Summer and the Sea July 1, 2008

The shift from spring into summer always brings daydreams of the beach. The magic and romance of the sun and ocean, and the awe-inspiring creatures that lurk between sand and sea bring feelings of freedom and tranquility. Jewelry has always had a way of capturing the spirit of the sea. Here are a few of my favorite sea and sand inspired jewels:

Sea Side Urchin Silk Wrist Wrap – by Open Sesame

 

Unmatched Foursome Tentacle Earrings – by: OctopusMe

 

Pomellato Jewelery June 28, 2008

Pomellato is an Italian Jewelry company that I dream about. They work with the highest quality materials and they don’t publish their prices online (you know what that means- expensive!). Their use of precious stones cut into large, smooth cabochons makes a lot of their jewelry look like candy, but combined with tiny sparkling gems, they always have an edge of sophistication.

I had a couldn’t find the exact image of a ring that I’m sure will one day be mine, so I strongly encourage you to check out the web site. Their creations are awe inspiring.

Long Necklaces! May 25, 2008

Maybe you’ve been seeing more long necklaces around magazines, movies, tv or the streets? I definately have been, and I really dig the look. I love the option of layering a super long necklace with a shorter one to show off your eye for design and ability to combine different design elements into your outfit. There’s so many different ways to rock a long necklace, some are sophisticated, others are just playful.

I found these two on Alloy.com and I think they’re totally cool:

Yesterday Juanita and I had a marathon bead night. We took turns working on jewelry projects and playing with some new software we bought (we’re so professional now!). Here are some of the long necklaces I was working on:

24″ sterling silver chain with faceted smokey topaz and vintage ebony bead

 

24″ sterling silver chain with mint leaf charm, hill tribe flower charm, and peridot bead

 

detail: 36″ sterling silver necklace with smooth labradorite beads.

 

And here’s a peak at one of Juanita’s projects:

in-progress: sterling silver, rubies, emeralds, sapphires

 

Check out our etsy shop, as these and many more new necklaces will start appearing!

Nature Walk May 25, 2008

Thursday Juanita and I went for a walk after work along the ocean in Albany. It was a really beautiful day and being out in the sun and feeling connected to nature is so refreshing… I love using my camera to find elements of texture, pattern, composition, humor and light.

Vling Vinyl Jewelry April 27, 2008

So I found Vling in a magazine and the website was cooler than I had anticipated. All the jewelry (necklaces, earrings, pins) is made from recycled vinyl records that have been cut into dramatic silhouettes. In addition to the great graphic appeal, all the jewelry is surprisingly affordable. What could be better?! I love how this recycled / re-purposed material lends itself so well to such graphic and cool accessories.

I love how this recycled / re-purposed material lends itself so well to such graphic and cool accessories.

1 Sheet of Paper & Peter Callesen April 5, 2008

Peter Callesen is not a jewelry artist (like most of the people I talk about here), but he is incredibly inspiring and perhaps even magical….

Here are some pieces he created as part of a project where he takes 1 sheet of regular plain old paper, makes cut-outs (negatives) that become  3-dimensional sculptures (positives).

Impenetrable Castle

Walking Snail

Angel

Half Way Through

White Hand

I love the relationship between the negative and positive forms. I also really appreciate art when the process is so integrated to the viewing of the final piece. The ideas seem so simplistic, yet his execution is so tight and flawless. The seemingly ordinary piece of white paper takes on a life of it’s own and each creation has so much emotion, humor, tragedy and magic.

 

Emily Amey February 27, 2008

Emily Amey is a jewelry artist that is very inspiring to me lately. Her designs are elegant and beautifully inspired. Her appreciation of plant life is translated effortlessly into her jewelry with simplicity, resulting in a variety of organic forms and great design.

One of my most favorite designs is based on a Seafan. Here are a few of her variations:

Also hip and elegant: her vine designs, here as a necklace and super cool hoop earrings:

And one more great pair of earrings (because who doesn’t love a pair of hoops?) are these bubble hoop earrings:

A great deal of my undergraduate work was based on the exploration of natural forms, so I have been really drawn to Emily Amey’s work not only because her pieces are beautiful, but because of her wonderful execution of design based on one of the most influential elements ever: nature.

Allyson Smith Fine Jewelry January 25, 2008

My business partner and I have been oogle-ing the work of New York based jeweler Allyson Smith. Her work exihibits great attention to proportion, color and texture, using exceptional gemstones, gold and silver.

My favorite pieces have simple compositions with a flutter of small gold hammered discs.

Cognac Quartz with 14 Karat Gold necklace:

Chalcedony with 14 Karat Gold Necklace:

Chalcedony with 14 Karat Gold Earrings:

Check out the matching necklace and earrings here:

(Black Diamonds with 14 Karat Gold)

These look like real vines with the subtle textures. They’re also available in different stone choices.

Smith says “My goal is to create singular, classical designs that charm and inspire.” I think she’s suceeded.