Something Blue and more

I needed something to wear with my perfect white blouse I am in search of. Nothing fancy just quick, simple and blue. I also wanted to be able to add a silver pendant to the strand if I wanted. This is what I came up with. (click on images to enlarge)



The small image in the middle is the same choker with no pendant. The magnetic clasp is small enough to allow the pendant to slide over the top of it giving the appearance of no clasp at all.

Next I made a sweet little set for my daughter using her recycled enamel pendant, seed beads, and Red Zebra Jasper.



I'm on a roll today - this is a Multi-colored Jade choker for my granddaughter. Hopefully it will go with all her outfits.

Earrings for "Denise"

(click on image to enlarge)

Matching earrings to go with the "Denise" Goldstone necklace. I couldn't decide what to make so I made 3 pair. The top pair are the same as the art bead in the pendant. The pair on the left are delicate copper beads, with one exquisite goldstone round, completed with a hammered copper headpin. The third pair is a set of whimsical copper turtles so cute I think they should have names. Any ideas?

"Denise"

My sister-in-law gave me a task to make her a necklace with the Goldstone pendant she bought on vacation. She wanted something simple - not to much bling. I hope I have accomplished what she wanted. I am naming it "Denise" after her and hoping she will enjoy wearing it as much as I did making it.

I have been sorting through my vacation pictures trying to pick out my favorites to print and send to family. We went on a trip to Colorado this year to visit my friends in Delta CO. The trip was nearly perfect - seeing dear friends, the weather was great, experienced new adventures.

One of the places we visited was Mesa Verde. It felt like stepping back in time. If I closed my eyes I could almost see the native Indians scurrying about their daily tasks.

Some days you just feel like smiling . . .

. . . and today is going to be on of those days!

A year in the Making

I started this 3 piece set nearly one year ago - well at least I started thinking about it that long ago. For some reason I just couldn't get happy with my attempts but - finally it is finished. I am pleased with the combination of colors and textures. It always amazes me how long it takes to design something and when it is finished it looks so easy!

Week 04 - A year in the making

Necklace, Bracelet & Earrings of natural gemstones:

turquoise, picture jasper, bronze pearls,

swarovski crystals & sterling silver

Week 03 - Pearls of the Forest

Week 03 - well sort-of I'm running a little behind . . . but still trying. Only have time to scan these today and the scanner doesn't even come close to picking up the beautiful dark green irridescent color of the pearls. I hope to get better results with the camera in the natural sunlight. The Sterling Silver toggle is a SAKI designer piece I found in a quaint little shop in Old Town Alexandria VA.

Just for Fun - Week 02

Just for fun - add to your favorite tee. Goes with more than you would think, black, white, chartreuse, periwinkle. Be bold experiment!

Black Onyx, Chartreuse Howlite, Seedbeeds, Sterling Silver Toggle

Majestic - Week 01

Majestic

The weekly challenge I have set for myself is to complete one piece a week. No rules - anything I want to make. For week one I used this beautiful Pendant, complimented with a simple 3 strand necklace. (click on picture for larger view)

Pendant Sterling Silver & Black Onyx, Seedbeads, Sterling Cones & S-Hook

Sedona

Sedona AZ – how can you not be inspired by the beauty? It is one of my favorite places in the world. I made this piece after a hike in Sedona. It has a white turquoise center stone, multicolored stones including kambaba jasper, goldstone and others. With sterling silver clasp & spacers.

"Hatchling"

I am a "hatchling" trying to break out of my shell - I have so many ideas running around in my head, wanting to get out.

In the fall of 2005 my friends invited me to a "Gem Fair" hey - I love jewelry why not - Oh My - what a sight! The most beautiful gem stones as far as the eye can see. Well that changed my life (and my budget). Here was a whole new world to expand my creative endeavors. I began very early in life with a love for making something out of nothing. Driving my mother crazy saving every stick, stone, feather, leaf – because they all have a unique beauty of course – even giving all my allowance to my big brother for a rock he convinced me was one of a kind with great value. Not a hard sell since it was shiny & pretty and I had to have it.

One of my biggest passions is learning new skills. I have tried so many things, but at the present time have narrowed it down to jewelry, photography, and papercutting (more about that later).

My vision was to make my own website to showcase my jewelry designs. It is easy sharing with friends they are great, they encourage you to be the best you can be and admire your work. But I didn't realize how scary it was going to be to share my ideas with the world. It takes on a whole new meaning when strangers are going to be critiquing my work. So I am going to brave the new world and step out there and test my wings. My web site has been setting unfinished for over a year and two things have been holding me back - fear of the unknown and the knowledge that once I start I will be in front of a computer for many many more hours beyond my 40 hr work week. I found it is like eating potato chips – instead of just one more chip – it is just 5 more minutes. . . .

Since using a blog is instant gratification I will take the path of least resistance for now. All comments are welcome.

So here we go . . .

Fresh Morning

I love taking photos of flowers - this was the morning sun - a rare shot for me to be up that early on a weekend!

My First Day

I can't believe I am doing this ! I am creating a Blog ! I have no idea where I am going with this but it should be an adventure. I have enjoyed reading so many of your Blogs and it looks like a great place to share 'like' interests and to learn new things. My friends 'g' & 's' (you know who you are) have been prompting me to be more active on the web - so here I am. Should be an interesting journey.

I have a half finished website that I am now very inspired to complete so I can share it with you. The picture above is the logo for my website Beth's Treasured Gems. It is one of the first pieces I designed using turquoise & copper. I have 3 main interests - jewelry design, photography & papercutting.

My very favorite Blog is CND Jewelry Tales. If my site can be half as interesting as hers I will be pleased. So there you have it - my first babystep out into the big world.