lakshmi

Lakshmi is your one stop shopping goddess according to wikipedia. She bestows wealth, both spiritual and material, and she's the embodiment of beauty, really what more could you need? Perhaps these earrings. I wanted to name them after a hindu goddess because I think these would look amazing on someone Indian. The garnet red, with a pop of coral, the smoky topaz glass and gold vermeil spacers between the beads, should I photoshop them on Padma Lakshmi's ears so you can see what I'm talking about? Well I think they would look great on anyone but when I made them I just kept seeing someone with darker coloring wearing them. Prove me wrong, or right. All wire is 14 kt gold-filled. $19

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

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

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

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

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

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