Freshwater Pearl Lariat and Earring Set

I revisited a classic design in the warm, rich colors of fall in a set that I designed to donate to a fundraiser for the local library. Freshwater pearls and sterling silver were used to create this timelessly beautiful set.


Each pearl is attached to the necklace on a hand-hammered paddle. The pearls are arranged such so that they twist gracefully up the chain, so that they dangle gracefully on the wearer.


The heart of the earring is a cultivated freshwater pearl. They are created from the clay disc in the shape of the heart, which is inserted into the oyster. The nacre forms around the disc, so that the natural pearl has a unique shape.

Some lucky bidder walked away with a great set that evening!

Beach glass and gold

I don't work with gold very often, because it is so expensive and I also aesthetically prefer sterling. But I had a commission request to work a piece of beach glass with gold to fit over the pictured gold necklace. I worked out the design and the fit of the pendant with copper wire.


The bail/design element is constructed from 16 gauge, 14 karat gold wire. It is shaped and hammered on the front to give it the graceful curve. Then the bail is also lightly hammered to repeat the design motif and to connect with the linear element of the necklace.

The piece worked out well and the person loved her memento of her summer lake home.

Back to Black

These are just a few of the pieces that I have made in the past couple of days. I have definitely been working a black linear motif. Most of these pieces are are coral, with the exception of the third picture, which is a pendant created from lavastone. The capped pieces utilize a herringbone wire wrapping technique.

Freshwater Pearl Earrings and Simple Necklace Set

I have had these unique freshwater pearls that I picked up quite some time ago and I decided to create something with them. I am attracted to their evanescent glow and completely organic shape. I riffed on the the DaVinci series by wiring the pearls inside of the vessel-horseshoe shape. I kept the detail simple, but textural by fringing the earrings with multiple simple sterling drops. All of the sterling components had to be pre-oxidized so that the pearls did not risk being pitted or discolored in some way.


After I completed the earrings, I wanted a simple matching necklace. At first I thought that I was going to create the piece by pairing the large freshwater pearl with pale green freshwater pearl beads. But in the end, I simply wired the pearl utilizing fat wraps to a simple sterling chain that echoed the detailing of the earrings. I don't do dainty often, but I had seen a simple pearl necklace on a girl one evening and I was inspired. The pearl lends itself to this design, and is complemented so well by the deep patina of the antiqued sterling.


So this is the set. The necklace hangs just below the hollow of my throat and the earrings have great summer presence.

Now I have been utilizing the earring design paired with gemstone briolettes to create necklaces for the next series of work that is evolving.

Reclaimed and reused

This winter I broke my own rule; the one that I am always advising people who buy my earrings not to do --- I wore a pair of earrings without the rubber keepers on the back. And sure enough, I lost one of the earrings by the time I got to work, never to be recovered.

So I took the remaining earring and made it into a necklace.

I utilized small beads of turquoise, ones that I got in LA last spring. They are individually worked on sterling, interspersed with sterling nuggets in a 3-2-1 pattern.

At the clasp, I decided to finish with a smokey quartz detail.

It is good that someone's beautiful handiwork did not go to waste simply because I was a dork. Now watch, that other earring will probably turn up.

Rough, cool, ethereal kyanite on leather

This weekend I succumbed to the urge to work with the green kyanite that I had gotten in December. I was inspired by my own kyanite necklace in my collection. This is the first of several necklaces in this style that I will be showcasing in Etsy. I will make others in blue kyanite and other gemstones. But I have to say that this green kyanite is spot on with what I am feeling right now.

Peacock Pearls

I bought a pair of peacock pearl earrings from Angi Caldwell at her last trunk show. I know - I need another pair of earrings like a hole in the head, but I liked the design and they were very well priced. So finally during Spring Break, I had the time to make a necklace that would go with the earrings. I dipped into my stash of pearls and had some that coordinated perfectly with the fabulous large teardrop earrings.

The first thing that I did was that I oxidized the sterling wire and nuggets that I would be using, and also oxidized the silver on the earrings. This needed to be done first for this project because liver of sulfur can sometimes pit pearls.

While I initially designed the project with the idea it would simply riff on the classic strand of pearls, as I progressed through the project, I realized that would be too boring. So I selected an abalone dagger for the focal point. I have used this component in other designs. Overall, I am very attracted to the look and feel of these pieces.

The necklace is 17 1/2" long, which allows it to hang just below the hollow of my throat. After constructing the necklace, I polished it out and the soft gray metallic glow really complements the dark tones of the pearls.

Perfectly pearly!

Garnet Garbage

In January I completed a necklace that had been sitting on my bench for longer than I want to admit. At least the middle bar piece. I wanted to do a rough look that almost was "twiggy". I shaped then hammered a piece of sixteen gauge sterling wire. Then I wrapped it with 24 gauge dead soft sterling, creating nine loops on the underside of the bar to attach whatever was going to go there. At that point I had not decided. In fact the bar probably sat around for a year before I decided that I had the time and inspiration to work with the piece.


I finally ended up using "garbage garnets" for the bib of the necklace. I say this because if these garnets were celebrities, they would be on the D list. They are rough and misshapen. Just the way I like them. They look like they could have just been taken from the ground, polished a bit, and drilled. I definitely was going for a rough, asymmetrical, organic look.


To finish the piece, I attached heavy gauge sterling chain and created a clasp that echoed the focal point of the necklace. The piece was oxidized and lightly polished out to give it the dark look.

Garnet garbage hangs right below the hollow of my throat.