NEW Metal Bookmark Sizes!

I'm so excited - I've designed two NEW bookmarks that are fully customizable!  They are both available in copper, aluminum, and brass - the copper and brass can be flame patinaed too for added color.

Meet The Skinny:

The Skinny Bookmark - copper and copper with flame patina samples.

The Skinny is half size to my Paperback Bookmarks.  These lovelies are personalized with stamping only - names and short phrases, as well as your choice in hammer texture and ribbon tassel color.

and The Shorty:

The Shorty Bookmark - brass, aluminum, and copper with flame patina samples.

The Shorty is half size to my Hardcover Bookmarks.  These cuties are perfect for smaller artwork pieces - scene, animal, or silhouette to be determined by you and drawn up by my!  Full tassel line, including leather, is available for this size.

I'm also offering matched bookmark sets!  Here is one set I just completed with 6 matched art bookmarks:

Matched Bookmark Set - Hardcover size, copper with flame patina.

I have one more new design in the works and will hopefully unveil it soon!

Thanks for stopping by!
Hannah

Introducing Golden Hues!

In preparation for a local art fair, I've started working in gold-filled wire as well as sterling silver!  Here are my first designs featuring yellow and rose gold hues - it's very exciting to be expanding into new metals once again.

Rose Quartz Briolette Earrings in Rose Gold

Jasper Dagger Earrings in Rose Gold

Deep Purple Chalcedony in Yellow Gold

Lavender Beryllium Opal in Yellow Gold

A little about gold-filled wire - gold-fill is NOT the same as gold-plated.  There is a brass core with gold-filled wire, but the gold covering the core is THICK and won't wear away like plating does.  It has the wear-ability of solid gold with a price tag similar to sterling silver!  

Thanks for looking!
~Hannah

Peach Smoothie - a two-sided pendant

There is a little bit of a story behind this cabochon - I found a colorful shard of jasper at a local rock hound's shop (I've been working with her for about a year, now, and get to look through her stock and order custom pieces!).  She couldn't remember what it was (other than jasper) or where it came from, but I decided I didn't care.  I mean, look at these colors!

Peach Smoothie - a 2-sided jasper pendant

The creamy peaches, pink, and lavenders enthralled me.  I asked her to shape it and make it double-sided because I didn't want to cover up any of the stone.  So here is the final result - a lovely pendant that can be worn with either side facing out!

Peach Smoothie - side 2

I picked up another couple mystery shards, too, with awesome patterns and colors.  One is all grays, the other is yellows and maroons.  Each is unique and one will be mine....

Thanks for stopping by!
~Hannah

Bracelets & More!

I now have some of my pieces in a local shop, called The Collective Boutique - so if you are traveling through downtown Idaho Falls, ID, you see them in person!  It's exciting news for me, and I need to make more pieces to keep both shops full.  Not that that is a problem - I do love working with natural stones and metal!

Here are some new lovelies:

Sodalite bracelet in sterling silver.

Tiger iron bracelet in sterling silver.

Green agate earrings in sterling silver.

Sodalite earrings in sterling silver.

Thanks for looking!
~SSS

Local Boutique Items!

I'm so excited - I will have a few of my pendants on display in a local boutique called The Collective by June 1st!  The shop is for locally made artisan crafts only, and your work is juried to get in - I got in! 

I've been busy getting more equipment for my studio (a kiln!), filling custom bookmark orders, designing displays, and getting packaging and tags ready for the store, so I haven't made a lot of jewelry lately, but here are a couple pieces that I finished last week:

Mariposite set in sterling silver and yellow gold-filled wire.

Petrified wood set in sterling silver and rose gold-filled wire.

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Creating,
SSS

May's Custom Orders

This month I had a couple of really fun custom orders!  One was for a set of purple kingman turquoise cabochons and the other was for a pair of matched Australian lightning ridge opals!

This turquoise pendant features 2 of the 4 cabochons the customer had - we drew up many designs and she found this one.  We're both happy with the end result!

Purple Kingman Turquoise set in sterling silver - handmade setting.

The next order was for cufflinks for my customer's father's birthday - he buys jewelry for his wife quite often but never for himself.  I thought it was a nice gift and was excited to work with these gorgeous opals!  I didn't photograph the fire very well - they flash blue, green, and red!

Australian Lightning Ridge Opal set in sterling silver - handmade setting.

I'm hoping my next post will finally show the serpent wall piece I've been working on, on and off, for over 6 months!  I'm down to the finishing details!

Thanks for stopping in and happy creating!
SSS

One of my custom pieces and some newly acquired cabochons that I've set!   The custom piece has a porcelain pendant strung on a handmade, beaded copper chain with a matching magnetic clasp.  The beads are agates and Czech fire polished glass.

The two cabochons were purchased from a local rock hound at the local Rock and Mineral Show - I love the way he cuts and polished his cabs and the fact that he usually mines his own rough, too.  They are very fun to design around!  I've wire wrapped the first one in a viking knit with rose gold-filled wire and the second in sterling silver.

Custom Piece - features a porcelain pendant from Ireland.

Peruvian Turquoise Pendant in Rose Gold-fill and Sterling.

Painted Rhyolite Pendant in Sterling Silver.

More custom pieces on the way - hopefully I'll have photos next week.

Thanks for visiting and happy creating!
SSS

Busy Busy Busy! Newest Designs

I've been busy with custom orders and haven't had a lot of time to work on my own designs, but here are a few that I've managed to squeeze in!

Amethyst chunks and sterling silver - handmade earwires.

Quartz beads and drops, sterling silver wire - handmade hoops.

Green picasso jasper and sterling silver beads, handmade clasp.

I'll have photos of the custom pieces to show soon! 

Happy Creating!
SSS

Custom Bookmarks!

For Christmas last year, I made about a dozen bookmarks for friends and family.  They were a lot of fun to make, and I found a bookmark blank in a size I really like, so I'm now offering custom bookmarks in my shop!

Here are the newest bookmarks, in a similar size to mass-produced bookmarks at the store.  These are 6 1/4" long by 1 1/4" wide, and are available in copper, brass, and aluminum.  For more information & photos, please see my FB album or my Etsy listing.  Thanks and enjoy!

Custom metal bookmarks!  Quotes by R.W. Emerson, Aristotle, & Cicero.

Here's a "Before & After" shot of the cutouts!  First I write out the quote and draw the design, then I stamp the quote, drill the cutouts, saw the cutouts, file rough edges, and sand the entire bookmark.  In this case, I applied a rainbow flame patina with my torch before spraying on a clear coat to protect the finish.

"Before & After" of a custom bookmark.  Quote is adapted from Nietzsche.

This is one of my favorite cutouts to date - the boy and dog are so dang cute!

Happy Creating!
SSS

Silversmithing & Stonesetting - Pendants

I've met one of my goals for this year - setting stones in sterling silver again! 

I don't mean wire-wrapping, either.  I have loved wire-wrapping for the last couple of years and will continue to wire-wrap, but I'm very excited to be setting stones in traditional (and eventually a little less traditional) bezel settings! 

Bigg's Jasper Pendant in sterling silver

I have 2 completed pendants to show right now and more on the way.  I've handmade each bezel setting from sterling silver sheet metal and sterling silver wire, depending on the pendant.  My cabochons are usually impulse buys and they are rarely calibrated so even if I wanted to (and really, where's the fun and creativity in it?!), I couldn't just buy a pre-made cabochon setting to mount my cabochons into.  But I'm okay with that!

Bigg's Jasper Pendant in sterling silver - details.

The first pendant shows off a Biggs Jasper cabochon and a notched bezel setting.  My bezel wire was plain and smooth to begin with - I made each notch to add a little something to the pendant without overwhelming the stone. 

Azurite-Malachite Pendant in sterling silver.

The second pendant is a triangular blue azurite with a hint of green malachite cabochon.  I've held onto this cab since college!  Again, to dress up the pendant some without detracting from the stone, I textured the bezel wire with my rolling mill prior to making the cab setting.  I love the rolling mill, because unlike acid etching, there is no waste and no toxic chemicals to clean up.  It's simple, clean, and green - imprint any pattern or design into your metal with a quick roll through the mill!

Azurite-Malachite Pendant in sterling silver - details.

Hope you enjoyed!
Happy Creating,
SSS

Continuing with Wire Designs - Pendants

I'm really loving setting cabochons in wire this year!  Here are a couple more designs I've completed to date:

Chevron Amethyst from Mackay, ID in sterling silver.

Fossilized Coral, sterling silver, and rose gold-filled wire.

Obsidian conglomerate in sterling silver setting - custom order.

This last pendant was a custom order - the "stone" is a manmade conglomerate of obsidian, quartz and nickel.  These conglomerates are very interesting and can be gorgeous to look at - I've seen some featuring turquoise, coral, a purple stone, and brass!

Happy Creating,
SSS

Tiffany Stone Pendants

At the end of last year, I posted one of the Tiffany stones that I had set in sterling silver wire.  Well, this past week I wire wrapped the other two that I had!  You can read more about Tiffany Stone (also called beryllium opal or Bertrandite) in my original post.

Tiffany Stone pendants wire wrapped in sterling silver.

Tiffany stone pendant.

Tiffany stone pendant.

The slabs that my local contact had were pinkish purple.  The beauty of Tiffany stone is that is can range from light pinkish lavender to dark bluish violet.  I hope to find some in the blue range for next time!

Happy Creating,
SSS

New Earrings - Sterling Silver and Gemstones

As per my goals this year, I've been busy creating new designs for my shop!  I've been playing around with sterling silver wire, sterling silver beads, gemstone beads, and Swarovski crystal beads.  My favorites feature the hand-faceted gemstone beads - I love how the matte finish looks!  They remind me of nature and hikes in the mountains.

Twisted Red Earrings - sterling silver and Swarovski crystal

Bali Bead Earrings - sterling silver

Emerald Bead Earrings - sterling silver and hand-faceted emeralds

Gemstone Chain Earrings - sterling silver, ruby, and moonstone

Most of my designs lean toward modern, simple lines.  I do pull inspiration from Art Nouveau and nature - the trick is to keep the designs simple and yet reminescent of my favorites! 

I hope you enjoyed this little preview - I'm off to buy some more cabochons now!

Happy Creating,
SSS

New Pendants: Wire-wrapping Natural Stones

I've completed several new pendants in the last few days and am excited to show them off!  I'm continuing to explore ways to capture natural stones with wire while moving my work into sterling silver. 

Small agate pendant in sterling silver - stone is 1" high.

"Brownstone" in sterling silver - I'm trying to identify this lovely rock!

Leopard Skin Jasper in sterling silver - stone is from Indonesia.

The most difficult aspect of this art form, I think, is deciding how to finish the wire ends in an appealing and stable way....  A few more stones await, and then I'll have to go visit my local source for cabochons.  That thought alone spurs me on as he has so many great stones to choose from!

Happy creating,
SSS

Modern Leaf Pendant - Sterling Silver Wire

My newest design!  I love it - an elegant mix of art deco and nature.  Created with sterling silver square and 1/2 round wire.  Measures approximately 2 inches long.  Available in my Etsy Shop.

New Design - Modern Leaf Pendant in Sterling Silver

Now back to making Christmas presents before I'm out of time!

Happy creating,
SSS

Dinosaur Bone Jewelry

Last weekend I went to the local Rock and Mineral Show and admired all the local stones, fossils, crystals, and gorgeous craftsmanship!  I've always been drawn to dinosaur bone, though, and finally picked up a nice cab for myself!  Along with a forgotten stash of sterling silver, I should be able to set this stone once I settle on a design....

I have my one cabochon for myself, and I don't think I'm moving into dino bone jewelry any time soon, so I thought I'd show off some talented Etsy jewelry artists who work with this lovely medium!  Just follow the links below the photos to visit their stores.

Dinosaur Bone Pendant by Me Designs by Lis

Meteorite and Dinosaur Bone Ring by Jewelry By Johan

Dinosaur Bone Earrings by Global Pathways

Dinosaur Bone Pendant by CBG Jewelry Designs

Dinosaur Bone Ring by The Hileman Collection

I'll show my piece when it's done, but I hope you've enjoyed this selection until then!

Happy Creating!
PZ

Unique Handmade Jewelry Displays

As I gear up for the holiday season and get another month closer to heading back on the craft and jewelry circuit with my wares (maybe next year!), I've started contemplating jewelry displays.  I have some in the works being made by my brother, the woodworker.  I love wood displays - the warmth and softness.  I also think handmade wood displays will suit my jewelry, because a lot of it is inspired by nature. (I'd show pictures, but I don't have any yet!)

I've hunted for some awesome displays made by others, from Etsy, as well.  They go beyond frames and chicken wire and often into a works of art all by themselves!  While I may not choose to display my jewelry on these stands, I do love them and their uniqueness.  I might pick up a couple for my own home, especially as I'd be so sad if anything happened to them on the road.....and I thought some of you might like them, too.  You can follow the links below the images to each artist's shop.

 Recycled Metal Jewelry Displays by The Rustic Barn AZ

 Cork Jewelry Display by The Bond Is Real

 Acrylic Cutout Jewelry Displays by Rome and Rooney

I chose to show the few truly unique and stunning displays that I found on Etsy, but there are many beautiful, more traditional, jewelry displays also - just go search until you find what you were looking for!  Many shops will take custom orders as well.

Happy Creating,

PZ