What's your favorite tinsel color? Candle light gold or icy silver? I love dressing and decorating for the holidays!
Now that November has arrived we are officially into party and gifting season! Time to order now for holiday delivery. All made to order designs will ship in time for the holiday when your order is received by December 1st.
Pictured here is my Double Diamond link bracelet in 18k gold and darkened sterling silver ready for an overseas trip to the UK! I love that I can reach my customers virtually anywhere.
For immediate gratification (two for them and one for me is ok in my book!) there are many stylish treasures ready to ship here on my website! I can help you add some gorgeous to your party outfit!
When you buy a gift from my online store you will be able to exchange it through January 31st 2018! Now that's worry free giving!
The light and colors of Seattle are primarily dim and soggy grey in January. What I love about this time is that it gives me a chance to relax post-holiday and hunker down to plan my creative output for the year.
I’ve been studying, sketching and collecting. Diving into stacks of books on gems and gemology. Learning about everything from the lore of healing properties of many gems to details of identifying the different gem mineral groups and their physical qualities like hardness and what makes them unique is so much fun. Particularly fascinating to me are crystal irregularities like the silk inclusions in sapphires that create a star effect. You can see an example in the rare yellow star sapphire at the bottom of the necklace in progress photo.
Color and patterns found in agates of all kinds are flooding my imagination. As you can tell in my designs I am obsessed with line and pattern! The addition of plains of color in the kinetic rings and sculptural chain designs in my collection is on the drawing board and in process.
My studio is busy with experimentation at the lapidary, slicing thin windows of agate. My outlook is bright for 2016!
Thank you for reading! Leave me a note and tell me what you like about seeing my process!
Caring for your Silver and Gold Jewelry
In the spirit of starting the year fresh I like to give some attention to my jewelry collection. Silver normally shows more color from oxidation/tarnishing than gold but both metals benefit from regular cleaning.
The simple recipe I use is non-toxic and easy to make in your kitchen. This solution is excellent for silver and gold and the harder gems like Quartz, Sapphires and Diamonds. Do not clean jewelry with soft or organic gems like Turquoise, Opals, and Pearls with this solution. More about that later.
Recipe:
You will need a clean aluminum dish like a pie tin or
a glass or ceramic bowl with a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom, enough to cover the surface.
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon mild dish soap
1 Cup hot water, not boiling
A soft tooth brush
Measure your salt, soda and soap and place in bowl. Place the jewelry to be cleaned in the bowl. Add the hot water, hot from the tap is ok. The mix will fizz a little, swirl the water around in the bowl with the jewelry then let it sit for 5 – 10 minutes. Check progress and use the soft tooth brush to loosen extra dark areas and around gem settings. Rinse thoroughly with warm water and dry. Your jewelry should be clean and bright.
When cleaning jewelry with an “antique” patina use only warm soapy water and a soft cloth if you want to keep the “antique” look.
Pearl jewelry should only be cleaned with a damp soft cloth used to gently wipe the pearl. Do not get your pearl stands wet because they will stretch and leave gaps between pearls and knots.
I met a Jeweler who also sold beautiful Opals in Los Cabos Mexico that told me it was Aztec tradition to revitalize the Opalos gems by placing them in water over night on a full moon. Maybe the stronger tides help? Maybe because the color in Opals comes from their water content? It is true that Opals should be stored away from heat and a little water soak is good for them too.
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