Showing posts with label pearls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pearls. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

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. :)

Monday, May 26, 2008

Two new pair of earrings.

Of course people have varying preferences when it comes to earring length and weight, so I try to satisfy that by making a variety. Lately I've had a long-earring-jones, so I made two pair that are quite substantial, being a bit over 2" long.

"Springtime" is the name of the first pair.
This last Winter was a pretty severe one. Spring comes and it's like waking up from a slumber. These earrings express some of that joy of color and vibrant awakening.

These earrings are are about 2 1/8" long, from where the ear wire ends and the drop begins. They are made from two lampwork barrel beads with flower designs in shades of reds and pinks, white and aqua embedded in green apple glass. The beads are nestled between two silver accent beads and little turquoise seed beads.

Dangling from them are silver-wrapped 4mm garnet coin beads, peridot nuggets, white freshwater pearls and more seed beads. The ear wire is sterling silver.

These next earrings are called "Still Waters."

I tell you, these were the hardest darned earrings to shoot and try to represent accurately. They are made of large pieces of faceted quartz in the most delicate, watery aqua color, and they just kind of washed out under the lens of the camera.

These earrings are 2 1/4" long from the beginning of the drop to the bottom-most beads.

There is a hole in the upper third of the beads, from which dangle varying lengths of delicate sterling silver figaro chains.

At the end of each chain are silver-wrapped freshwater pearls, copper seed beads, peridot nuggets, turquoise seed beads, as well as 4mm aurora borealis and aqua bi-cone swarovski crystals. They're great on someone with short hair, and feel very swaggy. Not for sale, as these are sold.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Welcome!

Welcome to Adorn Me jewelry!

Jewelry, and even more specifically, a love of stones, metals, pearls and elements of jewelry-making, has been a lifelong passion -- one that has never dimmed or dulled over time.

Adorn Me jewelry has a focus on making unique pieces that will never have its exact match, even when the same materials are used, because of the differences in stones, and because the technique is far removed from assembly line jewelry (have done assembly line type of jewelry creation and it's mind numbingly boring -- never again!).

Adorn Me makes jewelry for all sizes of bodies, but there is a special focus on very large women who have a hard time finding unique, beautiful necklaces, bracelets and anklets in their size.

Adorn Me is happy to take special orders. If there is something specific you are looking for, please drop an email and we'll set it up. The contact form on Adorn Me's home site at AdornMeJewelry.net is set up for that, but there's not much else there yet, as making jewelry has been priority one so far.

This first set was custom made for a client who likes bracelet and earring sets.

My client likes this enough that she now wants a matching necklace, which will be in the works shortly. Materials used are pink-y plum blister pearls, fresh water pearls, amethyst nuggets, a variety of glass beads, Swarovski crystals and sterling silver. She prefers a lobster claw clasp on the bracelet, so that is what was used. The bracelet is 9" long and the earrings about 1 3/4" from the ear wire drop.

These next photos are of the set in alternate lighting, so the colors show up a bit differently, and just for the heck of it, a closeup of a fresh water pearl and one of the glass beads.
Wire-wrapping is a time-consuming art, and therefore fetches a higher price than when just strung beads. It's a joy, though. Been doing this for decades now and it doesn't get old.


This last photo is of the focal point of the bracelet. It is a cluster of pearls, amethysts and glass beads held together by sterling silver wire. The blister pearls spark iridescent hues of blues, purples, red, pinks, fuschia and silver, while the fresh water pearls have their own soft glow. Finally, the glass beads give off their own varied glimmer. This is an excellent set to wear dressed down a bit during the day. But at night -- at night, dressed in your finery, a set like this would flicker, twinkle and spark on the surface of your skin.


Still working on image quality and trying to make improvements. I just think I will need a new camera at some point, so please forgive the less than stellar photos.