Lovin' Labradorite and Labradoodles

I've said it before....I LOVE labradorite!  

Not sure if I've said it before .... I LOVE labradoodles!

.... see below for the contrasting beauty of both species.

According to Wikipedia.org, labradorite was discovered near a town called Nain in Labrador, Canada though usually mined nowadays for jewelry quality in Madagascar.  And the labradoodle dogs "ancestors originated on the island of Newfoundland, now part of the province of Labrador, Canada."

 Has anybody ever been to Labrador?  Sounds like a pretty nice place to me.

My cousin saw the combo above (a labradorite briolette, my floral "shield" pendant and tiny faceted labradorite beads) before I put it all together and said I'll take it!

Thanks Cuz!  

So if you're down near San Diego way and you see this on a pretty lady...you know who it is : )

Which brings me to say that I will be making another soon.... if any of ya'll are interested let me know!  

And, I have just had a mold made of my pmc pendant below so now I can have lost wax casting made in sterling.  I'm thinking of experimenting with castin in gold too.  I need to hold my breath when I ask for the quote!

And if you're in Ojai, California and you see these funny looking pups... please don't be afraid.  Their bark is just them sayin' hello.  Their names are Stella (red) and Lucy (cream)... mother and daughter.  No, these are NOT their beds .... though they sometimes think otherwise!

Beads and Legos of Summer

Yes, I have been a bit distracted from my jewelry passion lately.

I have been very determined to help my fiver year old son learn to be a stronger swimmer so we've been in the pool practically every day this summer.  He loves the water and is definitely part fish like his father but he has had a great fear of THE DEEP END! Several attempts to motivate him into the DEEP END ended up in tears. Hmmmm. I decided to bribe him.... The other day, I told him that when he was ready and could swim from the deep end to the shallow end (long length of the pool) I would buy him a new Lego set.   I know, I know... I shouldn't have but I just KNEW he could do it! He looked at me and said "You mean for FREE??... No allowance?"  I said "Yes!".  He ran straight to the deep end, jumped in and swam all the way to the shallow end ...NO TEARS!  Thank you Lego...mission accomplished!

Despite my hours in the pool, I have managed to squeeze in a little creative time for myself and managed to design and assemble a few pieces that have been sitting in my studio for a few months.  I made the silver pieces months ago but as you can see, I'm finally playing with the beads I went crazy buying at the bead shows and having so much fun! Here is a sneak preview before they hit Etsy....

"You are all separate beads strung together on that one thread, God."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

Trust Those Dreams of Gold

Last year, I posted a blog (She Sailed Away...) about a dream I had  several years ago that prompted me to finally take a jewelry class and learn how to use Precious Metal Clay.  In the dream, I (I think it was me!) was making gold jewelry.  I enjoy working with silver but I REALLY would love to work with gold....high carat gold like 18k, 22k, 24k... but with the price of gold at an all time high I have only dabbled with a few findings. A few weeks ago I splurged on some 18k gold ear wires and head pins and created a pair of earrings that had been in my head for awhile.  They ended up being the most expensive pair of earrings I had ever listed on Etsy and I figured they might sit on the shelf for months, if not forever.  Low and behold, one week later.....SOLD!  I couldn't believe it! 

I know the concept but now I now I trust it...... Do what you love and the rest will come!

So, you might be seeing more gold accented jewelry soon.  

And someday I WILL learn to craft in gold!

“What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do. When we do what we are meant to do, money comes to us, doors open for us, we feel useful, and the work we do feels like play to us.”

Julia Cameron

Ancient or Contemporary

I sketched the design for the following necklace sitting in a splintery old wooden chair set in a strip of gravel next to a decomposing asphalt parking lot behind an old gas station while my car was getting it's yearly health inspection.  Instead of dwelling on my unsavory surroundings, I enjoyed a quiet moment in the California winter sun and let my mind wander.  I came up with several simple designs, all with curves, dots (I love dots!) and holes.  I tend towards simplicity but I love detail.  I think the piece below is a nice compromise. But I can't decide if it looks contemporary or ancient....maybe my creative juices went back to the future!

This piece is now for sale in my online Etsy shop.

"The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
 ~ Albert Einstein ~

Baubles, Bangles and More Beads ; )

I've been so indulgent the last year gobbling up loads of beads at the local gem and mineral shows.  As I've mentioned before, my eyes grow bigger than my pocketbook at these affairs and I just can't help myself from adopting all the beautiful treasures I see! My guilt is finally starting to wane since I'm actually using them in my new designs and putting them up for sale.  It is often not easy parting with my little creations but I'm so happy when someone loves them like I do....makes the separation go easier. 


Available on Etsy Sunday December 5th!


Here are a few new ones....

Persimmon colored onyx layered with a fine silver floral pendant

strung with a mix faceted semi-precious  stone beads 

(aquamarine, carnelian, onyx, moonstone, labradorite, 

fine silver pendant with Austrailian opal beads 

strung on Irish waxed linen

fine silver charms mixed with labradorite,

turquoise & sterling beads on Greek leather cord

All silver pieces are created from antique Afghani bronze jewelry dies that I found in a bazaar in Islamabad, Pakistan.

“Life is a train of moods like a string of beads; and as we pass through them they prove to be many colored lenses, which paint the world their own hue, and each shows us only what lies in its own focus.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Lovin' Linen

As I sip my earl grey tea I am thinking about my love of linen.  I love everything and anything linen....sheets, dresses, napkins, pillows. Old, new....I adore it all.  If I could (maybe I've said this before), I would probably live in white linen (layered with cashmere in the winter!) adorned with jewels for color! And now, I have added a new favorite to my list.... waxed irish linen cord!


I had previously used natural hemp linen thread to create braided cords for my silver pendants but my friend Tegan, the fabulous antique letterpress printer, let me in on a little secret source..... Royalwood Ltd.  They are the ultimate source for basket weaving supplies and Irish waxed linen cord.  For a small fee, they will send you a sample card of every color and size of waxed linen you could ever hope for.  I ordered spools of about 5 colors to try out and now I'm itching to order more....purple, red, indigo, mint, fuschia.  


My first experiments with the dyed linen making knotted necklace strands turned out so well, I have more colorful jewelry creations sprouting in my head. I feel like an excited kid with the anticipation of new box of crayolas!

field of flax...birthplace of linen

The necklaces are all for sale on Etsy.

PMC Dreamy Mandala Necklace

I have just spent the last 4 hours photographing, cropping and editing 18 different new pieces and I now have to describe, price and list them on Etsy.  This business is time  con - sum - ing!  I'm not complaining ... I just wish I had a little brownie (you know.... the little fairy helpers?) to lend a hand.  I think I will just post a couple per day so I can find time to workout (Doctors orders...I must get my bee-hind out of the chair at least a 1/2 hour per day)!


So here is one of my favorite new creations .... a mandala pendant handmade from precious metal clay using an antique Afghani bronze jewelry die, square cut labradorite beads, and tiny handmade sterling Thai beads.

Sublime Copper

I had always thought copper to be a nice metal for bathroom pipes or lighting but I never purchased anything decorative.  It's not that I don't like it but I had just never seen anything that caught my eye. Then, I went to Pakistan where incredibly crafted vases, pitchers and bowls are made.  I purchased a few things and my mother went crazy.  Her entire house is filled with copper now!

When I heard that copper metal clay was invented I wasn't too interested as I've never come across any jewelry that called my name... until I saw some pieces made with it. And I love it in combination with silver and/or bronze.  So, I ordered some and realized afterwards that the firing was much more complicated than silver so I decided to take a class. I'm so glad I did ...  I would have had a devil of a time!  You really have to add moisture to the ready made clay and knead it until it' the consistency of fresh silly putty. And, you must wrap and  put away any unused clay in an airtight container before it begins oxidizing.  When it does, it turns hard and black.  Otherwise it  was fairly similar to silver clay.  Getting it out of the kiln is another matter.  It really takes two people.... one to open the kiln and pull out the shelf and another to grab the fired pieces (with mask, gloves and long tongs) and get plunge them into water lighting fast.  If you don't, a hard scale grows on the copper which is very difficult to remove.  I was lucky as my pieces had hardly any scale.  Then you pick of the scale, polish and put in pickle.  If the pickle is fresh, it help remove the scale.  As with silver, it's a delight to see your dull porous clay turn into a hard shining metal. 

 Here are my first copper jewelry pieces, peeks at my Pakistani finds and a sample of what raw copper looks like......

MORE ON COPPER

Healing history of Copper: 

Copper has been used in medicine for thousands of years, apparently since before the beginning of recorded history. The ancients recognized copper as an essential healing mineral. Copper was found useful for its curative powers — largely due to its antibacterial and anti-fungal properties — in the treatment of wounds and skin diseases.  In modern times, copper is becoming more widely recognized for its effectiveness in the treatment of a number of internal diseases including anemia, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, stroke and heart disease. 

Here is an interesting quote from Shimmerings on copper....

"Mystical Properties:Due to the fact that copper is such a wonderful physical conductor of electricity and heat, it is also considered the conductor of the spiritualist's belief system.  According to myths, copper has the ability to conduct spiritual energy back and forth between individuals, crystals, auras, the mind and the spirit world.

It is also believed that copper has the power to amplify thoughts when sending and receiving psychic communications.  New Age followers carry copper with their stones and crystals to 'straighten' the properties of them, as well they are used when crating crystal wands to be certain of their clear and straight powers. Copper is also quite instrumental in the physical and mental healing rites of many peoples of this world"


AND recently in the news, it is believed that King Solomon's copper mines have been found in Jordan!

Metal Clay Paisley

Paisley is a town in central Scotland but is also a motif that originated in India, or possibly Persia.  There are many different theories about what the "twisted teardrop" represents.  Some scholars think the shape is just a stylized floral pattern and others believe the paisley represents the mango fruit.  Some say it represents the cypress tree which is a symbol of life in Zoroastrianism.  Whatever the case, it is a popular motif throughout the world and has been for many centuries.

I'm not sure when I first saw a paisley but I think my mother made me a blouse in 70's, when I was in fourth grade, made of a gauzy cotton printed with paisleys.  Then sometime in college (25 years ago!), I began vintage store shopping...hunting and gathering.  I bought two old threadworn paisley shawl pieces that I coveted and still own.  I never made them into anything, afraid they would disintegrate.    

Now, I have a durable antique paisley in the form of a bronze jewelry die.  I just listed the first one I made on Etsy.  

Other lovely paisleys.....

Kashmir Shawl

Mehndi 

Church, Paisley, Scotland

Alphabet Mandala - Letter V

I've been drawing mandalas for at least 15 years.  About seven years ago as I was sketching ideas for greeting cards, I had an idea. I was playing with letters and suddenly started drawing mandalas with letters.  I ended up creating the entire alphabet with individual mandalas. Since the greeting cards never materialized, except for a few friends and family, I've never shared them.  When I realized I could use them in my jewelry design, I was very excited.  I redrew a simplified version of a few letters and sent them off to the rubber stamp fabricators to try it out.  I thought I would use the rubber stamps, but now I realize I like the rubber stamp matrix better.... which poses a problem as most of the letters I sent are backwards on the matrix! Now, I'm going to have to send my drawings back to the fabricator in reverse before I can continue. But, as you will see, I was able to use the letter V to begin my experimentation.  


the letter V....

maybe V is the first letter of your first name...or the first letter of you last name.  Maybe V is for Valentine, Victory, Veterinarian or Violin!  Or, maybe this is just a pretty design ....who would know it was made out of secret little V's unless you told them....

Heaven & Earth

These turquoise beads were a great find on Ebay, though I wasn't sure what I would do with them at the time of purchase. I couldn't resist them as they reminded me of a little planet... our beautiful gaia... of earth and water.  I knew I wanted to hang them from a handmade silver piece that I would eventually create and when I had them in my own hand, I knew that the silver would represent the heavens.  Keeping with the theme of my "Cosmic Mandala" pendant, I decided to make a unique silver "cosmic" disc for each bead.  Here are the results!

I'm going to call them "Heaven and Earth" .......hoping to get them up on Etsy tonight! 

Full sink... Out of Sync....

I ignored the large stack of dishes slowly piling up in the kitchen sink from last night and this morning, didn't make the bed or fold the laundry today.  My poor houseplants... if they had vocal cords they would be weeping from lack of moisture.  This is not typical of my Virgo nature. Where did my mojo go?  I tried to find some  inspiration from our lovely weekend... to no avail.  The sky was mostly dark as the rain managed to keep falling throughout the day.   I did check emails and manage to "string" a few necklaces... and photograph only one....the one with the birds and flowers looking like they are celebrating the return of the sun AFTER the spring rains. 

I need sunshine.  I like rain but I love sunshine.  Did I just say I need sunshine?  Found a little in the bouquet I bought yesterday. 

Thank goodness Yin Yoga resumes tomorrow.  I want my sync back and my sink empty.

New Silver Batch!

Bone dry fine silver metal clay pendants and earrings just before entering the kiln.....

Two hours later,  fired and just out of the kiln.....

Several hours later... polished, patina-ed in liver of sulfur.... and polished again.  Ready for assembly!

Coming to PK Studios Etsy shop sooon!

Sparkling Starburst Mandala

Here's my latest creation for the Gandhara Collection on Etsy.  I'm calling this fine silver metal clay pendant the "starburst mandala".  I'm having fun experimenting with tiny cubic zironias in metal clay before I try using the real thing...diamonds.  These CZs are so small that setting them is NOT easy... especially with my deteriorating eyesight...  that these days I need to work through the magnifying glass!  This design is from a sketch I did several years ago that was inspired by an ancient Indian jewelry design.


Anyone interested in east Indian jewelry should own the incredible book called Traditional Jewelry of India.  It is one of my treasured possessions. You can peek through the book on Amazon.