Rings, rings, rings!

This weekend was all about rings for me. The first two rings below are my favorite! I love that they are big chunky rings and the colors of both stones are just amazing. The Peruvian Opal is so pretty

 and the banding on the Agate is so unique.

  

 I also made these little rings...

 One of my goals for the day was to work on a men's ring as a custom order for a co-worker...he had a specific design in mind (the wide band) and knew the stone he wanted (Lapiz)....I like the way it turned out and I have found I really enjoy making men's jewelry...I guess it is just something different.

  

and the other thing that had to get done was to make my Stroke of Luck ring in a larger size for an order...

My creativity is at a halt for the moment...I am anxiously awaiting some new cabs to come in that I ordered recently. I was bummed today to not find the package waiting for me! For now, I will list the new rings and hopefully my cabs will arrive tomorrow!

I hope you all have a great week!

Orchids...

My Mom grows the most absolutely beautiful orchids. My obsession is jewelry, her obsession is orchids. I absolutely love flowers, I always have...but I couldn't grow a fern if I tried. My Mom's sun-filled room of blooming orchids is awe-inspring.
Take a look...

 

Aren't they just beautiful? Did I already say how much I love flowers?

New Seashell Components...

I am so excited about these new seashell components! When I ordered them, I really just got them because I thought they were pretty, but had no idea what I was going to do with them. I was looking at them yesterday and wondered if I would be able to drill through them. My first attempt didn't go so well..the shell broke apart...I think my drill bit was too big...

So I switched the bit out for a slightly smaller one...

And it worked! Whew!

So I drilled a few with just one hole in them and then drilled others with two holes on each end. The pieces with two holes drilled in them I used in this necklace....

I love super long necklaces right now. This one hits below the chest and looks so great on.  I used the shells all along the chain...I LOVE the way it looks!! The pendant is a vintage engraved brass tag with the word *Hope* on it and a Mother of Pearl angel wing.

There were two shells that were pretty similar in size and shape...perfect for earrings! I kept them simple, I think the shells are so pretty on their own!

I can't wait to make some more things with them! What do ya think? Do you love them? Not so much?

The thing with Gold is...

My favorite jewelry designs are ones that incorporate a bit of Gold in them. The most perfect ring to me is a Sterling Silver ring, with a big beautiful chunky stone (maybe Aqua Chalcedony?) and a Gold bezel.  A co-worker of mine purchased a set of my Gold hand hammered bangles and just asked me the other day if I could make her two more! Of course!

It had been a long time since I bought any Gold supplies. The only two items of Gold on my list was 2ft of Gold filled wire and Gold solder. 

Just to put it in perspective...

• 
  
  Less than one square inch piece of Gold Solder: $52.00

{as opposed to the bag of pre-cut Silver solder I bought for $2.80}.

• 
  
  2 ft of 12 ga Gold filled wire: $45.53.

Yikes. I will make the bangles this weekend and use up every little piece of wire I have left to use in other designs  (I can melt the little pieces into small accent balls)...but that will be the last Gold I buy for awhile! With my shop as slow as it has been lately *sigh*, it isn't in my budget to spend so much on  it considering it would make up a very small piece of each design. It is not a cheap thing to experiment with! I have burned up quite a few Gold bezels and could just kick myself for the amount I know it cost me. It is a good thing I love Sterling Silver so much!

Seaglass Rings

I just finished up these rings last night and I can't decide if I like them or not! Recently I bought a few pieces of seaglass and was so excited to make a couple of pieces into rings! But now, I don't know. I'm not really pleased with the bezel of the one on the left and I don't know if I like the brushed finish. I decided on the brushed finish because I thought it went well with the worn, matte look of the glass.

I do love the one on the right.....

I have a few more pieces of glass so maybe I just need to start again, try some different bezels, pair the glass with other stones...something.

Hmmm.....

Just listed..the first of my Men's collection!

I just listed the first piece in my Men's collection. I have made a few Men's rings before and they never quite make it into my shop...but I did list this Men's Leather Knot cuff bracelet! More to come...

{pictured alongside the women's cuff}

You can find it in my shop here!