Sunday, December 30, 2007

Baubles from Burberry

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Burberry, that bastion of classic English style, has long worked to update its preppy look. Now poised as one of the more forward-thinking clothiers, Burberry is following its penchant for updated classics with a new jewelry line to be launched in Spring 2008.

Designed by Christopher Bailey, the line is inspired by the idea of a "luxury warrior." SaysElle.com. "think strong geometric shapes, tough-looking metallic studs, heavy chains, and the black, grey, and brass palette that have all become a strong part of the Burberry aesthetic in recent seasons." I like the heavy bangle above, and here's a cool dark metal chain bracelet that has an almost Gothic look to it:
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See full article.

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[Source: The Jewelry Weblog]

Note from Washington, D.C.


I'm still in Washington, D.C. enjoying the city, shopping, museums, and mostly visiting with my son and daughter-in-law. Before I left home, in the flurry of getting out Christmas orders and packing and making sure that my dear kitties were well taken care of, I did manage to pack 2 of my favorite necklaces, just in case I got a chance to wear them. The top one is a favorite of mine that I'm thinking of keeping and I really made it with myself in mind. The light green largest middle gemstone is a roughly faceted emerald; the large aquamarines are natural and undyed and a lovely blue. The smaller gemstones are rubies, sapphires, and more emeralds. There are also larger rubies and sapphires in faceted sapphires as well as more faceted emeralds in a rough emerald shape. Fourteen karat goldfilled round beads up to 5mm accent the precious gemstones, and for ease of fastening, I used a goldfilled toggle clasp since this is only 16 inches in length. When I was making it, I was thinking of wearing it with a beautiful 18 karat gold cross that my husband bought me for Christmas in Portugal about 3 years ago; it's one of my signature pieces of jewelry that I wear constantly. When you have a signature piece of jewelry like my cross, I think that sometimes it becomes such a part of you that it's not necessarily as noticeable as it should be; the gemstone necklaces worn above really becomes a foil for the beauty of the cross and it looks new all over again (it always looks beautiful). Of course, the gemstone necklace also looks great alone, as does the tourmaline necklace. Mixed gemstone necklaces are so versatile that are almost a jewelry wardrobe within themselves. And if you have a signature piece - even if it's a bracelet, an additional strand of mixed gemstones can really dress it up and make it perfect for an outfit you may have thought it didn't look right with before.The handmade necklace above was made entirely out of tourmalines; I got really fortunate and found some faceted tourmaline rondelles in pretty colours ranging from almost black to dark emerald green to pale green to pink. The focal points are three gorgeous pink faceted rectangles that resemble an emerald cut. Once again, I accented with fairly large 14 karat goldfilled rounds. This necklace is also a choker, slightly shorter however than the one above.
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and wish you all a very Happy New Year! Don't forget those New Year's Resolutions!




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[Source: The Jewelry Blog]

Friday, December 28, 2007

Chunky Wire & Stone Rings

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Michelle Tamoush of MoushArt.com has a lot of interesting jewelry on her site, but the rings I thought were really outstanding. Most are made with large gemstones and then wire wrapped with gold-filled wire to create the ring shank as well as secure and also add extra ornamentation to the stones. Along with gold-filled wire she also uses sterling silver wire and chains as part of her unique approach to hand-crafted jewelry.

Pictured above is a ring with a large amethyst nugget in the center. Below is one of her citrine rings and green grossular garnet and wire rings.
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See full article.

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[Source: The Jewelry Weblog]

Dreaming of Jewelry

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The name of this jewelry design company is just as cool as the jewelry, Echo of the Dreamer. Inspired by nature and two women's dream to own a jewelry company where they can make their ideas come to life, this web site shows off some of the gorgeous creations found in their New York showroom.

Here's a little of their story:

Echo of the Dreamer is a woman run, family owned business in the dynamic heart of New York City. Inspired by the cultures of the world, our pieces reflect a celebration of nature and the elements. Our jewelry is unique and contemporary, incorporating a variety of stunning natural gems, pearls and other treasures of the earth.
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The above cameo and the bird necklace are both by Mars and Valentine, a division of Echo of the Dreamer.

See full article.

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[Source: The Jewelry Weblog]

Jewelry and Fashion Blogosphere 11/04/17

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Coquette says it's never too early to plan your killer holiday party outfit! Be the belle of the ball in shiny metallic dresses.

Chocolate cake for breakfast...a pound of spinach for dinner. Fashiontribes checks out the new stay-svelte book, How to Eat Like a Hot Chick.

Is figuring out what to buy for fall driving you completely crazy? Check out GlamChic's Six Fall Trends That Will Keep You Sane .

Kristopher wants you to style yourself into your own gift, with Christian Louboutin shoes with bows.

Can you imagine fashion without French Vogue Editor-in-Chief, Carine Roitfeld? Neither can My Fashion Life. Here's why!

Papierblog breaks the fourth wall of fashion blogging and asks whether fashion and blogging are incompatible.

Second City Style thinks fakes are always a fashion faux-pas. The faux must go! Just say no to knock-offs!

Jewelry and Beading says you can't go wrong with a Venetian glass bracelet.
Find your fall look for under $60 with StyleBakery.com's Cheap Chic list.

Stylehive StyleSlides: Cozy Puffer Coats!

WELOVEBEAUTY.com's Celebrity Makeup Artist Rachel Goodwin shows you how to get Natalie Portman's look.

Hooray for Hollywould? 55 Secret Street has mixed feelings about the new Hollywould for Target collection.

Stiletto Jungle stumbled upon a stash of Hayden-Harnett handbags marked down to under $200.

Back for yet another season, it's the Prada Dressed Robot Tote. Bag Bliss has the scoop..

Be snob worthy, not boring, with Lanvin's "New" shopper from Bag Snob!

Beauty Snob rocks the Limelight lip gloss pendant from Dior!


See full article.

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[Source: The Jewelry Weblog]

Calling All Metal Clay Artists

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My call for entries is still open until early December. I've had some great submissions, but I'm still looking for more. Here are the details below concerning the project I'm working on as well as the guidelines for submissions.

Call for Entries

Book Title: Picture Yourself Making Metal Clay Jewelry: Step-by-Step Instruction for Forming, Firing, and Constructing Finished JewelryPublisher: Thomson Course Technology
Series: This text will be part of the publisher's "Picture Yourself" series.
Author: Tammy Powley
Contact Information: tammypowley@yahoo.com
Estimated Publication Date: May/June 2008
Call for Entries Deadline: December 5, 2007
Book's Focus: The focus of this book is super simple to make metal clay component projects (charms, pendants, beads) teamed up with basic jewelry techniques resulting in projects which allow readers to make finished jewelry pieces showcasing their metal clay creations.

Audience: The audience is the interested hobbyist who has very little if any metal clay or jewelry making experience.
Project Descriptions: All metal clay projects will be designed to use low-fire metal clay (either PMC3 or Art Clay 650) and will be small enough to allow firing by either a hand-held butane torch or hot pot. The projects will include instructions for both making the metal clay component (such as beads or a pendant) as well as incorporating this item into a finished piece of jewelry (such as earrings or a necklace). Therefore, other jewelry techniques including basic bead stringing and wire work will be covered as well.

Gallery Format Submission/Instructions: All items submitted for the gallery must be sent in digital .jpg format, min. 300 dpi, emailed to tammypowley@yahoo.com by Dec. 5, 2007. Please include "metal clay gallery" in the email subject line. Along with the image of the finished jewelry piece, include type of clay used, form of firing used, and any other materials information. Though low-fire clay items are encouraged, since that is the focus of this book, other types of clay items will be considered for gallery inclusion. Those artists selected for the gallery (included in the final published copy of the book) will be required to sign a release for publication form and will have their names and contact information (if desired) included in the gallery section.

Project Format Submission/Instructions: Though the author will create the majority of projects for the book, some projects by guest artists may be included if they are deemed appropriate for the scope of the book. Entries should include projects using low-fire metal clay (either PMC3 or Art Clay 650) and should be fired using either a butane torch or hot pot. A list of supplies and basic techniques should be included along with step by step digital color images of the process. (The author will write up complete instructions for any accepted projects.) Images should be clear, high quality, .jpg format, min. of 300 dpi, and emailed to tammypowley@yahoo.com by December 5, 2007. Please include "metal clay book project" in the email subject line. Those artists selected for the projects section (included in the final published copy of the book) will be required to sign a release for publication form and will have their names and contact information (if desired) included in the text. The author will also send them a free copy of the book when it is released for publication.

Disclaimer: The author will accept submissions in good faith and as she deems appropriate for the book; however, this does not in any way guarantee publication since other issues such as space, page numbering, page breaking, etc. can require the publisher to make alterations to the finished text without the author's knowledge.


See full article.

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[Source: The Jewelry Weblog]

Wings & Wonderful Jewelry

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I almost thought of naming this post, If You Had Wings, but then I couldn't get that old key word in there that you know who - starts with a G ends with an E - loves, or used to love before it got wacky with all the PR nonsense us bloggers are so tired of hearing about.

But, enough of the rant onto to some wonderful jewelry. G - E is not going to stop me from blogging or loving these gorgeous silver wing earrings from Rachael Sudlow Jewelry's Etsy store. Pictured are wings she made by using the following technique:

A pair of real cicada wings has been pressed into sterling silver, leaving an impression of every line on the wings. The wings are destroyed in the process. The metal is then cut and filed around the impressions and hung from a sterling silver earwire. The lines are further enhanced by oxidizing. Stamped with my 'sudlow' signature on the back of one.

Now, before you get too excited, these puppies are sold out! But, she has all kinds of way cool jewelry at her Etsy store as well as her web site.

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A three dimensional 'cage' was formed out of tethered sterling silver chain. All looped together by various white pearls. Delicate with a lot of movement as you wear them, they're sure to attract attention. They measure 3" long with the earwires (8cm). Hung from balled sterling silver earwires.
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A dainty little ice cream cone is the focal piece of this cute little necklace. With silver ice cream, a domed copper cherry and a brass cone. The cone has hammered lines to imitate the waffle cut. Stamped with my 'sudlow' signature on the back. Hung on a 16" sterling chain.

I love the whimsy she has in her jewelry. It's fun, shows some personality (both that of the designer and the wearer), and is something you'd wear every day.

See full article.

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[Source: The Jewelry Weblog]

Not Fishy Jewelry

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You'll find nothing fishing about Manic Trout jewelry, a jewelry and art company owned and operated by Sierra Bailey. Along with lots of great beaded jewelry, you'll find some of her artwork as well and her thoughts about being an artist on her site's blog:

Manic Trout is where you can find all of independent artist and jewelry designer Sierra Bailey's fine art and beautiful things.

Sierra designs and creates handmade jewelry that is both colorful and unique and always fun to wear. You will always stand out in the crowd wearing an original design from Manic Trout!


Pictured is a necklace she calls Sabita Cosmic Autumn Rebellion Necklace: Vintage brass creates the perfect foundation for jade, carnelian and buri root. A large carved carnelian flower hangs center, the necklace is finished with a vintage brass clasp.

Vintage brass chain, jade, buri root, carnelian and vintage brass spring ring.


Though Sierra makes earrings and bracelets as well, I really think her necklaces stand out.
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Sarah Bitter Sweet Symphony Necklace

Glass round faceted aqua blue beads, green round czech glass beads and blue tile beads provide a lovely backdrop for a beautiful aqua and turquoise Meena enameled, rhinestone and goldplate over sterling silver Minikari star hanging from the center.


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Teodora All I Want Necklace

Vintage brass intertwines with ruby red glass, smoky quartz and bright cherry quartz. An ornate vintage brass locket hangs from the center. Finished with a hand made brass hook and eye clasp.


See full article.

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[Source: The Jewelry Weblog]