Natural Turquoise .... Petals Necklace

Recently found this gorgeous natural Turquoise gemstones in beautiful green & blue tones with characteristic veins & earthy inclusions that add lots of character & uniqueness to each piece. While being natural gemstone & not dyed, this Turquoise is skillfully stabilized for strength - the stabilization is of very high quality & does not deter from or enhance the natural beauty of this gemstone, while making it strong enough for continuous wear. Those of you familiar with natural, un-enhanced Turquoise will know how brittle & absorbing the gemstone is, so a skillful enhancement that doesn't change the look of this gorgeous gemstone is very welcome.

First in creations is this Petals Necklace. Simple & versatile. Something that can be worn every day & with just about anything. It is made with oxidized sterling silver but can also be made in bright sterling silver on request.

For personal keeping

Something I recently cooked up & because there are a few flaws (there always are first time round even if you have done parts of the process a thousand times before!) I'm thinking of keeping this one to myself :D

Ruby, Australian Opal & Moonstone

(might cook-up something similar for sale at some point as I still have some stone left :D )

Rainy days, end of summer, autumn beginnings, endless inspiration

A lot of my inspiration comes from the surroundings. As it happens, it has been raining on the West Coast of Scotland for a VERY long time now, so long that I cannot remember when we've had the last sunny day. Yep, it's that bad. It's even worse as I love my walks & in this weather no amount of waterproofs will keep you dry for any length of time. Just as well we're beside the sea and on a hill - the water just gushes down gardens, gutters, pavements, roads and into the sea. All this rain also provides an immense amount of inspiration. Here are some examples:

Waterfall $44

Rain at Midnight $26

Ocean Deep $32

Golden Sea Dust $48

Destiny Ball $38

Blue Loch $22

Featured - Combustion Glassworks

Tara's work speaks volumes - it's bold, full of colour, full of ideas and originality. In her shop you will find many items that will make you fall in love with them in an instant. From pendants and hairpins to wine stoppers, plates, and re-cycled bottles that are made into spoon rests - there is plenty to choose from and each item will make a wonderful addition to your accessories, your home or a truly unique present for someone special. As she puts it herself:

My work is certainly out of the box and I take full advantage of an artform that is so customizable! Dichroic glass & Copper used in the funnest ways, lots of smashing, and a ton of love!

Oceanside Picnic Platter $90

Decadence Rainbow Winestopper Gift Set $50

Beer Bottle Spoonrest $15

June

With May almost half-way through I keep on thinking about June - in our family it was always a month of birthdays, including mine, so, maybe, that's why the things that I associate with June took over head and dictated this treasury. Cherries, strawberries, the abundance of blue skies and swifts flying by, oh, yeah, and more cherries!

little things

Holy Isle is really beatiful on a slightly misty day, or any day, cocooned between the sea and the sky - a constant inspiration. It is also a Buddist retreat, and for some reason the knowledge of this also brings a more accute sense of tranquility.

My new treasury featuring fellow Jet team members

& one amazing clock :D

Straining fingers

In the last few days I got to thinking that I somewhat was avoiding doing the kind of earrings I just adore, mainly because these types of design require sacrificing your fingers and your eyes and a lifetime of hours. Well, I took a plunge and for a few days straight disciplined myself enough to sit down and get some of them done.
Each silver part is handcrafted, put together, wired together, oxidized etc by my own hands. Terribly time consuming, especially with all those tiny 2mm-can-hardly-see-them-going-blind beads. No nails left after all that metal-working, but I'm pretty satisfied with the result. Here they are:
PS. I must have enjoyed doing them - I'm working on similarly complex designs in gold now :)

More items added to my Etsy shop.

These are the latest additions to my Etsy shop. As you can see, I don't really have a favourite style where jewellery is concerned. How can I? There are so many occasions, so many moods, so many outfits and hairstyles ... and each one deserves a different kind of sparkle!

~Blue River~ & ~Pink Rose Dangles~ are now SOLD. ~Midnight~ is still available