break the night with colour

I gotta put the u in colour because this is the title of a Richard Ashcroft song and he's British. Now I was years late to appreciating this song, apparently it came out in 2006 and I only downloaded it this summer. But oooh, I want Richard Ashcroft to just sing oooh to me nonstop. It's heady stuff, who knew a man could put so much emotion into one syllable? Seriously when I first downloaded this song I'd just hit repeat nonstop while on the treadmill, I thought of looping his ooohs so I could fall asleep to that, I'm sure it would guarantee very yummy dreams. This multi-strand bracelet has pearls that are the deepest blue black, coupled with paler bluish grey seed pearls and a strand of iridescent cut glass that sparkles blue, lavender and pink. Quite a conversation piece, this is a bracelet that would be a lovely accompaniment to a little black dress. 14kt gold-filled clasp, 8-1/4" in length. $41

in the pink

The popular saying is that diamonds are a girl's best friend but I think they are wrong. At the very least it's far too predictable. Pearls have a quality that diamonds cannot match and if you are lucky enough to have wonderful skin there is no gem, in my humble opinion, that equals the pearl in showcasing just what a gift a lovely complexion is. It's the luminous quality of the pearl that will make your skin look like it is lit from within. This is a simple, elegant pearl necklace of a muted petal pink a color that will suffuse you with an enviable glow no matter what your skin tone is. Pearl are separated by glass beads in the same petal pink. 14 kt gold-filled clasp 18-1/4" in length. $47

crushed peonies

I love peonies, they are gorgeous heady flowers with an amazing spectrum of the palest pinks. I have two peony plants in my backyard that give off lovely hot pink blooms in late spring. But the thing with peonies, perhaps just mine, they seem rather impractical from a darwinian plant perspective. They are lovely but as soon as the flowers bloom those stems then drop to the ground, like even the plant cannot bear that much beauty, and the petals drop off in a day or two tops. They are the very definition of ephemeral but still gorgeous all the same. Here's my beaded interpretation of crushed peonies, including some muted browns because I think flowers are incredible even when they start to fade. Pearls, garnet and glass beads on three strands 7-3/4" in length with a sterling silver clasp. $41

the bean is seven

Happy Happy Birthday to my beautiful girl!
(and yes, my kitchen is a work in progress)

isle of skye

Thinking up names for my jewelry I'm sure of one thing, I need to travel more. Just looking at the google images of Isle of Skye I'm dying (don't even get me started on my quest to go to the blue lagoon in Iceland). But as for Scotland in general, how can one country be so beautiful? This necklace is similar to the gloaming except that it's a bit longer and has a robin's egg blue chalcedony teardrop as the focal piece of the necklace. Moonstone, garnet, tourmaline, turquoise and freshwater pearl make up the other semi precious gems, accompanied by sterling and glass beads this necklace is a striking conversation piece. 21-3/4" in length. $59

kiss kiss

Like two chocolate kisses to adorn your lovely lobes. These earrings would accompany the chocolove necklace perfectly. Two chocolatey tear drop shaped freshwater pearls with amber colored cut glass crystals atop each one. 14-kt gold-filled findings. 1-1/8" in length. $19

connect the dots

Yes, connecting the dots, usually on any paper menu at a family friendly restaurant. And, when it comes to my life, can seem so painfully obvious in hindsight but when you're living it, it's like a big rat's nest of knots or dots. Oh well, guess that can make life interesting. In this case the dots are gems, freshwater pearls of a lovely warm brown hue and various shades of griege (gray + beige = greige). I wonder what a book called fifty shades of greige would look like, perhaps a more literate take on what it takes to keep the fires burning with an attractive non cliche ridden middle aged couple? So I'm getting off track. There are also smoky quartz colored glass crystals strung along this fine 14 kt gold-filled chain. 18-7/8" in length it would look lovely with chocolove or at first blush. $37

kodachrome

This bracelet makes me think of the things I loved about the seventies, when I was a young, impressionable child. The music, the hippy fashion influence I saw the older girls wearing that had me in awe - I so wanted platform sandals and hip-hugger, faded, flared jeans.  The fire hazard scarves draped over lights to add ambience to a room. Winding film in a camera. This bracelet has a large turquoise ceramic focal piece and two strands filled with semi precious beads. Amethyst, turquoise, coral, garnet, carnelian, peridot, pearl and apatite. It's a one of a kind throwback to simpler time but there's nothing simple about this piece. 7-3/4" in length with a sterling silver clasp. Bracelets can be customized to fit your wrist, if lengthened a nominal fee is added for the extra gemstones. $41

the gloaming

I love the colors in this necklace. They remind me of the colors you find in the land and sky near water, just before night, when the sun has faded for the day yet the water seems to glow, like it has captured the last of the sun's light. I love this time of day when the water is the brightest thing in the land before the moon takes over to light the night. Seriously, I'm obsessed with this time of day as evidenced by a similar description for dusk before the storm. No one has truly captured the beauty of this time on film, at least not the way I see it - who knew the Allegheny River could be so mesmerizing. A faceted teardrop of grayish-purple agate hangs from a bit of oxidized sterling chain.  Semi precious beads of turquoise, garnet, tourmaline, freshwater pearls, and cut glass crystal beads with an unusual side clasp and sizable oval of moonstone to finish off the piece. Sterling silver findings and toggle clasp. 19-3/8" in length. $53

chocolove

If you haven't had a Chocolove candy bar yet, don't start! You won't be able to resist the dark chocolate with almonds and sea salt, it's like a tastier, overpriced Hershey's with almonds.  Oooh, they have a pretzel in milk chocolate candy bar that's super yummy too. So this necklace is like my ode to chocolove, with chocolatey colored freshwater pearls accented with amber and smoky quartz cut glass crystal beads and bronze glass seed beads. 14 kt gold-filled toggle clasp. 26-3/4" in length. $47

if

SOLD please email me if you like what you see and would like a similar piece.

When my son was younger he received a wonderful book for his birthday called If which is such a joy to look at with your children. The illustrations are beautiful and the ideas fantastic that Sarah Perry conjures. Unfortunately, the one that always comes to me first is 'if toes were teeth' which, I have to say, is one of the more unappealing ifs to me. But when I look at this necklace it makes me think 'if tears were drops of sunshine'. A single, lovely teardrop of the palest yellow citrine hangs on a delicate chain of gold. The chain and all findings are 14 kt gold-filled. 17-3/4" in length. $37 

do the conga

This bracelet is very similar to the nautilus, but it's a bit different too. A veritable conga line of gemstones, I still can't figure out the stone that's the centerpiece (as I said earlier, when in doubt, agate, so that's what I'll go with). The other gemstones that join in this dance on your wrist are carnelian, turquoise, pearl, garnet, jade, coral, apatite, mookaite, lepidolite, sterling silver beads and glass.  7-3/4" in length with a sterling silver clasp. Bracelets can be customized to fit your wrist, if lengthened a nominal fee is added for the extra gemstones. $41

what a bunch of abalone

Yeah, you read that right, not baloney but abalone. I wouldn't know how to fashion any jewelry out of bologna. I'm astounded that there are spam sculpting competitions, who does that medium call to? But I was quick to think of a wonderful way to showcase this piece of abalone, keep it simple and let the mollusk's inner shell (or nacre, my fifty cent word for this post) shine on it's own. So I wrapped it in wire and hung it on a delicate chain. The chain and all findings are 14 kt gold-filled. 16-1/2" in length. $37

the nautilus

This bracelet is a glorious symphony of color but the main stone was actually hard for me to part with. It's incredible to see the nautilus shape in the stone. And for the life of me I don't know what type of stone it is. When in doubt it's usually agate, so that's what I'm going with. The other gemstones that join in this party on your wrist are carnelian, turquoise, mookaite, pearl, garnet, jade, apatite, sterling beads and glass.  7-3/4" in length with a sterling silver clasp. Bracelets can be customized to fit your wrist, if lengthened a nominal fee is added for the extra gemstones. $41

pas de deux

Otherwise known as the necklace so nice, you'll wear it twice. Well, hopefully more than that, you can get twice the wear out of it this two faced piece, and I promise it will not trash talk you to the other pieces in your jewelry box once you take it off. This is a really beautiful ceramic bead (just under 3/4"by 3/8")  that was handcrafted by a local artisan. It hangs on a delicate gold chain, all the findings and the chain are 14 kt gold-filled. 16-1/2" long. $31

Blue-green

SOLD please email me if you like what you see and would like a similar piece. 

What color pops into your head when you read blue-green? Is it teal or turquoise? Do you think of cyan and the color wheel? Perhaps you're more geographically minded and it brings to mind the colors of the sea and sky, Bermuda blue or azure? I just learned from the intrepid folks at wikipedia that in certain languages blue and green are considered a single color, I've heard of romance languages but colorblind ones? Don't even get me started on what pops into your head when you read chartreuse. This bracelet goes the blue-green spectrum with turquoise, jade, aventurine, apatite and glass beads. There are also some very non blue-green sterling beads, pearls and wood. Measures 7-3/4" in length with sterling silver clasp. Bracelets can be customized to fit your wrist, if lengthened a nominal fee is added for the extra gemstones. $47

whatever lola wants

Lola gets, although, in this case, her name is not Lola but the bean. The bean is a killer combination of charisma (honestly, many of the boys in first grade loved her) and steely willfulness, God help whoever marries her. The bean saw this on my work table and immediately picked it up, 'Ooooh, I want this one mommy, it's like a princess necklace so fancy and my favorites are those big sparkly beads.' From a six year old who plans to be a princess or a Christmas elf when she grows up, this was high praise. A very long 36-1/2 inches chock full of gemstones, labradorite, freshwater pearls of various hues, rose quartz and crystals. You can wear Lola looong or wrap it around twice for a different take on princessy. Sterling silver clasp. $67

london calling

SOLD please email me if you like what you see and would like a similar piece. 

These earrings shimmy and shake with the best of them. Why not add these to your lovely lobes whilst you're hanging out at Glastonbury in your very best wellies and bring some Kate Moss chic to the occasion. Murky green-grey glass beads with 14 kt gold-filled findings. 1-3/8" in length. $23

at first blush

One of my favorite authors, Atul Gawande, wrote a phenomenal article about blushing that you can read here. His writing is, well I guess the best way for me to describe his writing is it makes me want to be a better person. Blushing 'combines physiology and psychology, in that it's uncontrollable and external, like a rash but, at the same time, it requires thought and feeling at the highest order of cerebral function. It's an effect of embarrassment and people strive not to show it when they are. But unlike sadness or anger or even love, it is fundamentally a moral emotion. It keeps us in good standing in the world.' I can't lay claims to this necklace keeping you in good moral standing but the palest greys, peaches and pinks certainly will flatter your face, whether or not you're blushing. An extra long necklace at 35-1/2 inches (you can wear it fast & loose or wrap it around twice) with sterling silver clasp. $53

red snapper

SOLD please email me if you like what you see and would like a similar piece. 

I never liked sushi until I was 38, when I finally went to a restaurant where the sushi was good. And that I found this place in landlocked Pittsburgh, just another reason it's the most livable city. Umi is an experience; a lovely little jewel box of a restaurant, you have to climb vertiginous stairs, with a dizzing mural of an asian boy riding a really long fish/whale? to get there. It's worth the trip. The walls are brushed in pale gold, I know that sounds opulent but the whole asthetique is very understated and sensual, it lets pure beauty show through. And the sushi chef at Umi, I call him the fish-whisperer, an artist that compliments the flavors of fish in uniquely mouthwatering ways. So I named this after one of my favorites. The red snapper is paired with a mint leaf and plum paste that has a bite, my crafted version has coral, turqoise, carved beads and sterling silver beads and chain with an unusual side clasp. 20-1/4" in length with a sterling silver clasp. $53

by the sea

Stretching out the last lazy days of summer, finding treasures in tide pools. These earrings dance above olive glass drops with shimmering cut glass crystals reflecting the colors of the sea. 14 kt gold-filled findings, just a hair under 1-1/2" top to toe. $23

hippy dippy do

Carla hippy

Hippy Dippy Do

I see you got a boyfriend

Tossin' off, too

He made you a bong

In wood shop

Go ahead hippy

Hippy Dippy Do

It's late, I've gone all day without caffeine, without really much of anything to eat, the Prednisone is making me bonkers and when I was thinking of a name for this necklace an old mixed tape (from a suitor of the nineties, a nanosecond relationship that went down in flames) with Rocket from the Crypt came to me. Now I'm not espousing cannabis. God knows whenever I inhaled I prayed for it to end, and it always seemed to last an eternity. But back to the necklace, it's actually different types of turquoise, the main pieces being the equivalent of the island of misfits turquoise, but I love the earthiness to them. Accented with a couple sky blue beauties and a few golden agate beads. I envision adjunct professors at a prestigious college in the Northeast, sipping spiked cider and the woman wearing this necklace has a way of making them all heady before the alcohol even kicks in. 18" in length with a sterling silver clasp. $53

susurrous sunset

I long for autumn, the colors, the smell and the susurrous sound of leaves, it's like auditory dopamine for me. Up there with rain. Oh and if I can get rain and the fall leaves at the same time?! I'll be a candied apple in your child's very sticky hands. Bring wipes. Pearls in rust, burgundy and petal lie side by side with garnets and cut crystal beads. 18-1/4" in length with a sterling silver clasp. $29

dusk before the storm

Oh I guess I could say taste the flourite rainbow but I think Mentos might sue me for copyright infringement. And this lovely tapestry of greens, blues and violets is much more soothing than 'the freshmaker' although my children might beg to differ. It reminds me of the evocative colors of water and sky just before night claims the land. 17-1/4" in length with a fancy sterling silver clasp. $37

havasu necklace

SOLD please email me if you like what you see and would like a similar piece. 

Turquoise of a lovely pale cyan color, each stone heavily matrixed, think of it as a gem's way of telling its story. Accented with sterling beads, bone. 21" in length with a sterling silver clasp. $59