Gemstones round the hoop

Among my latest work, these three pairs of earrings are currently for sale at Chartreuse Art Gallery. From the left, the first pair was created with blue topaz and smokey quartz gemstones. The second pair features different shades of citrine gemstones. And the third pair has moody, dark labradorite and iolite gemstones. The earring hoops were created from sterling wire and hammered to give them strength. The gemstones were wired into place with sterling wire and the earrings were given an oxidized patina for a vintage look.

Beach glass bracelet for the new college graduate

A customer commissioned a bracelet as a present for a young woman who will be graduating from college. She gave me her beach glass collection so that I could select pieces and design the piece. In addition to the beach glass, I knew that I wanted to incorporate a citrine crystal into the piece (2nd from right) as it promotes success, prosperity, and abundance to the wearer. This was a fitting energy for a young woman as she makes the transition from the world of academia to whatever may lay ahead.

I decided on a charm style bracelet which would highlight the unique components, textures and colors of each piece that was attached to the chain. As I was sifting through the basket of beach glass, the stone in the middle caught my attention right away. It is an unique piece and has great texture. Then as I selected the pieces of beach glass, I found the crinoid (to the right of the stone) which is a great lake find. My final flash of inspiration was to incorporate a penny into the piece, which played off the meaning of the citrine crystal. To really personalize the piece, I had the giver of the piece find out the recipient's birth year and so the penny was selected accordingly.


Each piece was drilled and I attached each securely to the sterling chain of the bracelet. It has a solid, easy to use sterling lobster claw clasp. It a very unique, personalized piece for the young woman who will be receiving it.