I have been so enchanted by the  heritage & history of the traditional Nantucket Lightship baskets and have taken great joy in composing bracelets to match the impression I have of the baskets and their native Nantucket. Like the others I designed (all one-of-a-kind) with this muse, this one is *the* sentimental charm bracelet for summers spent, like annual winds, on the island. It is a cornucopia of some of the most talented lampwork bead artists with whom I have had the pleasure to work. 

 

'Nantucket Lightship Basket, VI' is comprised of several lampwork artists' beads.  The two, large round knobby pillow beads are done by renowned Australian artist, Nellie Mae.  When she entered the US market, she was little known and her bead prices were pricey, but nowhere near what she is able to fetch for them today.  I was very fortunate to collect 5 or 6 sets of her work.  Also, after a year or so of creating lampwork sets of beads, she has all but abandoned that style and is now almost exclusively making  Pandora lampwork beads, fetching up to $40 or more for one bead. It is no mistake, however, since her work is so original and mesmerizing.  You won't find lampwork beads like the ones she creates.  As I used to say of Nellie Mae's work, you start to work with them and soon the beads are telling the story and not the other way around.  These two lampwork beads by her are the rolling sea, the generous curl of waves and the color of sea in the afternoon on a clear, summer's day, when the sun casts silver on the ocean.  She uses shades of blue, turquoise with curls of silver sparkles and then sensual whisps of white encased under clear glass.  The very depth of the colors beneath the glass is intriguing.  You can look on forever and deeper and deeper.

 

Companion lampwork are done by a top-flight American glass artist.  Her work is at once edgy and complex done in a tubular shape and colored in transparent blues, teal, turquoise & purple (rather like a Monet) and peppered with silver flecks, clear bumpies and on the center bead, generous scrolls of 24K gold swaths of embedded metal. I absolutely love the ensemble of the two sets - at once rich, textured and very sophisticated. 

 

Other lampwork beads in the piece include:  3D flowers by artists Heather (Bead Intrigue) and Serena Smith.  Heather also makes the small, transparent green leaves and whimsical polka dot lampwork discs.  Serena is the artist of the royal purple tulips, looking glossy and wet petaled.

In composing 'Nantucket Lightship Basket,' I created my design in colors around the lampwork beads using semi-precious gemstones,  sterling Bali beads and other  beads. You will find:

 

* Luminous, AAA faceted ice-blue aquamarine rondelles

* Faceted large teal teardrop quartz beads

*Swarovski bicones in a variety of colors & sizes

* Faceted Swarovski cubes in two colors

* Thai Hilltribe bright silver coil beads, hammered oval rings

* Bali silver daisy spacers & twisted rope rings & pins

* Quality cane/furnace beads by the esteemed glass artist, Penrose

Accenting the entire piece are the most glorious sterling charms I could imagine ~ a large vermeil gold (24K gold over .999 sterling silver), a woven basket, a catamaran, an anchor & rope and a tiny seashorse.  Although I don't haunt the isle of Nantucket, I do go north to my own island most summers - Savary - in British Columbia and have done so, since I was 4 years old. So, I understand island life and have always thought of myself as an island girl, even when I am 1000 miles south in the suburbs of California.  And I am very fortunate to have been asked by an esteemed Martha's Vineyard art gallery, Carlin Eliot Fine Arts, to showcase my work in her gallery. I am her only jewelry designer and my work is displayed in a gorgeous French antique Provencal standing case purchased just for my collection.

 

'Nantucket Lightship Basket' is completed with a square Bali silver toggle clasp made by the Bali silver artisans and measures just over 8.5 inches, suitable for a size 7 inch wrist.  Resizing is possible at no additional charge.

 

"Love & Peace & Paris.." is meant to be a piece that celebrates the 'City of Light' and her history & poetry & art.  In creating this piece, I kept thinking of Ezra Pound's famous poem, 'In a Station of the Metro' if only for the Victorian, lacey iron fences and gates adorning the Metro stations & popular on vintage Parisian Metro posters.

 

'In a Station at the Metro

 

The apparition of these faces in the crowd:

Petals on a wet, black bough.'

  

However, poetry aside, the centerpoint of 'Love & Peace & Paris' is a stunning lampwork bead by a cutting-edge American lampwork artist whose work I am using more and more. Her focal, tubular bead is done  in a transparent shade of champagne-pink, with pink, violet texture and lines on the surface, circles by golden bumpies.  It is truly elegant & completex work, like raindrops or frost.  Echoing the shades of champagne and pink and violet are the mystical orbs by Catherine Steele. I use two of them, couched in ornate Bali silver beadcaps, looking like the classic Victorian iron fences encaging the entry to the Metro stations in Paris.  These orbs are encased with a thick clear layer of glass over color that is at once mystical, cosmic and totally modern.  The surface of the orbs are drizzled with sterling lines and droplets, making them even more interesting.  Joining these focal lampwork beads are gorgeous, encased organic square lampwork beads, looking like so much ice over pretty shades of pink, purple & ruby.  All beads taken together echo a similar set of color shades which are lyrically, poetically pink Parisian.  The deep, encased swirls of color inside the lampwork are like cosmic mystery & the infinity of the universe and even, of love.

 

To complete 'Love & Peace & Paris..', you will find the following additional beads:

 

* More encased, organic lampwork cubes & discs, shining with purple & pinks

* Organic salmon pink lampwork rounds and transparent cranberry lampwork rounds

* Two pink rosebud lampwork flowers by Serena Smith 

* Blue Fire Fuchsia moonstone nuggets with daisy spacers

* Luminous pink topaz faceted teardrops

* Elegant faceted quartz crystal rondelles with daisy spacers

* Lilac furnace beads in a triangle shape by Penrose

* Swarovski crystals in a variety of shapes & sizes including faceted Indian pink cubes

* Thai Hilltribe sterling stick beads couched between cranberry Swarovski bicones

* A handsome vintage claw-foot bathtub charm, Eiffel Tower charm and high heel charm

* A small sterling Hilltribe puffy heart charm

 

'Love & Peace & Paris, II..' is completed with a beautiful Bali silver toggle and measures @ 8 inches in length.  Resizing is possible at no additional fees.

 

Now about Paris...I was there in 1989 during the days of the great California earthquake in the SF Bay Area.  A good time to be away. Indeed, we flew in and got the last BART train under the bay back to the east bay before the trains were shut down for days and repairs began. 

 

During those days in Paris after having bicycled in Provence for a full week, climbing steep hills to medieval hilltowns, stopping for a picnic at the broken ruins of the Pope, overlooking the famous vineyards of Chateauneuf du Pape, eating at Michelin star-rated restaurants, dressed in fine silk couture  after a full day of working out, biking along roads & trails, past Van Gogh's insane asylum in St. Remy, saying a cheerful, 'Bonjour!' to old men sitting on benches, visiting in the morning sun, stopping at Roman amphitheatres & bridges (Pont du Gard) & busy, colorful village squares...it was bliss.  Returning to Paris was a time to roam..early Fall, the winds of the mistral settling upon the gravestones at the famous Per-Lechaise cemetery where we saw headstones of Chopin, Gertrude Stein, Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde and I wish I had had a potted plant for Gertrude's place - the earth barren and dried, with no roses and one of Gertrude's famous quotes, 'a rose is a rose is a rose.'  And then of course, there was the Latin Quarter and Montmartre and the Louvre and my taking photos of people taking photos of Mona Lisa.  So...Paris.  'Love & Peace & Paris.'  Must go back...to Paris!

 

 

I'm back to beading-on-a-tangent again, pulling out my more avant gard lampwork beads & going to town.  Once again, it w as a package arriving from abroad which had me swooning at my bead table, spending hours going through my bead library, free-associating with other artists' beads & pulling together ideas until a muse hit me like a too, too beautiful comet. These are truly some of the most intriguing and elegant lampwork beads I have owned.  Splashed in 24K gold, the focal bead is as if from another century.

 

So often it is the work of the lampwork artists with whom I collaborate which serve as my muse. Some beads really send me...and I am driven, as if by a powerful, poetic wind, to sit down at the bead table and bring all the forces to bear on a bracelet design that is simply meant to be.  The focal of 'Penelope' is one of those beads and pulled me back to the time of the ancient Greece. It was a photo I saw online of a few days back in Athens, Greece, during a thunder & lightening shower and a gorgeous, blazing white bolt of lightening hitting the ancient Parthenon. The sky was a deep, dark blue and the white lightening bolt was so perfect in shape and form that one believed for at least a second, that Zeus was at the helm of his firey chariot, casting down thunderous light to shake some sense into the mere mortals of Greece. So...I started to think of Homer's 'Odyssey' and the long, enduring story I read while at university. I remember so clearly Odysseus' wife, Penelope, pining away for him for the decades he was 'lost' on his mariner's voyage.  While many considered her a widow, her love and faith in her husband endured and to soothe herself, she sat at her loom weaving and weaving the years away while many suitors tried to win her favor. Meanwhile, at sea, her husband was fending off sirens and sea monsters and trying to find his way and complete his journey. The story ends well and Penelope is as refined and gentle as a heroine can be...so this design honors that classic, gentle feminine and is, 'Penelope.'

 

I have used some of my favorite lampwork artist's beads in 'Penelope' - including Melanie Carey of her studio Glass Valley. I have used her gorgeous taupe beads with pink rosebuds, green leaves and gentle pink dots. Two of her beads are encased which means clear glass encases a taupe core which makes these beads stand-outs and especially fetching with an antique look.  Two others of her taupe rosebud designs are without the encasing.

 

Catherine Steele's fetching, cosmic looking 'orb' beads are absolute wonders.  I have photographed them up close so that you can see the complexity of color and design beneath the glass. They are drizzled with sterling silver on the surface, making them modern & edgy and creating such depth.  

 

Heather Davis' two magnificent & detailed pink lampwork tulips punctuate the rosebuds of Melanie's work.  Two pink & green rosebuds by Serena in a dainty size hang on each side of the regal focal bead, which in and of itself, is a marvel in glasswork. All four flower beads are used as dangling charms in the design.

 

Long and tubular, the amazing focal bead of "Penelope"  is done in shades of transparent light amber with pink & violet bumps, olive green swirled together with splashes of 24K gold.  It is an absolutely breathtaking piece of art!  I have capped this bead in stunning ornate Bali vermeil beadcaps (22K over .999 sterling).  Two, smaller deep pink matching lampwork rounds done in an organic style (uneven glass surface, freckled with gold) finish the lineup of top-flight lampwork in this design.

Other beads & stones used in 'Penelope' include:

* Freshwater pearls in light pink

* Smokey pink chalcedony faceted briolettes

* AAA quality faceted cubic zirconia in pink, lavender and apricot

* Faceted clear quartz rondelles

* Swarovski crystals in a variety of shapes, sizes & colors

* Small pink filigree lampwork rounds/spacers

* Two large, puffy vermeil heart charms by the Hilltribe artisans

* One small, vermeil heart charm

'Penelope' is completed with an ornate Bali vermeil  toggle clasp and measures @ 8.5  inches in length. This style of bracelet in size 8.5" would usually fit an actual wrist measurement of 6.5"-7".  The bracelet can be resized without an additional fee and without compromising the overall design.

 

As Penelope in her calm & faith in her mate was an enduring  force in the epic, Greek tale of 'Homer's' work, 'The Odyssey,'  so too is this design, a rare jewel, thanks to the magnificent talent of so many gifted glass artists living in the 21st century.

After having lived through a May of record-breaking rains in Northern California (welcome and quite needed), we are all finally looking to a warm, colorful summer.  The breezes of June with their cool nights and perfect mornings punctuate each day.  The garden just gets more and more abundant ~ starting with May cherries, June apricots and blackberries and just now some juicy, sweet strawberries.   As summer days unfold and we relax into less structured days and hours,  I am just starting to think of coming days early Fall and the vibrant colors that go with it, anticipating our change of seasons, however subtle.  As such, and as I continue to learn more about the Atlantic Seaboard and Nantucket, in particular, I learn of the myriad other seasons which accompany our normal 4 seasons.  One is known as, 'Indian Summer,' and while we have the same here in California, in October, I imagine the golden colors of the voluptuous cottage gardens by the sea.

I am a gardener at heart and would spend hours out of doors working the soil and tending to my plants and trees. If only I could! I relish the ability to go into my garden to pick my own bunch of roses for the house or to give as a gift. Needless to say, I adore working with rose themed lampwork, reminding me of the sparkling dew on the lush, fragrant roses in the early, early morning when I sneak out to take it all in; the beauty and solitude before kids and dogs and cats send the day flying.  

 

'Nantucket Dragonfly Morning' is a design awash in sculptural lampwork beads by some of the most gifted, top-flight lampwork artists with whom I work.  There is a beautiful & happy 'garden' of glass art, perfectly rendered into flower and form.

The muse behind 'Nantucket Dragonfly Morning' are the exquisite lampwork beads by Melanie of her studio, Glass Valley. Her set of floral rounds is perhaps what I would consider Melanie's signature lampwork style. Perfectly rendered rosebuds, done in blended shades of orange & cream on a cream round bead.  I combined Melanie's work with a new artist's (new to me, but quite established) stunning and more abstract lampwork.  Her work is a boro lampwork glass bead style, done in thick, square, encased beads with a golden, amber almost irridescent  texture under thick glass. Smaller, encased apricot squares and discs accompany the larger focal set of beads.  Adding to the cornicopia of lampwork beads are two encased polka dot discs done with a bright orange core by lampwork artist Heather of her studio, Bead Intrigue.  A lovely, lone cream tulip lampwork bead by Heather Davis hangs as a focal charm to the design.  On each side of the cream tulip lampwork charm are French red roses by published clay artist, D. Jean Vainio.  Finally, three orange & yellow tulip lampwork beads by yet another published lampwork artist by the name of Serena Smith, complete this incredible collage of high quality lampwork sculptural beads.

 

Additional beads used to finish 'Nantucket Dragonfly Morning' include the following:.

 

* Swarvoski pearls capped in bright Hilltribe sterling beadcaps

* Tiny green lampwork spacers by yet another lampwork artist

* Sterling daisy spacers & beads

* A sterling silver Hilltribe dragonfly charm

A handcrafted sterling toggle using the old wax technique by metal artist, Cathy Dailey, completes 'Nantucket Dragonfly Morning,' which measures @  7.25" in length and can be re-sized at no additional charge.

 

'Nantucket Dragonfly Morning,' is a radiant, feminine design and yet it is also modern & edgy.  It is a bracelet meant to be worn as a showpiece with a simple cocktail dress or with jeans and a 'boyfriend'  styled shirt at the local Farmer's Market.  It is an every day, every woman's bracelet design and will be sure to add just that touch of style & glow to any fashion ensemble.

 

''Pura Vida!' is a festive, tropical celebration of color.  Colors of the Caribbean and of summertime and celebrating the spirit and life of the tropics.  When we were in Costa Rica a few years ago & exploring Tortuguero National Park, we explored the vast, cool waterways of the dark jungle, hidden so perfectly from the intense heat of midday.  During the evening, after our dinner overlooking the vast river, we walked on the sandy beach bordering the Caribbean, the place where the sea turtles lay their eggs in deep burrows and where the tiny sea turtles emerge months later and make the treacherous trek to the sea.  My bracelet design hopes to capture the whole experience ~ from the generous blossoms in the lodge garden and the jungle itself, to the beauty of the sea and its very alive marine environment.

 

The focal bead of 'Pura Vida!' is a masterpiece in glass-art.  It is like a painting of a tidepool, waves and rocky shoals.  It has amemones and glass portals, like rain on the surface and other bumpy texture suggesting shells and colorful reefs.  Companions to this focal are floral rounds by Melanie of GlassValley.  On a base of soft turquoise, she swirls rich, orange blossoms, vines and leaves.  Rich, teal encased square & round chunky discs add a watery depth - thick, clear glass over a teal core.   Punctuating the piece with some whimsy and fun are polka dot encased slices or discs in lime and mint green.  Stand-outs include two incredible sculptural hibiscus flowers in a light shade of lime.  Together with a bright sterling hibiscus charm and a tribal sea turtle from Thailand's Hilltribe people, make this a portrait of that time in the jungle beside the glorious sea in Costa Rica.

 

Other beads and stones include:

 

* Aquamarine faceted rondelles

* Sleeping Beauty Turquoise chips and Hilltribe sterling droplet beads

* Cubic Zirconia faceted teardrops in apricot

* Faceted Swiss blue quartz cubes

* Teal blue Chalcedony faceted briolettes

* Elegant, clear Brazilian green amethyst  briolettes

* Furnace beads by esteemed cane artists, D. Christensen and Penrose

* Orange & light blue lampwork spacers by yet another lampwork artist

* Swarovski beads in a variety of shapes & colors including faceted cubes

* Bali silver twisted rings, daisy spacers and Hilltribe beads

 

'Pura Vida!' is finished with a strong Bali silver toggle clasp and measures @ 8 inches in length. 'Pura Vida!' is Costa Rica's national 'statement' about themselves and living.  It literally means 'pure life,' but more loosely translated means, 'this is living!'  This bracelet has that Latin flare and joy of living in its playful, festive colors, reflective of both the jungle and the sea, so close to the soul of everyone lucky enough to live in or to travel to Costa Rica.

 

Still on my Nantucket design path, I once more marvelled at the borosilicate lentils by StoneyMarieDesigns which I have been saving for a very long time for a very special piece.  To me these are the lentils of a shifting tide; golden & green kelp and sand and shells moving together as the sea shifts upon the tideline.  Marie has used sterling silver to emboss the glasswork, making for a shimmering & bumpy texture in silver & bronze over elegant steel blue layers of glass. 

 

Focal companions to Marie's three boro beads are done by an uber-talented German lampwork artist.  I have used two of her focal oblong beads here, done in transparent aqua blue with  cream-colored sand and shells swirling with bumps and glass portals.  

 

Punctuating the ensemble of lampwork are some small rounds done by Betty Hanssen, an esteemed glass artist whose work is normally complex and elaborate (I am lucky to have a small stash of her work).  Just now, she is doing more simple glass work and their elegance is as lovely.  I have capped these sea-green rounds in Bali silver beadcaps.

 

Finally, a whole cornicopia of beautiful semi-precious stones & crystals completes this bracelet.  They include:

 

* Green Amethyst faceted heart briolettes

* Ice blue & green aquamarine rondelles & faceted teardrops

* Deep blue iolite rondelles, stacked with Hilltribe silver droplets

* Magnificent, shimmering Steel Blue/Teal faceted iolite nuggets (stone of the Vikings)

* Green amethyst faceted briolettes

* Aqua apatite nuggets

* Hydrothermal quartz faceted cubes

* Bali silver daisy spacers & twisted rope spacers

* Hilltribe sterling solid abstract shapes 

* Swarovski crystal in a variety of shapes, sizes & colors, including faceted cubes

 

Pulling the design together are three charms - the most handsome rowboat, a seahorse, that mystical creature and a large, commanding lobster.  This is a piece of the Altlantic Seaboard, of Maine and Nantucket, of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Sound.  Unlike my more nautical themed pieces, 'The Rowboat' is rather a piece celebrating the life of the sea and the always shifting colors of blue and green and aqua and turquoise on a lucky day.  It is a beachcomber's piece; a piece to comfort one on a dark winter's day or to enliven one on a day in the city or even a lone walk at the tideline at sunset.

 

'The Rowboat' is finished with a Bali silver toggle and measures @ 8 inches in length.  Resizing to fit is possible at no additional cost.

To complete 'The Great Bear Rainforest', you will find the following additional beads:

 

*  3D petaled glass flowers & leaves by Heather of BeadIntrigue and Serena of SJDS Designs

* Sheer aqua roses by published clay artist, D. Jean Vainio

* Light, light blue & apple-green  lampwork spacers by a solely-spacer lampwork artist

* Luminous, faceted quartz rondelles, capped in daisy spacers

* AAA quality Sleeping Beauty Turquoise from the renowned & sacred mine in Arizona

*Cobalt blue quartz faceted briolette

* Stunning faceted ametrine rondelles in light purple

* Swarovski crystals in the shapes:  cubes, bicones,  Clear AB rondelles, etc.

* Bali silver twisted ring bead caps/spacers

* AAA quality cubic zirconia teardrops in green and light blue

*Cobalt furnace beads by Christensen.

 

'Great Bear Rainforest..' is completed with an ornate, square Bali silver toggle and measures 8.5 inches in length.  Resizing is possible at no additional fees.

 

 

This time, I am back to the East Coast's Atlantic winter seascape off of Nantucket, where cold, fierce winds move against the land & lighthouse in gales & howling moans.  I think of the icy water, polishing the day, polishing the sand and the beach glass for the summer people & their walks along the beach, in search of the ever elusive beachglass.  But mostly, I think of those lighthouses, alone , steeped in history, always on watch, always a nautical profile in the distance.

 

'Nantucket Lighthouse' is not named for any particular eastern seaboard lighthouse. Rather, it is named mostly for Nantucket, the sea-worn glass & shells on a winter beach, the classic Nantucket Lightship baskets and the keeper of the lighthouse, as represented by a sterling pair of binoculars, always at the ready when something looks amiss in the dark curls of water on the horizon. 

 

'Nantucket Lighthouse' uses the magnificent focal bead from this set by Gabriele Sarvayge, an esteemed glass artist from Germany.  Her beads often fetch $50 per bead as her work is gaining more and more recognition among artists.  The bead I use of Gabriele's is a sea bead with color of a teal sea, both transparent & milky, rising and falling against a beautiful dune.  She drew swirls of glass taupe colored sand, a raised seashell and dark bumps on the surface making, for a very complex, interesting & very beautiful bead, like a watercolor painting.

 

Lampwork companions to the focal beads are my all-time favorite sea-themed bead design by Catherine Steele.  These are some of her etched (meaning, like beach glass) seashell, sculptural beads.  Working with any of Catherine's sea-themed beads is like a stroll along the tideline.  I happen to know that she lives inland, far from the sea, and like I, craves the ocean all year round.   I have used two of her seashell beads here, all lampwork couched in sterling Bali twisted rings.  The final lampwork of the piece are by yet another German glass artist named Karen who calls herself, 'the bead fairy of Germany.' These are complex transparent-on-light teal & taupe, bumpy beads and work with the rest of the lampwork perfectly.  'Nantucket Lighthouse' is a stroll on a winter beach! 

 

The balance of my composition is awash in aquamarine stones, making this piece an especially high-end piece of glass jewelry art.  It was just one of those aquamarine nights, when way past midnight, I finally sat down to work, compose or 'write' in beads.  It is my favorite time of day when everything gets dreamy.

 

In any case, you will find all shapes and sizes and colors of Aquamarine stone -  moss colored rondelles, icy blue, sea-blue, sky-blue, Swiss Topaz blue.   Companions to these and the lampwork include:

 

* Silver colored roses by published clay artist, D. Jean Vainio

 

Other beads and stones inlcude:

* Baltic amber along with sterling droplets by the Hilltribe artisans

* Faceted pale blue Chalcedony briolettes

* Faceted Green Cubic Zirconia in teardrop shapes of AAA quality

* Gorgeous Chrysoprase nuggets in a turquoise shade

* Swarovski Crystal in a variety of shapes & sizes

* A gorgeous lighthouse charm

* A pair of sterling binoculars

* An anchor/ship's wheel sterling charm

* A Sterling woven basket for the Nantucket Lightship basket tradition

* A wee sterling sand-dollar charm

 

'Nantucket Lighthouse' is completed with a perfect Bali silver nautical rope toggle clasp and measures @ 9.5" in length and can be resized at no additional fees.  Should you require a size 7.5 or smaller & any beads have to be 'sacrificed,' I will create a pair of matching earrings of them for you at no charge.  I am confident this piece can be resized without compromising the overall design.

I am thrilled to announce my designing lull finally seems to have broken and I am up most nights until 2am, starting a design in the mysterious quiet of the night.  I suppose it was the heat of summer and the dour worldwide news which had me lulled into beading lethargy. Now, it seems I am going for gold and dipping into my top premier lampwork beads (most expensive) to make my visions come true.  This one is called 'Koi Pond & Lotus Garden.'  It incorporates the lampwork beads of several artists, the two most prominent being Catherine Steele of Art with Heart and a German glass artist named Gabrielle Savage.  

 

Perhaps some of Catherine's most sought after bead designs are her Koi Pond lentils as shown in my piece.  Catherine, like me, has been on a hiatus and has made few beads in the last few months.  I am so pleased that I stock a library of inspirational lampwork beads so that I have them always at the ready, at my fingertips.  I used the last three Koi lentils in my library and can only hope her hiatus ends soon, too.  As you can see, Catherine's Koi lentils are sculptural wonders with a Koi fish swimming in her pond beside a lily pad and floating florals.  So magical.  I combined them with  Gabrielle Savage's equally inspiring transparent green pond and garden-esq beads which are complex in design and include bumps and swirls and lines suggesting a beautiful garden sanctuary.  Her work is nothing short of cosmic and contains that avant gard flare of so many European artists.  Austria's famed painter, Hundertwasser, comes to mind when I look at Gabrielle's work.

 

Other lampwork beads include sublime floral tulips in yellow and french red; green & white petaled 3D flowers by Serena of SJSD Designs.  Published clay artist, D. Jean Vainio makes some of my favorite Shasta Daisy clay flowers.  In this midst of beauty, you will also find stunning Amethyst faceted rondelles, freshwater pearls, Swarovski rondelles & bicones; white sterling lotus flower beads by the Hilltribe artisans and finally a lily pad and frog sterling charm and a Buddha charm centerpiece.

 

This is one of those showpieces. It makes a statement about life, 'The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.' (Buddha)

 

'Koi Pond & Lotus Garden' measures 8 inches and can be resized at no additional fee.

Note that all my photos are taken in natural lighting. I tend to wait until the late afternoon when I can capture the depth and texture of the piece and the individual shine and angles of each bead. I did include a few shots of the piece in full, but setting sunlight in order to capture the elegant sparkle of the piece.

Sold out!  Thank you!

 

'Arizona Rain' is done in some truly extraordinary, special turquoise ~ from the famous Sleeping Beauty Mine in Arizona.  The turquoise from this mine is regarded by the native peoples (Navajo) as sacred.  As such, it is difficult to come by except in chip form.  I was over-the-moon to find some beautifully cut teardrop briolettes and bought as many as I could.

 

All of that aside, 'Arizona Rain' is meant to be a pair of show earrings; earrings to combine with blue jeans (chic) or a sweeping gown for a night on the town with your hair pulled back and high.  They are at once sexy, edgy and glamorous.  But the turquoise is the thing that makes them absolutely elegant with their gorgeous shade of color and the mystery & mythology surrounding Sleeping Beauty's Mine.  

 

The earrings are created using sterling posts, Bali sterling beads & daisy spacers, faceted clear crystal, and amazing, handcrafted chunky chain to add substance to the design.

 

'Arizona Rain' can be customed as shown with a length of 2 inches and 3 turquoise stones per earring or 3 inches and 4 stones per earring.  The longer earring option is $125 per pair and the shorter option is $105 per pair. Price: $105  

This design is a small departure from my usual design model. I lucked upon some stunning sterling chain, large, oval loops done in thick, substantial, polished sterling. It sparked a design in me that was spare, elegant, clean, classic and chunky, of which I am doing a few different design versions. Bold, but stunning. The theme is hot pink moonstone with dramatic blue fire flash, white freshwater pearls & clear crystal & lolite and lots & lots of sterling silver. The blue fire of the moonstone is absolutely fetching and the crowded chunky gems make for a tour de force of a time piece.

We have all heard of 'Father Time," well this is "Butterfly Time," a purely whimsical, sassy, edgy design meant to shock, surprise and make you smile. But it is also a watch! A bracelet-watch, hence the theme of time. No one else will have one quite like it. And butterflies are in fashion - in fabrics and accessories are all the rage just now.

'Butterfly Time' is designed around the solid, abstract sterling silver beads of Thailand's Hilltribe artisans. Their silver is .999% pure, versus the normal .925 purity. These are abstract in shape and solid, pure sterling (but not heavy to wear). The sterling butterflies are also by these artists, as are the two waterwheel beads. Gorgeous step-cut, clear, clear crystal nuggets add depth and shimmer along with lustrous freshwater coin pearls which glimmer and glow. Luxe & luminous iolite teardrop faceted briolettes add some real glam to the design along with the pink heart briolettes in two shades. Small spots of Swarovski crystals punctuate the piece ever so subtly along with 2 Swarovski butterflies and two pink/white hand-torched lampwork beads by Florence trained glass artist, Glass Jungle (his work is very hard to find anymore, alas).

The watch-face is Geneva Quartz and comes with a spare battery. 'Butterfly Time' design is mod, original and glam all at once. You won't find another like it.

"Butterfly Time" measures a generous 8.5 inches in length for the draped look, however it can be resized at no additional charge to about 7.5 inches in length.