Browse Current Jewelry!

Today is "Black Friday", but sharp shoppers, like all of YOU are, always have their eye out!  This is the "Grand Opening" of my blog show and will be followed by more!  Before you step any further into my  cozy little "shop", you need to know how much I appreciate all of you, my blog visitors, and all of the enthusiastic and supportive people who visited me in Manitowish Waters, Cornucopia, Blue Vista Farm in Bayfield, "Comes A'Boat" at the Cornucopia Marina, Arlene's Pottery and Gallery in Boulder Junction, and the "Q" Gallery in Stevens Point!  You're the reason I keep doing this, and the reason that my husband keeps cooking!

Please note:  All items will ship FREE!  I hope this will offset my lack of PayPal for now.  This is a new outlet for me and we'll see how it goes.  Payments can be made by check or money order.  All items will be shipped promptly, but special requests are welcome if you're willing to wait!

There just wasn't time to design frames, backgrounds, etc., but I have made every effort to show you what it really looks like.  Feel free to email with any questions or ask for more pictures.

This is a new style for earrings, they are about 2 1/4" - 2 1/2" long, a fun length!

This pair has some beautiful turquoise beads.

$24.00

This bracelet has beautiful colors and the hematite in the tiger iron might enhance the healing and calming properties!

There are no two alike, but this is a popular bracelet.  People have commented that they like the connection with the past and that it will go with everything!

Gorgeous greens of jade and rhyolite!

"Forest Splendor"  17 1/2" long, extender available.

"Little Black Dress"

Versatile, sparkly, and easy to wear!

Cute by themselves, or with the coordinating necklace or bracelet, for $15.00, when purchased together.

The gold-tone spacers really add light to the jade!

These blue kyanite "sticks" are stunning and make a real statement, casual or dressy!  The blue is a bit more intense than the photo!

Clay pendant from Heather Millican.  

Most people comment on this thoughtful reminder!

These little treasures have been hoarded for a long time, but they need to be worn and enjoyed!

Thanks for looking!  More will be posted soon.

The Modern Miner's Daughter

Do you find that a story behind your piece of jewelry gives it a bit of mystique and intrigue, maybe sparks the imagination of the new owner?  My friend, and occasional collaborator, Heidi, is a gifted and brilliant story-teller.  She just makes the piece come alive!  Here's an example of one of her stories that she wrote about the earrings I made for her!

"The Modern Miner's Daughter"

Though she's moved to the city, her earrings remind her of her pleasant childhood growing up in the mountains.  There she spent afternoons perusing her grandfather's collection of semi-precious stones and gleaming copper retrieved from his mining days.  The earrings themselves a gift from her father, also a miner of those mountains she now misses almost as much as her dear old dad.  The turquoise echoes the azure sky, while the shiny copper reflects the pink-orange sunsets that they watched together from the front porch swing...times beautiful and carefree...just the words to describe the earrings she wears so often these days with a happy wistfulness.

I hope you were taken into another time and place with Heidi's story!  Our fictional dream is that we make jewelry together and she writes all of the descriptions for a catalog!  Thanks, Heidi, for always being an inspiration and a joy!

Simple Truths Celebration

Erin Prais-Hintz has posed another challenge, this time using our Simple Truths pendants that have burrowed into our stash and gotten way too comfortable!  Erin generously gifted me with a charming Woodsy Owl.  Who wouldn't want to keep this little face around, no doubt full of "deep thoughts"!

                                                            So sweet!

I had a name in mind and wanted to try stamped copper pieces in one of the strands.

I would have preferred smaller jump rings, but that brought the pieces too close and they overlapped.  Note for next time.  We learn with each piece, right?

I love having a supply of copper clasps, ready to use!

And now we're ready for the whole show!

"Listen to Wisdom"

I was happy to have a copper leaf from Art Beads on hand to remind us of the woodsy theme.

Here are the earrings!

These were inspired by the "Sculpted Bird Earrings" in the Spring 2012

Belle Armoire Jewelry magazine.  They're just the look I wanted!  I will

make more of this style!

Thanks, Erin, for providing the motivation to give life to our Simple Truths pendants!

I'm under huge pressure to produce jewelry for this Thursday, following last Thursday's success at the flea market.  This will be one of the best things I'm showing!

Since this post refers to wisdom, I'm including this wise advice:

" As you journey through life,

Choose your destinations well,

but do not hurry there.

You will arrive soon enough."

Please visit the other participants:

I didn't have time to figure this out, sorry it's not clear!

Erin Prais-Hintz http://treasures-found.blogspot.com Sharon Misuraco http://goinoffthebeadinpath.blogspot.com/ Tanya Goodwin http://pixiloo.blogspot.com Alice Peterson http://www.alice-dreaming.blogspot.com Melissa Trudinger http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com Lori Bowring Michaud http://artfullyornamental.blogspot.com Rebecca Anderson http://songbeads.blogspot.com Chris White http://dzeyenrstudio.blogspot.com Cherrie Fick http://designsinthelight.com Rosanne Garvison http://fabfibers@blogspot.com Shelley Turner http://www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com Marlene Cupo http://amazingdesigns-marlene.blogspot.com/ Mary Harding http://www.maryhardingjewelrybeadblog.blogspot.com Lola Surwillo http://www.beadlolabead.blogspot.com Michelle Burnett http://reverieandrevival.blogspot.com Kirsi Luostarinen http://kirsiluokorut.blogspot.com Paige Maxim http://pmaximdesigns.blogspot.com Kristen Fagan http://www.creativestash.com Cynthia Riggs http://cynthsblog.blogspot.com/

Your comments are like gems and can be hoarded on my computer forever!

The Challenge of Literature

Erin Prais-Hintz invited us to join her Challenge of Literature and design some jewelry inspired by something we read  that "speaks to us personally."  Avid bedtime reader that I am, while many of you are burning the midnight designer's oil, I could surely jump in on this one!  Starting with the Nancy Drew series, I have read mainly mysteries, FBI themes, and Michael Connelly-type books.  But I also enjoy Anita Shreve-style books about people's lives and challenges, which reminded me of a character in one of those books,  (sorry, no title or author remains in my memory) a young girl, who suddenly discovered poetry, and stayed in her room for days until she had read everything available by Anne Michaels.  I was immediately inspired by the quotes from the poems that struck this girl's heart and started taking notes.  So I was ready! when Erin posed this challenge!

From  Anne Michaels' poem, "Skin Divers":

    " Because the moon feels loved, she lets our eyes

     follow her across the field, stepping

     from  her clothes, strewn silk

     glinting in furrows.  Feeling loved,

     the moon loves to be looked at,

     swimming all night across the river."

The girl was elated to read this, because she watched the moon over the river outside her bedroom window!  The resulting necklace is "River Moon".  I know, it's the reverse of "Moon Ri-i-iver", but it had to be!

         Labradorites, pearls that are actually silvery, chain, and a "moon" bead - all from my stash!

The beloved "moon".

A kyanite planet, perhaps?

Different backgrounds and lighting, but I'm thinking different camera!

The moon is such an amazing part of creation!  No wonder it has inspired

art and literature forever!

Click on Erin's name above for a complete list of participants!

Here's another "moon" thought from further on in the same poem, "Skin Divers".

"The moon touches everything

into meaning, under her blind fingers,

then returns us to cerulean

aluminum dawns."

Thanks so much for visiting and I appreciate your comments!  Hope you enjoyed this brief journey through the night.

The Rimrock Series

Have you ever created jewelry with the same theme in mind, resulting in a series of items?  It's not an unusual idea, but I hadn't purposely done this until my husband was reading me excerpts from his current book.  It was Rimrock Bluff and Rimrock River and everything exciting happened at the Rimrock, (obviously a western setting)!  So I started thinking about jewelry depicting all the scenes at this fabulous Rimrock area!  When I looked at the Red Creek Jasper, the turquoise, the copper, the leather, everything said "Rimrock"!  It's much easier to design and name your jewelry with this imaginary place in mind!  Here are a few hastily taken photos of some of the series.  It was a weekly rush to get them to the market, so I don't have pictures of all of them, but I'm sure more pieces will come!

                                          "Riding the Ridge at Rimrock"

This was a complete experiment, inspired by the Fall 2009 issue of Belle Armoire magazine.  I cut about 6 lengths of  bronze wire, balled one end, added a few beads,  balled the other end, then carefully wrapped around the leather.  Three are sold, but I still get nervous starting another one!

This is one version of the earrings.

"The Pueblo at Rimrock"

Didn't want you to miss all the silver in the clasp on this one.  I was picturing a woman sitting near her pueblo and braiding all the strands, which are waxed linen.

This is the lovely Ellen, who purchased the necklace as her "Applefest Gift to Herself"!

We were at Blue Vista Farm in Bayfield for the Applefest weekend, it was a wonderful time!

"Rimrock Reflections"

The Red Creek Jasper with great little nuggets and rondelles.  It deserves a better photo!

The pendant looks as if it were cut from a high bluff.

"Rimrock Fire Dance"

More Red Creek Jasper with copper and leather.

"The Colorado Fourteeners" Series

I just started this series, based on inspiration from the fourteen peaks in Colorado that are more than 14,000 feet high.  We've seen about half of them, all majestic, of course!

"La Plata Peak", Elev. 14, 336'

"Little Bear Peak", Elev. 14,037'

These two were designed with men in mind, and that's who bought them, but they looked great on women, too!

"The Siskiwit Bay Series"

This is planned for next summer, just for a shop on Siskiwit Bay,  Lake Superior.

The sawgrass that grows along the beach, part of the inspiration.

We were able to swim in Lake Superior in July!

Thanks so much for your visit.  Your comments on series of jewelry, or any subject, are most welcome!

                                         

Huge Giveaway!

http://orrtec.blogspot.com/p/calling-all-component-designers-if-you.html

If you like copper and other neat stuff and you like Melinda Orr Designs, keep reading!
This is the link to humungous Giveaways and a Sale starting on Wednesday, October 26!  Check it out!
Sorry that I'm not skillful enough to put the picture here, but you will see it all by clicking on the link!
Melinda's blog is on my blog list, too.

This is closed now, but it was a great idea!

Miss Fickle Frenzy!

http://missficklemediacom.blogspot.com/As soon as I receive an order of patinated components from Miss Fickle, I seem to become instantly inspired and other projects are pushed aside!  All the colors are awesome and go well with a large variety of other metals, gemstones,  art beads, and fibers.  As you will see, I've been reaching for the turquoise, but I will broaden out in the near future.  It's all so irresistible!  Since I have quite a collection on hand before some of it goes off to the northern Wisconsin galleries, I would like to show you what I did.

                 The Sea Grass Hammered Bars are like two delicate arms, suspending the turquoise.

Here I have combined Indigo Washed Chestnut Chain and Coins with copper bicones.

                      I love these organic links!  This is Chestnut Opal with a rough garnet nugget.

The coordinating earrings and bracelet.  That Indigo Washed Chestnut Chain just caresses your wrist!

                                     Chestnut Chain with Water and Wood 16mm Links

                                                      These large oval links are so useful!

   These earrings are among my favorites.  You don't need a lot of embellishment on these beautiful                          Water and Wood rings.

More Water and Woods!  The chain in the center provides the added touch of contrast and interest.

             This is fun to wear and the Oval links lay so nice.  You could attach a lot of danglies !

The Water and Woods is so compatible with this turquoise!

                  I like using the silk wrap for a finished look.

                           A closer look at those colorful Water and Woods  rounds!

A Soot Black toggle with lots of chain!

                  MissFickle generously sent me two unbelievable black tourmaline nuggets
                 and some ceramic beads from MaCarroll, check out her beads!

                         The other black tourmaline with Black Soot chain, a no-brainer choice!
The clear quartz nugget is the perfect contrast and the heart is from my friend Judy's necklace!

Details!  Soot Black toggle,  secure and looks good in any position on a necklace.  I also used MissFickle's instructions on wiring the cut chain lengths back together, a neat trick with style!

See her blog, Monday, August 30, 2010.

                         Verdigris Mini-Discs flutter from any earring design or as a bracelet dangle.

Would you believe that I have lots more of these delightful parts and pieces?!  Sure you would,
because we all need something left to hoard and play with while waiting for the creative juices to
come our way.  The next display will include Violet!  Thanks, MissFickle for your love and 
talents!