Adventures in Handmade Jewelry

So you signed up for the Office Secret Santa or maybe you're on the fence. Or maybe you got someone a little hard to please. Well now you've got it in the bag. Handmade artisan jewelry under $20 delivered . Unique pieces using beautiful materials like gemstones and sterling silver. Oh and there's a choice of packaging, too. Check out the entire collection Here and make something a little easier on yourself.

Look no further. Here's a sample of what I've put in my jewelry sale. Oh and there's free shipping too. And a choice of gift packaging...something funky and very personalized or a traditional gift box. Who says customer service is dead?

So I've been neglecting the jewelry thing for a bit, but am working industriously today. Have lots of items to post to the shop, many of which will go into my Holiday Special section; all are discounted and even feature free shipping. I'll be updating it often so keep the tab open and hit refresh!

After a marvelous burst of activity, I've backed off the jewelry thing for a bit. I have one idea rolling around in my head for a piece and enthusiasm for making it is building, but not there yet. Plus nothing has sold in ages so my inventory level is quite adequate. Maybe with Christmas coming it will change, but whatever, I'm over it. So I've gone back to one of my first loves; photography. I got my first good camera, an Olympus OM-G 35mm SLR, when I was a sophomore in HS and have remained an Olympus bigot ever since. In 2005 I bought my very first digital body, an Olympus E-300, and sadly haven't really put any miles on it. My photo disease comes and goes and I was in a fallow period when I bought it, so that's sort of why. Only recently have I really begun messing with it and my old lenses. Too bad I'm unemployed or I'd pick up a few new toys for it. Since I am though, I'll just have to live with what I have. There's a group of folks on F...

The way this piece came together was magical. It was as if I was under the guidance of a Greek Muse maybe Melete. Normally I picture a design in my head, sometimes make sketches, sometimes make prototypes in cheap wire, then I put the real piece together. Not this time. I wanted to use the aqua and brown cane glass, but not another bracelet or earrings. I already had 6 rings fused by the time I started to really envision the necklace as a whole - I wanted two rows of links, one set higher than the other. The idea of circles hadn't solidified and quickly turned to ovals...hammered ovals in two sizes...with a twist. Only two fusing failures marred my process and so the fluid vibe of creation flowed on. Choosing among the glittering cane glass beads was easy and I found matched pairs that balanced the color scheme of the piece. I even had the perfect number of fluted sterling beads to add some dash. How often does that happen? When it came time to decide on what to hang the t...

A few choice items from my Fall Showcase.

These are destined for that collection in my 1000Markets Shop. Both are made with pure silver and feature lots of hammered texture. I love the mix of silver and copper in the necklace and am quite pleased with the way it turned out. The earrings aren't exactly a stretch in terms of originality, but I think they're flattering for almost any woman and we all need classic earrings that go with everything. I may add them to the Etsy shop, too since they're easy to make and I have plenty of materials.