FREE PENDANT!

Now that I have your attention, Tracy Harmon of Harmony in Metal at Artfire is hosting a giveaway for me in her blog this week.  The fabulous prize?  A gorgeous handmade copper wire pendant with fresh water pearls made by yours truly!
We need to bump up the entries... so get over there and check it out!
http://www.harmonyinmetal.com/blog/2010/09/15/enter-to-win-a-fabulous-handcrafted-pendant/

Here's the fabulous prize.... in case you were curious....

BIG SALE!

I am having a HUGE sale in my Artfire Studio. I need to raise some funds so that I can buy some new clothes for school.  Kids aren't the only ones who need to update their wardrobes ya know... teachers need it too!

From now until September 1st EVERYTHING in my studio is 25% OFF!  Yes, everything.  So, get in there and purchase that piece you've been coveting. ;)

Featured Studio Piece 4-14-10

Today I would like to feature one of my more colorful and complicated wire pieces. It was inspired by the look and shape of peacock feathers. I used a light purple mothe rof pearls coin for the focal point or "eye" of this feather inspired necklace. I then surrounded it with brass beads, deep green freshwater pearls, and smokey quartz beads for a grounding neutral. The frame and wrapping wire is brass. The chain I used is a gold toned chain. This is a large necklace, a real statement piece, very bold and bright. $65

Featured studio piece 4-7-10

I haven't been able to keep up with my studio featured pieces lately... life and my day job tend to get in that way sometimes.

Today I would like to feature a necklace I made with blood quartz, cherry quartz and some copper wire. I made some little floral designs and attached them to a larger copper wire frame, then added some copper colored chain and some fresh water pearls for extra sheen. A lovely piece that is large enough to make a statement but with just the right amount of feminine touch! $40

Featured Studio piece 3-29-10

Today I would like to feature a cute little bracelet that I strung on silk thread. I love pearls, faux, swarovski or freshwater. I found these lovely dyed blue freshwater coin pearls on a bead hunt one day and just HAD to have them. I paired them with some small white freshwater potatoe pearls and some sterling silver spacers to make this lovely wrista adornment! $25

Featured Studio piece 3-22-10

Back again with the daily featured studio pieces! Today's piece is a beaded piece that I strung using silk thread. It combines the lovely pale pink of these freshwater pearls with the stunning green of aventurine. In between I have done some lovely sterling silver spacers. Topping the whole piece off is a gorgeous silver flower toggle and bar clasp meant to be worn in the front or even to the side. A truly gorgeous necklace worthy of a spring queen! $50

Featured Studio piece 3-16-10

Today's featured piece is a LARGE necklace I made while selling at a craft show this past November. It is composed of three different sized copper wire wrapped paisley tear shapes with garnet and freshwater pearls. It is attached to atiqued copper chain and adroned with some garnet coin shaped beads. This piece is fairly large (the quarter is for size reference) and is a real statement necklace. $100

Featured studio peice 3-6-10

Today's featured piece from the Fools and Jewels studio on http://www.artfire.com/ is a pendant called Spring Surprise. It is made from copper wire, twisted into a spiral pattern and pounded to add a little texture. Its then wrapped with a smaller gauge copper wire and adorned with pink chalcedony briolettes, jade rounds and freshwater pearls. I then added an antiqued copper chain to it. It is for sale in my artfire studio for $45.

A Classic

To me, there's nothing quite like a pearl. A string of pearls completes many of my outfits, whether they are faux, freshwater, or swaovski crystallized. It's a classic look that speaks of elegance and sophistication. I adore pearls... and therefor use LOTS of them in my work.

One of my favorite things to do is to take a string of vintage pearls and either re-string them or re-imagine them into a new piece. I have lots of vintage pieces waiting to be remade into something new. I am terribly behind in this area but I do have one slightly steamy completed piece of this variety (pictured here).

Faux pearls can offer a nice option if you want the look of uniform pearls without the aging that often comes with vintage beads. Swarovski also makes a crystallized faux pearl that has a LOT more of that natural pearl flash at an affordable price. These have become a big trend as of late, especially in bridal jewelry.

I also love working with freshwater pearls. They offer an organic look that I love and can come in all kinds of dyed colors. This widens my pearls pallet a bit. I also can't afford genuine saltwater sea pearls (like so many others I know). Freshwater pearls also combine with gemstone briolettes to create a lot of flash and sophisticated sparkle.

However you choose to use them, pearls really can give a piece or even an outfit a sense of understated class and elegance.