The Perfect Wedding Location St. John- Part 2

I recently spent 5 glorious days in St. John at Caneel bay in the US Virgin Islands. While we were visiting, three or four weddings took place at the the farthest end of the property,Turtle Bay Point. While exploring the 7 incredible beaches at Caneel Bay , I happened upon the pre-wedding preparations at the estate house on Turtle Bay. The photos can't do justice to the beauty of this spot.. I have been married for 30 years, but if I could do it again , I would choose this location, even if I had to save up for 10 years to afford it.

Flora and Fauna of St. John,Virgin Islands- Part 1

I am taking a little diversion from my usual posts. I love traveling as much as designing jewelry and was lucky enough to have traveled to St. John, US Virgin Islands this past week. My husband and I spent 4 unforgettable days on Caneel Bay and I had to share some wonderful photos of the exquisite tropical flora with you.
Besides the beautiful flowers and crystal clear aquamarine waters, donkey, deer, birds and mongoose are inhabitants of this gorgeous 170 acre resort property. I tried to capture the mongoose on film but they were just too fast . Stay tuned for more photos and Turtle Bay Point which is an incredible wedding spot.

Better than your Mother's Pearls - Part 2

June's birthstone is pearl . See this post to learn more about how this beautiful gem is created. This coming month I will be featuring some classical and also unusual one-of-a kind pearl jewelry pieces in my etsy shop. Here is a preview.

Better Than your Mother's Pearls - Part I

June is pearl month. The pearl is one of the most fascinating and mysterious of all of nature's gemstones. This video is fascinating and gives a great perspective on the difficult and tenuous job of pearl farmers. It gives a greater appreciation of the value of these beautiful gems . If you are a June baby consider yourself fortunate to have the pearl as your birthstone. In the next few days I will be posting some lovely pearl jewelry.

New Earring Designs for Spring and Summer!

Here are some of my latest earring designs. They are all one-of-a-kind pieces made with genuine A to AAA+ quality gemstones. All of the findings are made with 14k gold filled wire and gold vermeil (18K gold layered over sterling silver) and some have matching necklaces. Any of these earrings would make a lovely gift for Mom or birthdays, graduations, etc. I can also do a custom design if you prefer. You can find these items and others on my website.

Crocheting A Necklace

I recently learned to knit and have been knitting up a storm all winter long. I have found the knitting videos very helpful when I get stuck on a specific type of stitch or need to review what I have already learned. I have wanted to try crocheting with wire so I bought myself some fine gauge artistic wire in silver, gold and brass and added some stunning swarovski beads . I was very happy with the results and plan to make some beautiful pieces with pearls and perhaps silver beads . Now that I can crochet, hopefully I can add some trim to the next sweater that I knit.

An Interesting Proposal

I was recently commissioned to make a necklace for a customer who lost a loved one and would like to carry the ashes around her neck in a sealed vessel. She informed me that she had seen the above necklace on flickr.com and would like to hang the urn type pendant on the handmade necklace instead of the spiral that is usually the focal piece of this design. I didn't think this would be possible since I do not not solder, but apparently she has someone who will seal the ends of the tube that I will hang from the necklace. I came up with the above piece to hold the ashes and hope that this is what my customer had in mind. We all need a little challenge to get the creative juices flowing. To be continued...