Tiny Shop Update

I’ve put up my newest two offerings into my Etsy shop today.  I cannot express how excited I am for this collection.  It’s a little rustic, a little artistic, a little romantic, and a whole lot wonderful.  There’s just the right amount of wanderlust with a good measure of appreciation for the natural world around us.  While I love my filigree work, I’m finding that my latest pieces are possibly me reaching maturity as an artist.  I’ve been working towards finding my voice and aesthetic for a full decade when it comes to jewelry, and I think maybe I’m finally tumbling into it.

I’m also not sure I’m going to be able to outdo myself after this necklace…

Over the last 6 months I’ve been adding little luxuries from Europe into my supply stash.  The Art Nouveau-style French coins from the 20s and 30s were an absolute must for me.  You’ll find them spread throughout this collection in bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.

Antique buttons and lace are a regular occurrence in my work.

But what I’ve been enjoying the most lately has actually been soft-soldering.  Specifically glass pendants.  This one has a dried eucalyptus leaf carefully preserved between sheets of glass along with a remnant of antique whitework.  While it looks like lace, it’s actually a style of embroidery that has been around since about the 16th century.  This piece isn’t that old obviously, but it’s lovely all the same.

This necklace is available for sale at my Etsy shop.

Secondly, I have a lovely pair of solder-top Crazy Horse Jasper earrings.  They’re delightfully rustic and hang from sterling silver earwires that I’ve made.  They’re so simple that I don’t have much to say on them… Other than I’d like to keep them for myself, and I need to remember to make myself a pair!

For those looking for a budget-minded present, these would be perfect.  They’re available here.

There will be more to come!

Transitional Collection, Spring/Summer 2016

My aesthetic typically keeps along the same 2 lines where either I’m in love with neutrals or I’m in love with bold colors.  There is a definite struggle of artistic identity there, but most of the time I like to think my pieces for the most part express some part of human complexity.

So I’m trying for something just a little different this year.  I’m going to attempt to release a concentrated collection of pieces that are loosely focused on a theme for the season, with transitional collections in between each major season.  I have no idea if this is actually going to work or not, but I hope maybe it will help me streamline what makes my work distinctly my own instead of an eclectic collection of pretty things I like (which, hey, is actually a very large part of me, too).

Above is a picture of some of the focal pieces and stones for this first collection.  It’s inspired by The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, which if you’re not familiar with the book I highly recommend it.  Edith Holden’s work as a naturalist of the British Countryside is absolutely amazing.  I spent countless hours looking through it as a child, and it’s such an important artistic inspiration to me as a whole that I own 2 copies.

For this collection you’ll find pressed flowers, leaves, and bits of Edwardian-era lace trapped in glass.  You’ll find romantic antique keys imported from Europe and Art Nouveau-style French coins.  You’ll find bits of nature, and perhaps a few tiny deviations from the theme (for instance the antique Catholic icon pictured).  Rustic soldered jaspers and agates.  Pearls and silk.  Watercolor, neutral fabrics, and unapologetic femininity.

I’m rather excited by what I have in store.