New for August

by Patti Vanderbloemen

What a boring blog title....

Another day...another sweltering heat. Perfect temperature to drive me down to my basement. I have managed to make a few newbies.

First up is the Stone-on-Stone pendant.  The Labradorite cabochon I received a long time ago - completely devoid of any iridescent flash that Labradorite is supposed to be known for...one of the pitfalls of buying online! But the color and veining is truly beautiful --- wish I could capture that in my photos. But, I did add my own flash to this stone.

This is a brand new-to-me technique. The scariest part was drilling a hole in the stone, but again, it was lacking something anyway. I topped it with my latest craze of using tube settings - this is a pretty faceted 6mm CZ. I think the contrast in color and the sparkle from the faceted CZ bring back the flash I was looking for in the Labradorite. In the end, it worked, and I could not be more pleased!

I learned this technique through a video course I purchased from Jeff Fulkerson, who is extremely well-known in the jewelry industry. I do love to take video courses - and this one had no time limit for viewing...another plus!

Next up is a re-do of a design that was just not working.  I had this pretty fossil-looking artisan ceramic cab made by Jenny Davies Reazor.  I know it was years ago that I purchased this cab at Art Bliss. The corners are "wonky" - not perfectly round...which is what drew me to the cabochon in the first place. So, I used a prong setting - kept it simple.

Not my best work! :)  So, I released that tiny cab out of its setting, and decided to try a traditional bezel setting. There is a star motif on that cab - and I wanted to accent that feature.  So, I made 3 little star beads from my shot plate, and this is how the necklace looks now.

Very organic, which I think matches the nature of the cab itself.

It felt like forever since I made earrings.  So, I mosied on over to one of my favorite component-maker shops - Inviciti - and picked up a few of their charms.  These charms feature one of their newest patina's - slightly antiqued, but also polished to a high shine.  They do like sterling silver - love this look! And, the components are so lightweight - absolutely perfect for earrings.

First up is this simple pair of earrings - made special by adding some antique brass beads with a glorious little design. I just love the :X" in these charms - they look "wrapped", you know?! And, I think silver and gold are a classic combination.

Searching for a bead to add to the other Inviciti Charms, I happened upon these beads that I purchased from polymer clay artist Selena Anne Wells...in 2012!  The age of my bead stash is shameful! :) But, the intricate flower impression, along with the deep magenta color highlighted with gold drew me to her beads.

Photo by Selena Anne Wells

I thought these lovely, lightweight beads would go perfect with the leaves on these Inviciti charms. I continued the silver and gold theme, as well.

These components made earrings that are lighter than air!

My affinity with the Cross symbol continues in this next pair of earrings. And yes...tube set CZ's once again!  This time, the earrings are post-style.  This makes for a smaller earring - but you cannot deny the flash from the Swarovski CZ's...and the charms dangle - I love to have movement when I wear earrings.

Last April, I experimented in making hollow beads..from tubing. I made what -- for me -- was the smallest beads I could handle in my hand while forming and filing! The ends were textured and I was quite pleased with how they turned out.

See...tiny!

I had no idea what to do with these little beads, so that sat on my bench for nearly 5 months waiting for the right design. 

These charms are perfect, I think, and the touch of gold once again -- to me --  symbolizes a classic combination.

Every single pair of earrings is incredibly lightweight - a feat for me!

I am once again truly grateful for the artists who share their creativity with us!

Thanks so very much for stopping by today - enjoy!

xo

Patti