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#312. "Daisy Days" "Daisy Days" is another of my newer designs from my Simple Luxe Collection. This piece is a lampwork, gemstone 'wrap' or three-strand bracelet. That is, three strands of lampwork, stones, gems, white & regular sterling (925) and some lovely sterling charms including: a small rogue handmade 'DAISY' charm created by a local gifted artist using the old-wax casting technique. The same metalsmith also completed the dainty rouge-daisy toggle clasp made of solid sterling. Stunning pure white, clear & red/white studio lampwork beads (*at least 12 individual lampwork beads) were created by six esteemed lampwork artists living here and abroad and make up 'Daisy Days.' You will find a magnificent 'spankle' white round with swirls of white punctuated by real sterling droplets of silver encased in the glass. The swirls of white look like a moving scarf in the wind. These spankle beads are an original design of a gifted English artist. Her beads are difficult to come by as she sells most of her work locally. Also of note, are the clear/white bubble beads - like bubbles of water trapped under glass. The focal set of lampwork are created by the ever-talented, Catherine Steele. These include her encased red, clear & white daisy lentils & her actual daisy sculptural beads. I never tire of working with her daisy encased beads and as I was longing for full-on Spring this weekend, this seemed like the perfect time to pull out her cheerful daisy lentils set. The piece is punctuated with AAA faceted quartz nuggets, freshwater Baroque & button, red furnace heart beads by the esteemed furnace glass artist Christensen, a large faceted chunky moonstone nugget and slim rondelles which flashes blue in just the right light and lots of white sterling findings, clear, red, opaque Swarovski crystal beads, sterling silver beads and accents. 'Daisy Days' is an elegant landscape of cascading beads for the season of unfolding green and color spots as gardens around the country start to offer up early blooms, preparing for an abundant, happy growing season (non-GMO seeds, of course).* For those unfamiliar with 'lampwork' beads - these are individual works of glass art created by gifted artists using rods of glass and a torch. There is a whole collectors' world of lampwork bead enthusiasts along with designers who use them in their jewelry work. Although some lampwork beads are now made en masse in China and beyond, my designs use only lampwork created by top-flight studio artists.As a quick aside, I read just yesterday that a color trend of Spring, 2012 is a pure and 'blinding' white. I must admit I was swooning when I saw an elegant, silk, flowing suit - perfectly tailored on a tall, elegant young woman. It is nice to see the pure color of white 'on trend' again!'Daisy Days' measures a firm 8.25 inches with very little give - this particular design is meant to have a snug fit as three separate strands against the wrist, quite unlike my signature dangle designs or my playful 2 strand wrap design. An 8.25 inch bracelet would best fit someone with a 6.50 or 6.75 inch wrist. 1 in stock Price: Was $475.00 Sale! $325.00 Qty:  Tell-a-Friend!

#311. 'Rockaway Beach' Even though we drift ever so slowly toward summertime and road-trips to the sea, I am of the mind that it is never too soon to make a seaside journey if only by design. 'Rockaway Beach' a piece which reminds me of the many day trips I used to make with my grandmother to her former home by the sea in Northern California. We would leave the hot suburbs east of San Francisco and head toward the city, bypassing S.F. for the shortcut to the Pacific Ocean and the town of Pacifica. On our way, winding down the steep highway along the coast (and before urban sprawl came down to the sea at Pacifica), we would tuck into a tiny corner of the world called 'Rockaway Beach.' It was not big enough to be called a village. It was not a marina. It was just a handful of old buildings from the 1920's and 1930's (as if from the prohibition days) set against a cement breakwater where waves crashed in and raised up in a watery rage that was at once frightening as it was exhilarating. Grandma would have packed tuna fish sandwiches and a few bananas and some milk and we would eat our lunch in the car, with our windows down beside the breakwater, listening to the rage & powerful roar of the ocean. I was quite young and it always felt like such a spirited adventure requiring us to be full of courage & might - to go sit beside such a tempestuous Pacific meeting at last at the land of the west coast. As such, 'Rockaway Beach' is yet another of my newer designs from my Simple Luxe Collection. This piece is a premier lampwork, gemstone 'wrap' bracelet. That is, two strands of lampwork beads made of German or Italian fine glass in a studio setting by skilled artists and created bead-by-bead with amazing detail, color & texture. 'Rockaway Beach' also includes stones, gems, sterling (925), a hand-wrought hammered sterling heart connector and a handsome rouge toggle by a local, gifted silversmith. She uses the old wax casting technique and her sterling pieces add an other worldly & edgy feel to my designs. Stunning organic lampwork beads make up 'Rockaway Beach' in shades of aqua, green, teal, sea & topaz blue, ink blue, turquoise with icy shades of smooth, clear quartz nuggets, radiant Keishi & splendidly plump, elegant Baroque pearls some of which are capped in strong sterling caps. You will also find dainty faceted teardrops of light green aquamarine stone, discs of blue-fire moonstone, nuggets of blue iolite (navigational stone of the Vikings). Myriad studio lampwork beads (*at least 24 individual lampwork beads) were created by nine or ten esteemed lampwork artists living here and abroad and make up 'Rockaway Beach.' You will find a spare sea-blue hollow round (looking like a vintage fishing net floater), rough, sand-colored rounds peppered with sterling specks, a teal-blue bubble bead (with trapped O2 making for an H2O sort of alive look) and a rich sky-blue encased round bead with dapples of sterling encased inside the clear glass layer, as well as dainty, slim lampwork discs in pale aqua and two sculpted shell lampwork beads. My favorite are the lumpy, luminous organic rounds, handformed while the glass is still hot. The encased core of colors under the textured, bumpy clear is so striking, edgy & elegant at the same time. Bright coils of sterling silver rope made into beads and looking like sea-twine or netting add only more interest to the design along with many other sterling rings and beads & findings. The addition of a few charms (schooner under sail, a wax-rendered sterling sailboat button-bead, a tribal sea turtle charm and a tiny silver star makes 'Rockaway Beach' especially fetching along with the magnificent collection of lampwork, sterling and the earthy & beautiful stones & gems. The focal of 'Rockaway Beach,' is an incredible piece of glass art in and of itself. Made by a gifted lampwork artist in Germany, she creates a large focal that is the alive & trembling sea moving and at one with the beach & sky and including the tideline and tidepools, cluttered with shell, sea-grass and sand. That bead alone reminds me of the eclectic art galleries of famous seaside villages both here and abroad, where artists capture their muse amidst the sun's raven beauties and the ancient old towns of beautiful people. 'Rockaway Beach' measures about 8.25 inches on the outside and 8.5" on the inside. The two strands criss-cross each other to both restrain and allow the piece to drape elegantly without being too loose. However, if you have a petite wrist and need the strands taken in a bit, I can certainly adjust it to a tighter fit and without compromising the spirit and design of the piece. Conversely, if you need some length added, that is an option as well. All that said, please consider that this style of wrap is meant to be worn somewhat loosely and playfully, but not to the point where it could slip off your wrist.* For those unfamiliar with 'lampwork' beads - these are individual works of glass art created by gifted artists using rods of glass and a torch. There is a whole collectors' world of lampwork bead enthusiasts along with designers who use them in their jewelry work. Although some lampwork beads are now made en masse in China and beyond, my designs use only lampwork created by top-flight, well-known studio glass artists. Price: $425.00 Sold out  Tell-a-Friend!

#313. 'Cave Painting & the Acorn' A beautifully done sterling etching of the primative horse in motion is done on a silver button crowned with a luminous nugget of gorgeous iolite. Below are loose strands of beads - stone, pearl, lampwork and crystal. A pendant done in earthy, golden, autumn tones, this piece is meant to coordinate with the listed bracelet-wrap called, 'The Wall Painting and the Goddess' with the focal bead from the same European bead set. The companion beads in this pendant include more mysterious iolite nuggets (navigational stone of the Vikings), Baltic Amber, Keishi pearls, AAA blue-fire moonstone, misty green apatite, clear quartz, onyx, a Swarovski crystal teardrop and a handsome lampwork acorn by an Australian artist. The pendant hangs on a simple, but beautiful hand-rendered sterling bail by a local California artist. 1 in stock Price: Was $285.00 Sale! $225.00 Qty:  Tell-a-Friend!

#411. 'White Ice Valentine' The muse behind 'White Ice ~ Valentine' is the stunning blue-flash moonstone faceted nugget which shimmers & shines by turn & by twist. High quality moonstone is mesmerizing, magical & reminds me of the reflection of sky in Antarctica, cruising icy blue waters on a brilliant, sunny day as we broke the 'ice pack' surrounding the Antarctic peninsula in early Springtime. But the theme of this piece is romance - Valentines Day - the perfect purity of  deeply felt love & the gestures on a day inspired by Cupid.  The focal moonstone is surrounded by some magnificently rendered artisan lampwork beads.  Created by torch and glass rod, the beads are then kiln-annealed for 12 or so hours which makes them especially resilient. There is a white 'spankle' round from a talented British artist who encased sterling silver splots under thick encased clear glass over a core of  white.  This is such a stunning bead that add depth of both elegance & enigma. Companion lampwork beads are as lovely, but it is really the collection of stones and sterling that bring the design to its form.  Glossy freshwater pearl buttons, gentle pink amethyst, luminous Keishi pearls & faceted quartz rondelles work along with a white sterling silver snowflake, puffy heart charm and a sterling tio of hearts on a petite tag. Together these create the design of 'White Ice ~ Valentine.'   A perfectly hand-cast bail with a small raised heart is made by a talented local metal artist using the old-wax technique and sterling to create a sturdy, handsome pendant/necklace bail.  I have strung the pendant on weathered leather cord.  'White Ice ~ Valentine' measures @ 20" and the leather cord can, of course, be swapped out for other necklace or chain options should you choose different looks for different days or events. 1 in stock Price: $245.00 Qty:  Tell-a-Friend!

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