Last Minute Earrings for Illuxcon...

"Golden Fox"

(Earrings)   Price: $40.00  SOLD 

The night before we left on our roadtrip to Illuxcon nearly two weeks ago, I realized when packing things up that I didn't have any new earrings for my display, there. So I made a cup of tea and started my usual rummaging of the beads and bits to find some inspiration. I'd gotten a new shipment of tiny 14k gold elements to play with a few weeks before that came with some coveted Kitsune fox masks. They paired beautifully with autumnal brown Czech pressed glass leaves from my stash. Simple but lush.

 

"Black Dragon Jade"

(Earrings)  Price: $40.00  SOLD 

I had a lot of gold findings splayed about my tiny workplace and of course, that always calls to my stash of Serpentine jade beads. I've been hoarding a short string of larger carved beads among them and I decided to showcase two of them as earrings. Layered decorative posts with engraved gold spacer beads at the bottom, and then the aforementioned Serpentine Jade in all of their glory, topped by my fave engraved cube gold spacers. The black beads are Black Onyx incised with 14k gold Chinese dragons, topped with 14k gold tube spacers. I'm not sure if I'd class them as 'perfume bottle shapes' or 'temple lanterns', but the choice is an evocative one. 

 

 

 "Golden Moon Jade"

(Earrings)  Price: $ 30.00 

Well, working to a cosmic theme, these are a simple moon motif. Gold tone metals and Serpentine Jade beads. Crescent Moon and Stars in gold, and a glowy Serpentine Jade 'shining' full Moon below. 

 

Received lots of love on these beauties. Hope to get back to creating pretty things real soon. 
Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers,

Marianne 

 

Ocean Dark...

 "Midnight Sea"

(Necklace)  Price: $70.00  SOLD 

Sometime earlier this year, I bought a bunch of silver-toned metal findings that I could use to build  'focals' for necklaces around. One of them was the silver circle in this necklace that has a seahorse, stars and shells around its rim. This circlet, along with its companions bearing other shapes and decorations, was not originally intended for use in the way I employed it. They are meant to be used with fancy poured resin. I wanted to find out how they looked against semi-precious stone 'donut' beads and also the large round, drilled 'coin' beads. The backdrop to the silver circle in this case is a large, flat Lapis Lazuli of a striking midnight blue. It made a perfect dark ocean background. It took me a little while of fiddling around with the elements and comparing them till I settled on a lone 'star' drop suspended in the middle. The star is of filled 14k gold and bears an inset crystal. Once I finished the focal to my satisfaction, I was undecided about how to suspend it. Cue digging through all of my boxes of beads and findings, sorting this way and that for inspiration. I finally came back to the engraved silver-toned metal 'dunce cap' style beads that bookend the large Black Tourmaline beads on each shoulder above the focal. That was a start. Not wanting it to look too dour and 'uncosmic' I thought about adding some other color element. After more rummaging around, I kept coming back to some of the pressed Czech glass beads I had. The swirls and shimmering colors reminded me of nebulae, so I experimented with them for a bit, eventually liking them in the antiqued silver metal bead frames sandwiched between smaller Black Tourmaline beads. Because it 'looked' heavier, the chain I chose to hang it all from is of twisted silver-toned metal, adding to the antiqued ornate look. Overall, Midnight Sea looks cosmic, and maybe, just maybe...a little bit magical. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Cheers,

Marianne 

 

More purple...

"Amethyst Swan"

(Necklace)   Price: $70.00 

Some time ago, I purchased these elegantly beautiful 'swan' shaped bails...the attachment holding a bead or pierced stone. They are not truly precious, but contain inset Egyptian glass 'rhinestones' that flash light rather well. I'd been at a loss to how to use them until I spotted a few things on sale at my fave online bead dealer in Oregon. That was the carved amethyst 'wing'. Suddenly, ideas started popping up. Into my basket it went, and the two I received proved perfect to use. How to suspend it in a meaningful way once the 'swan' torso was attached was the next puzzle. Silver wire and my little curling pliers worked wonders. Eventually. Next puzzle was what create 'wings' from. I found teardrop amethysts and oval shaped ones during my rummaging and spent a happy hour 'arranging' them in various set ups with possible connectors. I snuck in my usual gold elements as tiny spacer beads in the middle and top of each wing, and topped them with the ornate silver-toned metal connectors, and then another silver-framed amethyst bead just for the heck of it. Again, it looks almost Victorian in its completed glory, but I am rather pleased with how this experiment turned out. 

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Cheers,

Marianne 

 

Red Moon Rising...Eclipse

"Lunar Eclipse"

(Necklace)   Price: $70.00 SOLD 

I have a bunch of largish Black Onyx drilled beads with openings in them that I've been toying with ideas what to do with them for awhile now. Inserting a bead or other focal element into the opening sounded intriguing and I wondered what ideas or story it would carry if I did. I'd been mooching through my beads on a break from tax stuff and paperwork and thought, ooh, I wonder if one of my Leopard Skin Jasper beads would fit. None of the regular moon-colored beads from that stash fitted, so I turned to the darker red and the almost black ones instead. The reddish-rust colored one went hand in glove into the opening like it was made for it. And I realized later that when the Moon is eclipsed, that a lot of the time it just changes to an earthy red. It became the eclipsed Moon in the blackness of space. Smaller, below that, was the Earth, portrayed here by my fave Italian handworked blue and copper toned glass. At the top, framed in gold is The Sun. I'm not exactly sure what this bead is, since I fished it out of a mixed box of beads. I shimmers, so it could either by plain old glass or Selenite, or even Moonstone. Either-wise, it fits the role. The small black space beads are also Black Onyx. Overall, the metallic gold elements give it an antique feel in an understated magical way. I am rather proud of the simple elegance this necklace conveys, and so proud of the celestial line up of Sun, Moon, Earth. Surprisingly, I completed this vision around the 28 August, 2026...at the peak of REAL lunar eclipse happening in actual real time. Rather tickled about that.

Thanks for stopping by,

Cheers,

Marianne 

 

Antique Lands and Adventures...

 

 "Olde Worlde"

(Necklace)   Price: $70.00 SOLD

 

Ever since I found the Woodlace Agate beads in Lisa's hoard, I've been thinking of how the striations and inclusions of the patterning reminded me of old libraries, antique maps, old illustrations of planets.  etc all run through either the Victorian era or The Renaissance golden age. The main focal drop is an absolutely stunning Woodlace Agate: a form of petrified wood where the plant matter has been completely replaced by Chalcedony or microcrystalline quartz over millions of years and been 'agatized'. Gold leopard skin Jasper as well as dark leopard skin Jasper, vintage Czech amber glass, Italian copper and blue lampwork glass make up the 'planets and moons'. A Heinz variety of gold tone metals form the infrastructure. It took me a while to decide if it was finished, but in the end, I added two small moon dangles flanking the main focal. I think it might be complete now. What do you think? I imagine that it might be like wearing a piece of the ancient world as we imagine it might be...

Thanks for stopping by,

Cheers,

Marianne 

The Reality Buffer Zone...

 

"Buffer Necklace # 1 - Garnet Triad"
(Necklace)   Price: $ 50.00  SOLD

Over Christmas last year I visited our doctor only to find her overwhelmed. Or ‘drowning’ as she put it. Her nurse was out for several weeks due to a surgical recovery and the doc was not only having to see patients, do hospital rounds, read through test results, but also call all the patients about said test results, and perform all round daily problem solving, etc. I pondered her stress for a bit and decided to make a discreet necklace of tiny crystals for her to buffer or protect her a bit better during stressful days. Further on that, I decided to make one for our own Doctor Kitka as well for the same reasons. Cue the ‘experimental combinations engineering’ music. First up, I made a bunch of 'focals' that I could use as the basis of each necklace, in two different combinations: Amethyst, Black Tourmaline, Smokey Quartz, and Prehnite, and then Hematite, Garnet, and Black Tourmaline. Silver as the base, with gold elements. Sigh. They’ve probably turned out a bit fancier than originally planned, but I like the collection so far. Since I have a lot of left over beads, I'll probably experiment more with this idea in the future. 

 

Black Tourmaline: Known as the ultimate energetic bodyguard, it repels negative energy and anchors you to the earth. Acts as a powerful energetic shield to block negative or stressful hospital energy and keeps you grounded during chaotic shifts

 

Amethyst (Purple): Acts as a psychic shield that purifies your space, relieves stress, and guards against anxious thought patterns.  Known as a calming stress-reliever that clears emotional buildup and protects your personal aura from absorbing patients' heavy emotions.

 

Smoky Quartz (Dark Brown): Functions as an energetic filter, gently pulling in and grounding out low-vibrational stress and worry.

 

Hematite (Silvery Black): Offers mirror-shield qualities that ground your mood and deflect negative frequencies. Provides strong grounding and spiritual protection, helping you stay balanced and centered after a long, exhausting day.

 

Prehnite (Pale, Clear Green): Frequently called the stone to "heal the healer," it offers energetic protection and restores vital energy while you care for others.

 

Garnet (Almandine Red): This crystal serves as a powerful protective and grounding stone that helps medical professionals maintain stamina, emotional balance, and resilience in high-stress clinical environments. 

 

Silver: Silver has long been revered as a sacred healing metal. Physically, it is known to have incredible antibacterial & antimicrobial properties that kill bacteria, fungi and certain viruses. Metaphysically, its properties are believed to cleanse the body and strengthen the link between the physical and astral planes. Apparently, wearing silver jewelry or meditating with silver can act as a sort of spiritual shield, reflecting back any energies not meant for you and keeping you protected yet open to the world around you. Silver also maintains a calming influence that allows the body to regulate stress responses and the spirit to find balance between surrender and empowerment. Hence, why I used Sterling Silver in the chains of all of these necklaces.

 

 Yep, I tried to make solid protection, or at least a type of daily buffer to protect our healers on the front lines of keeping us all safe and healthy. We lost way too many during the initial onslaught of Covid 19 in 2020. 

 

 

 "Buffer Necklace # 2 - Garnet Keyhole"
(Necklace)    NFS 

"Buffer Necklace # 3 - Triple Drop"
(Necklace)    NFS 

This is one of the combinations of Prehnite, Smokey Quartz, Amethyst, and Black Tourmaline, as are the next two below.

 

 

 "Buffer Necklace # 4 - Amethyst Owl"
(Necklace)    Price: $50.00  

"Buffer Necklace # 5 - Amethyst Diamond Flare"
(Necklace)   NFS

"Buffer Necklace # 6 - Amethyst Round"
(Necklace)    NFS 

This was the very first necklace focal I made in the collection. It epitomizes the simplicity I was going for so it could be worn discreetly in the office or clinic. The round is Amethyst, the pale, clear green is Prehnite, and the dark beads are Black Tourmaline. 

 

Anyway, this is what I've got so far. And I have already gifted the intended ones to their recipients, along with promising another, future one to an active ER nurse friend. I'll show you that one when I get around to it. I apologize for borrowing the crystal meanings from Google, I'm rather tired and have misplaced my crystal notes for this project. 

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Cheers,

Marianne 

 

A different Jade...

 "Serpentine Jade"

(Necklace)  Price: $ 60.00 SOLD

 

 

Serpentine Jade is often referred to as Hsiu or 'New' Jade by the Chinese crafters and artisans and is used as a much less expensive alternative to the 'true' Jades: Nephrite and Jadeite. Don't get me wrong though, Serpentine in its several variations has been used by Chinese artists for thousands of years. A magnesium-silicate, it is typically softer and less dense, and more easily worked than the harder Nephrite and Jadeite. Real jade appears bright, glassy, or greasy to look at, while serpentine typically is dull, with a waxy, or soapy feel. Other colloquial names like 'Olive Jade' or 'Korean Jade' reflect some of those topical Serpentine aspects. The selection of Serpentine that I found in Lisa's hoard is particularly luminous and practically glows. Among the beads were a matching pair of carved focals that resembled flowers. I spent two long engineering sessions experimenting with how to suspend the focals until one (the one used above) I used a simple silver pinch bail on, and the other is a bit more complicated with wrapped silver wire...which may end up changed in the future. Anyway I made the base metal gold and added bright silver accents for contrast and to suggest moonlight. The two flanking dangles are freshwater blister pearls, also adding to the moonlight allure. Overall, I love the luminosity and light and airy feel of the finished design. According to crystal lore, Serpentine is associated with the heart chakra and promotes emotional balance and clearance of energy blockages. 

 

 

 Anyway, thanks for stopping by. More to come...

Cheers,

Marianne   

  

 

Jungle drums...

"Felinae Persia Suite" 

 (Necklace & Earrings Set)   Price: $90.00

 

Got some absolutely gorgeous Leopard Jasper amidst the haul from Lisa that I've been dying to use. The hold up was how to suspend the 'donut' in the focal. Several days of trying different things, broken bits and other oddities from my miscellaneous gold bits box, I finally found a solution that worked and felt solid enough to continue. This was a toughie. Lots of cussing, dropping things, and constructing and deconstructing the bloody thing. T'was a simple plan...at least to begin with. After that it got even more interesting. Leopard Skin Jasper, black dyed Jasper, and the round black stone is Onyx. Various gold tones. Not sure if it is giving off early ancient Egyptian vibes, Ancient Nubian, or just Wakanda wannabe feels.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bling work table during the creation process. Just a note though, had a tough time cleaning some of the beads. There were mold smells on some and smoke on others. 

 

When after several sessions of spritzing stone beads to get rid of the mold or smoke smells, I soaked those suckers in pure vodka when the vodka mist isn't intense enough. Rinsed with warm water and Dawn dish detergent, rinse again with clear water. Dry on paper towel. Success!!!! Mostly. They're still stone, still smells a bit like stone no matter how shiny. LOL Gotta be careful with this process with the more fancier stones, though. Don't want to take the polish and shine off. The test stones were Leopard Jasper...which I long wanted to experiment with using black and gold elements. Ahem. Well, the vodka did a marginal job, so late the same night, I sank the beads into a cup of baking soda, and the next morning there was still a distinct, but faint whiff of mold. Bob bought me a bottle of Ethyl based rubbing alcohol and after soaking for 20 minutes, IT WORKED!!!! ETHYL ALCOHOL FOR THE WIN!!! Thank you so much, Lisa. Now I can not only process the rest of the many beads, but also the smoke affected things as well. 

 

Anyway, thanks for stopping by. There's always more to come. 
Cheers,

Marianne 

 

Victorian Purple...

 "Violet Boheme Suite"

( Necklace & Earrings Set)  Price: $90.00  SOLD

The double strands of small lighter Amethyst beads were left over from a previous necklace project and formed the beginnings of this one. The light and dark beads compliment each other in the almost all silver design. There is a single gold bead atop the main focal to lend a bit of contrast as well. The large beads in the loop of the focal and the earrings are actually faceted which add to the antique Victorian vibe going on. This was an intriguing project in trying to make the double strands work, but I think it turned out well and rather pretty. The 'boheme' in the title refers to it being bohemian...the 'hippy' aspect of the Victorian age. Literally 'purple bohemian' in French.

 

 

 

The Amethyst work table and all the bits I had out for 'possibilities'

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers,

Marianne 

And more purple...

 "Amethyst Hearts"
(Earrings)  Price: $35.00  SOLD 

 

Simple, large, dangly earrings. Amethyst beads in offset, swoopy heart frames. I believe the silver frames are for wire wrapping, hence the toothed edges. But I like them as they are, I think. Haven't gotten into wire wrapping at all, but I won't rule it out completely, though. Who knows...

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers,

Marianne 

Back to purple...

"Dark Amethyst Suite"

(Necklace & Earrings Set)  Price: $100.00 SOLD 

 

After spending a few days sorting some of my new beads and pulling out ones that were inspiring me, I went on a bit of a bender with the Amethysts. I didn't actually have an idea in mind when I started this and tried several bases for the focal drop before deciding on this one. And being me, I decided to use silver with my favoured gold accents to make things look more lush. Give it a little warmth. The 'bead frames' were a blast to use and frame the dark of the beads in a very regal way. But I absolutely love the carved 'leaf' dangle which drove the whole experiment. I keep a tiny polishing cloth on my table to shine up some of the beads as I use them, and these ones just glowed. I'm really pleased how this necklace turned out. I used a couple more of the silver bead frames and made the earrings to match. 

 

 

Anyway, be prepared for more forays into using Amethyst. It's my most favourite stone.
 

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers,

Marianne 

And now for something completely different...

 "Spring Buddha"

(Necklace)  Price: $50.00  SOLD 

 

 

 

Gotta admit, I wasn't too sure about this one. It started out as just plain bright silver and the pink flowers. Well, all the plain silver as the only contrast to the pink flowers was making me a little twitchy, so I dressed things up a little. The Buddha dangle is carved Jade, the flowers are Czech glass, the pink beads are Rose Quartz with a Fluorite bead between them, and the three dark flowers above the Buddha are Austrian Crystal. When I spotted the Austrian Crystals at Michael’s, ironically looking for something completely different to use in the same space, I was instantly transported back to the 1970s and making jewelry with my grandma. I remember these exact crystals, same shape and color, from back then. I think they tie the center piece together, although I wouldn’t recommend this necklace for someone who has ADHD or OCD tendencies…the focal is slightly off center because of how I put the big links together. So, it’s a little too froufrou for me, but I'm sure someone might like it. Below is my work table when I was just piling possible elements together and making links. 

 

 

Oh, and I found out the actual name of that style of Austrian Crystals. Margarita Flower. Isn't that appropriate?

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Cheers,

Marianne 

Royal red...

"Red Queen Suite"

(Necklace & Earrings)  Price: $90.00 SOLD

 

 

Had Garnets on my mind for a week before I began this necklace. I thought I had a solid idea in the beginning, but it didn’t pan out. So, experimenting with shapes and stuff using beads from Lisa’s hoard and David’s generous contributions from his mum’s stash, I eventually ended up with this as the final product. The Almandine Garnets are really lush in colour and I kept getting flashes of the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland while making it, hence the title. I chose bright silver elements to help bring out the brilliance of the stones. The heart dangle is a faceted beauty and adds to the Queen of Hearts theme, and the contrast between the square-ish and round beads gives visual texture. I made earrings to match the necklace because something of this magnitude would be difficult to find something to compliment it, otherwise. I had a blast making this, but had to research the glue and methods for attaching the heart because it was only half drilled. Got it perfect in the end, though. Strangely enough, this suite gives off Victorian vibes by way of India back in the day. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers,
Marianne 

Rich green again...

"Silver Malachite"

(Earrings)  Price: $40.00 SOLD 

 

Yet another foray into the Black Onyx and gorgeous Malachite combination in silver.

Cheers,

Marianne 

More imperial themes...

"Imperial Sky"

(Necklace)  Price: $60.00  SOLD

 

This is a softer imperial inclination. I found these rose gold knotwork connectors at a bead shop across Providence city and seriously wanted to work with them. For some reason, they also reminded me of ancient Chinese ornamentation. As you can see, my favored handmade lampworked pale blue lace beads with the copper sparkles inside matched perfectly with all of the rose gold accents. The two vivid blue beads are ones I purchased at a little bead shop in Florence, Italy last year, just across Ponte Vecchio bridge. They are Murano lampwork, and are absolutely gorgeous. Because of the pale blue and rose gold tones remind me of the sky just after sunrise, I named this creation 'Imperial Sky'. What do you think?

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Cheers,
Marianne 

Far East royalty, maybe...

"Imperial Blue"

(Necklace)  Price: $60.00 SOLD

 

This is another favourite of my creations. I was sorting through a box of old craft things, cleaning out stuff I will never use to pass along to someone who can. One of my finds was the long, golden filigree cone wrapped around the black onyx tear drop in the main focal. I had purchased it nearly 20 years ago to use as a 'parasol' base for a fancy vintage crochet dress pattern for a Barbie fashion doll. The pattern never got made, and I passed it along with the other craft bits. This filigree cone, however suddenly stirred the imagination. Out came the bling bits and tools, and I got to experimenting. All the blue beads are Venetian glass, and all of the black ones are Onyx, including the two gold etched ones at the end of the side dangles. Little Chinese gold dragons are etched around those. The exotic combination of the filigree and patterns in the gold metal accents contrasting so well with the opulence of the rich blues and black kind of remind me of the colors worn by ancient Chinese emperors and royals, hence the title 'Imperial Blue'. This is a more elegant statement piece and sits at the collarbone level, with my usual 18" length. The dangle also fits with the 'lingerie' style of the Victorian age, because of its length. 

 

 

 

Anyway, thanks for stopping by.
Cheers,

Marianne 

More blue swirl...

"Amber moon"

(Earrings)  Price: $30.00 SOLD 

 

 I love these blue swirl glass beads with the copper foil sparkles inside. I used rose gold metals to build this set of earrings, and topped them with the vintage Czech glass amber beads for a warming contrast. I still have the 'perfume bottle' shapes on my mind, it seems. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Marianne

More experimenting with shape...

 "Hourglass - Blue Gold"

(Earrings)  Price: $25.00 

I got these gorgeous blue and gold beads from, I think, an online vendor via Michaels Crafts. They kind of reminded me of the upper and lower bulbs of an hourglass, so I spent some time digging through what I had at the time in my tiny gold bits stash to find 'bases' that fit. Several trial and errors brought me to these two final products. The 'gold' in the first pair of earrings are spacer beads, and an engraved gold bead at the waist of the 'hourglass'. The 'amber' in the second pair of earrings are not quite flat Czech glass rondelles as the base and top of that 'hourglass'. In the 'amber', the metal is antiqued copper instead of gold to support the amber theme. Sorry, the photos aren't the greatest.  

 

 "Hourglass - Blue Amber"

(Earrings)  Price: $25.00 

Meanwhile, thanks for stopping by. On, to the next experiment...
Marianne

 

Something pink...and a bit scandalous...

 "Le Chat Rose"
(aka: The Pink Cat)

(Necklace)  Price: $55.00  SOLD 

  

The original idea I had for this necklace isn't quite what it ended up being. The initial focal I had been working on just didn't seem to gel in the engineering testing stage, and was getting too bulky when all I wanted was something simple and delicate to showcase the Rose Quartz. The central bead frame was perfect for the 'pearl' center indicating a 'Moon' and the arms of Rose Quartz beads supporting it.  The uneven lengths of the dangles are a deliberate hark back to the Victorian 'lingerie' necklaces that were historically a tad scandalous as both dangles were long and lead directly to the cleavage in a lady's bosom in low necked evening dress. In this case, the entire necklace is built around the carved Rose Quartz cat sitting on its silver post. In amongst the bags of mixed bits that came from Lisa's hoard were the deliberately tangled silver jump rings that somewhat resembled balls of yarn. So, the story/scene of the necklace began to emerge. The cat, the balls of yarn, and a ball to anchor the lighter dangle. That ball is pure Fluorite, always a lovely accompaniment to Rose Quartz. I little pseudo Victorian in flavor, this is one of my favorite creations. As per usual, the neck length sits about 18". 

 

See how different the first attempt at this necklace was? I sat with it for three days, then deconstructed it and came up with something completely different. The golden shell, or 'sun' center and the vintage flower dangle are still hanging around  and I hope I find another use for them some day. By the way, I have owned that carved Rose Quartz cat bead for a couple of decades. I'm finally glad to have let it out of its box. Ahem. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Marianne 

A little more whimsy...

"Earth-Moon Dragon"

(Earrings)  Price: 25.00 SOLD

 

 This is just a simple pair of earrings using some pretty little silver dragons, glass 'pearls', and a couple of Venetian blue glass beads. The length of them is 2 1/4" from the top of the ear hoop to the bottom of the 'pearl'. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Marianne 

Shape and suggestion...

 "White Copper Perfume Bottle"

(Earrings)  Price: $ 30.00 SOLD 

 

 

I have a love of glass, whether it be art glass sitting on my window sill or gorgeous glass beads, no matter how humble, that fascinate me. There was a small baggie of mixed glass beads in the stash I bought from Lisa last year that turned out to be actual vintage Murano. The roses and gold/rose gold tones called to me and I tossed them in with the pile I eventually purchased. Those beads kind of reminded me of painted porcelain bottles from the Victorian, or French Rococo or Baroque eras. That got me to thinking, and seeing if I could make the beads look like antique perfume bottles using bead shapes. Bottle = Murano glass bead; Bottle stopper = metal bead shape/s, topped by a glass bead. I think they kind of work. I have more planned in different shapes, I just haven't gotten around to exploring the theme or my beads towards that end, yet.

 

"Copper Black Perfume Bottle" 

(Earrings)  Price: $ 35.00 SOLD

 Anyway, thanks for stopping by.
Cheers,

Marianne 

Back to Spring...

 "Aqua Butterfly"

(Necklace)  Price: $50.00 SOLD 

 

This is one of those creations where I fell in love with the color of the beads and just wanted to fiddle around with making a focal using them and some new silver elements I just got in. My friend Erica had a table full of 'discards' all bagged up to sell like a mini marketplace. I had a blast just sifting through them and picking out what spoke to me on a creative level. There were oddities, broken bits, many, many glass beads of various vintages, and findings and old metal focals from the 1960s/1970s that looked odd and handmade. I paid for my six pound bag of bits and spent a blissful couple of hours back home just going through them, sorting and putting them away in my brand new plastic bin...I have five of those big bad boys, now. LOL Michaels craft store has the occasional sale where plastic storage cases are heavily discounted. The one I initially purchased was $14.99, down from it's 'retail' price of $41.99. Anyway, it's designed to hold photographs. Suitcase-like clear plastic with 16 small cases mounted inside. Perfect for individual bead types, or finding types, oddities sorted by metal, color, and/or type or style of setting. Storing things since then has gotten...creative. Anyway, back to the necklace above. the blue 'lobe' at the bottom of the focal is dyed shell, and the blue/teal beads on it are Fresh Water Pearls. The white/cream beads are glass and are contemporary along with the silver findings and chain. It's a pretty piece and I rather like how it came together, exploring and trying different things to reach a satisfying result.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Cheers,

Marianne 

A different season...

 "Winter Solstice"

(Necklace)   Price: $60.00 

 When I started creating this necklace, it was all about the 'engineering' following an 'I wonder if I can make that work?' moment. Do you recognize the top of the focal? Right. It's the same base branch that has become one of my favourite building blocks...only in aged bronze. The engineering bit I was contemplating was the curved side pieces with all of the loops. Layering them and wrangling them into position was very fiddly and produced soft cussing and searches for dropped tiny jump rings, beads, findings and tools. Sigh. My worktop is tiny and not ideal, and the whatever I'm working on tends to drift off the table and into my lap while I'm wrestling with two tiny pairs of pliers...one not necessarily designed for that type of work. I have yet to make getting better tools a priority. Anyway, the bronze was very dull on its own, so I chose a gold element for the central focal and drops to wake it up a bit and add brighter supports for the stones. Vintage red Venetian glass coin beads for 'pow' and the green of the pure Malachite for contrast. I found the singular Malachite triangle bead in the stash I bought from Lisa in February of 2025 and it fit the balance perfectly, along with the Venetian glass bead below it. Satisfied that I had achieved my 'engineering' dreams, I sat the completed piece on my show stand so I could look at it for awhile. However, it took me a full 24 hours to figure out why it reminded me of Christmas. I was still in a building frame of mind rather than a 'oh, isn't that pretty?' one. Once my perspective shifted, I finally saw the green tree shape and 'ornaments' dangling from a 'Victorian' frame chandelier. I had a good laugh, and now I can't unsee any of that, so I deemed it 'Winter Solstice'. 

Anyway, thanks for stopping by. 

Cheers,

Marianne 

New greens in the Springtime...

 "Silver Sunburst Malachite"

(Necklace)  Price: $60.00  SOLD

I'm not sure that the centre bead was meant to be used like I did with this necklace, but it sure turned out well. Again, I like the tiny gold accents giving the silver elements a boost. All the green is pure Malachite, and the black beads are Onyx. Like all of my necklaces, this one also hovers at the 18" length and sits just on the collarbone of the wearer. I had a lot of fun experimenting with the gorgeous green stones, as you will see below.

"Gold Malachite"

(Necklace)   Price: $65.00  SOLD 

This creation gives off a faint Ancient Egyptian vibe with the almost mechanical gold 'stacked squares' connectors and lowest dangle, and the color choices. However it leans more towards Art Deco of the early 20th century, I think. I love this piece. It gave me a chance to use a specific type of vintage decorative chain with the diamond shaped links in it that I would usually find difficult to use. But it blended beautifully with the Art Deco pseudo Egyptian vibe I was going for, as you can see from the photo below. I do love that lush green Malachite and the black Onyx combination. The vintage gold tones make it that more lux.

"Gold Wrapped Malachite"

(Earrings)  Price: $ 35.00  SOLD

In amongst Lisa's hoard of stuff were a lot of oddities like these gold ribbon bead 'frames'. I'm not sure what the were originally intended for, but with a bit of wrestling with them, I manage to squeeze four Malachite beads apiece into their odd loops. I like them, but they might not be everyone's cup of tea. And unfortunately, whenever I've tried to photograph them, it hasn't been good. This is the best pic I could get. They are actually richer and darker than pictured here. 

Anyway, I'm still catching up with posting all I've done so far in the bling making efforts. There are still more to come, and I'm also still making things. 

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Cheers,

Marianne