Hello friends (all 2 of you), I've moved my blog over here: Click here to go there
http://metaliciousjewelry.tumblr.com/ is the new address where you can find new work, bench pics and other musings. :-) Please come play!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Sunday, December 1, 2013
WIN A $25 METALICIOUS GIFT CERTIFICATE!
Post your favorite piece from
my Metalicious.com website on my FB fan page with a link to your favorite piece and you
are eligible to win a $25 gift certificate to Metalicious.com
Winner must be over 18 and from the US or Canada. Winner will be announced on Monday morning! Ready? GO: http://www.metalicious.com/
Post a link of your favorite piece to my fan page here: http://www.facebook.com/metaliciousjewelry
Winner must be over 18 and from the US or Canada. Winner will be announced on Monday morning! Ready? GO: http://www.metalicious.com/
Post a link of your favorite piece to my fan page here: http://www.facebook.com/metaliciousjewelry
Monday, June 10, 2013
Water Dreams ring
I'm so lucky that I get to work with some amazing people. I love my customers, they always inspire me to do even better work than I have done before. Recently I had the honor to make an engagement/wedding ring for a beautiful, funny, smart and unique woman. She wanted something inspired by wheat, to remind her of growing up on the plains of Nebraska paired with a low, round bezel to represent the passage of time, the cycle of life. I love to make meaningful work for wonderful people and I'm really proud of how this wheat ring turned out:
She started as a customer and has now become a friend (and her husband is one of the sweetest men I've never met). So when I created a new ring, I had a hard time putting words to my vision so I went to her for help naming it. She's a writer and found the words for my new ring.
I asked for her help and she wrote, "I thought of this poem, "Water Night," which is adapted by Eric Whitacre from the original Spanish "Agua Nocturna" by Octavio Paz:
Water Night
Night with the eyes of a horse that trembles in the night,
Night with eyes of water in the field asleep
Is in your eyes, a horse that trembles,
Is in your eyes of secret water.
Eyes of shadow-water,
Eyes of well-water,
Eyes of dream-water.
Silence and solitude,
Two little animals moon-led,
Drink in your eyes,
Drink in those waters.
If you open your eyes,
Night opens, doors of musk,
The secret kingdom of the water opens
Flowing from the center of the night.
And if you close your eyes,
A river fills you from within,
Flows forward, darkens you
Night brings its wetness
To beaches in your soul."
This is another experimentation with CAD (computer aid design) where I do a technical drawing of my sketch, my friend turns it into a CAD design which is printed in resin. Then I hand carve the details to make sure it has the flow and feel of my work. I have all my pieces cast in NYC and then I hand set the stone, oxidize the ring and finish it with a high polish. I love how it turned out and can't wait to make the matching band. And I love the name.
 |
| 14k palladium white gold with a 7mm blue aquamarine |
She started as a customer and has now become a friend (and her husband is one of the sweetest men I've never met). So when I created a new ring, I had a hard time putting words to my vision so I went to her for help naming it. She's a writer and found the words for my new ring.
I asked for her help and she wrote, "I thought of this poem, "Water Night," which is adapted by Eric Whitacre from the original Spanish "Agua Nocturna" by Octavio Paz:
Water Night
Night with the eyes of a horse that trembles in the night,
Night with eyes of water in the field asleep
Is in your eyes, a horse that trembles,
Is in your eyes of secret water.
Eyes of shadow-water,
Eyes of well-water,
Eyes of dream-water.
Silence and solitude,
Two little animals moon-led,
Drink in your eyes,
Drink in those waters.
If you open your eyes,
Night opens, doors of musk,
The secret kingdom of the water opens
Flowing from the center of the night.
And if you close your eyes,
A river fills you from within,
Flows forward, darkens you
Night brings its wetness
To beaches in your soul."
 | |
| Water Dreams ring in sterling silver and aquamarine |
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
A special silver locket
In my job as a jeweler and entrepreneur, most of my days are filled with administrative tasks, answering e-mails, ordering supplies, fulfilling orders and making the jewelry I offer in my Etsy shop. I love my job and feel very lucky to do something that fills my heart with so much joy.
But once in a while I get to work with a customer one-on-one to create a unique piece of custom jewelry. Over the past few months I had the opportunity to work with one of my favorite people who contacted me and told me a secret: he and his wife were expecting their first child in May. And would I be able to make a super-secret-gift, something really special, perhaps a locket? Was that something in my 'wheelhouse?' Not only was I blown away that they were expecting, but he used the word 'wheelhouse.' You can see why I love these people, yes?
After jumping up and down and hollering with excitement, we got to work. Knowing their love for travel, my Compass Necklace immediately came to mind. I also really like that compasses represent a journey, and that bringing a child into the world with your life partner is truly an amazing journey.
Here is my original silver compass necklace:
He decided to choose a London blue topaz gem for the center, since his wife loves teal blue, and some of the other pieces I've made for her have London blue topaz so it brings a lot of things together. He also wanted the bail to not be so busy. And he didn't want it to look like a locket.
That was a challenge: how could I make a locket that doesn't look like a locket? I decided to do a rivet hinge from the top, and to create a frame inside that could hold a photo. You can see my original thoughts here, to see if it would even work:
I switched the bail to a more simple and clean one and I created a frame using a flat sheet of silver cut into an oval the same size as the compass part, with another oval silhouette that I hand cut (think of the letter O). Sandwiched in between was an oval made from flat, square wire to create a lip between the ovals-- so that a picture could be held in place. All told this necklace has 4 layers of sterling silver!
I did a lot of filing to make sure everything fit together seamlessly, riveted the two parts together, oxidized the silver and set her stone and voila. A locket that doesn't look like a locket:
The back was engraved with a special message, and he presented it to her the night before she brought their baby into the world.
I'm so honored to have made such a special piece of jewelry to represent this once-in-a-lifetime event, it was worth it to see him smile when he came to pick it up. I wish the happy family a beautiful life together! Congratulations!
But once in a while I get to work with a customer one-on-one to create a unique piece of custom jewelry. Over the past few months I had the opportunity to work with one of my favorite people who contacted me and told me a secret: he and his wife were expecting their first child in May. And would I be able to make a super-secret-gift, something really special, perhaps a locket? Was that something in my 'wheelhouse?' Not only was I blown away that they were expecting, but he used the word 'wheelhouse.' You can see why I love these people, yes?
After jumping up and down and hollering with excitement, we got to work. Knowing their love for travel, my Compass Necklace immediately came to mind. I also really like that compasses represent a journey, and that bringing a child into the world with your life partner is truly an amazing journey.
Here is my original silver compass necklace:
He decided to choose a London blue topaz gem for the center, since his wife loves teal blue, and some of the other pieces I've made for her have London blue topaz so it brings a lot of things together. He also wanted the bail to not be so busy. And he didn't want it to look like a locket.
That was a challenge: how could I make a locket that doesn't look like a locket? I decided to do a rivet hinge from the top, and to create a frame inside that could hold a photo. You can see my original thoughts here, to see if it would even work:
I switched the bail to a more simple and clean one and I created a frame using a flat sheet of silver cut into an oval the same size as the compass part, with another oval silhouette that I hand cut (think of the letter O). Sandwiched in between was an oval made from flat, square wire to create a lip between the ovals-- so that a picture could be held in place. All told this necklace has 4 layers of sterling silver!
I did a lot of filing to make sure everything fit together seamlessly, riveted the two parts together, oxidized the silver and set her stone and voila. A locket that doesn't look like a locket:
The back was engraved with a special message, and he presented it to her the night before she brought their baby into the world.
I'm so honored to have made such a special piece of jewelry to represent this once-in-a-lifetime event, it was worth it to see him smile when he came to pick it up. I wish the happy family a beautiful life together! Congratulations!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Birthstone necklaces and Mother's necklaces
In life there are so many reasons to celebrate, so many memories to hold onto. For me, jewelry has always been like a talisman and a way to mark these special times. When I was graduated pre-school I still remember the little costume jewelry pin my mom gave me. It was a non-working clock that had little crystals on it the color of my birthstone (pink alexandrites for June). And when I got engaged I have the beautiful vintage engagement ring my (now) husband and I picked out from an antique shop in San Francisco. For Mother's Day two years ago my boys bought me a cool cuff bracelet by Connie Verrusio that was made from a re-purposed brass ruler (yeah, we're nerds).
In my work, each piece I create has special meaning behind it. Some of the most powerful and meaningful work I like to create is birthstone jewelry. Different colored gemstones correlate with each month, and the gemstones have widely varied properties for healing, faith, friendship and love. It's fulfilling for me to create such meaningful jewelry for women and make it fun and fashionable, too.
Last year I created my Crush collection using genuine gemstones in combinations that were so much fun, I felt like I was making jewelry out of candy. Yum!
Click on the picture to view these pendants in my shop:
When my customers started ordering them in combinations of birthstones for Mother's Day, Anniversaries and Weddings I realized how powerful these necklaces are.
Then I got requests for 3-stone necklaces. I started with my Wrought necklaces, big, juicy gemstones in luscious color combinations to represent birthstones. I started with two, which also represent his-and-hers for anniversaries. This one is citrine (Nov) and blue topaz (Dec):
Then a triple gemstone necklace was requested. This one has amethyst (Feb), blue topaz (Dec) and white topaz to represent a diamond (Apr):
And brand new for 2013 is my Crush trio necklace, featuring a larger center stone to represent Mom and two smaller stones to represent the kids. I made this one for my sister (center-peridot-Aug) and my nieces (citrine-Nov and pink tourmaline-Oct) for Mother's Day:
Coming soon... Crush birthstone rings in single, double and triple!
Thank you for your support of my work, tell me what jewelry is special to you and why. Inquiring minds want to know.
In my work, each piece I create has special meaning behind it. Some of the most powerful and meaningful work I like to create is birthstone jewelry. Different colored gemstones correlate with each month, and the gemstones have widely varied properties for healing, faith, friendship and love. It's fulfilling for me to create such meaningful jewelry for women and make it fun and fashionable, too.
Last year I created my Crush collection using genuine gemstones in combinations that were so much fun, I felt like I was making jewelry out of candy. Yum!
Click on the picture to view these pendants in my shop:
When my customers started ordering them in combinations of birthstones for Mother's Day, Anniversaries and Weddings I realized how powerful these necklaces are.
Then I got requests for 3-stone necklaces. I started with my Wrought necklaces, big, juicy gemstones in luscious color combinations to represent birthstones. I started with two, which also represent his-and-hers for anniversaries. This one is citrine (Nov) and blue topaz (Dec):
Then a triple gemstone necklace was requested. This one has amethyst (Feb), blue topaz (Dec) and white topaz to represent a diamond (Apr):
And brand new for 2013 is my Crush trio necklace, featuring a larger center stone to represent Mom and two smaller stones to represent the kids. I made this one for my sister (center-peridot-Aug) and my nieces (citrine-Nov and pink tourmaline-Oct) for Mother's Day:
Coming soon... Crush birthstone rings in single, double and triple!
Thank you for your support of my work, tell me what jewelry is special to you and why. Inquiring minds want to know.
Monday, March 4, 2013
New York Daily News article "Etsy Does It"
What an exciting day! Etsy and the New York Daily News featured three artists from NYC in the paper today. I'm flattered to be a part of their article about how Etsy is reimagining commerce and their impact on the local economy.
I know Etsy has given me an amazing platform to reach buyers all over the country and internationally, as well as a great place for me to buy heirloom quality handmade goods.
Here's a scan of the full article (because it's not online):
I'm really humbled and thankful to all of you. I love my job because of the wonderful customers I get to work with every day. Have a great week!
I know Etsy has given me an amazing platform to reach buyers all over the country and internationally, as well as a great place for me to buy heirloom quality handmade goods.
Here's a scan of the full article (because it's not online):
Monday, November 5, 2012
First stop, the tropics
Our jewelry vacation has begun! Thanks for joining me on the journey of Metalicious jewelry making. This is where we travel together to learn about the inspiration of creation. (Sorry, I love a good rhyme).
One of the first jewelry collections I designed when I started Metalicious was my Bubble Collection. These are whimsical, fun pieces that I made by slicing up different sized tubing and soldering it together to look like bubbles. Here's my best selling Champagne necklace in sterling silver with a gorgeous London Blue Topaz briolette gemstone:
So why the bubbles? I'm not a soap maker, deep sea diver or competitive bubble blower. But I do love going through the car wash.
All that blue, sudsy goodness that leaves my car squeaky clean!
I also love to swim. I was lucky enough to have a pool growing up and spent entire summers swimming and ending up with green hair. And I can play a mean game of "Marco-Polo." But my favorite way to spend the summer now is at the beach.
My husband and I were lucky enough to spend our 10th wedding anniversary in Vieques, PR. I found some amazing shells and sea stuff that I carefully packed and brought home to make into jewelry. I added them to my Raw Collection of shark teeth. This recycled sterling silver shark tooth necklace is my best seller:
My favorite piece from Vieques is my Sea Urchin Necklace.
But I also was obsessed with these tiny conch shells as I was snorkeling. I only picked the ones that were uninhabited by both conch and hermit crabs!
Totally not kidding...
No, that's not seaweed on my head. It's my ratty hair...
So after our trip I wanted to be able to do something good as my way of thanks to Mother Nature. I'm donating a percent of the profits from my Raw collection will be donated to the Coral Restoration Foundation. They work hard to recover the Florida Keys coral reefs through nursery rearing of coral colonies and planting out on reefs. I'd love to "adopt a coral" on behalf of my customers. Every little bit will help!
Thanks for taking the trip with me!
One of the first jewelry collections I designed when I started Metalicious was my Bubble Collection. These are whimsical, fun pieces that I made by slicing up different sized tubing and soldering it together to look like bubbles. Here's my best selling Champagne necklace in sterling silver with a gorgeous London Blue Topaz briolette gemstone:
So why the bubbles? I'm not a soap maker, deep sea diver or competitive bubble blower. But I do love going through the car wash.
All that blue, sudsy goodness that leaves my car squeaky clean!
I also love to swim. I was lucky enough to have a pool growing up and spent entire summers swimming and ending up with green hair. And I can play a mean game of "Marco-Polo." But my favorite way to spend the summer now is at the beach.
My husband and I were lucky enough to spend our 10th wedding anniversary in Vieques, PR. I found some amazing shells and sea stuff that I carefully packed and brought home to make into jewelry. I added them to my Raw Collection of shark teeth. This recycled sterling silver shark tooth necklace is my best seller:
My favorite piece from Vieques is my Sea Urchin Necklace.
But I also was obsessed with these tiny conch shells as I was snorkeling. I only picked the ones that were uninhabited by both conch and hermit crabs!
Totally not kidding...
No, that's not seaweed on my head. It's my ratty hair...
So after our trip I wanted to be able to do something good as my way of thanks to Mother Nature. I'm donating a percent of the profits from my Raw collection will be donated to the Coral Restoration Foundation. They work hard to recover the Florida Keys coral reefs through nursery rearing of coral colonies and planting out on reefs. I'd love to "adopt a coral" on behalf of my customers. Every little bit will help!
Thanks for taking the trip with me!
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