Olivia II, The Silver Version

Olivia in Silver and Aqua
This new Olivia is antiqued silver over brass, and she is just as saucy and charming as the original.

I'm disappointed enough in my inability to capture this Olivia Octopus in her entirety to start with the treasures she gathered from the ocean floor. She still holds a nice, big cultured freshwater pearl, and some lovely little celestial larimars, a sprinkling of little hematite seed beads and little Czech glass copper seed beads, but also some fantastic golden shadow swarovski crystals (which are clear and have little gold striations running through them, though they aren't photographing well), a 6mm top-drilled simplicity cut swarovski, and a juicy 14mm aqua cosmic-cut swarovski crystal.

She is put together with antiqued silver over brass findings has a lobster clasp, and will be just as long as you'd like her to be (though, keep in mind, if she runs much over 20-24", there will be a small fee for the extra chain).

As a whimsical touch, up and to Olivia's left, just out of her reach and safe from harm, is a little dolphin charm hanging from one of those big, lovely pearls, a couple of celestial larimars and a little hematite bead.

Ms. Olivia II sells for $35.00.

I also have the makings for the original Olivia, where you can choose the metal colors and the colors of the stones used. Contact Adorn Me if you're interested.

More Abundant Goddesses

Caramel Venus
These gals don't last long. The first one is still available; the second one, taken, though, as always I will duplicate, as faithfully as possible, for those who are in need. ;)

This first sugar druzy agate goddess is made up of shades of caramel browns, very light and medium brown, with a sterling silver-wrapped belly bracelet and a sterling wire wrapped pendant bail. On the bail is a nice squarish chunk of firey moonstone. She hangs from a chocolate brown faux suede cord, finished with sterling connectors. The cord isn't cut yet, as I like for people to be happy with their purchases and not have their pendants too long or too short, so if you decide you want Caramel Venus for yourself, you'll need to contact Adorn Me with the length of cord you desire.

Around her waist, on the belly bracelet, is a little moonstone chip and a four little 4mm labradorite stones. Labradorite is one of my favorite stones. It has a quality that's a little like opal, a little like abalone, but much more subtle. Often, labradorite has a kind of brown/grayish non-descript color until the light hits them and then you see little bits of fire here and there. And she has a nicely sized sugar druzy.

She is 2 3/8" from the top of the silver bail to the bottom of her rounded belly. She costs $25.50.

Another beautiful Ebony
Before she was sold, the other goddess was an ebony sugar druzy agate with gray striations here and there.

Again, I used the jet Czech glass coin disc beads, but this time, evenly spaced with little 4mm quartz crystal rondelles with a diamond-like sparkle and blue fire. There are four slightly larger stones near the middle, coin beads, that have little gray striations that rather match the striations surrounding her beautiful sugar druzy, though they're really difficult to see in the photo. She has little hematite seed beads in-between each bead, and some clear glass Czech seed beads with black centers right where the pendant bail hangs. At the sterling silver S-clasp dangles more hematite, a quartz crystal bead, a tibetian silver butterfly and a jet swarovski rivioli.

On her belly bracelet is strung more hematite beads and one of the quartz crystal rondelles.

She is 23 1/4" long and cost $60. A matching pair of earrings was included.

Again, if you like this one, contact me and let me know, and while I cannot match these OOAK little Abundant Venus goddesses, I have some black ones I can use to make you something just as gorgeous.

Dragonfly Lore

They say when a dragonfly lands on you, you will hear excellent news from someone far away from home.

Dragonflies, or damselflies, were connected to Freya the Norse goddess of love, fertility and warfare. Freya was famous for her beauty and her knowledge as a magician. It was she who taught Odin the shamanic practices known as seidr which were still practiced during Christian times. The paired bodies of mating dragonflies form the shape of a heart, perhaps being the source for that modern symbol of love. In ancient lore, the dragonfly represents transformation, adaptation and insight. (Source: Crystalinks)

I find their iridescent gracefulness charming, and have clothing and jewelry featuring their images, so this necklace seems like a natural to me. I have taken a brass casting dragonfly made from a vintage mold and paired it with a beautiful 29mm ocean blue jade briolette to signify the water, which draws them, and some moonstone nuggets that are iridescent, like their wings. The necklace also has two kinds of small coppery Czech beads. The necklace is 21" long and has a lobster claw closure; if you would like it longer, let me know. If you want it a lot longer, a small extra charge may be involved.

The dragonfly has a 2 7/8" wing span and is 2 1/2" long. It's meant to hang just below the clavicle, but wear it as you feel comfortable. It sells for $27.50

Garden In Miniature

These little earrings are like having a little garden on your ears. The colors are happy ones, and they dangle fetchingly, with the little pink flowers picking up the light and making them a little iridescent, too.

The flowers hang from sterling silver headpins with a 1.5mm bead, and are made from 4mm Czech milk glass baby bells in a color that is called milky strawberry. Above them are little silver ball beads. The leaves are also Czech milk glass, with lovely variegated green and brown striations that are set off by little copper glass Czech beads.
It's all held together with sterling silver findings. They hang 1 3/8" from the drop and sell for $14.50.

Custom Design, and a Jewelry Renewal

Adorn Me jewelry, as makers of artisan, hand-crafted jeweled creations, welcomes custom design orders, repairs (if it's within the realm of possibility) and what we call jewelry refreshing, which is really a sort of renewal.

Custom and Special Order Jewelry
Because Adorn Me believes in beautiful jewelry in all sizes, your jewelry will be made to fit you. We custom, special order jewelry in various sizes, and if you ever see something you want that's already made but want it re-sized to fit, that can be done.

If you have a piece of jewelry that you want re-created, it might be possible. Sometimes we can make an exact re-creation. Othert imes, just an approximation, copying the spirit of the piece, if not the exact elements of your jewlery. We can also often do re-stringing, or taking pre-existing jewelry and putting it together in a fresh way, with new stones, crystals, etc.

It is also usually possible for us to re-create something we have already made and sold before, unless it is listed as a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) item and the client has paid extra for to keep it OOAK and not available to anyone else -- the caveat being that sometimes we cannot always get the exact same materials used in the piece you've seen and want, and stones always vary. If you see something you like and it is not marked as OOAK, and you would like for Adorn Me to re-create it, contact us and mention the name of the piece and if you would like it to be the same size, color, etc. If you like something but prefer to have it in gold-filled, or using different colors, that is possible, too. Keep in mind that for some alterations there may be an extra fee. Please contact us for more information.

Belle Nuit, or Beautiful Night

This set is a perfect example of one piece inspiring others. Here is a bracelet and earring set that was made specifically for a client a short while ago. It was created after a client saw the Ebony Abundant Venus and the black coin disc beads used on that piece. She told me what she wanted, and using black glass disc coin beads, hematite seed beads, sterling silver, and jet rivoli swarovski crystals, we created them. The earrings are suspended from sterling silver posts and are 1 3/8" long, starting from the post, so its total length. The bracelet is almost 8 3/4" long.

It is attractive in its inability to define each piece perfectly at night, by candle light, but yet it still sparkles and glows. This set is not, of course, for sale, but similar items can easily be made to fit you and your tastes.

Jewelry Renewal
Refreshing and renewing your tired jewelry is an Adorn Me specialty. If you have a necklace, for instance, where you have outgrown it, literally or figuratively, and you want it made larger, or refreshed a bit with some other stones or elements added, we can do it. Often, a nice piece of jewelry just needs a new look to bring it back into wear-ability again.

The top photo, for example, is of a pair of earrings that the owner stopped wearing. She loved the dichroic glass tiles, but the metal was silver-plated and the plating had worn off, making them look dull and rather ugly. She liked the swingy quality of the earrings and wanted something a little different, in silver. As you can see, they are much more wearable now. Contact us for more info.

Repairs
In many cases, Adorn Me can repair your jewelry, depending upon what the job calls for. We do no torch work for now, but will in the future. Re-stringing is definitely possible, as are many other repairs. The best way to find out is to contact Adorn Me and we'll talk about it.

With all those arms, a girl's gotta have some jewelry

Two new pieces today. I've had them here for a while and decided to finally try what I'd been seeing with the octopus from the moment I decided to buy her.

Olivia
The first piece is a sweet octopus named Olivia. She has scooped up some treasures from the sea and they trail from one of her arms. She is just over 2" wide, and 3 3/4" tall, from her head to the bottom of the siam swarovski crystal drop. The finish on her is hand-aged and buffed to a nice, deep lustre. The semi-precious jewels that hang from are a large, creamy cultured freshwater pearl, two 4mm labradorite rounds, two 4mm celestial larimar rounds, two garnet nuggets and the siam swarovski, all accented with little copper glass Czech beads. The chain is antiqued brass and is accented with another large pearl, a couple more garnet nuggets and two little copper Czech beads.

This necklace has no length, as you get to decide how long you want it to be when you order it. You get the first 20" of chain free; after that, it will be $ 0.35 extra per inch. This way, it's made to fit you perfectly and either fit like a semi-choker, with the drops in your cleavage, or as a long pendant. The cost for this item is $34.00. Update: The lovely Olivia has been sold and will be going to a very good home! I will have more for sale soon, though, so if you love her and must have her, I can make more. Drop me a line if you need Olivia. :)

Vintage Lily
Next up is a pair of brass earrings based upon a pair of 20mm vintage brass lilies. I gave them a unusual cant so the front can be seen from the front, instead the best part facing downwards.

The inside off these are polished brass that really shines, and as you can see is an excellent reflective surface for the deep tanzanite 6x8 Czech glass flower cup beads, the 4x6mm Czech glass baby bell flowers (in milky strawberry), and the 8mm pale amethyst crystal rivoli swarovskis that hang front and center.

While these earrings are not OOAK, in that I will be making more (though they will likely vary in some ways), they are uniquely my own design. Adding beads to the ear wires is another custom touch, that by using the gold-rose faux metallic and two-tone glass Czech beads on the leverback earwires, they have a bit more sparkle and glow. I've been doing this sort of thing for a while, both as a different way of creating decorative ear wires, and also as a way to do something unique that can be customized for each pair of earrings. you do have to mind that they can come off when putting on and removing the earrings, so I will include some extra beads, just in case. These earrings are rather dainty in some ways, as each earring is only 1.5" long earwire tip to flowery bottom. They even make a charming little tinkling sound when you shake your head. The pair sells for $13.50.

Lots of sexy quartz.

Eve, The Seductress
First, take a big, juicy faceted asymmetrical ruby quartz stone and then place it above a long, lovely crystal quartz stick, all held together with sterling wire. The ruby quartz stones are a beautiful fresh blood red, and for those who might be inclined to describe jewelry as sexy (my sweetie kind of laughed when I said they were sexy -- some people just don't get it...), these earrings are. Partly it's the ruby quartz, its color and glow. But also it's the smooth drip of the crystal quartz sticks, lovely inclusions sparkling n the light. The mix of textures and shapes really make these a captivating pair of earrings.

As mentioned, the sticks are full of lovely inclusions. I can appreciate AAA-quality stones, that's for sure. There's something about the flawlessness that can be captivating. But really, in some ways I love the flawed ones even more, because they catch the light differently, and remind us that yes, these are real stones, with real imperfections, not imitation. These earrings are 2 1/4" long at the drop and their price: $22.50. And yes, they are sexy. Very sexy. :)

The Little Black Dress
This next pair are very much like the previous pair, except they are made from faceted, asymmetrical jet black quartz. Another difference is that the quartz crystals on these are a bit shorter, for an overall shorter earring at 2" from the drop. The black facets, smooth crystal sticks and shiny sterling silver all lend a nice glimmer and glow.

These earrings have the same sexy quotient, and with elegance to boot. Definitely the perfect earrings to wear with that little black dress. This pair also sells for $22.50.

Bubble Gum
This tiny, little pair of rose quartz and pink and blue Czech glass earrings remind me of my teen years in their colors and freshness. I didn't alter this photo to make the earrings glow; they just glow all on their own, in the light.

The focal stones are 6mm pale rose quartz coin disc beads, with lots of lovely inclusions. They are snuggled in with frosted baby blue and iridescent pink Czech beads. The length of the earrings are exactly 1" at the drop. Cute, swingy little things. And very affordable at $8.50.

Swag
I adore swingy, swaggy earrings, and especially on people with short hair, where the earrings hang down and swig around hypnotically. I particularly like it when it's earrings that pick up the light like these purple-y lavender lampwork and Czech glass earrings do.

All metal is sterling silver, of course, including the chain. The beads used are pearlized large, and bi-color seed (purple center, blue outside), Czech glass. These are used at the top of the earrings, and then also to surround the luminescent lampwork glass earrings made with purple and lavender center and outside, with light pink-lavender swirls and polka dots. They measure 2 1/8" at the drop and sell for $16.50.

Some new favorites

I really love dragonflies. Well, cute bugs in general: butterflies, lady bugs, dragonflies. I'm not a fan of, say, potato bugs.

So when I saw these little silver dragonfly beads I had to buy them. At the same time, I also bought some fantastic aurora borealis trapezoidal-shaped keystone beads. I put them together with the dragonflies and I'll be darned if I don't want to keep a pair for myself, but I won't [edit: I found enough beads for two more pair, so I'm keeping one. Made them with the dragonflies pointing up this time and have one more pair that can either be put on threads or wires). Maybe I'll buy more dragonflies and keystones, if I can find them, and make more in a while. :)
As you can see from the tape measure, the dangle themselves are only an inch, so they're not very large nor heavy. They change color depending upon the light, and as usual, all metal is sterling silver.

The only real difference between the two pair is that one pair is on threads and one on wire.

The cost of the ear threads is $26.25 and the ones on ear wires is $22.25 I have a feeling these won't last long enough to make it into the store, when it finally opens.

Victorianna

This pendant is made from opalite, basically a very pretty faux opal-like substance used in more and more jewelry these days, as opals become more rare and more expensive. The opalite in this pendant changes colors, depending upon the kind of light that is hitting it and where, so it really does have a lovely and changing glow.

It is in a sterling silver setting, and from it drops five soft pink glass cabochon briolettes decorated with light pink iridescent glass seed beads, iridescent mauve seed beads, and very pale lavender larger czech glass beads.


The photo with my hand is to give a bit of an idea of the scale of the pendant. It also shows, more than the other photos (because, as I mention below, it doesn't always show), the little flaw at the bottom of the 'stone.'

The total length of the pendant from top of bail to the bottom of the longest drop is 3". It comes with a simple black faux suede cord that I will cut to size for whomever orders it, up to 36." It is finished with a lobster claw clasp. All metal used on the necklace is sterling silver.

You can see from a couple of the photos that it has a little flaw in the back on the bottom, but also as you can see, it doesn't always show up. But because it's there, I'm taking $10 off the price of the pendant; therefore, the price for this piece is $35.00.

The Birth of the Abundant Venus Goddess Collection.

Yeah, I know, bad art pun. Can't help it.

This collection has been a good while in the making. I found these marvelous sugar druzy agates and instantly knew I must have them to make jewelry from. The Venus of Willendorf has long spoken to me -- from the first Art History class I attended many years ago.

She is also a kind of a mascot for feminism in some ways, and definitely for size acceptance, both of which I think are important. As women, we are taught that our bodies are to look a certain way and to deviate from the norm is to be an undesirable pariah. I reject this out of hand, but it took me decades to do it, having grown up a fat baby, child, adolescent, teen and adult. I used to buy into the mantra that women must be thin, and I, therefore, hated my fat body.

As I grew older, I started seeing the brainwashing we all receive about how unattractive we are unless we lose weight, wear this kind of makeup, diet for bikini season, and on and on ad nauseam. All of this is mostly for the purpose of amassing vast fortunes by diet companies, plastic surgeons, makeup companies -- basically the 'Health & Beauty' industry, and their lapdogs: advertising agencies.

We are not all meant to look alike or to have similar bodies. There is variety in every single organic thing on the planet; why should we human beings be any different? We are meant to be different heights, colors, sizes, and with differing personalities. It's part of our beauty, really, and just because some cannot see that beauty, it is not negated.

Part of the purpose here at Adorn Me jewelry is to include fat women in the process of having jewelry that actually fits. I don't know how many times I fell in love with a watch or a bracelet or a ring, only to find it didn't fit me. It wasn't for me. That will not happen here. I make jewelry in standard sizing, but also in larger sizing. And if you see something here that you like and I can re-create it larger for you, I will do so. I will also be making custom necklace extenders so that necklaces that aren't large enough can be made large enough almost seamlessly. I don't exclude any size, but it is important to me to pay special attention to the needs of my fat sisters.

With all of the aforementioned in mind, I introduce to you the first two pieces from what will be the Abundant Venus Collection.
First, Auburn Venus. Ms. Auburn is not a result of just simple pendant-making and bead-stringing, but aside from that also involves layers of wire-wrapping in the four inch length that holds the pendant. The last photo is a closeup of her lovely, crystal-filled yoni (as a friend termed it -- perfect, really).

This piece uses lots of Autumn colors. The stones included are bronze freshwater pearls, copper freeform pearls, agate, citrine and quartz nuggets, as well as copper and pink iridescent seed beads, a swarovski dangling from the figaro chain used as a belly chain around her waist and a tibetian silver butterfly. This necklace has a large 'S' clasp closure. It is about 20 1/4" in length and sells for $98.00. Auburn Venus is, however not for sale, as she sold before I could even put her up here. I can, however, make another necklace something like it, if you're in love with the stones and colors, though I do not have another Venus her exact color, but somewhat close. This last photo places more of a focus on the little tibetian silver butterfly that you can kind of see in the image of the whole necklace.

Next is Ebony. Ebony is made from a black agate with a nice sugar druzy. This necklace is perfect for evening and sparkles nicely in low lights. The coin disc beads are a perfect compliment to her round belly, and a great foil for the angular diamond-shaped beads.

She hangs from a wrapped silver pendant on a necklace made from black glass disc coin beads, leopard skin jasper (which didn't photograph as clearly as I would have liked), diamond-shaped glass beads and little hematite seed beads. All metal used is sterling silver. The necklace has an 'S' hook closure, and from it is a nice little drop of glass beads and a round 'disco ball' swarovski crystal. It is about 23" long and sells for $56.00.

In the closeups on the left you can get a slightly better look at the leopard skin jasper, and then a closeup of the sugar druzy, which is really the collection of quartz crystals that often form inside of a geode.

Note: Ebony Venus is now sold and will have a new home. :)

A Whole New Batch of Crazy.

Guess I'm on an earrings kick.


This batch is dominated by an agate called Crazy Lace. You can see why just looking at the photos.

This pair of earrings are all about texture and complimentary colors. Their focal stones are made of 18mm coin disc beads. They are very swingy, which I love. Note the little blue area that appears to have depth; it actually does. It has what looks like little pool of blue water in it. The little danglies are made of little 4mm celestial larimar rounds, carnelian disc beads, light orange agate chips, copper glass seed beads and 4mm swarovski bicone crystals in aqua, teal and aurora borealis. All metal is sterling silver. They measure 1 3/4" at the drop and are $26.

A bit about Crazy Lace Agate.

Crazy Lace Agate: Crazy lace agate, also known as Mexican agate, is an attractive, white, opaque stone, patterned like a beautiful, multicolored paisley cloth. It is a cryptocrystalline quartz, found in Mexico.

In ancient times, this agate was worn to placate the gods, and to give courage. It will sharpen your sight, help the eyes, illuminate your mind, allow you to be more eloquent and give vitality. It keeps the wearer well-balanced and serious. Lace agate strengthens the Sun in its wearer, and improves the ego and self-esteem. It gives you a feeling of consolation despite the hardships of life. It has been considered symbolical of the third eye, and the symbol of the spiritual love of good. It helps to banish fear. It is a good general healing stone. (Source: Truth about Crystal Healing, by Phyllis Galde)

I'm not sure how much I believe in the healing power of crystals and stones, but I always find the history interesting and figure it can't hurt. One of the things I love about this stone is its variety of pattern, and the paisley of which Galde speaks.

This next set is also crazy lace agate, but they are purple and are 18x13mm rectangles. They have been paired with 14mm turquoise ovals, little silver rounds and turquoise glass seed beads. Beneath them swing amethyst nuggets, 4mm lavendar opal bicone swarovski crystals, as well as aqua and aurora borealis bicone swarovskis, and little seed beads of various colors. All metal is sterling silver. These are about 2 1/4" from the top of the drop to the bottom and are also very swingy. They cost $29.00.

Here is another pair that is somewhat similar in look to the aforementioned. Again, purple crazy lace agate, but this time with turquoise rondelles of a more blue turquoise than the previous pair. These are also adorned with little silver beads, various colors of seed beads, and various 4mm bicone swarovskis in aqua, lavendar opal, aqua, aurora borealis (AB) and tanzanite. These, too, have amethyst nuggets, but they are more spikey and are striped. They have great swing and really pick up and reflect, and refract, the light. These are reserved for a special someone, as is the matching pendant.

The matching pendant features a 40mm purple crazy lace agate (which is slightly more pink than the earrings, but it's hard to get these things to match perfectly). It will hang on a silk cord with sterling silver connectors.
Hanging from the focal bead, which is treated just as the earrings are, with turquoise-colored glass beads and little silver rounds, are a cluster of 4mm lavendar opal, aqua, AB and tanzanite swarovskis, seed beads, an amethyst spike that isn't showing up very well and an 3mm top-drilled AB swarovski crystal drop.

This pendant, like the matching earrings, are NFS -- BUT, unless a piece is intentionally one of a kind, I am happy to accept special orders duplicating past pieces that have been purchased by clients. Just drop me a line.

Ruby Zoisite

Also known as anyolite, ruby zoisite is the natural combination of ruby and zoisite crystals in a single specimen. Zoisite, the same mineral as tanzanite, provides an earthy green and black color while ruby lends pink and red highlights. Ruby-zoisite is usually shaped as cabochons or carved into decorative shapes, including animals and religious icons.

Ruby-zoisite was first discovered in 1954 in Tanzania. The name anyolite goes back to the word for green" in the native language of the Massai.

Ruby-zoisite achieves only hardness 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, and is thus not very resistant. Therefore it should be worn with care, never be cleaned by ultrasonic method and never come into contact with acids. The green zoisite rock carries black hornblende inclusions and large, but mostly opaque rubies. Cut and polished ruby-zoisite appears in an earthy green and black color with exiting pink and red highlights, due to the presence of ruby. (courtesy of GemSelect)

I really love these little triangular stone beads. I'm a huge fan of complimentary colors and these stones do it so well. They are paired with tiny little luminous pink seed beads, AAA white freshwater pearls, and dangling below are light-catching swarovski crystal hearts. They hang about 1 7/8" at the drop and are $22 before discount.

. . .

About Rose Quartz

Rose Quartz: Rose quartz is a gentle, pale to medium pink translucent form of quartz. It comes from Brazil. This stone has a soft and useful frequency, and does not conflict with any other stones. It is an important stone for the heart chakra, and for giving and receiving love. It helps to dissolve all burdens and traumas that have burdened the heart. Rose quartz assists in understanding and dissolving problems so the heart is better able to know love. As its presence is felt by the body, sorrows, fears, and resentments are replaced by a sense of personal fulfillment and peace. (Source: Truth about Crystal Healing, by Phyllis Galde)

This stone promotes the vibrations of universal love and inner serenity. It teaches that the many negative childhood experiences enable the self to learn how to love and nurture itself. It also enlivens the imagination to be able to create beautiful forms.

The last pair have a very simple design and made from 11x7mm grade A Russian Rhodonite chicklets beads and 6x11mm faceted grade AA rose quartz rondelles. They are subtly set off by little iridescent pink glass seed beads. As with most of my jewelry, unless otherwise stated, all metal is sterling silver. They hang about 1 3/8" from the drop to the bottom and sell for $15.00. This pair has been sold, so NFS.

More coming soon. And look for the opening of my Etsy store soon, as well.