Gorgeous Stones, How is such beauty possible?

New work in the Etsy Shop today.

I'm continuously amazed and fascinated by the variety and natural beauty of stones 

that we dig up from our great Earth.

My love of organic beauty has carried me forward into my artist muse of choice, 

metalwork that incorporates treasures from the deep.

Enjoy a few pieces of new work, 

as I try to emulate the radiance of the stones in sterling silver.

Thanks for stopping by ;o)

All work can be found in the Etsy Shop

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xoxoxxx

Of Hemoglobin, and some new Eye Candy....

Hot off the bench this week!

I'm calling this one my Hemoglobin Necklace.

For any Dexter fans out there, this sort of reminds me of his blood slides!

Probably the most incredible cabochon I've had in my possession.

Pigeons Blood Agate.  I am trying desperately to acquire more of this same quality!

The back is cut out because it is just as beautiful, and also because from the front this cabochon looks even more beautiful with flesh tone instead of a silver backing showing through.

Gorgeous Maury Moss Agate, in Autumn colors!

Autumn leaf pierced out of the back to reveal the gorgeous red moss, and just to play with absentmindedly while you wear it!

My signature Hammerhead Cocktail Ring, this time in Piranha Agate.

Some great little silver caviar accents on the back.

Size 6.5.

Beautifully dreamy Obsidian, revealing a silvery blueish Lunar Eclipse.

Some great silver accent balls on the back.

Size 6.25.

Sterling and 24k Gold Keum-Boo Stud Earrings.

Sized approx .30" round, and perfect for everyday wear!

All available in the Etsy Shop!

I hope that everyone has an absolutely delightful Halloween this year, filled with plenty of friends, family, candy, and good scares ;o)

xoxoxxx

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back on the horse and some new stuff...

I'm back in the saddle again!!!  Whoooo!!!

Ok, so I've actually been back in the saddle (my workbench) for several weeks now, just haven't been able to get in the swing of things and complete a single project.  Have had multiple pieces partway fabricated, but have been lacking the 'balls' so to speak, to finish them.  When I've been away from my bench for a while, or I'm in a new location with a new setup, it sets my working hands in a tailspin, and I lose control of what is automatic.  I finally determined that what I needed was a few simple projects to get my hands (and my insane brain) re-focused and used to the work again.  For some reason, my hands are still shaking terribly....but I don't think it necessarily effected the work this time ;o)

Torched glass cab, simply stunning, I've titled this one, "Galaxy", for what I feel are obvious reasons.

Bramble Earrings out of copper and Pyrite, for what I feel are also obvious reasons.

Tourmaliated Quartz....easily stunned by the beauty and simple complexity of this stone.

Size 7.

Amethyst Sage set very simply.

All can now be found in the Etsy Shop

Now, I think I have determined that two glasses of red wine considerably help in the hand shaking department....so off to test my theory ;o)

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xoxoxxx

RAW - Catching Up

So I had my head in the sand for most of the month of March, and completed all of my RAW52 rings during the very last week. 

Good news is, this is a personal challange, so no one is really watching you and thinking "gosh, that chick is so far behind!"

If you would like to find out more about the challange, follow this link http://metalriot.blogspot.com/

Here is a brief catch-up

Latin:  I shall not want

Latin:  Let not your heart be troubled

Latin:  I am always with you

My take on my favorite Arcade Fire song: Sprawl II

(go watch the best performance of it here!!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab2DDmwYVQw )

And into infinity, ring



Pink Peruvian Opal Teardrop

Until next time

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xoxoxxx

RAW52 - Week 2

Week 2 out of 52 - DONE

Ring A Week 2011

Gorgeous translucent Rose Quartz

Set in a simple scalloped bezel...

Looks fantastic on a middle finger...

Nice wide band, feels marvelous on your hand...



Heavily oxidized and rusticated...

I left the oxidization beneath the stone so it would reveal the darkness through it.

A gorgous dark beauty, this lovely cocktail ring has been officially dubbed "The Dark Rose"

A perfect size 8

Available in The Shop at 3:00pm CST

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xoxoxxx

RAW52 - Week 1

So 52 rings, for the year of 2011.

I am part of a wonderful group of talented metalsmiths, all participating in the Ring A Week 2011 Challenge (RAW2011)!

Last year, many participated in a RING A DAY....wow.  I wanted to join in, but knew I could never make a complete piece of jewelry every day due to my schedule.  So this year when I heard about the RAW, I knew that this was actually feasable for me to accomplish.

I will be blogging about my progress, but you can find the official blog HERE

So without further ado, I present my RAW52, Week 1

I have brought back my popular Hammerhead Series

This one has a lovely Laguna Saginite

Oxidized and rusticated to perfection

Tumbled for brillance



In a glorious size 8

Available this evening for purchase in my Etsy Store!

25% off Entire Etsy Shop for Black Friday!!!

Yup, thats right folks.

25% off EVERYTHING in shop.

This offer is actually good from Black Friday, until midnight on the last day of November (Tuesday, the 30th).

To take advantage of the sale, simply follow checkout as normal in the shop, and the discount will be applied at checkout. 

Follow this link to take you directly to the shop ;o)

My Etsy Shop

Happy Shopping!

new beauty...

Custom piece for a lovely lady from Finland using her incredible Ocean Jasper cab ;o)

back in the saddle...somewhat figuratively speaking...

I've been gone from my bench for a while now, I've been traveling for some part-time work related business, and working several days a week as a personal assistant.  It's hard to turn down money when it's offered, so even though my goal is to completely focus on my jewelry, it is nice to acutally put some money in the bank.

Here is a custom order I just finished for a lovely couple.

Wedding Rings, Rainbow Moonstone and Champagne Quartz.

Back in the saddle again baby ;o>



it's the way that we rock when we're doing our thang...

daily muse....takin it old skool.

if i had a chance love...

daily muse. 

working on a brass leopard print etched fat brass cuff.

it's totally BA.

thats short for Bad-Ass, if you didn't know already. (dane cook)

and the landslide brought me down...

What began as a horrible disaster, has become one of my favorite new pieces!

This piece began with my intentions of soldering a little pyramid of the tiny silver balls, but turned into a horrible mess when my hand shook, and my soldering pick swept the whole pile over right when they were at the perfect temperature to connect properly. It was actually quite beautiful in a way, this little mini landslide of molten red-hot silver balls, cascading off of the perfect pyramid I had painsakingly stacked. After quenching my mess, and taking a second look, it really began to look planned this way, sort of a controlled chaos...so I went with it, and now I plan on trying to repeat it again!

"I took my love and I took it down

I climbed a mountain and I turned around

And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills

Well, the landslide brought me down."

available in The Shop now ;o)

.................................xoxoxxx...............................

Kayan Lahwi Stackers - Feathered...

I'm obsessed with mini stacking rings, and wanted to put an Esther Eve spin on the trend. A stand-out, gorgeous set of 10 stacking rings, with an 11th in the middle bearing a feathered charm. Each ring is seperate, so they can be worn spread out over several fingers, stacked on one, with or without the feather charm...the combinations are yours to play with. The feather charm is soldered permenantly onto the ring, yet it will still dangle and move with you, drawing attention and admiration.

The Kayan Lahwi tribe from Myanmar, are the group of women that wear the stacked brass coils around their neck, as one of their ancient tradions still employed. They are purely for beautification purposes, as elongated and slender necks compared to the men, render them more attractive. Contrary to popular belief, research has shown that these rings are not extremely detrimental to the womens bone structure and health, and many have removed them even after 40 years of wear, and have been in excellent condition and health after several days of neck muscle strengthening and adjustment.



I'm reminded of...

"Beauty in things exists merely in the mind which contemplates them."
- David Hume

made to order in your size...

in The Shop now ;o)

chohua jasper tomahawk necklace

Chohua Jasper...the feeling that touches me when I gaze at this stone...

is filled with visions of great wide open plains...

hand stitched leather fringe headdresses...

meticulously and intricately beaded medicine bags and neck pouches...

fresh feathers adorning almost everything, uniting the richness and vitality of nature and the circle of life...

great, powerful weapons, welded by men with great prowess.

yes, chohua jasper is the perfect stone for me to channel my inner native american, whose culture has fascinated me ever since I can remember. I used to stick feathers in my hair and holler chants around a pretend fire cooking dandelion medicine soup when I was a child. I was given a indian seed-bead loom at the age of 7, and feaverishly wove necklaces and bracelets until my fingers fell off.

yes, the second I laid eyes on this gorgeous grey stone with bleeding crimson splashes, I knew exactly what it was going to become.

in The Shop now ;o)