Valentines Day January 31, 2009

Some of us love this holiday, others don’t. But either way, I find it hard to dispute this adorable little icon: the heart. Here is some of the jewelry Juanita and I have created in celebration of sweetest little design, and just in time for the sweetest of holidays!

This is our Large Hammered Heart necklace. Only $24!

 

The Heart Padlock necklace- one of my personal favorites 🙂 $20

 

Cute little puffy heart charms paired with sparkly sapphires– Fabulous! $30

 

Our most popular bracelet is reinvented for Valentines Day in a pretty raspberry color silk with a cut out heart charm. Perfect for only $23.

 

Flashy Rhodolite Garnets sit atop our radiating heart beads to create the El Corzon Earrings. $25.

 

And for those with a darker sense of humor, here’s a layered combination that I enjoy a lot. The Skull Necklace ($32) paired with our Cut Out Heart Charm necklace ($20).

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this heart-centric post full of all things lovely.

XO emily

Enamel Jewelry November 21, 2008

Recently I’ve been seeing a lot of enameled jewelry around. I have to say I really like it:

“Baroque” enameled bracelet by Fossil (only $28!)

“3669L Silver Large Charm Bangle” by Janna Conner ($87)

This sweet bracelet is enameled with little peace signs and doves added to the surface. This artist’s stuff is a bit more pricey, but she’s got some great pieces.

She also offers other cute enameled pieces:

“3810 Gold Irina Neck” by Janna Conner ($96)

For more simple ( and hand made) enameled jewelry, etsy is jammed pack with plenty to put on your wish list:

these sweet and simple earrings and necklace are from Steinvika on etsy. Lots of great colors to see here.

These enameled rings are from the lovely etsy shop of Senay Akın.

These bold and graphic pendants come with a different color on each side:

These come from etsy seller OiOi.

 

 

Exciting News! November 8, 2008

We just found out that we’ll be participating in the Winter 2008 Mission Bazaar!

It takes place on Saturday, December 6th and Sunday, December 7th from 10 am – 8 pm at The Mission Armory Community Center at 14th & Mission in San Francisco. There will be an array of crafts and lots of live performances. Open Sesame is so excited to be involved! We hope to see you there!

All about Apatite October 25, 2008

Juanita and I recently acquired some new strands of Apatite beads. Juanita picked out some chunky rondelles and I picked out some small, irregularly cut beads. Apatite is one of my new favorites right now because of it’s intense, bright aqua color. it’s incredible saturated and mixes well with an aray of other stones. Here a few necklaces we’ve made with our new purchases:

Apatite Rondelles with Marquis Links (sterling silver) 

 

Irregular cut Apatite with one white Pearl (sterling silver)

 

Here is a pair of earrings that use the Apatite beads to brighten up a cluster of other darker stones:

24 Karat Gold Vermeil with Apatite, Kyanite, Laborodite and Tourmaline

I love how the brightness of the Apatite brings out the bright flashes of blue in the primarily gray Laborodite, and even the Kyanite (which you sadly can’t see much of in the picture) is more brilliant. 

Farmer’s Market September 30, 2008

Juanita and I have started selling our jewelry at the Oakland Temescal Farmer’s Market on Sundays and it’s been tons of fun. Not only is it incredibly gratifying to see all of our hard work out on the table, but we’ve had a great reception from all the people there. 

It’s been pretty challenging as far as coming up with display ideas and booth arrangements, but I always love some creative problem solving (thanks art school)! The wind has been the biggest problem, but Juanita and I keep coming up with solutions. It’s a lot of fun trying to figure out new solutions, especially because each week has been different (we’ve been there about 4 weeks now). 

If you’re in the East Bay, we’d love it if you stopped by! The market is open from 9-2 every Sunday and full of good food, music and jewelry!

Custom Creations! September 25, 2008

Juanita and I just finished up this gorgeous creation for one of our local customers. I think it’s so beautiful, Juanita and I both want one for ourselves! 

 

It’s made of 24 karat gold vermeil chain with Hessonite Garnets in a perfect gradation of colors. The deep auburn colors transition beautifully into honey yellow, and they look so great with the gold. 

 

If you ever find a piece of jewelry you like, but think you might love it with some variation, we welcome your ideas. You can see a similar style necklace that’s made of sterling silver and smokey quartz.

We have been so busy, September 1, 2008

and having so much fun:

 

 

 

 

Silk! July 9, 2008

Juanita and I have been crazy for silk wrap bracelets. Some of our creations:

off white silk with dyed wood beads

 

tan silk with dyed wood beads and sterling silver

 

royal blue silk with dark wood beads and sterling silver

 

purple silk with sterling silver 

 

We love these wrap bracelets for their bright colors and un-fussy style. Check our etsy shop for available styles!

 

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.