Inspired by Autumn (or O.P.I....or Dulux!!)

I made a few new pieces last night - a couple of pearl bracelets and necklaces, with the colours of Autum and Winter in mind.

Autumn is a time of year when the colours of the landscape are very earthy, and if we've been lucky enough to have dry weather, the leaves and fields have an almost burnished look. I've stolen the colours from nature to make my 'Fall Festival' necklace - beautiful earthy colours with little gold glass beads studded between the pearls. (above)

I also love the pale, silvery, cold looking skies we get at this time of year, so using that palette I've made my 'Mercury' necklace from tiny little white rice pearls and slightly bigger, fatter mercury coloured pearls. It looks like chilly white skies and rain clouds, which although aren't nice to be outdoors in - the colours translate really well into jewellery -very chic and classic!

The other bracelet I made is a gorgeous magenta pink and buff gold colour. I've used button pearls for a change and they are just so cute! I used tiny little goldy coloured ones in between the rich magenta colour, which again are a little fatter. I love the contrast of size and colour, although I must admit, it wasn't our Autumnal landscape that inspired these colours!

I always think that Winter in terms of colour and texture is a time of richness, opulance and vibrancy - of berries, and ribbons, Christmas lights and party dresses. With the idea of luxury in my mind, I was flicking through the O.P.I colour chart in the beauty salon while I was waiting on a manicure and saw an aticle about their new season colours, inspired by Russian luxury - and a little lightbulb went on inside me. The gold and magenta bracelet is called 'Tsarina' in a nod to my nail varnish inspiration! - Really you can take inspiration from anywhere!

Improved photos of an old design

I re-made a couple of old designs the other night, and managed to take a better, more close-up photo of them, so you can actually see what they look like.
My 'Confetti' necklace and bracelet are made from rose quartz nuggets, amethyst, pink freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals. It's a very pretty, girly set, and I love the combination of pink and purple it's just really feminine.
Working on some new designs over the next xouple of days - got some very pretty, unsually cut stones, and some gorgeous handmade glass beads to have fun with. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

It can't be Autumn already!!

I have lived in flip flops and short sleeves for the last six months, I've not had the heating on in the house since March, and I've been able to dry my washing out on the line. Horror of horrors today - I've had to put on shoes!! No bare tootsies for me now - I thought I'b be able to string out that summer feelin' until October, but alas no. Although I put on shoes today, I came to work without a jacket (yes, 'you who shall not be named' I know you're shaking your head and muttering about that) and my arms are all goose bumps and are the colour of corned beef!

I love Autumn, when it puts in a proper appearance. Not all rainy and miserable, but when you get those sunny, chilly days when the leaves fall from the trees, and the fields and foliage are colourful. I was thinking of these colours when I put together this little bracelet - 'Autumn Gold' - using Carnelian tyre shaped beads, and handmade glass beads. It' a lovely rusty colour that just made me think of Autumn.
I'm off to Egypt in a couple of weeks for my holidays (I am just showing off telling you that), and I thought of all the lovely golds and bronzes of Egypt. Seems I have timed my trip there just right, as by the time I get back, Autumn will be in full swing here, and I'll be able to apply all the beautiful Egyptian colour palette to the nippy Scottish Autumn (and I'll be able to squeeze another week out my flip flops before they are retired for the winter).

A couple of new ones

I have been looking to new places for new inspiration recently - normally I find inspiration in our lovely local countryside, or dreams of holidays, but at this point, I've not been on been on holiday for ages and the local countryside is a bit grey just now. So while trying to get inspired, I came across a Dulux colour chart - one of the massive trade ones with all the colous on little sticks. Seems this is a great source of inspiration! Gave me lots of ideas for new colour combinations - matching and complimenting colours, or clashing them entirely ('Barely Sage + 'In The Pink' = gorgeous, 'Naval Grey + 'Egg Yolk Yellow' = revolting!). Anyway, it got me working on a few new things, using new textures and colours.

Have a couple of new ones on here today, and lots of new pieces on the way (just waiting on lots of new colourful pearls and stones!).
This coral and pearl necklace and bracelet uses two different types of coral. Pretty peachy-pink, polished little rounds of coral, with a high shine finish, and big rugged rounds of natural coral, not polished, leaving the porus surface visable. They are so different but are the same material - I love this sort of variation in a natural product. I''ve teamed them up with creamy white pearls, so it's a 'classic with a twist' necklace.

This pearl necklace with cut-crystal quartz pendant is a bit like the old style thirties glamour necklaces - my gran used to have jewellery a bit like this. I'm sure she was a glamour-puss in her day!
I've also made these cute little earrings, using fossil jasper and Swarovski crystals. They are beautiful quality stones, and have been polished to an almost glass like finish. I love the fossile patterns captured inside them too.
I will return to the Dulux chart and hope for more inspiration this evening (or hope for better weather so our landscape looks less like a mudbath!).

All of these items are available at Artery Gallery in St Andrews, Fife.

It has been some time since my last blog....

I have abandoned my blogging - oops! I will make excuses for myself - it's been a really busy summer, I've been busy making new designs....Big Brother was on!
In all seriousness, it has been a very busy couple of months for me and my jewellery. I've had lots of orders, and unfortunatey by the time I've completed my orders, I've not even had time to photograph my work to get it on here!
I have designed a few new pieces, and when I make the next batch, I will make sure to put them on here to show them off. I've tackled some designs which have required new skills (hand-knotting pearls on silk) and which have required the patience of a saint (saint Debra), and have also made a few pieces which I've regretted once I started making them - handmade silk pom-poms (what was I thinking?!They take HOURS!!). All said and done, it has been a useful and productive time for me.
I'm keeping my first day back on blogging short and sweet, with just a photo of one piece which I was commissioned to make. My sister in law has a wedding to attend at the end of September, and needed something to go with her gorgeous black and pewter grey dress, so we settled on a chunky multi-strand pearl bracelet.
It's made from fat, round black pearls - really chunky ones, teeny-tiny peacock black nuggets, some top-drilled pewter pearls and some bright silver ones, with the odd silver ball thrown in. I must admit, what I thought would be an easy project took much longer than expected, and there may have been a little foreign languages used in the process!

I've added a close-up of the pearls so you can see the variations in them.

Summer colours and themes

Summer has me in it's grip, and after spending some time at the beach, and a bit of time lazing around my garden like a cat in the sun I have produced some new work.

Inspired by summer (again!) I have chosen a few ideas and colours that I have been thinking about over the last two days.

You know when it' super hot sunshine - you seem to get two different skies. Where I live in Fife, when it's really sunny with a clear sky, you get that vivid, pure, deep blue sky, that seems to make all colours brighter and bolder. I used to stay in France a lot when I was little, on the South coast, and there when it grew very hot, the sky looked almost bleached. The blue seemed to fade into a white haze, and everything is washed in a bright white light. These two colour schemes gave me two ideas to work from in terms of summer colour - bold brights, and washed, pale pastels.

I've made little agate earrings in red, banded agate, with vivid orange crystals just to liven them up a bit. The bright orange crystals made me think of blazing sunsets at the end of long, hot days. I've also made a pair of natural turquoise nigget earrings with the same bright orange crystals. I love this colour combination, as it makes me think of turquoise blue seas and hot sun....bliss!

I made a variation on my 'Starfish' necklace - pale sandy pink heishi coral bead, with turquoise and a white and gold glass starfish. It looks like it's been washed in the sea and bleached by the sun. I could imagine finding it washed up on the beach, so I've called it 'Seychelles'. (see top left)

I love that golden wash of sun you get at the end of the summer, when you get a real Indian summer, and it's baking hot, until the last gasp of summer. I think as the sun is lower in the sky then, the sun seems to look golder, and not so bright - around six or seven in the evening is my favourite, when the heat tempers a little, but it still looks beautiful. This necklace 'pecky keen' is made from rice pearls in cream. shades of gold, and peach. This looks like that lovely sleepy colour of summer, when it's almost worn out. I really don't think the photo does justice to the gorgeous gold coloured pearls.

I found some seashells on the beach the other day - they were little pink clam shells, which had been washed to a powder pink - almost white, and the colour reminded me that I had some jasper discs in the house in really subtle, powdery pinks and pinky-greys, and some small ever-so-pale pink pearls. They are the colour of those pale, pinky, peachy, grey-ish wisps of clouds that you see at sunset.

Well, enough dreaminess of summer, as I have been writing this, it has sneakily changed from sunny to thundery. This concerns me slightly, as in my fit of summer fever this morning while I was getting ready for work, I put on a pair of flip-flops (also couldnt find anything to go with my outfit , and flip-flops go with anything). Bit of a mistake really, as they have both decided to snap, so I am now barefoot, and have to run for the bus in bare feet. I looked like a big enough wally before, but now that it's raining, I just look crazy.
Gotta love the British summertime, eh?

Busy bee, busy me

Well I have kept up the momentum since my last blog, and have been creating lots of new work, new styles, and re-working old themes. It has been quite unlike me to stay this productive for so long - usually I am distracted from work by the most ridiculous things - Eastenders is one of the worst culprits! I also usually favour cleaning as a form of procrastination, but as I have dedicated myself to making new jewellery, the cleaning has fallen by the wayside, and my house now looks like Stig of the dump lives in it (how can one person make so much mess?! I astonish myself!).

I have re-worked a couple of previous designs - my glass starfish necklace which has been so popular has had a re-vamp, and is now is fine, deep red coral branches, with chunkier pieces of turquoise. It looks like a much bolder piece this time round, and with the richer colour, it would be more of a night-time necklace I think. Some time ago I made a necklace from pale green new jade, which I have had another bash at, and given it a face lift. Again, I've enhanced the colour by going a bit richer, using freshwater pearls in a mint green to liven it up, along with green Swarovski crystal, and alternated the jade squares with green aventuring ovals. I've called it my 'dew-drop' necklace, as the colours look like the dew-drops on all the gorgeous, lush green plants and bushes at this time of year.

My new work is a bit of an eclectic collection - I have drawn inspiration from different places and ideas so there isn't a connective thread between all these things.....who says there has to be a theme?!

My 'Highlander' necklace is made from multi-coloured India jade and little green peridot chips. Last week I made a lariat called 'heather belle' and it got me thinking about the Highlands, and gorgeous they are at this time of year. I always used to go up to the Highlands for my summer holidays, and it looks so different in that part of Scotland, compared to the East coast where I live. I love the 'patchwork quilt' effect of the fields and hills there - all different earthy tones, patched together. These stones remind me of that - there are deep greens like the coniferous woods of the hills, plums and pinks, like the heather,and sandy, orangey stones, like the wind burned fields.

This necklace, called 'Nile' is made from pressed (sponge) coral, and turquoise. I love this combination of colour, it's so rich and vibrant, and makes me think of the gorgeous coloured neck-pieces and crowns of the ancient Egyptians. I love Egypt - I love the colour and history of it, and how everything seems so exotic there (even ordinary things like crisps - they had lime and chilli crisps there! that's exotic!).

I also made a set of earrings to go with some of my necklaces - they do look great as a set, wearing the necklace and earrings together, but I think they earrings look fab as a piece you can wear on their own too.

I have made a couple of pendants as after some thought, I realised it was something I didn't really offer people, so I thought I'd give it a bash.
I have made two in very different styles - 'San Francisco' and 'Abyss'.

'San Francisco' is a really youthfull, fun pendant, string onto linen cord. Its a gorgeous piece of turquoise (obviously my fave at the moment) enhanced by a little millifiori heart, glass beads, and Swarovski crystal. It's got lots of movement in it, and once I made it, I came up with the name as it made me think of flower power, and hippies, and that song about San Francisco and wearing flowers in your hair! I went through a bit of a stage of that in my teens, of wearing big floppy hats, and flower power shirts, and hippy flares. Maybe my fashion sense has grown up a bit, but in all honesty, I'd love to still dress like that.

The other pendant I made is totally different - really simple and hung on a fine silver chain. The pendant is a big chunk of polished and cut fluorite, but the stone did all the work for me here. It is a simply stunning stone - a deep, rich teal colour, with hints of bottle green, and a band of deep purple through it. This stone has great transparency, so it just looks amazing. I love the fact that fluorite develops these colours naturally, and it is not dyed to look like this. I think when nature can do that, it really shows that we just don't match up with things like that - man made never looks this good. The colour reminded me of the colours you see underwater on TV, hence 'Abyss'.

My 'Lily' necklace is just a pretty, delicate, girly number. It looks really feminine on, and really unique. It's made from crackled rock crystal chips, Swarovski crystals, and white rice pearls, with a beautiful, polished fluorite pendant. The fluorite is amazing, as it looks different in depending on how you move - it has blues, and greys through it. This necklace reminds me of the old-school crystal necklaces that my Grandma used to wear to church on sundays! I love alittle bit of girly glamour, and her generation knew how to do it just right!

On a sea-inspired train of thought, I also made a necklace called 'Rock Pool'. This one is just a bit of fun, and so cute for the summer. I used freshwater rice pearls, in a lovely sky-blue colour, and some glass seed neads in a pale blue, to space between the pearls. Then as a pendant, there is a baby-blue Swarovski crystal starfish. I think the little starfish pendant breaks up the string of pearls so it doesn't have such a traditional feel about it (as pearls so often can).

So you can see I have been a bit busy of late! No wonder my house is a tip, and my garden is a field! I think on my days off next week, I'm going to lay off the jewellery, and chill out with a bit of house-work....how sad is that?!!

A few new pieces to see

I have had a surge in productivity recently - which is rather inexplicable, because by my own admission, I am not always the most motivated of folks. Really built for comfort, rather than speed.
I have been dedicated enough to actually sit down every evening and make a few pieces of jewellery, and in doing this, it means that my days off now consist of lazing around in the sunshine, rather than fiddling about with beads.

I have made a few summery bracelets, which although are all quite different from each other, all look pretty good together too. If I had my way, I'd grow more arms so I could wear more jewellery - bracelets being my favourite.

I have also started to use a new pearl supplier who has provided me with some beautiful and unusual pearls, so I was really excited to get started with them.
The first piece out of my new pearls was this multi coloured pearl necklace. The pearls are beautiful rich colours - berry reds, golds, topaz, azure blue, and a gorgeous rose-gold colour. I have interspersed them with little gold glass beads, and they seem to tie it all together. The finished piece is called 'Bedouin', as it made me think of those beautiful colours of bedouin scarves and clothes, and spun gold and the richness of the colours of the desert. This is a great piece for the summer, as it just seems to capture the essence of hot evenings on a holiday somewhere exotic.

This lariat is a new one as well - when I made the 'Pretty in Pink' one last week, I really loved the colour scheme of it, so thought I'd work on it to get a different design in the same colours.
This 'Heather Belle' lariat has amethyst, glass, Swarovski crystal, rose quartz, amazonite, freshwater pearls, blister pearls and mother of pearl in it. It is a real treasure trove necklace. The lovely plums, pinks and blues look great together and made me think of up North when the heather is in bloom. My friend Heather is always called 'heather belle' by her hubby, and I just think it's so sweet, so here we go: romantic 'Heather Belle' lariat.

I think I will need to get my thinking cap on this weekend - I might have been motivated lately, but nobody told my brain. It seems to be struggling to keep up! I need to have a thought about some new ideas and designs to keep it fresh. Maybe a bit of sunbathing will inspire something.....or is that just wishful thinking?!

New outlets for Elizabeth Scott Jewellery

Well I have been making the most of a productive spell, and approaching new galleries to take in my work.

I have an outlet now in Aberdour in Fife - Shoreline Studio. I delivered my first, small collection of work to the proprietor Ian McCrorie earlier on this week, so I have my fingers crossed for some sales! I have supplied this gallery with a selection of chunky gemstone jewellery, pearls, and coral designs. Shoreline Studio, 2 Shore Road, Aberdour, KY3 0TR, http://www.shoreline.sco.fm/1317/frames.php

I have also made my way South of the border to Church House Designs in Congresbury, North Somerset. They have been kind enough to take a small collection of my work into their gallery, so all the new jewellery for them was posted off today. They have a broad selection of all my work - pearl, coral, and gemstone designs, and also my lariat necklaces. I'm excited to see how my jewellery will be received in a different area. People from different towns and counties have different tastes, and different ideas to draw inspiration from, so we will see how Congresbury likes a bit of Fife design!
http://www.churchhousedesigns.co.uk/

I will shortly have a large collection of work appearing in a boutique in Monaco, but I'll give you details once it's signed, sealed and delivered - I don't want to curse it! I was hoping of course, that they would ask me to hand deliver the work myself, and pay my travel over there, but alas, it was not to be.

Any new outlets, and I'll keep you posted.

Made-to-order jewellery

Hand-made jewellery is great, because you know you are always going to get something unique and original, but to get something totally unique to you, you can get something made-to-order.

I have just made two pairs of earrings for a customer, which were made to her specifications. She wanted very long earrings - about 7cm long, with a piece of turquoise as it is her favourite stone, and she also wanted the biggest, heaviest piece of the earring to be at the bottom, so they were really swingy, and swooshy (is that a word?). These were the only specifications she made, so I had a pretty free hand in what I designed, but making something that a customer hasn't seen before is a bit terrifying! How an idea looks in somebody's vision of it can be totally different from the reality. The great thing about making something to order is that you are working from someone elses idea - so it can really open you up to new design ideas, and have you making things you had never thought of before.

The hand-knotted earrings are something I would never have made - but my customer was looking for a pair of turquoise earrings to go with a hand-knotted lariat I had made for her, so going on her specifications, I though I'd try the lariat-style knot work for them. I was a bit concerned before I made them, but now I've managed it, I think I will probably make more pairs now - to match lariats that I've made. The other turquoise earrings on the silver chain are quite different to what I generally make. They are very simple - which for those who know me, know that's not my style (why be simple when you can complicate everything?!!) but I love the movement of them. As they are on such long chains they are really 'swooshy' and just skim the shoulders.

So this has been a learning curve for me, and one that I would be glad to repeat, as it has pushed me to learn something new, and opened my eyes to new designs. If you ever want anything made to order, you can contact me via my email, and arrange a consultation.
debraelizabeth@live.com

Lariats are the new 'It' necklace!

I have had a bit of a push to make some of my Lariat style necklaces, and managed to get all of two made last night!
They take a long time to make as they are so detailed, and have so many stones and beads on them - which is why I have been putting off making some for ages (naughty me). I have also discovered that making these little devils in the summer is a nightmare! Sweaty fingers + tiny beads = headache.
However - despite the fact that I was cursing every tiny crystal last night, I did remember why I love them after I had finished. I love the fact that they look like a little mix-bag of jewels and stones - just delicious!

I read in Make Jewellery magazine recently that they are the new 'It' piece of jewellery, so have been telling everyone this - blowing my trumpet that I'm obviously fashion-forward (which in all honesty, is not how I could be described). But it was great to see that this style of necklace is grabbing the attention of the general public now. I think people are always worried that they will fall off, but as they are being seen more frequently, people are putting their faith in them. When you wear them, just knot it around the neck like a scarf - the way the beads and stones are knotted on to them acts as a lock, and holds them on, so they are perfectly secure - and no fiddly clasps! Just don't leave them lying around if you have pets (my cat decorated himself and the living room floor with one recently - no tuna for him for a while!).

The one pictured above is called 'Indian Summer' and is made from turquoise, glass crystals, mother of pearl chips, and nuggets of shimmering shell. It's a nice weighty piece that just looks like hot, balmy evenings to me.

The lariat on the right is called 'Pretty in Pink', and is made from amazonite, mother of pearl chips, mother of pearl discs, Swarovski crystals, blister pearls, and potato pearls. It's a really flirty number and just made me think of that movie 'Pretty in Pink' as soon as I had completed it.

If you fancy being ahead of the fashion pack, you can get either of these lariat necklaces from Artery Gallery in St Andrews. Their number is 01334 478221, or find them online at www.arteryuk.com

And the nominees are.....

So, I have been nominated for the Craft and Design, Craftsman Magazine Selected Awards. How exciting is that?!! I only wish they did it 'Oscars' style, so I could get all gammed up for it.
I wonder if actors practice their 'gracious loser' faces before the Oscars? (should I start practising mine?)
Anyway, if you like my jewellery and like my blog - please tale a look at Craftsman magazine where you can place a vote for me if you think I'm worthy of a prize :)

http://www.craftanddesign.net/awards/

Or you can click on the Craft and Design button at the top right of my page.

I have to confess, I have been indulging in a little self-promotion recently, and had a PR piece in my local paper. This is the first time I've had anything like this, and I was shamefully excited about it before it came out! I'm sure that established artists and designers are all very calm and uninterested in this sort of thing, but I haven't quite developed a cool and aloof nature yet. I doubt it will ever happen.
I loved opening up my paper and reading about myself!! I could achieve this effect by going out and getting myself arrested every weekend, but I'm sure I'd prefer famous to infamous! As the the of crime doesn't appeal, I think I'll just keep working on my PR. Any hint of fame and I'll keep you posted......

Pearl jewellery (with a twist)

I have found a new favourite supplier of pearls (a bit like when I've had a few sherries and I make New Best Friends, but better), and have gone a little 'pearl crazy' I think!

These pearls just inspired me as soon as I got them - I usually have to sit and have a bit of a think about what I'm going to make, but these are so stunning, I knew exactly what I wanted to do as soon as I picked them up.
The beautiful sunny gold colour of the Biwa (or 'stick') pearls made me think of places like Egypt - which then made me think of the beautiful fan style collars of Cleopatra, and so this design was born!
I've teamed the golden Biwa pearls with little peach rice pearls, and put tiny gold glass beads inbetween the gold Biwa pearls, so they lie in a fan shape. It looks great on tanned skin, and I can say for once I actually look like I've seen the sun, so I have been able to test this against my (very lightly) tanned skin.
I've also included a good close up of these so you can see the beautiful lustre they have. I think the Biwa pearls give a simple string of pearls a great twist.

I've also put together a string of my favourite colours of pearls - deep pastels - peaches, champagne, lavender, pink, cream and white. They look gorgeous together, and seem to flatter any skin tone (again I can vouch for this, as without baking in the sun, I am normally a corned-beef mottled pink, and the pearls even look nice against that!!). I've used potato pearls for a change - I usually use rice pearls, but loved the slightly off-round shape of these. I sneaked in a little clear, irridescent crystal every now and again to give a subtle sparkle.
I think at first glance this looks quite wedding-y, but I made myself a string (oops) and wear it all the time.

I think I need to learn some self control when it comes to buying pearls, I seem to be seriously lacking in it!!

Both of these necklaces are available at Artery Gallery, St Andrews - for £60 each.
http://www.arteryuk.com/artists/Scott,Elizabeth/

Wedding Fever!

With a few weddings coming up this summer (after June, I am the last man standing, the only remaining 'unmarried' among my friends - I feel like that girl at the end of 'Invasion of the Bodysnatchers) I have been inspired to broaden my selection of wedding jewellery. I have made some wedding jewellery in the past, sticking to the classical and traditional, but having had a look around at lots of wedding jewellery, it really seems there is a lack of choice for brides.

I have found that there are super-traditional styles of bridal jewellery - single string of pearls sort of thing, or really expensive, classic diamond solitaire on a gold chain sort of style, or these uber-modern, proper trendy, 'I spent 10 grand just on the dress' sort of styles. What if you just want something thats looks pretty, wont kill your budget, and is unique?

With this in mind, I've tried to do a couple of different styles of wedding jewellery that wont melt your credit card.

This one above - 'Something Blue' necklace, is made from amazonite ovals, with white rice pearls and tiny little Swarovski crystals inbetween. I love this colour of blue - it looks really summery and fresh, and compliments a summer tan really well. It works on the idea of traditional, with the white pearls, but I think the amazonite make it just a little bit different. The crystals give it just a hint of a twinkle, so it looks glam, without looking too 'Studio 54'. This wont break the budget at £55, and if you want to go for an all matching set, there is also a bracelet and earrings to match. The full set would only cost £110, which I think isn't too bad for your wedding day, and they are made from genuine pearls and stones, rather than being costume jewellery. I think they are all pretty wearble pieces (I made myself a similar pearl and amazonite bracelet which I wear loads!) so at least they would be worn again after your wedding. This necklace and it's family are all available at Artery Gallery in St Andrews - see http://www.arteryuk.com/ .

I also wanted to make something that was really feminine and summery. I think if you get married in the summer, it gives you such a wide choice in terms of what you can do with your hair, jewellery and accessories. I was trying to think of what summer conjures up for me, and butterflies were one of the first things that popped into my head. Butterflies can look a bit full-on girly, so I kept it simple in just an outline of silver. This makes it look really modern, and then strung it onto white rice pearls. I've picked up the silver with little accents of silver interspersed the string of pearls. This necklace is for sale at £60, and as it's just plain silver and white pearls, it would be easy to match up to other silver jewellery. This one is also for sale in Artery Gallery just now.

I also will make jewellery to order, so if you had a particular idea for your wedding jewellery, I could always make it for you - I'm sure I could satisfy even the most demanding bride-zillas out there!

New materials, new ideas, same old me....

How many people go to the shops and get a £15 loaf of bread? Is that common....or is it just me? I think "I'll just pop down the shops for a loaf of bread and a pint of milk" and come back an hour later with olives, nice bar of chocolate, some fancy crisps (those super crunchy hand made ones, that feel like you're eating shrapnel) some dips, some super deluxe milk that comes from cows which are made of gold....and then I get home and think "fiddle....I forgot the fiddling bread!!" Is this a common thing? Or is it just me thay can't control my spending?

Anyway, this is what happened a couple of weeks ago when I was online looking for some nice pearls....and would you believe, I managed to find myself on a whole different website than the one I intended to be on. It had so many pretty things, and what was intended to be a quick purchase of a few strings of pearls, became and epic shopping spree on beads. It did dent my bank account a little. HOWEVER (I say this loudly,so you pay attention as I excuse my frivolous spending), I did find THE MOST BEAUTIFUL beads ever!! They are little flowers carved out of gemstones, and I have fallen in love with them.

I made my first piece using one of these flowers, which was intended to go into a gallery to be sold....I couldn't part with it though. I've pictured it at the top of this post - it is a little hand-carved flower made from Korean jade, and I love it!! It's a stunning lime green colour - really 'fizzy' looking. I've strung it onto oblong beads of olive coloured Korean jade, with little rounds of turquoise in-between. I just couldn't part with it. I've put a close up of the carved flower here, so you can fall in love with it too :)

I love discovering new materials, new stones, new anything really. It makes it all feel quite exciting, like I've discovered a secret. And it makes those costly shopping trips worthwhile!!

I've also tried for the first time, making jewellery from silver wire. I have tried to educate myself on this, making small pieces, such as earwires (successful!), jump rings (yep, managed it), eyepins (yeah, them too), but then, I think I got a bit sure of myself. Oh dear - chandelier earrings. Maybe a bit ambitious. They resembled a birds nest....maybe I can start a new fashion with 'birds nest' earrings. Or maybe not.

However - I have had some success with making links, and pendants, and I really love the effect they have on a piece of jewellery. They sort of 'fancy it up' a bit, make it look a bit more evening-y.

I made this necklace using pink nugget pearls, rose coloured Swarovski crystal, and moonstone rounds. It's such a feminine, pretty necklace, and once I added the rose quartz and silver wire pendant, I think it made it look just a little bit more special. I've put a close-up of the pendant, so you can see what I've done - and I can get everyones opinion then!

It has been a week of new ideas, and trying out different beads, different suppliers and different tools. I don't know if this has been inspired by the start of a new season, or if the longer days have made me more motivated. Regardless of what started this surge of life, I think I'll make the most of it just now. It's all very well having a boost like this, but I know me....before long I'll be back to my normal, slower paced self. I think I was built for comfort rather than speed.

Off to the shops now - I need to get some teabags.....better take my credit card......

New pearl jewellery

I have made a few new pearl pieces over the last couple of nights - still in my 'pearl phase' I think!!

I wanted to do something really different from anything I've done before, so I've used big chunky blister pearls in vivid colours, for a really bold, summery look here ('sunset' pearl necklace and bracelet). I think the shape and colour really takes away the traditional perception of pearls (see my previous post!).

I've also put together a whole set of pearls - necklace, earrings and bracelet - which I have never done before. I'm not a particularly co-ordinated person (some may say I look a little.....'jumble sale'), and being so un-cooridinated, I have always thought that matchy-matchy was a bad thing. I have to confess in recent months, I have been trying to look a bit more 'put together' and can now see the benefits of jewellery sets. When I put on a jewellery set, it means that I can look like a fight in a thrift store with my clothes, but at least one element of me looks like I tried! So in previous posts when I have said that I don't do matching...well, I'm getting there!!

This 'Pistachio pearls' set is made from coffee, white and mint, large nugget pearls. They are really chunky again, which take away the formal element of having a matching set. I think these colours are beautiful together, really fresh - and it means you can mix and match with any of your traditional white pearls.

I have made another simple string of rice pearls but in seaside inspired colours. I was browsing through holidays online the other day, and photographs of the tropical, turquoise blue seas of the Maldives inpired this necklace. Unfortunately all I can do is think of holidays now!!

This necklace would look great with a tan, or one of those pretty broderie anglaise dresses or tops that are fashionable this summer......I'm good at fashion for other people, just not for myself it seems!!

All of these pieces are available at www.arteryuk.com

Pearls don't just go with twinsets you know!

I've made a couple of little pearl bracelets over the last night or two, and it got me thinking about how pearls are perceived.

So many people think of pearls, and think of lavender perfume, twinsets and their nana! They don't have to be like that (am I just being defensive, because as I write this, I have on a single string of white pearls and a cardigan....?).

Pearls come in so many shapes and colours right now, as the growing, and dying techniques have improved so much in recent decades. The can come in hearts, or diamond shapes, and literally every colour of the rainbow. They are so versatile - they can make something look a bit vintage, or chic and elegant, or kitsch or unique - I think this is why they are probably my favourite material to work with.

I have turned into a bit of a pearl 'geek' since I've been making jewellery, and have read everything there is to read on them - I have written a little piece on them for a gallery which sells my work - you can read it here:

http://arterygallerynews.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00Z&updated-max=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00Z&max-results=35

I've included photos of a couple of my new pearl bracelets - my 'jelly tots' bracelet - multi-coloured nugget pearls, and my white pearl and open heart bracelet....hopefully they don't evoke lavender and old folks homes for you......

New ideas kill artist's brain cells!!!

So far, since I've been making jewellery, the thing that is most difficult, is to constantly come up with new ideas, rather than variations on ideas. So I've tried to strike a balance so that I don't send the creative part of my brain into meltdown!!

If I come up with one new idea, and do two variations of it, in necklaces, earrings and bracelets, that should give me lots of new looks, but save my tortured artistic brain from exploding. (it's not really tortured and artistic, but I quite like to 'buy into' a theme, and tortured artist is workable).

I have made a very pretty, girly necklace in rose quartz ovals, amethyst chips, pink pearl nuggets, and pink, violet and opal Swarovski crystals. It reminds me of that lovely pink blossom tree that comes out around this time of year - the one that's like confetti when the wind blows. Actually, saying that, I suppose it could make a nice bridesmaid necklace and earrings set, as its just so feminine. Continuing on that theme, I made a plain white rice pearl bracelet with lovely rose coloured crystals interspersed with the pearls. It looks really clean and fresh.

I used the same sort of pattern for the rose quartz necklace in a different stone and colour, so I'm really getting two necklaces out of one idea (remember tortured artist brain...). In this other necklace and earrings set, I've used new jade, crackled rock crystal, white rice pearls, and swarovski crystals. This gives a totally different look,which has been born out of the original idea. The square jades in this necklace are gorgeous - each one is a pale, marbled green, slightly different from the others.

I also made a new bracelet, building on the 'sunshine' themed jewellery, of coral and turquoise. I put together a bracelet of tiny little coral branches, with turquoise, and peachy-orange blister pearls - it just says summer to me. This idea could be built on further I think, perhaps adding in sponge coral nuggets, or something along that idea.

I made a necklace which was an entirely new idea, and already I can see lots of variations and themes of this pendant style necklace. It is jasper rounds, with tiny chips of peridot inbetween each jasper. It is finished with a large, carved jasper flower pendant. Jasper is such a versatile stone, with so many colours and names. It is also known as 'The Scottish Stone', so I feel I'm doing my patriotic bit by making jewellery in this material!

It has been a taxing few days!! I'm off to re-charged my delicate and artistic soul, with a cuppa, and a night off I think...(idea for next post - lazy girl's guide to jewellery making...?)