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

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

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

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

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