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......

Morocco, Stacey, Petunia, Pansy....it's all in a name....

My lariat style necklaces are something I both love and hate to make. When I'm thinking about making one, my brain is a jumble of colours and textures for a couple of days, until I finally hit on something I like the idea of.

I love making them, because they really are a treasure trove of colour. I get out all my little pots and boxes of beads and crystals, picking out pieces that grab my attention. This is what I love - I feel like a pirate plundering through jewels to find that enchanted ruby, or that magical emerald - obviously this has been over stimulating my imagination! To me, there is nothing more exciting than colour and shape - it takes me to far away places (like one-eyed-willie's ship in 'The Goonies'), different colours make me picture different places or people.

I hate making them because they take ages! I'm all about the finished product - I'm a bit of a quick fix girl, and something that takes such time and patience is a real challenge for me. Each lariat is made on one long, continuous strand, with beads and stones interspersed along the way. Each tiny bead is knotted behind, and in front to keep it in place. This type of knotting is also a decorative part of the necklace. However, since these necklaces have so many stones and beads on them, it can literally take hours to knot it all together. Once I've finished one, I stand up, all crooked and curled from staying in the same position so long. But then it's soooo worth it when I see one finished!

I use different types of beads - glass, vintage crystals, freshwater pearls, pieces of shell, big chunky pieces of gemstones, little tiny chips of gemstones - anything really!! I love collecting all these pieces - I'm a bit of a hoarder, so looking out for pieces for jewellery really just indulges that hoarding instinct in me. Sometimes, I can have an idea of a particular colour I'm looking for, and stumble upon it, or sometimes I might see some beads, that I don't really need, but I've just got to have them!

As I said before, when I'm designing a piece of jewellery, I try to think of who will buy it, where they will wear it, how it will look on them. I suppose I create a personality for each piece, which is why all my lariat jewellery has a name. I give them names which reflect where or what I was thinking about while I was creating them. Sometimes this is a girls name (for example, I can picture exactly what a 'Lola' necklace would be like, or a 'Stacey'), sometimes it's a place name, or a cocktail, or named after a flower. I've included a photo of 'Singapore Sling' here - it makes me think of brightly coloured cocktails in silly shaped glasses (the kind you drink on holiday, but would never be seen dead with at home), cocktail umbrellas, and sparklers. The first cocktail I ever had on holiday was a Singapore sling, and I thought I was the height of sophistication.....OMG.....!

I'll never make a piece of jewellery when I'm in a bad mood though....I'm sure nobody would want to wear a necklace called 'misery' or 'mire'!!

Different strokes.......

I have three main collections of jewellery available - pearls and sparkles, chunky gemstones, and hand knotted lariats.

The three collections appeal to different tastes - pearls and sparkles collection is a very feminine style. It's very pretty, delicate and shimmery. This collection is made from genuine freshwater pearls, Swarovski crystals and sterling silver. I find that it's really hard to get pretty, delicate jewellery at the minute - it's all about chunky jewellery on the catwalks just now - but everybody has different taste, and sometimes, it's hard to carry off a big chunky leopard print bangle with pretty summer dresses. I find it a little frustrating that the catwalks dictate what's available in the shops as well - if you're not into big statement jewellery, what are you supposed to do? Saw it in half to slim it down?!! That's why I try to offer something to suit all tastes.

My chunky gemstones collection is made from genuine gemstones, such as agate, citrine, jade and quartz, often given a little glitz with accents of Swarovski crystals. All the clasps etc are sterling silver, so anyone can wear them - even those with sensitive skin. I love gemstones - I am utterly fascinated with their mineral composition, and the healing properties they are said to have - I suppose I unleash the geek when I'm making these! I look for unusual gems - either unusual stones, unusual colours or markings, or unusual cuts and shapes. Everyone loves to feel unique - and gemstones are always totally unique. It is impossible to recreate one stone the same as another.....just like us really!

Hand-knotted lariats are really unusual and funky. They are something totally different, yet bang on trend. These 'wrap around' necklaces have all sorts of stones, crystals, pearls, and glass beads on them. They are hand-knotted - much like old-fashioned pearl necklaces, and consist of one long string of beads. This can be wrapped around the neck, and tied loosely, like a scarf. This is where I really get to have fun with colour - some are subtle and botanical, some are inspired by the colours of the 'souks' of Egypt - rich and exotic.

I am also developing a small range of wedding and bridal jewellery at the minute - traditional pearls, subtle colours, little heart clasps and embellishments. I can make these to order and in all sizes - suitable from flower girl, to mother-of-the-bride!

It's all different strokes for different folks I suppose......