Custom Design - Pacifica

This set is named after the ever-changing moods of the Pacific Ocean: the light blue (amazonite nuggets) for warm, calm days -- those summer days where the heat and the cool breeze almost seem dreamlike together. Then the dark teal (apatite nuggets) for colder, less calm days, where the water is choppy and it looks cold. Finally, the greenish (butter jade nuggets) for the roiling, angry sea the Pacific was after the 2006 tsunami. It was green. A shade of green I had never seen before.

Our client had an 8-strand neckace of gorgeous little freshwater pearls -- very tiny. It was given her by her husband and it had been too small for years, so she wasn't able to wear it and wanted to. She wrote me asking if the pearls could be re-strung, making the necklace longer. I offered her the option of adding stones to it to add some interest. She liked that idea and said she wanted stone nuggets water colors, and that she'd also like the accent of dragonflies here and there. I sent her photos of the various nuggets, telling her which ones I felt would work best, and she approved them.

So, the necklace is now 36" long, and has side details of the various nuggets at differing heights, as well as small 2mm silver beads, and on one side, little bali silver dragonflies. It also has a lovely little drop at the back toggle clasp, where hangs a pearl and one nugget of each color -- with a top drilled apatite at the bottom, sharing space with a dragonfly.

It was evident that there was enough pearls left for either one more strand or a matching three-strand bracelet and earrings. She liked the second option, so a bracelet and earrings were created.

The bracelet is really a miniature of the necklace in many ways, down to the matching bali silver toggle closure and the drop hanging from said closure, as you can see from the bracelet close-up.

Our client's preferred earring length is between 1 and 1 1/2 inches from the drop, and they use, a bit differently, all of the elements of the necklace and bracelet. They are suspended from sterling ear wires.

Of course, it's always great fun when a client who knows what she wants gives free rein in the creation of a piece, or set, of jewelry. This set was so very satisfying to create, and that she loves it so much is the ultimate goal and pleasure for this jewelry designer.

Custom Design - Vineyard

It's called "Vineyard" because of the lovely, very natural-looking mix of greens and purples. This necklace was a custom order from a client who wanted something special for her friend and workmate. She wanted something in purple and green and left it to me to come up with a design. Purple and green is one a favorite color combo, so it was a pure pleasure to create this necklace.

We started amassing stones with an eye on what would make nice contrasts, both in texture and color, and came up with first, a really unusual, substantial in size, purple African Opal focal stone. It's big at 1 3/8" square, and feels just weighty enough. It is the focal stone that makes this necklace a one of a kind (OOAK) piece of jewelry. It's the only one Adorn Me has seen in our jewel-hunting 'travels,' and it's doubt there will be another one just like it.

The African Opal is surrounded by two AB tanzanite swarovskis, lovely prehenite nuggets, large rich green oval Nephrite (or Jadeite) stones, Amethyst nuggets, lavender and purple czech beads, and little sterling silver beads throughout. It closes via a lobster claw clasp. At the clasp, you can see the large top-drilled amethyst nugget, attached with a daisy bali bead and silver ball headpin, which makes it look like a flower. The total length of this necklace is 17".

What fun it was to create this surprise gift!

The Trapeze Collection

Another new collection has been born; it's called The Trapeze Collection. Right now it's just earrings, but down the road it will include necklaces, too. The Trapeze is Adorn Me's own, original design. They are made using sterling silver wire (though in the future we'll also be using gold-filled) and various pearls, crystals and stones for adornment. The idea is that the focal pearl or stone balances from a trapeze that hangs from a silver circle.

The first example uses white blister pearls with top-drilled Aurora Borealis (AB) swarovski crystals suspended above. This pair hangs approximately 1 5/8" from the drop, which means from where the earring wire loop ends and the top of the earring begins. The pair costs $21.50.

The second pair is named after a friend who lives in a Mossy State. They have lovely moss green blister pearls on the trapeze, with sweet little coppery red fresh water pearls and top-drilled AB swarovski bicone crystals suspended above them. They are approximately 1 3/4" long and cost $21.50.

The great thing about this line is that they can go from blue jeans to little black dress easily.

This pair, Ultrapurple, was created using the most stunningly vibrant blister pearls we've ever seen. So vibrant they could have no other name. And so vibrant the true colors were hard to capture by camera.

The texture is silken smooth and the colors are spectacular, if you like pinky, bright blue purple. Yes, they flash all those colors.

Above these lovely blister pearls are suspended little moonstone chips and ocean opal briolettes. They are approximately 1 5/8" long and sell for $21.50.

Next we have a pair that look a bit like little, tiny handbags. They are made from cherry quartz rectangle stones with cherry quarts nuggets and peridot stones. They are almost 1 1/2" inches long and sell for $19.50.


The last pair are true elegance. They are made from a very unique stone called larvikite.

Larvikite is a soda, lime rich Feldspar, also known as a plagioclase. In this grouping of Feldspars the sodium aluminum silicate and calcium aluminum silicate combine into a three way crystal system. This crystal formation contributes to the flashes found in Larvikite and other plagioclase siblings like Labradorite and Rainbow Moonstone.
(Source: Ozark Rock Exchange).

Larvikite is a stone with lovely variations of gray and steel colors, some that flash brightly in the light and other parts, that when the light hits them, they flash a beautiful blue. They sit horizontally, reflecting the lovely silver-wrapped aqua quartz briolettes and little laboradite rondelles that hang above them. The pair falls from sterling silver leverback ear wires. They are approximately 1 1/2" from the drop and cost $25.50.

The Grape Fizz Necklace.

First: these beads are not pink. They, due to crappy camera syndrome, look pink. They are more of a blueish lavender. Sorry for any confusion...
This necklace is an Adorn Me jewelry one of a kind (OOAK) creation. It was named Grape Fizz, because there are various kinds of purples through it, and the lavender milk stone kind of glows, and depending upon the kind and amount of light, it almost looks a little blue (in spite of how it looks quite pinkish in these photos -- the pink is not true). This necklace is a little magical.

Found in Botswana, Africa, Botswana Agate is a rather hard gemstone. It is composed of banded Chalcedony (which gives it some of its glow).

The pendant itself is 1 7/8" long, and is also comprised of two amethysts and sterling silver. It hangs from a semi-woven necklace made of various iridescent Czech glass beads, milky lavender glass beads, mauve iridescent freshwater pearls, hematite seed beads and a nice hand-wrought silver heart charm (with pearl and glass) near the 'S' closure.

I know the challenges of accurately photographing jewelry without an obscenely expensive photo studio, and so often I see someone say how a piece of jewelry they've photographed just cannot be done justice. I often nod my head, because I know it's sometimes true. So I'll just say about this necklace that none of these photos do it justice.

The necklace is 22 1/4" long, and an decorative extension chain could be made for it, if needed.

Supposedly, according to those who keep track of such things, Eye Agate, or Botswana Agate, enhances sexual energy by giving physical stamina. Guess it can't hurt, anyway. This necklace is priced at $123.00. Matching earrings can be made, if you so desire.

More Abundant Veni

A couple more Veni to add to the collection.

The first is black agate with a nice long sugar druzy. She has a sterling silver wire bail that includes a fresh water iridescent silver pearl, a montana swarovski crystal (kind of a dusky gray-blue) and a small hematite seed bead. These same elements are used on her silver belly bracelet. I used on the silver pair of tulip earrings, as well as some montana swarovskis, and tiny little hematite seed beads. It is strung on black faux suede cord with a sterling S clasp. It can be whatever length you like. It sells for $31.50.

The next -- the one I call the Lemon Cream Venus -- is a bit more elaborate. My inability to really capture it well with the camera is frustrating.

The Lemon Cream Venus is a yellow and white goddess, though it looks like it has more and brighter yellow than it actually does. Its companion stones are yellow quartz (with a very slight green tinge) and clear, diamond-shaped glass beads, as well as AB large Czech glass seed beads and four little chartreuse round pearls. Her belly bracelet has butter jade and clear quartz.

Sterling silver, of course, is the only metal used. There is chain for the back part of it, which can be removed if it's too long at 27 3/4", and it would then be 21 1/2" without the chain. This lemony Venus sells for $75.50.

Custom Designs - Art Nouveau Tulips

The tulips are popular. We have received several special orders for them, and they are fun to make. They all sell for $26.50.

The first pair is different from the others in that the ends dangle, and also, they are antiqued silver over brass, and have sterling silver ear wires and wires at the end.

They include iridescent silvery fresh water potato pearls, tanzanite swarovski crystals, frosted grape Czech glass and pretty little minty rice-shaped Czech glass partially coated with vitriol. They are a total of 3" long, including ear wires. Oh, and you should know, all of the tulip earrings have a lovely tinkling sound when they move. If you love that, these are for you. If you hate it, we have many other designs.

The rest of the photos are just to show some of the possible options.



Iridescent brassy fresh water potato pearls and AB swarovski crystals.











Spring colors in bloom. This pair have strawberry baby bell flowers with aqua swarovskis and some more of those little minty vitriol-encrusted Czech glass beads. On hoops.



















Grape Czech glass flowers with golden baby bell flowers and peridot swarovski crystals, on hoops.

Summer Solstice - a set.

This next piece is actually a set. It's a bracelet and earrings in the lovely summer colors of chartreuse and turquoise.

Large 20mm ovals of chartreuse howlite alternate with tiny silver beads and 10mm matrix chalk turquoise ovals make up this matching bracelet and earring set.

The bracelet has petite but effective bali silver a toggle closure, and hanging from it a little silver dragonfly, two small silver beads and a top-drilled AB swarovski crystal. It is adorned with bali beads at the ends. The howlite is a true chartreuse green and the chalk turquoise has a nice bronzey matrix.

The earrings really match the bracelet exactly -- down to being finished at the bottoms with the same little antiqued silver dragonflies that set off the bracelet. Here's a close-up of them.

The bracelet is 9.5 inches long and the earrings, from the drop are 2 inches long. The set sells for $51.50.