Wire work with a Green Kyanite

I had this pretty little stone bead, a Green Kyanite, that I wanted to set… and I had this leaf/pod design I had played with previously… I decided to combine them & Voila!!

I love the way the stone takes on different looks in different lighting & with different colors behind...

Agate in an unbacked bezel...

I love stones, they can be so unique and beautiful… and in the case of this one so unique I decided it should have a very simplistic setting…

The nice thing about putting it in a back-less bezel is that you could wear it either way, its beautiful from both sides!!

I really enjoyed the challenge of creating this piece… I had not done this type of bezel before.

A Piece about Peace...

Here's my latest piece of hand made jewelry…

The stone is a piece of Porcelain Jasper, I thought the pattern on it looked like a nature scene: in the background is a mountain, in front of that a valley, and in the foreground some tree branches…

I mounted it on a piece of silver that has a shape that reminds me (loosely) of a leaf, I created a second "leaf" and pierced it with a Chinese symbol for Peace, then I linked the two pieces together and added a vine-like piece from which to hang it…

My friend Jasper

My friend Jasper is quite handsome, but also camera shy… I managed to get this shot of him all dressed up in his Silver jacket, but it was a fight!

This was a particularly pretty piece of Jasper that had been formed into a bead for stringing, I decided it was so pretty I'd create an open-sided bezel for it instead.

Nice Little Piece...

I had started this last Spring, and come close to finishing it when Summer break came… now that class has started again I was able to finish…

This has turned out to be my favorite piece to date… the only real challenge (my skills are improving) was the Bezel setting for a rectangular stone.

Update!!  I had made this piece as a gift form my Mom, this is Mom wearing it!!  My Mom is a little bit "country" & loves to wear blue (it was my Dad's favorite color)… I think its nice to get a picture of this piece being worn so you can get an idea of the scale…

Back At It!!

I'm happy to say that my Jewelry Making classes have started again after a long Summer hiatus…

I finally finished this piece… and I'm the first to admit its, um, "different"…  I was playing with some techniques: forming using a press, getting "bubbles" by tamping, sawing, bezel setting a stone, soldering, torch firing some enamel, protecting solder joints using ochre, baking on some enamel… so if it looks a little like a "Jack of All Trades" sort of piece, it is…

When I first did the backing I didn't like it… now I do… who knew?!?

Another Bouquet of Clippings...

This time with a stalk of Cilantro blooms…

I love the way the stalks bend, with just a hint of blooms, and in a favorite vase to boot - a gift from hubby for an anniversary a few years back.

A closer look at the greens & blooms… and it smells wonderful too!!