Rockin' the Night Away

 

Remember I talked awhile ago about my walks on the beach being more like a harvest of rocks from the sea  than a brisk stroll?  Not knowing what I was really going to do with them, I was 'collecting' and collecting and collecting.  I used the biggest ones for decorating and plan to use some to make a bath mat.  I thought about using some for jewelry, but I don't wirewrap very well---not patient enough...and I don't drill either.

 

 
Well, I asked my husband if he could drill rocks...he said he'd give it a try and above are the result of his first days efforts in my behalf.  The problem was just drilling thru, meant they all chipped on the back side. They looked great from the front, but those chips weren't quite cutting it.  (punny, huh)

 If at first you don't succeed, read a tutorial and try to follow it...so a few nights later, he invited me on a 'date' to drill rocks.  This time I was ready with my spray bottle of water (to keep the drill bit cool) and he was ready with some 'tile and glass' drill bits...and he only drilled half way thru, then turned the stones over to drill the other side to meet somewhere close to the middle...and woohoo! we had drilled beach rocks...without chips!!! Team Voges--his drill, my spray bottle. And they drilled happily ever after..until our backs hurt from so much fun.

What a guy, you say?  And I agree---what other guy would stand over a drill and get sprayed with water while he drilled rocks for his ditzy wife who wanted them to play with.  He's a keeper for sure, yep, we just celebrated our 43rd wedding anniversary this week, so I think I'll keep him for awhile longer--an eternity will do.

Oh, by the way, don't worry, we didn't drill all our rocks...there's plenty more where those came from and I know where to get more...whether I need them or not!

Cookin' Up Some Fun on my Viking Stove

 As I mentioned in some earlier posts, I've noticed changing tastes in metals used in jewelry design toward the more rustic looks using patina-ed copper and brass, so I finally gave in and ordered me a little stash to see what I could do with it.  Well, some of the first things have started to arrive.  I only ordered pure copper so I could play a little.  I got out my ball plien hammer and a little hand held propane torch and planned a fun afternoon.  First off I ordered a steel anvil, but it's not here, so piling some papers on my marble countertop I began to gingerly hammer away at a couple of copper washers and it actually worked..mostly.  The soft surface rounded the washers a bit, but I thought that was interesing as I was getting that 'hammered' copper look.  Then I went to work on a couple of toggle clasps, loved the hammered look those got, but in my enthusiasm I damaged (knocked off) the ball end of one of the toggles--oops!  Now I was ready to try a little heat patina......

Being just slightly apprehensive about my new little torch, I decided to try some heat patina on my gas stove first just to see if it would work.  I got my handy dandy stainless salad tongs and gingerly held onto my hammered washer and started waving it back and forth across the top of the flame on my stove burner and voila color started appearing in dark oranges and reds and was I having fun!  Next over the flame came my toggles.  I may never have to use the pesky propane torch...cooking my copper was lots of fun and the results put a smile on my face...Now all I have to do is wait for the rest of my 'stuff' to arrive and figure out how to use it in some jewelry design. 

Wait till you see what I did with my beach rocks......next time..........

Where Do You Find Inspiration?

 Last spring my husband and I spent a month in La Quinta, near Palm Springs and I took advantage of all the beautiful window shopping available in the area.  One of my favorite  pieces of eye candy was a stunning bracelet in the design studio of Denise Roberge.  Her workshop is on the premises of her showroon and as I understand it , she personally picks all the gemstone and all her designs are hand forged and cast in pure 22k gold.  She's an incredible artist and her jewelry is a work of art.  My mother has collected some of her work over the years and the pieces are timeless classics.  The bracelet I fell in love with had three humongous barrel shaped tourmalines set in rich heavy yellow gold--a piece worthy of an Etruscan princess, with a price tag to match.   I wish I had a picture of that gorgeous bracelet to share, so you could drool over it with me, but alas I don't. (at the bottom of the page I will post one of her stunning designs so you can see what I mean by stunning art)

I've thought about that piece ever since, so when I came across a strand of large carved flourite beads I knew I wanted to try them in a bracelet.  These might be the prettiest colors of flourite beads I've ever seen--one is aquamarine, another a teal blue (almost the color of blue tourmaline) and the third bead is the same rich aquamarine color with amethyst color in one corner.  I don't think I would have thought that size of bead was suitable for a bracelet without my 'inspiration piece'.  Of course what I did  has nothing in common with the original inspiration except perhaps that I used three large stones.  I have to say thank you though for putting the seed of inspiration in my head and giving me the courage to plunge ahead with a new idea.

I combined the stones with hammered gold vermeil toggle clasp and a single hammered vermeil bead and linked them together with goldfilled chain.  The bracelet is easy to wear and flexible and I really love the way it looks on the wrist. To give you an idea of the size of the stones--they weigh over 42 carats per gemstone,  and each stone is almost an inch long, and the yummy colors, oh my!  Now I'm off to try another idea--there's inspiration everywhere.


This is not the piece that inspired me, but the same designer--this piece would inspire anyone.  Gorgeous to the max!

Back in the Day

I started designing jewelry for fun about 12 years ago and was lucky to have found a niche market with artisan lampwork when there weren't many doing handmade artisan jewelry.  Above is one of my earlier pieces.  One of the things I was particular about was using the best quality components--sterling and hilltribe silver, gold filled and gold vermeil, swarovski crystals, designer clasps and beads.  There were two reasons for that---I love nice things and good quality and I also realized that I could not compete with the cheap imports.

After several years at my workbench, I took an extended time off and just recently returned to jewelry design.  I have been really enjoying getting back to working my way thru my stash, but find major sticker shock when needing to replace components.

When I started,  the first Bali sterling silver I purchased was 35 cents a gram and Hilltribe silver was 45 cents a gram.  Vermeil and gold filled findings were just a pinch higher.  That was for clasps, beads, jump rings, everything. Then a few years later when I started buying designer findings, I thought it was sky high to pay 85 cents a gram for special toggles and connectors, that no one else had. I think most of my last purchases for the really great findings was in the neighborhood of $1.10 per gram sterling and maybe $2.10 for gold vermeil and gold filled. You can imagine my surprise when I returned this past spring to jewelry design and I  finally computed how much it would cost me to replinish my supply of precious metal findings as I worked down thru my stash!  At a  recent show production line Bali sterling silver was $2 a gram and the prices went up from there to around $4.00 a gram and more--wholesale.  Other materials have gone up too, but not by the same proportion.   Is it any wonder that copper, bronze and brass have replaced the metals used in jewelry design? 

Last week I wanted a handful of 4mm jump rings, didn't want to wait to order them so I went to my local retail jewelry store.  They wanted 30 cent each for sterling silver 4mm jump rings.  They were 22 guage and by my calculations that would mean sterling jump rings were going for close to $300 an ounce.  Whaaaaaat?!?  If you bought 100 you got a 25% discount--now that's a deal!  That was a retail store, but wow! I think I'm going into the jump ring business!!!

So, going with the trend, because taste has followed right along,--the once snubbed copper and brass, are now the fashion followers new 'must haves', I went in search of some new findings with those metals.  Ack!!!! Findings in pure copper and quality antiqued brass or bronze are more than I last paid for sterling silver, just three or four years ago!  I do understand the pricing for sterling and gold filled/vermeil findings due to the market prices for those metals, but I really do not understand copper.  It is currently trading for around $3.40 a pound...not an ounce, a pound...so how did copper findings get so expensive?  I look at my boxes of sterling silver and realize I have to pay the same or more for copper and that is sticker shock.  Then I look at my sterling silver and fine silver and gold vermeil findings and realized that if I use them and want to replace them, it prices my jewelry designs in the pricy range.  So I try to split the difference--use a little, price things fairly.  I think I may just save my silver for scrap--it's an investment hedge and using it in jewelry I'm looking old school and costing too much, lol.  Of course, the real conundrum comes--replace it with base metals components that require a substantial investment at current prices and they don't really have much actual value compared to precious metals. What to do, what to do!

 So, I've gone thru my stash of beautiful designer findings and decided to sell some at discounted prices in my vintage/destash etsy store--check them out if you're looking for a special  piece.   http://www.allweneedislove.etsy.com/  
An example---this Saki Silver sterling and gold vermeil clasp is 28mm, retails around $85, I'm offering it for $60--about a 30% discount.

 Here's a big, bold Shiana Hilltribe .999 fine silver clasp that is a hammered heart, for sale in my etsy store as well...12 grams and I'm selling below wholesale for $28.00

Some Saki silver sterling connectors that currently retail for $18 apiece I'm destashing for less....

and it goes on.  Some of these things have become almost impossible to find,  As I get them photographed I have lots more to share... and possibly whittle down my stash...or not.  Otherwise my surplus will just end up as an inflation hedge. It's likely on the way, so maybe silver will be the new gold standard!

Fancy Nancy

 Well, if you don't know who Fancy Nancy is, then you must not know any little girls!  I was introduced to her by my little niece, Miss Karma, who has loved Fancy Nancy for some time. Fancy Nancy is a little girl who likes tea parties and fancy dresses and who has a colorful and very prissy imagination.  Now most little girls these days do more practical things and don't have time for such frufru's--unless you happen to be the daughter of one of the Housewives of Beverly Hills, lol--have you seen the parties they throw for their children?!? 

But nevertheless, these gorgeous gem-toned lampwork beads made by Corina Tettinger have been lingering in my stash for awhile now.  I loved them so much I couldn't let go of them...but this week as I was digging thru my treasures and came across these again--they shouted FANCY NANCY--do something glitzy-glam and treat us like gemstones instead of lampwork, so that's what I did.  I mixed them with some filigreed gold vermeil and a snazzy amethyst and gold vermeil clasp and finished it off with a trio of gemstone charms---a peruvian blue chalcedony briolette, a rich amethyst briloette and a mandarin garnet briolette.  Rich colors, girly girl design, lots of embellishments and gold.  An absolute necessity for your next Tea Party with the Queen, or garden party in Beverly Hills...or maybe you could wear it with your favorite sundress for a stroll in the park, on the beach or most anywhere at all.  It's just a little fancy after all and what girl doesn't want fancy now and then???  xxxooo

Sunset in Paradise Up on My Roof

 Yes, that's how we felt last night when Mitch and I were looking out our living room picture window and saw the beginnings of a beautiful sunset.  We grabbed our cameras and ran upstairs to the rooftop deck to take in the 360 degree spectacular show from Mother Nature.  We were well rewarded for our efforts as you can see.

 This might have been one on my all time most beautiful sunsets.  As the  skys became mor vivid and the clouds seemed to be baking in their glory, I wanted to burst out singing one of my favorites from the cantata Elijah--"The Heavens are telling the glory of God.  The wonder of His works displays the firmament."
This was our view looking towards the sunset northwest across the beach and towards Santa Barbara.

 We really do feel blessed to live in this beautiful place where the wonders of nature are all around us every day.  From our rooftop we get a 360 degree view of mountains, ocean, islands and sand that makes my heart skip a beat on a regular basis.  This picture is facing the Channel Islands and looks out over the ocean.

One final picture looking southeastward over the harbor towards the mountains and away from the sunset.  It was no less spectacular in color--the sky was sooo pink that the reflection on the water in the harbor made it appear pink as well.  I pink ocean afloat with little sailboats bobbling on the water.  So glad we didn't miss this glorious display of heavenly glory.

Variations on a Theme--the Beach

SIMPLE A tale of three bracelets with the same shaped beads--different colors, different construction...Blue Hawaii is wirewrapped together with hammered hilltribe fine silver links that have been oxidized and then embellished with turquoise and czech glass charms--

BUSIER Then we have The Dunes, with similar shaped lampwork seashells (glass for all bracelets torched by Judy Carlson, Jujeebeads) but this time strung together with beading wire and combined with freshwater pearls and a pair of hilltribe fine silver nautilus beads and a sterling toggle clasp...similar, but different in the way they fit and the look...

BUSIEST Now here are the same shaped seashell beads wirewrapped to a copper chain and used as charms, combined with turquoise, coral, gemstone and heat patina copper nautilus, finished with a coral toggle clasp...lots of color, varied materials, textures and shapes all dancing on a chain.

Three sets of similar shaped beads, served up in three different ways...which one speaks to you?  I loved doing all three designs--Variations on a Theme.  I always enjoyed baroque music when I was a piano student--start simple then embellish, and embellish and embellish on a theme until it was a decadently ornate version of it's original self...art imitating music, eh?