Challenge Week 20

Hi and welcome to Jewelry Challenge Week 20. The Swarovski 12 mm Rivoli crystals are among my favorites when it comes to making jewelry. They come in all different colors and I'm slowly building my stock with them. Just out of curiosity I went into the Swarovski store one day and saw similar earrings there, they don't call the stone a Rivoli but it looks the same. Anyway, when I saw that they were charging well over $100 for the earrings I was very happy that I make my own.

This week I made a pair of earrings with Rivoli crystals called Vitral Light.  This stone is so beautiful because it seems to change color as it moves and different light sources hit it.  As I look at it I see pink, light purple, green, blue and clear and you get the idea. I put them in a plain setting to highlight the stone. A more decorative setting would take away from the beauty of the stone. These earrings can be worn with just about any outfit because of the multitude of colors reflected in the stone. They hang from french hooks and are about 1 1/4 inches long.

This week I also made a pair of earrings with Swarovski Rivoli crystals in a jet black hematite color. Check them out on my website.

Have a great week and come back next Saturday to see another post.
Denise

Challenge Week 19

Hello, welcome back to my 52 week Jewelry Challenge. This week I made a pair of earrings that I call Plumb Cute.  There was no big inspiration here, I had placed a jewelry order and when it came in there were some new silver ear wires that I had never used before, so I wanted to try them out. The plumb colored crystal tear drops are from my NY shopping trip of several months ago and I had been waiting to use them. So the two came together to make these plumb cute earrings.

The silver ear wires are different, very stylized, they are 5/8" long and when the beads are added the earring is a total of 1 3/4 inches long. The crystal plumb bead is an inverted tear drop and is topped with a bi-cone clear crystal Aurora Boreas (AB)  bead. The AB coating on the bead gives it more sparkle. The bottom bead is sterling silver and finishes off the earring nicely.

Just received some new beads in peridot, pink, tanzanite and a beautiful chrysolite that is a lighter version of peridot, so watch for some new items on my website.

Thanks for reading, I'll see you next week...

Challenge Week 18

Since June is known as a big wedding month, for Challenge Week 18 I decided to make something for the bride.

This bracelet is great for brides because it is neutral in color, yet elegant and understated. I call it Hugs and Kisses, I know, not a unique theme and certainly has been done before. However, I haven't done it before so it qualifies for my challenge.

Made from antiqued silver plated pewter with clear Swarovski crystals, this bracelet will also be a great anniversary or birthday gift too. The beads are each 10 x 10 mm (about 3/4" wide) and looks and feels great on your wrist. I used stretch bead cording rather that put a clasp on the bracelet because the clasp made the bracelet too awkward and bulky. This means that the bracelet is easy on/easy off.  These beads were discontinued, so this is a unique, one time only design, so get it while it lasts. Here is a link to my website.  I do have beads similar to these that have colored crystals if you want a bracelet to match an outfit.

Have a great week, stay cool, and I'll see you next week.

Challenge Week 17

In honor of Dads and Grand Dads and even male grads, week 17 challenge had to be an item for men so I made some cufflinks. I'm also getting 2 birds with one stone here (pun intended and no birds were harmed), because I'm starting a series in my newsletter on precious stones and their meanings.

First I started off with silver cufflinks with blue paua shells. They came out really nice, and I like the blue of the paua shell. Then I decided to use a tiger eye stone in my newsletter, so I made a gold pair of cuff links with tiger eye stones.

The paua shell is prized for it's beautiful, highly iridescent mother-of-pearl nacre it displays and is sometimes used to create imitation opal. It has a protective epoxy resin top to preserve the beauty of the shell. The origin of the stone that I used is New Zealand.

You can read about Tiger Eye in my newsletter, which will be coming out today. If you would like to subscribe, you can find a subscribe box at the bottom of the Home page on my website. You can also shop for gifts for Dad on my website on the Shop page.

Have a great week!  Enjoy the beautiful weather we are having and I'll see you next week.

Challenge Week 16

As a change from all the black that I have been making I received a special order, which I'm using for my challenge piece, and it just happens not to have any black in it..

For week 16 I've made a ring, similar to another that is in my store. This ring is for a co-worker to give as a birthday gift and is made from campaign color freshwater pearls and sterling silver wire.  These pearls are going to look great on a tanned hand. This is a "wear with everything" piece of jewelry.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend. While you are enjoying your holiday, please remember the people that have fought for our country and for our freedom to enjoy this holiday.

Chalenge Week 15

People watching is a great way to pass the time for me. I like to look at how people dress, interact, carry themselves; it is very interesting thing to do. Lately, with my 2 hour commute to work and an hour walking on my lunch hour, exploring NY, then the 2 hour commute home, I get to do a lot of people watching. There is one thing that stood out in all this people watching and that is that people in NY wear black a lot. I had a seat on the subway one day, most days that is an impossibility, and looked out into all the people standing in front of me.  I saw that every single person had on black pants.  Once in a while I see a black skirt and on Fridays the black pants are replaced with jeans. I may be crazy, but that is amazing to me.  People of New York there are other colors you know.

For Week 15 of my challenge I made a pair of Monochromatic Earrings. They are black onyx beads, 12 x 8mm with antiqued corrugated silver beads, on silver french hooks. The earrings are 1 and 1/2 inches long.  Including this week, three weeks in a row of my challenge have included black, EEK is all of my time in NY influencing me! You can see more of my jewelry by clicking here.

In the next few months I am going to start a series of articles in my newsletter about the meanings of precious stones and what the beliefs are about their properties. I learned that it is believed that onyx heals grief.  The newsletter comes out the first week of each month and if you would like to learn more you can sign up on my website. I only use your email address, I never give it/sell it to anyone else. Sign up at McLachlan Design Studio, there is a box at the bottom of the page to enter your email address.

Thanks for stopping by; it would be great if you left a comment, just to let me know someone out there is reading. Tracy from the Tote Trove has been good about leaving comments, thanks Tracy.  You should check out her bags, they are so cute and colorful. Here is a link to her site http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheToteTrove?ref=ss_profile

See you next week!
Denise

Challenge Week 14

This week I made 3 items from the beads that I bought in NYC, just got on a roll and couldn't stop. I made a necklace and 2 pair of earrings to share with you.

This necklace is called Charred Apple because it's inspired by the big apple.  It is made with thunder polished glass crystal roundel beads in red  and black (char) and antiqued silver spacer beads. It measures 17 inches long and has a toggle clasp closure.

The picture doesn't really do it justice because the beads have such a beautiful sparkle. They are 8 x 6 mm and I'm crazy about them.  I made myself a bracelet with the same beads in the same pattern. I have a suit that needs a little sparkle and this red is the perfect color to go with the suit.

Charred Apple earrings

Red Hot Apple earrings

  In addition to the necklace I made 2 pair of earrings. They both can be worn with the necklace, it's a matter of which you prefer and the outfit you are wearing at the time. I made earrings that have 2 black beads too. So you have lots of choices.

Have a great week - see you next time!