'That time of year thou may'st in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold;
Bare ruin'd choirs where late the sweet birds sang.'

(Sonnet 73)

When I created 'Thanksgiving' worked with the glorious lampwork sculptural leaf bead by the very talented glass artist, DancingFrogJewels, I was at once reminded of the bountiful harvest of food at this time of year and all the festivals & rituals celebrating our blessings. I also kept thinking of the famous lyrical sonnet by William Shakespeare as excerpted above. The cycle of life and death and the Autumn's natural and beautiful presentation before the loss of colors and leaves as the earth turns inward for a brief time until rebirth.

Mostly I worked with the bountiful images of harvest and cornucopia. Take a long look at the detail and splendor of the leaf bead. The artist has used molten silver, creating texture on the surface of the leaf, blending in with the tones of golden amber & yellow. Stunning, stunning work! There are also beautiful glossy pumpkin & gourd beads by Beadaddicts and lots of Baltic amber, Swarovski crystals and elegant Bali gold vermeil including a lovely ornate vermeil toggle clasp. A striking gallery piece, stunning as a companion to your Autumn wardrobe.

'Thanksgiving' measures about 17 inches and falls elegantly below the neckline.

'Winter Seas and Lavender Ice Waves' is created with only the finest in hand-torched glass beads by two different artists. A huge favorite of mine, artist Betty Hanssen created the gorgeous lavender sea & wave & anenome bead with clear lavender, silver lines & dots adding texture and richness. Sister beads to that central, focal bead are two diamond lampwork beads in the same theme of the sea - waves and a spare anenome. The icy lavender leaves or icicles are made by a gifted lampworker named Lloyd. His professional name escapes me, but his work is impressive. How I adore these lavender, icy leaves especially as companions to Betty Hanssen's Winter ocean beads. So rich!

I have used Swarovski crystal beads in a light golden beige color, picking up the sandy color in Betty's beads - like the sandy tide washing the shells and anenomes in and out under ice cold skies. Rich purple round lampwork spacer beads and Bali silver bumpy beads, reminding me of anemomes complete the piece along with a handsome hammered silver toggle by Thailand's infinitely gifted Hilltribe artisans.

The necklace measures at about 17 inches and falls elegantly below the neckline. The chain is also sterling silver.

'Fall Leaves' is created with only the finest in hand-torched glass beads by three different artists. A huge favorite of mine, artist Catherine Steele created the gorgeous multi-colored oak leaves. These are complex & rich works of glass art & easily fetch a king's ransom! Her work is well worth it. The companion, scroll lantern-shaped beads are done by L'Design and a talented glass artist named Aaron. A deep golden amber glows from beneath dark scrolling on the surface of each bead. Sublime. Finally, the green, etched spacer beads are made by yet another artist. Between them, I use Swarovski topaz crystals which warm the necklace into a cozy glow as we all begin to welcome the colder times of Autumn.

The necklace measures at about 17 inches and falls elegantly below the neckline. The chain is 14K over copper and the gold vermeil (22K gold over 99% silver) is a hammered toggle clasp from the infinitely talented Karen Hilltribe artisans of Thailand.

'Helen of Troy' is centered around a glorious focal lampwork goddess bead by a very talented lampwork artist, the name of whom escapes me. I was lucky to purchase a small selection of goddess, fairy and angel sculptural beads from a collector. "Helen of Troy' is the first of a few piece I plan to design with these beautiful sculptural beads. This type of bead, if done well, can cost a small fortune. They can easily cost between $100-$200 per bead. I feel fortunate to have paid much less than that and am able to offer my designs at a still reasonable price considering the glass art involved.

The glorious Helen bead speaks for herself - lush red hair flowing down her back wrapped in a green garland, spotted with blue wildflowers. Her gown is blue and her skin is pale. I used stunning lampwork amber beads by Betty Hanssen one of my all-time favorite lampwork artists. She entitled this set, 'Chai Tea' and the harvest glow of amber and gold is so fitting for Helen. I have also used red agate stones, clear aurora borealis Swarovski Helix beads and two amazing scroll beads by Sortafloweringdesigns. Two Thai Hilltribe vermeil gold curve beads complete the piece along with vermeil gold chain (22K gold over 99% pure sterling). The whole effect is elegant and fitting for a gallery piece, thanks mostly to the stunning lampwork Helen bead.

"Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?!" I have been to ancient Troy which is in modern Turkey. How could one travel there and not think of the beautiful Helen of Troy! I digress..but this piece was named for that experience and that woman, considering the beauty of this bead.