Uncomplicated Is Beautiful!

I really love spending time putting together clusters of gemstones to make jewelry. The process of choosing gradations of color for a "fade" is just pure enjoyment to me. Spending an hour or two attaching all the little stones to a chain to cluster them just so is nothing less than happiness itself.

But there are times when a gemstone is so beautiful it just begs to hang around by itself with minimal embellishment. That's what I let a batch of Botswana agate do the other day. I spent an afternoon culling through them and pulling out matching stones to make earrings. I then put them together with some sterling silver components and attached ear wires. The earrings are very simple. The stones speak for themselves.

Heartache

As I was getting dressed the other morning a design for a pair of earrings floated into my conscious brain, fully formed. When I was finished making them, I knew immediately what to name them, Heartache. I don't know where this came from because, on that day, I wasn't experiencing any particular emotional pain. But I remember so well what it feels like. There is always plenty of secondhand heartache to be felt for those around me who are suffering, as I seem to have an over-developed sense of empathy for other people's sadness. My heart can feel heavy just listening to the evening news, to say nothing of how I react to the pain that those I love are dealing with. But it's a different level of heartache when it's your very own.

I have not forgotten nor am I finished experiencing what firsthand heartache feels like: that pinprick of pain when the hurt first strikes (the single red crystal), that burdensome weight in my chest that never seems to lighten (the dark patina on the silver), the lethargy, the sense that I can't inhale enough oxygen when I breathe (the white pearls). I know it all so well.

On that day, however, I was reminded how wonderful the absence of heartache feels. I was having to remember what it felt like rather than being able to reach in and access it at that very moment. I learn so much during the difficult times of my life, though, which doesn't exactly give me something to look forward to, but it gives heartache a real purpose in my life. It's also when I allow God a chance to fully be my God. That can't be a Bad Thing.

Of a Wednesday

Today was a fairly productive day, which is not a claim I can make too often. I got my hair "done" (great euphemism, isn't it?), which took almost two hours out of my day, but still managed to make a couple of pairs of earrings, check in on the forums on Etsy a few times, update my Etsy shop, talk to my mother on the phone, and finish the laundry.

Please note that making dinner is not included among my list of accomplishments. I do my part though. When my husband calls and asks what he can bring home for dinner, because of my dedication to watching the food channel on TV, I'm usually ready with an answer. Don't tell me I'm not domestic!

Just to prove my point, I decided to include a recipe in today's posting, which, unlike the recipe I posted yesterday for removing tarnish, is actually edible. Just call me Betty.

Chinese Salad

1 large Napa or Chinese cabbage
6 green onions, chopped (I leave these out)
1 package chicken ramen soup
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sesame seeds
4 oz slivered almonds

Melt butter and add seasoning packet. Smash noodles and brown in butter along with almonds and sesame seeds. Set aside to cool.

Wash and chop cabbage. Put in large bowl.

Dressing:
1 Tbls soy sauce
1/4 cup oil
splash of toasted sesame oil is good too if you've got it
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
salt & pepper to taste

Toss everything together right before serving. Plop some shredded chicken on top and you've got a complete meal.

This Never Gets Old!

I seem to have a real appetite for apatite lately! The beautiful aqua colored stone is definitely a favorite of mine, and I love the name: apatite. (Reminds me it's time for a snack!) I made the bracelet on the left the other day and oxidized all the sterling silver components because I just love the contrast of the dark, gun metal gray with the bright aqua of the apatite.


Another huge favorite of mine is sapphire. The earrings on the right (also made with oxidized sterling silver) fade from light to dark, and are more heavily clustered at the top than at the bottom, so they fade visually in both respects. Sapphire is a little more costly than some other gemstones, and having just a small supply to work with makes the process of creating even more of a joy.

The sapphires in these earrings are tiny, too, only about 2.5m. They are like little droplets of water in my hands while I'm wrapping the wire on each one.

Beady-Ize Builds Baubles: Wish Bone Earrings

I just made these wish bone earrings and listed them for sale in my store yesterday. (Click on an image to go to that item for more information.)

These are a lot of fun to make, and the potential for variation is practically limitless. They are extremely light-weight and, being made with 20 gauge sterling silver wire, they are comfortable in the ear, won't stretch your lobe like thicker gauge wire can.

Who am I? And other "blue" thoughts.

I just made these earrings over the weekend. I am infatuated (or is it the real thing?) with the combination of aqua and blue. These are made with apatite and sapphire.

If I had to absolutely choose one style of jewelry to make I think I'd have a nervous breakdown! When I'm working on something with very organic-looking gemstones and dark, oxidized sterling silver I think, these are my favorite materials. But then I'll feel a desire to shift gears and pull out my beautiful Swarovski crystals and gold filled findings and think, you guessed it, these are my favorites. And there are so many styles in-between. I love them all and feel such a rush when whatever I'm working with comes together in a way that I find pleasing to my eye.

What is this love affair with making jewelry all about? So many people are involved it's incredible! Will it be a passing phase, or is it around to stay?