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Our Catalog > ** Bracelets ~ I

** Bracelets ~ I


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'Nantucket Lightship Basket, VI'
'Nantucket Lightship Basket, VI'
'Nantucket Lightship Basket, VI'
#5889. 'Nantucket Lightship Basket, VI'
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
* Transparent aqua lampwork spacers by another studio artist

* 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.
 

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'Love, Peace & Paris, II'
'Love, Peace & Paris, II'
'Love, Peace & Paris, II'
#5599. 'Love, Peace & Paris, II'

"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!
 
 

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'Cosmic Picnic' or 'Pineapple Peace'
'Cosmic Picnic' or 'Pineapple Peace'
'Cosmic Picnic' or 'Pineapple Peace'
#3444. 'Cosmic Picnic' or 'Pineapple Peace'
As I have moved through these first weeks of the glorious summertime,  busy with White Tideline Designs, busy with new designs, one thing has became very clear.  People are crazy for the most colorful of my bracelets.  It is not the glam or gold or black & white designs, but the more magical pieces such as the already sold, 'Peer Gynt's Secret' and 'Tivoli' which caught their eye and had them emailing me about how much they loved my work and especially the colorful pieces.  Then I was listening to my kids watching 'The Devil Loves Prada,' in the other room and one character said a line in reference to accessories which was, 'they make an iconic, cultural statement about that person.'  So, I decided that all the positive feedback I have received about my colorful pieces must mean happy or happiness.  Folks are getting happier!  
 
Last night, I thought I was sitting down to design yet another gold vermeil piece with another historic muse, but it was really a piece about summertime and peace and the tropics and Hawaii and surfing and being happy.  So with that...I introduce, 'Cosmic Picnic,' or 'Pineapple Peace.'  Another bright & colorful bracelet.
 
Once again, I set off looking to Kim Lynn of Kimbeads to set the tone.  Lots of folks make colorful beads, but Kim makes colorful & abstract, edgy colorful beads.  Not so obvious, unexpected and always interesting.  The three colorful lentils I have used in 'Cosmic Picnic' are done in shades of purple, violet, orange, red and a splash of blue.  The design includes starbursts and circles which made me think of poetry of the cosmos and hence, its name. This time I combined Kim's work with a beautiful set of encased red hot (and orange/violet scroll) rounds by  a gifted artist named Stefanie of her studio, 'A Shot of Glass,' as well as some whimsical encased polka dot discs from artist, Heather, of her studio, Bead Intrigue. And from there I went to town incorporating some truly lush semi-precious gemstones into the piece including faceted quartz & amethyst step-cut chunks,  amethyst rondelles, freshwater coin pearls and glass cane or furnace beads by David Christensen and Penrose.  You will also find 3D petaled lampwork etched violet flowers by Heather (Bead Intrigue), Bali sterling daisy spacers, twisted rings and Hilltribe wheat husks, looking like surfboards, along with a Hilltribe tropical bloom and a puffy heart. A rouge, edgy peace-sign by silver artist, Cathy Dailey adds to the theme, using the old wax technique to craft her sterling charms. Hilltribe sterling round discs of bright silver create more depth and shimmer to the piece, like the midday sun, silver on the sea of a tropical island.  'Cosmic Picnic,' is completed with a handsome Bali silver round toggle clasp and measures just 8.5 inches.  With all the chaotic dangles, this bracelet would fit an actual wrist size of 7 inches quite nicely.  However, it can be resized to fit your wrist size at no additional charge and without compromising the design.
 
'Cosmic Picnic' is a warm, sparkling, chunky piece for summertime and times of fiestas and fests.  It is a stand-out piece, a happy yet elegant piece and an absolutely original design for blue jeans or to accent a black cocktail dress.  A piece for times of peace and happiness.




 

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'Highway 1'
'Highway 1'
'Highway 1'
'Highway 1'
As I worked on this piece last night, I kept seeing images of my many road trips along California's famous Highway 1. The lulling sea enroute to Big Sur where the surf moves in and out so slowly and lyrically that one almost expects mermaids to come from the soft waves. And Fitzgerald Marine Park, where I have stood at sunset on Christmas Eve, marveling in the bounty of the lush tidepools, filled with sea critters. One of my all-time favorite Christmas Eve memories. And strolling the promenade of Pacific Grove and the multitude of sea lions and otters just there - in the surf and then stopping for a nap in the sunshine at a pull-out and seeing whales breaching in the distance while my baby boy napped with me. It is this ribbon of Highway 1 which delivers up these incredible experiences, time and again.  From Carmel to Malibu and Santa Barbara in-between, I wonder if there is a more beautiful stretch of highway.

'Highway 1' is created around the stunning lampwork beads of three studio glass artists. The tubular sea-blue beads are marvels in glass. They are complex in design, looking at one like ancient Roman columns with scrolls and portals and also the watercolor blending of a stormy ocean sky.  I discovered this artist several months or so ago and nearly lost my breath. What she does with color is amazing and her beads seem to tell a story or, in any case, one cannot help but weave a story as one works with her beads.

The beads of 'Highway 1' are the cool, swirling, whirling colors of the tranquil sea and the green landscape sloping to the sea in springtime in California. They are the tides, the cosmos above, the surf and tidepools. This lampworker casts a spell with her glasswork and she peppers her designs with flecks of gold, and silver.  Extraordinary work.

The stunning lampwork beads are surrounded by striking beads in complementary colors of the sea. I have used lampwork beads from two other lampwork artists - etched blue & lime green & turquoise beads - which I use time and again in my sea-themed pieces. The etched beads, like well-kept beach glass, could not be more fitting and the cobalt blue curl of color in the shape of a wave on each bead is a perfect design touch.  
 
Other lampwork includes 3D petaled, etched green flowers and lime and Swiss blue polka dot discs. These are by the wonderful Heather of her glass studio, Bead Intrigue and add so much fun & whimsy to a piece.  There are also small blue lampwork spacers by Betty Hanssen as well as a few tiny green ones.  You will find Swarovski in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors, including handsome faceted cubes in a shade of violet.  Freshwater pearls & faceted teal quartz teardrops add texture to the piece along with royal purple amethyst  rondelles and faceted, teardrop cubic zirconia.
 
An ornate, square Bali silver toggle completes 'Highway 1' along with a handsome sterling sea turtle and scallop shell charm by the renowned Hilltribe artisans from Thailand.  'Highway 1' measures 8 1/2 inches, which, because  of the busy dangles, fits a woman's size 6.5 - 6.75 actual wrist size very nicely.  Adjustment can be made to length without additional charge and without disturbing the overall design.
 
 

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'Penelope'
'Penelope'
'Penelope'
#412. 'Penelope'
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
* Vermeil spacer beads and daisy spacers
 
'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.
 

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'Nantucket Dragonfly Morning'
'Nantucket Dragonfly Morning'
'Nantucket Dragonfly Morning'
#74432. 'Nantucket Dragonfly Morning'
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:.
 
* Swarovski faceted cubes, rondelles, bicones in a variety of colors
* 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 sterling silver Hilltribe Autumn Rosebud 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.
 
 

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'Pura Vida!'
'Pura Vida!'
'Pura Vida!'
#22781. 'Pura Vida!'
''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.

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'The Rowboat'
'The Rowboat'
'The Rowboat'
#2378. 'The Rowboat'
When I was up into the wee hours following my muse, I had little idea I was about to create yet another sea-themed piece (got sea on the brain) and no idea I was going to create what I consider a piece de' resistance, pulling out all the stops by using some of my best lampwork and semi-precious gemstones, namely blue ice aquamarine and steel blue iolite, that mystical, luminous stone.  I have been using precious and semi-precious gemstones in my work for quite some time and only recently read on a fashion blog, that these stones are 'all the rage' and in vogue.  'The Rowboat' is loaded with stones.
 
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.


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"Sea Goddess"
"Sea Goddess"
"Sea Goddess"
#53441. "Sea Goddess"
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 Germany 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.  Always I long for the sea, and beading helps me get there, even when I am 40 miles inland from the great, open Pacific and her glorious expanse and freedom. 
 
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 'Sea Goddess' is one of those beads.  The central glass portal on the top of surface of the bead (on both sides) is so magical and so dreamy, reminding me at once of a large rain drop and of a mysterious, luminous cosmic bubble through which all dreams might come true.
 
This particular bead is tough for me to part with - it has so much going on - the bead itself is as if alive - at least for me.  I can see a beach and sea scene in the midst of a strong wind, the water tossing about in shades of turquoise, aqua and busy with whitecaps, all under a swirling violet sky.  The beach is wet, cluttered with glossy shells and rocks - a wild beach, untended and remote.
 
Because this bead is at once ethereal and raw, it seemed only fitting that I create a sea goddess theme showing the force of Mother Nature creating such a beautiful backdrop of life.  Two rouge sterling (old wax technique, not mass produced) goddess charms, designed after the original forms found in Mesopotamia when religion of the people was centered on Gaia or mother-goddess, command the bracelet with one charm placed  on each side of the bracelet; hence the namesake of the bracelet. Catherine Steele's alarmingly beautiful 'Ocean Within' lentils are similarly alive, capturing a tidepool or tideline in motion. These are the perfect companion beads to the focal bead.
 
Other lampwork used in 'Sea Goddess,' include:
* Aqua tulips by Heather Davis
* Aqua swirl Filigree rounds by River Oak Acre
* Dark violet polka dot slices by Heather of BeadIntrigue
 
Other beads and gemstones include:
* Ice blue aquamarine faceted rondelles
* Steel blue iolite nuggets (stone of the Vikings)
* Deep blue iolite faceted rondelles
* Sleeping Beauty Turquoise (sacred turquoise of the Navajo in Arizona) teardrops
* Lustrous freshwater pearl buttons in a creamy off-white/mauve
* AAA clear, luminous quartz rondelles
* Deep aqua faceted chalcedony heart briolettes
* Aqua apitite nuggets
* Turquoise rough-cut micro quartz rondelles
* Bali silver daisy & twisted spacers
* Hilltribe sterling droplet beads, two bright sterling scallop beads
* Swarovski in a variety of shapes, colors & sizes including the faceted cubes
*  Rouge sterling heart charm
 
"Sea Goddess" measures @ 8.5 inches in length and is finished with a handsome, nautical Bali silver toggle.  I am able to resize most bracelets without compromising the overall design.  This is at no additional charge providing you give me your preferred bracelet size or an accurate actual wrist size to which I add @ 1"-1.5" in slack.
 
" Sea Goddess" is another piece which is showcase-worthy, as much at home in a gallery, as it is adorning a beach ensemble on a 'real-time' goddess.


 

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'Happy Buddha'
'Happy Buddha'
'Happy Buddha'
#24341. 'Happy Buddha'
'Happy Buddha' reminds me of the time, many years ago, when I went to hear His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, speak at the Greek Theatre on the campus of U.C. Berkeley, my alma mater.  The Greek Theatre was packed to the gills and after hearing the Dalai Lama speak, I thought to skip the Tibetan dance performance and get ahead of the crowds, flocking out of the Greek and into the day's commute hour.  As I stood on the sidewalk just outside the Greek, waiting to cross the street to cut through campus, someone yelled, 'there he is!' As if in slow motion, I looked up and came face-to-face with His Holiness, who was hanging out of his limo window, smiling and looking right into my eyes. I said, 'well, hello there!' as if he was a long, lost neighbor.  After the limo had passed by, bystanders rushed up to me, exclaiming, 'boy you were sure at the right place, at the right time.'  It was a moment etched in time that I shall never forget.  And I remember that morning dressing so carefully in a long, cream lace dress, oiling my skin and announcing to the office that I had dressed up to see His Holiness.  Co-workers scoffed, 'Julie!  He will never see you, the Greek is going to be packed with 100,000 people!'  Guess they were wrong and the fates had different plans.
 
In any case, 'Happy Buddha' reminds me of just that moment frozen in time and the warmth and humility of the holy man living his words, walking his talk.  Truly a feeling of peace and joy radiated from the slow-moving long, black limo and the happy, smiling face of a sacred man, greeting me on a Berkeley sidewalk, one summer's day.
 
So..the beads.  These are some of the stunning sculptural beads of Catherine Steele called, "Koi Pond.'  She rarely makes them anymore and I was very fortunate to luck into a set of them.  When I sat down to create a piece around these beads, I honestly had no idea I was going to go for broke and make such a fun, colorful blend of colors around the otherwise serene scene of the beads.  At the end of my work, however, I was so happy and thrilled with the final result.  It is just perfect (bragging aside..) and I could not be any happier.
 
Companion lampwork beads include:
 
* Clear-on-white encased & scrolled barrel shaped & bumping clear lampwork beads by Stefanie of a Shot of Glass. Elegant.
*  Yellow/orange blend 3D daisies & rosebud lampwork beads by published lampwork artist, Serena of SJDS
* Green sculpted clay roses by published clay artist, D. Jean Vainio
* Lampwork spacers in light aqua and green by a spacer-only artist 
 
Other beads and semi-precious gemstones include:
* Aquamarine rondelles
* Swarovski bicones, cubes & green rounds capped in handmade sterling beadcaps by C. Dailey (like lilypads) using the old wax handcast technique
*Thai Hilltribe sterling lotus flower beads
* Sterling Pagoda temple charm
* Sterling Buddha charm
 
'Happy Buddha' is finished with a gorgeous Bali silver toggle clasp and measures just over 8.5 inches.  It can be resized at no additional charge.
 
This piece, 'Happy Buddha' is one of those showpieces and makes a statement about life:
 
'The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.' (Buddha)

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Price:$445.00
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'Caribbean Ice'
'Caribbean Ice'
'Caribbean Ice'
'Caribbean Ice'
'Caribbean Ice,' calls upon two very different journeys.  One was to the icy waters of Southeast Alaska and the wondrous Glacier Bay and the other, to the humid, exotic  islands of the Caribbean where the water takes on its own extraterrestrial glow in shades of  turquoise, aqua and blue.  When glacier ice melts, it too takes on an unreal color, milky ice blue which also looks like something from fantasy fiction or stories of mermaids and Atlantis.
 
The lampwork beads I brought together in this piece bear out my odd muse and fantasy.  Melanie of her studio, Glass Valley, has done an amazing, original job of her light, transparent aqua rounds which are done over a core of shimmering silver.  A pale aqua scroll winds its way around each bead, like so much delicate ice.  I paired these magical beads with  gorgeous etched (like sea glass) lime, turquoise and blue 'pillow' and one focal round bead by a talented artist known as Agate. I always seek him out when I need sea-themed, beach glass looking lampwork. He never fails to disappoint.
 
Other lampwork you will find in 'Caribbean Ice,'' include:
 
* 3D Aqua & Blue flowers by Serena of SJDS
* Sky blue hibiscus flowers by Stefanie of AShotofGlass
* Clear & white & blue polka dot discs by Heather of BeadIntrigue
* Aqua roses by published clay artist, D. Jean Vainio
 
The other stones and beads you will find in the composition of 'Caribbean Ice' are:
* Aquamarine milky blue briolettes
* Aquamarine faceted rondelles
* Violet-blue iolite nuggets (navigational stone of the Vikings)
* Freshwater pearls capped in ornate bead Bali silver caps
* Sleeping Beauty faceted turquoise briolettes
* Violet-blue faceted quartz briolettes
*  Clear, faceted quartz rondelles
* Swarovski in the shapes of bicone, rondelle, cube
* Daisy & twisted ring spacers by Bali Silver artisans
* A folded sterling flower charm by the Hilltribe artisans
* A sterling schooner charm
* A sterling anchor and ship's wheel
* A  tiny sterling mermaid charm 
 
An ornate, round Bali silver toggle completes "Caribbean Ice'  which measures approximately 8.5 inches in length and can be re-sized at no additional charge.

'Caribbean Ice'' is  the perfect seaside piece, a bracelet for summer walks and evening dinners under awnings, at garden parties at the seashore.  It is a piece to celebrate the sea whereever one might find themselves, whether frolicking at a resort, a lone beach or a thousand miles inland on the prairies, dreaming, always dreaming of the sea.

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'Tango!'
'Tango!'
'Tango!'
#2999. 'Tango!'
Recently, I was paging through a fashion magazine and saw the headline that *the* color for 2010 is orange and shades thereof! It took me a time to wrap my mind around that one, until I remembered how pivotal the color orange is in Latin culture ~ from art to architecture and fashion. Indeed, some Latin music seems to spin out in warm, lusty orange waves and I think of a new CD we just got simply entitled, 'Tango!'

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, bright sterling. It sparked a design in me that was spare, elegant, clean, classic and chunky.  Bold, but stunning. 'Tango!' is festive, flirty and chic! It is the music, the paintings, the colorful jungle fruit and juices, the soft, warm nights, splashed with so much color of the always sensual Latin culture.

Three esteemed glass artists make up 'Tango!' The demure, mango-orange beads with pink rosebuds are done by Melanie Carey of her studio, Glass Valley and are joined by gorgeous, encased lampwork barrel shaped beads by Stefanie of AShotofGlass. Two 3D patchwork flowers are done by the esteemed Betty Hanssen who has a reputation for sophisticated design in glass. Finally, I added one too-fun pink polka-dot slice by Heather of studio, BeadIntrigue. Taken altogether, it is lusty and summertime either here or in the tropics, the Caribbean, Hawaii or South of the border.

In keeping with a 'chunky' and edgy design, I added luminous freshwater coin pearls in creamrose white, along with regal, AAA faceted & cut quartz stones in abstract shapes. I punctuated my design with Siam red Swarovski butterflies in two sizes and AAA top-quality orange-red cubic zirconia teardrops. Perhaps most compelling about this design are the handcrafted sterling, rogue charms. Cathy Dailey uses the old wax molding technique in her sterling silver work. You will find three of her pieces. One is a small star on a larger star, one a rectangle LOVE word charm (reminiscent of the 1970's and the film, 'Love Story.') I use a heart/eight shape sterling connector by Cathy as well which adds an interesting departure in the overall design. A small, bold hammered white silver heart charm and lovely white sterling rosebud by the Hilltribe artisans beautifully accents 'Tango!' and adds just that youthful flavor of love sought and gained under starry, exotic night skies. An ornate Bali silver toggle clasp completes 'Tango!' which measure @ 8.5 inches in length and can be resized at no additional charge.

'Tango!' is the quintessential spring and summertime modern and elegant bracelet. It is at once original, fun & edgy and with all the chunky sterling sparkling like mad, looks very uptown and tres, tres chic. Plus, it contains the color of the season...the always laughing, joyous color of orange!


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Great Bear Rainforest
Great Bear Rainforest
Great Bear Rainforest
#3221. Great Bear Rainforest
 There is a stretch of land along British Columbia's glorious coastline, stretching 25,000 square miles from Vancouver Island North to Alaska's border, which is known as 'The Great Bear Rainforest.'  It is a place of temperate rainforest, unspoiled & containing sacred old growth groves of Western Red Cedar and Sitka Spruce.  Home to hundreds of animal species, it includes cougars, wolves, salmon & grizzly bears, it is also home to the Great Spirit Bear, the Kermode white colored bear (subspecies of the black bear). As a yearly wanderer in British Columbia, my piece, 'Great Bear Rainforest,' celebrates and honors this wonderful, protected stretch of ancient forest by the sea.
 
The colors I have brought together in 'Great Bear Rainforest' are 'the' colors of this prized rainforest.  Having wandered for decades, since I was a toddler, in these woods, the colors are as if etched in my very soul.  The green and blue is the depth of the forest against the backdrop of sea and the purple is the color of a storm blowing in, clouds heavy with rain.  This color of sky against the shades of forest green is one of the most beautiful sights to behold. So rich and unreal; surreal.  I have punctuated the entire piece with an ensemble of sterling charms, fitting of the place.  They include: a perfect, strong, sterling bear, a forest tree, a sea kayak & kayaker and a peace sign (the quest goes on to protect virgin forest wherever it may be on our planet, to preserve for generations to come).
 
 Glass artist, Melissa Willette, creates the rich swirling lentils of green, blue and purple.  I love her work for the way she is able to mix colors, sometimes leaving the effect of a watercolor painting and one of my favorite effects in watercolor; when paints bleed together or are left in shadow droplets on the page. She is able to do the same with glass and I have rarely seen it done by other artists. I have seen the same 'frit' used by others, but not her ability to lay the colors down in glass, capturing them permanently.  As I have said of other designs of mine, Melissa's beads often remind me of the marbled colorful paper available in Florence, Italy.  T

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.
 

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'Nantucket Lighthouse'
'Nantucket Lighthouse'
'Nantucket Lighthouse'
#44561. 'Nantucket Lighthouse'
I have been beading-on-a-tangent recently, pulling out my more avent gard lampwork beads & going to town.  Always, always I long for the sea and beading helps me get there, even when I am 40 miles inland from the great, open Pacific and her glorious expanse and freedom.  Yet more masterpiece beads arrived from Germany and once more,  it was time for yet another sea & lighthouse piece. 
 
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:
 
* 3D petaled flowers in etched teal (like beach glass) by Serena of glass studio, SJDS
* 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.


 

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'Hearts & Ice'
'Hearts & Ice'
'Hearts & Ice'
#08998. 'Hearts & Ice'
I love Valentine's Day ~ just the thought of it, the romance, the whimsy & lace, the reds and the silly, dated messages from years past - something so vintage & charming about the whole thing.  However, 'Hearts & Ice,' is a modern look at Valentine's Day.  Stunning, solid, chunky bright sterling chain (the best design & quality I have found), gorgeous hand-torched red and white lampwork beads, carved pieces of top grade quartz, faceted to look like huge diamonds and white silver puffy hearts!  Elegant & sublime and chunky (but not heavy).  " Hearts & Ice" is created with the following beads, stones & pearls:
 
*  Hand-torched one-of-a-kind set of lampwork beads by Glenn of the studio, Agate
* One hand-torched strawberry lampwork bead by well-known & esteemed K. Urato
* Step-cut faceted AAA quartz stones
* Step-cut faceted triad quartz stones
* White & clear bumpy lampwork beads by Heather of BeadIntrigue
* Solid sterling abstract silver beads (two large)
* Lustrous coin pearls
* AAA faceted teardrop cubic zirconia in light lavender
* Bright pink freshwater pearls (dyed)
* Four puffy sterling hearts by the Thai Karen Hilltribe silver artisans
* Gorgeous, top-flight chunky sterling chain
* French red Swarovski butterfly charms
* Swarovski bicones & small pearls
 
A sterling silver heart toggle clasp finishes 'Hearts & Ice' which measures @ 9" in length and can be adjusted smaller, at no additional charge. Because chain is the stringing medium in this case, adding length is not possible.

 Naturally, 'Hearts & Ice' is the perfect Valentine's Day bracelet, but because of its modern and edgy design, it is a bracelet for any time, any place - where ever your heart moves you!


 

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'Koi Pond & Lotus Garden'
'Koi Pond & Lotus Garden'
'Koi Pond & Lotus Garden'
#2334. 'Koi Pond & Lotus Garden'
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!
 
Price:$425.00
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'Dogwood Christmas'
'Dogwood Christmas'
'Dogwood Christmas'
#1002. 'Dogwood Christmas'
My father was Canadian and as such, we would travel from California to British Columbia every summer to visit family and our island, Savary, where we would live rustically for a few precious weeks, right beside the sea. My Dad taught me about all things B.C. - the flora and fauna; the native american history, art & mythology; the tidy & precise way of speaking English, etc. When we wandered in Stanley Park as I was a child, he taught me about the beautiful white Dogwood tree flowers as *the* provincial flower of British Columbia. The Dogwood flower has always reminded me of my dear Dad.

'Dogwood Christmas' is created using the hand-torched glass lampwork beads of 4 artists. Firstly, Stephanie of AShotofGlass custom designed the dogwood flowers for me with ever-so-subtle reminders of Christmas green and red. She did a magnificent job & I am always grateful when she is willing to bring my design visions-in-glass to reality. I combined these Dogwood florals with some of her stunning white/clear encased scroll round lampwork beads. Then I tossed in some amazing, clear, icy bumpy beads by yet another esteemed lampworker and ended with two highly sought-after etched snowflake or star lampwork beads by Canterbury Keepsake Beads (Lezlie Belanger, artist). I wanted a white Christmas with an elegant icy feel and lots of contrasting texture. You will also find lustrous Lolite faceted briolettes, step-cut pyramid crystal stone beads, freshwater coin pearls, red Chalcedony smooth teardrops, Blue Fire Moonstone rondelles, like so much aurora borealis in a winter sky. There are sculpted clay roses by published clay artist, D. Jean Vainio in both cream and red and a variety of Swarovski crystal bicones, cubes, stars, rondelles and rounds. Punctuating the theme of the season is a handsome sterling nutcracker and drummerboy charm with a central focal snow sled charm.  "Dogwood Christmas" is finished with a Bali silver toggle clasp done in an ornate style reminiscent of Victorian days past. 'Dogwood Christmas' measures a petite 7.5 inches and can be re-sized at no additional charge. Normally my bracelet designs measure 8" or 8.5," however a recent rush of custom order requests had me creating for very small wrists, so I decided to go with a shorter creation this time 'round.

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 sunlight in order to capturethe elegant sparkle of the piece. Price: Originally $325. On Sale $210

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'Oklahoma, II'
'Oklahoma, II'
'Oklahoma, II'
#1110. 'Oklahoma, II'
This piece is called 'Oklahoma II!' since the first design (an original) was created and sold by me several months ago. Needless to say, farm designs continue to be on my mind and the muse has remained the same (the musical), though the design is different. Most every morning, during the school year, I sing 'Oh, What a Beautiful Morning' to my children on our short drive to their elementary school. We pass a rural property with a handsome rooster and several hens and a charming goat family. I am reminded time and again of the musical, 'Oklahoma!'  Even now, just having returned from 20 days on a thickly forested island in British Columbia, with white soft, sandy beaches, you would find me swimming out in the calm water each day, singing 'Oh, what a Beautiful Morning.'  Thankfully all our island neighbors have known me for nearly 5 decades and they understand my colorful soul.
 
The splendid red encased daisy lampwork beads are of course, by esteemed lampwork artist, Catherine Steele. Each daisy lentil is couched in elegant sterling Bali beadcaps, adding that vintage look and feel somehow reminscent of the American farm culture.  I combine the daisy lentils with smaller white, etched lentils by another glass artist. They are perfect complements to each other as they create the farm scene I was so eager to create in a sculptural design. 'Oklahoma!'

Central to the piece are the three sterling charms - a wheelbarrow, a corn cob and a fine, fine rooster. You will also find gorgeous red yellow by published clay artist, D. Jean Vainio and lampwork 3-D flowers in white & yellow by Heather of Bead Intrigue along with some of her green leaves. There are lampwork beads galore in 'Oklahoma!' Swarovski cubes and bicones and rondelles add sparkle and shine. Apple red chalcedony briolettes add some glamour along with stunning Moonstone, lustrous freshwater Coin Pearls,  luminous Lolite & clear, triad crystals. An ornate Bali toggle completes 'Oklahoma!' which measures a tad over 7.5 inches and can be resized either way for no additional charge.
 
As with all of my designs, this is a one of a kind sculpture in beads. You won't see another like it!
 
I leave you with a short piece of that wonderful show tune from 'Oklahoma!'
 
'There's a bright, golden haze on the meadow
There's a bright, golden haze on the meadow.
The corn is as high as an elephant's eye
And it looks like it's climbing clear up to the sky.
Oh, what a beautiful Mornin'
Oh, what a beautiful day.
I've got a beautiful feelin'
Everything's goin' my way.'
 
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 sunlight in order to capture the elegant sparkle of the piece.

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"Dublin Days"
"Dublin Days"
"Dublin Days"
#111111. "Dublin Days"
"Dublin Days" set out to be a St. Patrick's Day piece, however it is a tad bit late for that now.  Still, this set of lampwork beads has always been intended for Ireland and a piece celebrating such a wonderful people and countryside. Central to the piece are the extraordinary encased and bumpy beads by Melanie of Glass Valley.  When I think of Ireland, I think of the lush, fresh green countryside and a strong, fierce past protecting her culture. In so many ways, 'Dublin Days' is meant to celebrate that ~ from James Joyce and his intense prose about the place and people to the recent hunky Irish actors beautifying our silver screens, this is 'Dublin Days,' a celebration of Ireland.
 
In composing 'Dublin Days,' I built the design in colors around the colors of the lampwork beads, using semi-precious gemstones, sterling ringed beads among other beads. You will find:

* Light green chalcedony faceted briolettes
* Stunning top quality Kellly Green faceted quartz teardrop briolettes
* Magnificent step-cut crystal triads
* 3-D blue petaled lampwork flowers and green bumpy lampwork by Beadintrigue
* Swarovski  pearls capped in white sterling beadcaps
* Swarovski faceted cubes, bicones and small black stars
* Sculpted clay roses by published artist, D. Jean Vainio
* Two sterling clovers

A dressy & complex piece, 'Dublin Days' is finished with an ornate and lovely Bali silver toggle clasp and measures @ 8 inches and can be resized at no additional charge.

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 sunlight in order to capture the elegant sparkle of the piece. Price: $215.00

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'Mermaid River'
'Mermaid River'
'Mermaid River'
#11111. 'Mermaid River'

When I was creating 'Mermaid River,' I kept thinking of people heading off to warm, sultry and tropical climates for a week or two away from snowy climes. I was fortunate to have some drop-dead gorgeous Caribbean blue lampwork beads by one of my favorite glass bead artists, Melanie of a studio named Glass Valley. In these beads, she blends blue with a hint of lime green, making for an amazing color not unlike the seas I have seen in the Caribbean - the color of which almost seems unreal.

Combining with Melanie's round beads are etched (like sea glass) lime and blue 'pillow' beads by a talented artist known as Agate. I always seek him out when I need sea-themed, beach glass looking lampwork. He never fails to disappoint. These are etched like so much mystical beach glass found, like treasures, along the tideline.

With such extraordinary lampwork beads in hand I wanted to create a premier piece. I As some of you know, I have recently taken a road less travelled in my design work and fallen in love with the natural beauty of semi-precious gemstones. I love their earthiness and their natural shine when cut and faceted just the right way. And I love how they combine with lampwork beads, created by premier glass and torch artists. I have finally found a first rate stone seller who offers flawless (albeit pricey) stones from around the world.

In creating 'Mermaid River,' I wanted a piece done in a the Caribbean blue and lime colors found in the lampwork and have used some stunning stones and semi-precious gemstones. A gallery I work with back east has informed me that the *in* colors for 2009 are lime, turquoise and coral, some of my favorites.

The other stones and beads you will find in the composition of 'Mermaid River' are:


* Light blue aquamarine faceted rondelles
* Clear blue quartz faceted briolettes
* Kelly green faceted quartz briolettes
* Stunning AAA faceted step-cut quartz triads
* Lustrous lolite faceted briolettes
* Lime green hydrothermal smooth cubes
* Lime green & Caribbean blue furnace beads by the esteemed Penrose & David Christensen.
* Sculpted clay roses by published artist, D. Jean Vainio
* 3D lampwork flowers in a beach-glass white by Heather of BeadIntrigue
* Lime green bumpy charm beads by Heather of BeadIntrigue
* Swarovski faceted cubes, bicones and diamond rondelles
* Two Swarovski crystal starfish
* Sterling rounds, daisy spacers
* Lustrous freshwater coin pearls
* Stunning white sterling free-form droplet beads & scallop shells by the Hilltribe artisans of Thailand
 
The handsome focal point of this piece, however, is a sturdy sterling catamaran charm which hangs at centerpoint. All together, 'Mermaid River' takes you *there* - whether it is in the Caribbean, in Fiji, New Zealand, Australia or Glacier Bay.
 
An ornate, square Bali silver toggle completes "Mermaid River'  which measures approximately 8.5 inches in length and can be re-sized at no additional charge.

'Mermaid River'' is piece de resistance and one of the most extraordinary bracelets I have had the great good pleasure to create. 
Original price: $375 On Sale: $275

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Price:Was $375.00 Sale! $275.00
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