have a 1-person giveaway draw :-D where she writes only my name on a piece of paper, puts it in her tumbler, shakes it around, and then pick my name out and announces, "SURPRISE! Swati you won the giveaway from ALLLLL the 1 people!!! You get this beautiful ring I made!!!!". If you want to see the ring, see http://doxallodesigns.blogspot.com/2009/03/tft-and-other-stuff.html Yeah! That one! Or as my little one would say, "Thaaaa one!".

Janice has her blog at: http://doxallodesigns.blogspot.com/. She has been my inspiration from the time I first started making jewelry a couple of years or more back. I met her at Connie Fox's online forum. I had just started out with making wire jewelry, and was going to start some metalsmithing classes. She had posted this picture of a pendant she had made. A silver pendant, with a stone bezel set in it, and some wire squiggly soldered on. I was soooooo amazed at that pendant (and that was really a simple pendant compared to what she does now!), I had asked her on the forum if I would also be able to make jewelry like her one day if I took metalsmithing classes. She had very kindly replied, "Of course, and you will make things even better!". I saw the link to her online jewelry forum in her signature, and followed her to her forum. Been drooling over her pieces ever since, and been picking her brains ever since about various metalsmithing questions :-). And she has patiently answered every question. She is a LOVELY person!

I would invite you all to join her forum...its a really fun set of people there! :-).

Now its my turn, and here is what one needs to do:

The award goes like this...to any of my blogging friends out there, who take the time to leave a comment, a word of encouragement, or a compliment on something that I created and shared. The rules are:

1. The winner may put the logo on their blog.
2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
3. Nominate 5 blogs.
4. Put links to their blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.

Five people I nominate:
1. Sapna Ramakrishnan: She is the one who always leaves comments for me, and encourages me. But she doesn't have a blog. Why? I have no clue. She is an AMAZING writer! She can twist words around her little finger (in a good and funny way). And I have begged and pleaded with her to write....write anything. Even threatened to kill her with meningitits, lions that escape from zoos, but so far no effect.
2. Kitty of Perles and Life: She always has a word of encouragement for me at YOJ, and even in my email. And she makes beyooootiful jewelry. Must visit her blog!
3. Natasha, my 11 year old. She is always there with nice words for my work, and loves to make jewelry with me.
4. Dana Raphael: My loooooooooooong time online friend. We have never met in person, but I can easily say she is one of my bestest buddies :-). She has bought a lot of jewelry from me, and always makes me feel like I am an amazing artist!
5. And last but not the least....the one who gave me this award last time: Tammy of Tammy's Treasure Chest! I couldn't turn around and give her the same award she gave me, so now I get to give it to her. She is one of the SWEETEST people I have known. And she will go out of her way to help anyone!

Giveaway by "Chocolate and Steel" blog

2009-03-05T23:55:00.000-08:00

Hi all! Want this beautiful ring? Go see Chocolate and Steel blog, where you will learn how to get this lovely ring! And while you are there, feel free to drool over all the lovely jewelry! :-))

Square Blue Sapphire Pendant

2009-02-27T15:40:00.000-08:00

I had bought this large square blue opaque Sapphire quite sometime back. Finally I set it in laced sterling silver wire bezel :-).

Back to simplicity

2009-02-27T15:23:00.001-08:00

To buy these, click here.

These are pink blush faux pearls. The earwires and pendant are made of sterling silver wire.

Tagged!

2009-02-27T14:47:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by Janice of "A Metalsmith's Journey". The mission is to go to the 4th picture in your picture files and post it and write about it, and then tag 4 more.

This picture was taken on 4th February 1998. That's my baby daughter (my first born) who was barely 1 month old then (now 11 years old), in my brother's lap. She was screaming her lungs out, and my brother decided to follow suit :-P. This picture was taken with my first ever digital camera, a Mavica that used to use floppy disks :-).

Now to tag 4 more:

1. Melissa of Kelsi's Closet
2. Nikki of Nikki Pollard Jewellry Journal
3. Kitty of Perles and Life
4. Tammy of Tammy's Treasure Chest

:-) Thank you Janice!

Spreader of Love Award :-)

2009-02-22T22:43:00.001-08:00

Couple of days back when I woke up and checked my blog, I saw a beautiful message from a lovely lady called Tammy. She had sent me "The Spreader of Love" award for blogs. She said, "The award is supposed to go to people who take the time to leave a comment, or a word of encouragement, or a compliment on something that I created." And now I have to find 5 such people who encourage me by leaving comments on my blog. I could easily turn around and give this award to her, because not only does she encourage me, she helps me with answering any and all questions I might have about selling, jewelry, or just about anything :-). But I suppose I have to give these to new people.

The rules are:

1. The winner may put the logo on their blog.

2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
3. Nominate 5 blogs.
4. Put links to their blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.

My five picks, in no particular order are:

Tracey of KT Vestitures

Dave Robertson of Rings & Things
Joanna of NotYourAverageJoJo
Tracy of Orange Starfish Designs
Cathie of January Girl Designs

Wire Prong Ring Tutorial

2009-02-14T17:31:00.001-08:00

My first tutorial is here!! :-)

This is a 39 page tutorial for a spiral-prongs ring made of wire. This is a high resolution image heavy file, so the file size is big. I have explained the process in steps, and each step has 1 or more pictures to explain it further.

There is no soldering involved. Here is a list of materials needed:

1)12 cm/4.7 inches of 18 gauge or 20 gauge round, dead soft wire.
2)60 cm/23.6 inches of 26 gauge dead soft round wire.
3)25mm x1 8 mm cabochon.
4)8 cm/3.1 inches 20 gauge half round wire – half hard for binding the ring shank at the bottom.
Or you can use 22 gauge round wire.
5)Masking tape.
6)Flat nose pliers.
7)Round nose pliers.
8)Chain nose pliers.
9)Ruler.
10)Ring mandrel.
11)Ring Sizer.
12)Polishing cloth.

If you have any problems in making this ring, please email me.

I will manually email the file to you within 24 hours of payment, but in case you do not receive the file within 24 hours, please email me.

This tutorial is in PDF format and you will need Adobe Acrobat reader to view it. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader, please download a free copy at:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Thank you for your interest! :-))

First Cuttlefish bone casting: Fleur de lis

2009-02-12T15:28:00.000-08:00

This is done in Bronze. The Fleur-de-lis seems to follow me! I seem to see it everywhere :-). So I decided to make my first casting project a Fleur-de-lis. I'm going to make it a pin.

My first ever hoop earrings

2009-02-01T17:26:00.000-08:00

These hoops are made with sterling silver wire, sterling silver beads and fresh water pearls.

Green Gold earrings

2009-02-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

These are Green Gold briolettes with fine silver wire. I have balled up the wire ends, and then made bead caps with them for the briolettes.

My jewelry is in a museum!

2009-01-30T12:03:00.000-08:00

See all these people stopping by to see my creation? I'm so proud! Hahaha! Oh well, like my friend Kitty (who's idea this was) said, I can dream, can't I? ;-) To get your own pictures in a museum, or for other cool digital effects, go to http://www.dumpr.net/.

A Leafy Ring

2009-01-22T14:15:00.000-08:00

Made with Sterling silver, fine silver, and Citrine. :-)

YOJ Week 3: Claude Monet: Water Lily Pond. A Blue Topaz, Citrine and silver pendant

2009-01-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

The third week's theme is Claude Monet. So I picked up his most famous art work: Water Lily Pond. I decided to make a Blue water lily with Blue Topaz, Citrine, sterling silver and fine silver wire, and here is my lily.

YOJ Week2: Chunky Blue Sapphire necklace

2009-01-19T19:47:00.001-08:00

The pendant is a huge Blue Sapphire, 167 carats, opaque, wrapped in hand woven sterling silver wire. The chain is really long, and made of segments of handmade sterling silver viking knit (single knit), and Sodalite beads and silver Bali beads. The clasp too is handmade with 16 gauge sterling silver wire. To see the picture clearly, click on the picture, and you'll see an enlarged version.

My Own Ruby Ring: Wire wrapped ring tutorial

2009-01-11T14:35:00.000-08:00

Yes! This is my very own! My own to wear, and my own because I designed it...and I am going to make a tutorial out of it. I do like it a lot. And it is really simple to make. At least I think so. And after tumbling, the sterling silver prongs are holding SO tight! I am very proud of it. The stone is an opaque Ruby, and the wire is sterling silver. No soldering was involved.

TUTORIAL COMING SOON! :-D

Valentine's Day...romance, love, affection...sweetness: Carnelian Heart Necklace

2009-01-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

To buy this, please go to my Etsy Store.

With Christmas and New year gone, I was thinking how there's going to be a long blah period. I totally forgot the sweetness that Valentines Day brings! What does Valentine's Day mean to you? When I was younger, it meant romance. But now as a wife, a mum, a daughter, a daughter-in-law, a sister, a friend, a sister-in-law, aunt...and so many other roles that have become important, Valentines Day means simply Love....sweetness. It is also the day I met my sweet hubby for the first time. Valentines Day is a day for me to wish anyone I love...and there are so many I love. So many that I can't count. I hope it is the same with you.

So for Valentine's Day, I made this sweet necklace. A deep orange Carnelian heart, wrapped in sterling silver wires, following Judy Feskun's tutorial. Pearls too stand for innocence, love and sweetness for me, so I hung this pendant on a simple string of pearls, finished with a hand made sterling silver clasp. The fresh water pearls chain is 17.5" with the clasp.

This got me thinking...love is a great subject. I think for a while I will focus on making pieces on themes of love...on the world's greatest romances, Divine Love, affection, love between different relations. Do you have a great love story to tell me on which I could possibly base a piece? If you do, email me at cobaltblueastrid@yahoo.com.

My blog says I am....

2009-01-08T10:54:00.000-08:00

ESTP - The Doers

The active and playful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.

Go to http://typealyzer.com to check your type from your blog's first page.

Peas for Mary

2009-01-06T18:20:00.001-08:00

This pendant is made for a wonderful person called Mary. The pea pod is adapted from a tutorial on peapods at http://www.rings-things.com/ (go to the design link, and then to the "sweet pea" tutorial). Or, go to http://www.rings-things.com/gallery/thumbnails-55.html and click on the Sweet Pea tutorial. For some reason I can't get to the direct link. Dave (owner of the Rings-Things store) has graciously given the direct link here in the comments...see if you can get there by clicking it. For some reason I cannot. At any rate, its a great online store for jewelry supplies, tutorials etc. Take a look around over there :-).

I have changed it a little by twisting the shape of the pod instead of keeping it straight, so the pod twists to the left. And I did not making any holes...instead I soldered the wire and made tendrils with it. The sheet is sterling silver and the wire is fine silver.

Long Bio Lemon Quartz Earrings

2009-01-05T18:18:00.001-08:00

To buy this pair of earrings, please go to my Etsy Store.

These are approximately 2.5" in length from the top of the earwire to the bottom of the gemstone.

These Bio Lemon briolettes are so gorgeous that I didn't have the heart to make more elaborate wire forms around them. They needed FULL attention! These and another bunch of briolettes I bought are just amazing!! And they dangle so sweetly, reflecting light...they look awesome. They are wrapped in sterling silver wire, and hang from hand made sterling silver earwires.

Prayer Box Pendant

2008-12-14T23:11:00.000-08:00

This is a special pendant, made especially for me. :-) If you want something similar, let me know, and you and I can make one especially for you! :-).

This is made with sterling silver sheet. I have etched the inside of the box with a sacred Indian symbol called the "Sri Yantra". It is a symbol of manifestation, healings, and Divine blessings. The lid of the box has 7 petals sawed into it. I have hand made the prong basket, and set a 36 carat lemon yellow Topaz in it. Topaz is said to be a very powerful stone in aiding manifestation, healing, abundance and it is also said to bring much joy to the wearer. I have bezel set 7 small Lapis Lazuli cabochons around the Topaz.

The way I will use it is, I will write down my prayers for anyone in a small piece of paper, and will put it in inside my pendant. The length of the chain makes the pendant hang right at my heart. This way, anyone I pray for, will always be within the healing energies of the heart center.

The chain is a single viking knit, made in 24 gauge sterling silver wire.

Mallika's bracelet

2008-12-14T23:07:00.000-08:00

A very special little girl said to me, she wanted a bracelet in pearls for her birthday. So I made this one especially for her her lovely delicate wrist. These are pink fresh water pearls, and the clasp is a silver Bali one.

Tagged!

2008-12-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

I've had the honor of being tagged by dear Nikki...one of my jewelry making online friends who's work I really really love! :-) Now I need to tag 7 people who have blogs, and list 7 random things about myself. Like Nikki said, finding 7 people who haven't been tagged yet will be difficult, so I'm sure I'll tag people who have already been tagged. :-)))

7 Random things about me:

1. I wake up really really late.
2. I'm a hopeless romantic.
3. I'm crazy about angels.
4. I'm a dreamer, and most of the times I live in my dream world.
5. Swords and wings fascinate me.
6. I have developed pimples on my chin.
7. There are beautiful mountains in front of my house.

So now I have to find 7 people to tag...this will take a while :-).

Ruby necklace

2008-11-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

The stone is an opaque Ruby, color enhanced. The pendant is made with sterling silver, and the chain is a single knit Viking knit chain. The clasp and chain extensions are made with sterling silver wire. The necklace has been heavily antiqued.

Natasha's Amethyst Moon

2008-11-08T17:49:00.001-08:00

Tube setting

2008-11-08T17:11:00.000-08:00

I have set a CZ in a sterling silver tube on a sterling silver circle which I have domed. What you are seeing is the convex side. The historical importance of this piece is, that I was setting this stone right at the time when Obama was declared winner of the presidential elections in November of 2008. Many see him as a light within a very dark period. The darkness being the situation of economic recession, increased crime rate as a result of economic hardships that people are facing, wars around in this world, terrorism etc. And many look upon him as one who will bring about change - for the better. And in this way, this pendant signifies this situation, where the silver disk is darkened with silver black, and the cubic zirconia shines brilliantly in the middle of it all. I wish I had a diamond to set, but since I don't, CZ will have to do :-).

What Your Taste in Art Says about You

2008-11-07T12:11:00.000-08:00

This is what it says about me :-).

Your result for What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test...

Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.

19 Impressionist, 13 Islamic, -2 Ukiyo-e, -27 Cubist, -21 Abstract and 7 Renaissance!

Impressionism is a movement in French painting, sometimes called optical realism because of its almost scientific interest in the actual visual experience and effect of light and movement on appearance of objects. Impressionist paintings are balanced, use colored shadows, use pure color, broken brushstrokes, thick paint, and scenes from everyday life or nature.

People that like Impressionist paintings may not alway be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others. They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions. The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of grey and muted colors. They like things to be aestically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impresssionist personality views the world from many different aspects. They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.

Take What Your Taste in Art Says About You Test at HelloQuizzy

Poppy Jasper Pendant

2008-11-06T11:03:00.000-08:00

Ok, this didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. In fact it is VERY different from what I had in mind, but this ain't bad either ;-).

Made with Poppy Jasper and sterling silver.

Name stamped Cherry Quartz Pendant

2008-10-31T17:33:00.001-07:00

I had made this tiny pendant for my 10 year old's buddy Anu. Sterling silver and Cherry Quartz. Her name is stamped on it.

Chrysolcolla Pendant

2008-10-31T15:52:00.000-07:00

Made with a lovely Chrysocolla cabochon and sterling silver.

Tourmaline Movable Ring

2008-10-31T15:48:00.001-07:00

Made of sterling silver. The band on top is movable, and is roller printed with the veins of a dry leaf. The stone is Tourmaline. Size 7.

Jade Necklace

2008-10-31T15:43:00.000-07:00

Made with Orange Jade central briolette, fresh water pearls, tiny white and honey Jade beads and sterling silver and fine silver wire.

All cold connections piece

2008-10-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

This is a Jasper set in sterling silver...this piece uses only cold connections...no torch has been used. The chain is made with fine silver wire and green fresh water pearls.

South Sea Shell pearls earrings

2008-09-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

I had made these earrings a while back, but never got around to taking pictures. So the silver has tarnished a bit. Maybe I should oxidize it completely.

The big dangly pearls are South Sea Shell pearls...man made from shells. The teeny pearls are fresh water pearls.

Wire sculpted tiny pendants

2008-09-25T22:56:00.000-07:00

These are both oval Amethyst cabochons and sterling silver wire.

Hearts Entwined

2008-07-23T23:42:00.001-07:00

This was made from Eni Oken's tutorial. Gold filled wire, Ametrine, and Green Amethyst.

Tarun's Cradle

2008-05-28T16:50:00.001-07:00

This necklace is made for a new mum, who is absolutely in love with her baby. The sentiment behind this necklace is, "I will always cradle you within my heart, my child, my love, my Tarun". Tarun is the name of the baby. The pendant is a cradle, made of sterling silver and fine silver. There is a hand made fine silver heart inside the cradle with Tarun's name written on it. Also attached to the heart is a green fresh water pearl. Four Turquoise beads hang from the cradle. The chain is a sterling silver rolo chain. The clasp is handmade too with sterling silver, fine silver and a fresh water pearl. :-)

Click on a picture to see an enlarged photo.

YOJ Week 18: Sacred Rites - Childbirth

2008-05-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

These earrings are made with flat Kyanite briolettes, sterling silver and fine silver wire. They speak about child birth...the silver frames depict the womb, and the Kyanite is the new life, going through the birthing process, making its way to ths world.

YOJ Week 17: Citrine earrings

2008-04-29T23:32:00.001-07:00

These are earrings made with delicious looking Citrine briolettes, small Citrine and Carnelian beads, fine silver, and sterling silver wire.

Week 15: Hello all! Back from India :-)

2008-04-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

I am back from my India trip...I was disappointed because I was so busy I had only one day to go gemstone shopping.

Anyway, here is my week 15 entry. Not on theme. This one is inspired from Lisa's jewelry. I love her work!

This pendant is made from a Turquoise briolette, and sterling silver wire, antiqued.

YOJ Week 14

2008-04-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

I'm updating the blog after a long time. Was away in India...so the weeks of YOJ don't seem to be following any normal sequence.

This was another order to complete before going. This is a tiny quartz crystal, very special to a young man. His girlfriend is going away on a long trip, and he wants her to go with complete freedom, so that she is free to be herself, free to do whatever she wants with her life. He says he wants to set his love free, and if the love returns, it was his, or else...it never was. So he wanted me to create a pendant for her with this crystal that means a lot to him, and give it butterfly wings to symbolize his setting her free. She is looking for her Celtic roots, so he wanted Celtic symbols in the wings, and he wanted most of the wings to be empty space, because he wanted the crystal to be the focus. So that is what I did. I added the Celtic Triquetra on the tips of the wings. And the rest of it is mostly free. He was very specific about what he wanted...and thankfully he was more than happy with the result because according to him it "matched his vision and then some".