Those with December birthdays have 3 lush stones to choose from; turquoise, tanzanite and zircon.These are all such beautiful gems, turquoise and zircon being my personal favorites.
For more information on all these gorgeous gems, click on the link below:
PS. I just purchased a piece of Hubie turquoise, similar in pattern to the stone on the far left. I can’t wait to work with it in the near future!
This sterling silver coiled snake ring has a bit of whimsy and mischief about it. It was as much fun to make as it is to wear. It can be found wrapped up in holiday paper and bows, nestled under someone’s Christmas tree, patiently waiting to be worn. Merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy holiday season! A huge thank from the bottom of my heart for viewing my blog and supporting my handmade jewelry creations. It’s my pleasure to share my creative journey with you.
The best of the season to you and a happy new year!
Warm wishes,
Joanne
Photo by Mark Forman
The definition of serendipity is good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries. Fluke, good fortune, good luck and stroke of luck also are apply. Serendipity can be a wonderful thing in the studio.
Such is the case with the crescent moon earrings I recently created (in the image below.) I was busy at my rolling mill, applying a gorgeous texture to a sheet of silver. The impression material slipped while applying the necessary huge amount of pressure to imprint the metal. The result was a smooth crescent moon shape on the edge of the silver, next to the textured pattern.
Happy accidents can lead to beautiful discoveries and creations. Now the question is, how can I recreate this beautiful discovery? I may not be able to and that’s the beauty of one of a kind handmade jewelry.
Crescent moon earrings
Indian leaf and vine domed earrings with turquoise.
November offers 2 choices of stones to chose from to celebrate your November, topaz and citrine.
A citrine cabochon on my bench ready to be set
https://www.americangemsociety.org/birthstones/november-birthstones/topaz-overview/
It's hard to believe the holiday season is upon us already. Gallery North once again is displaying small, original works by local talent. I’m proud to have a pair of my handmade earring included in this festive show.
Mark and I will be at the reception on November 14th. It’s a fun way to start the season and see some really lovely crafts and fine are. Hope you’ll stop by if you're in the area.
a pair of my handmade kinetic earrings with turquoise bead .
For more information click on this link. https://gallerynorth.org/pages/deckthehalls.
Seedhead Flower Farm is a unique dried flower enterprise located in rural Accord, New York. Entrapaneaur Faye Forman wears many hats in her one person business. She is artist, designer and flower gardener.
For her creations Faye taps into local resources she scavenges in the Hudson Valley. She collects native grasses, drys them and mixes them with cultivated flowers she grows specifically for drying purposes.
Faye’s creations include wreathes for all seasons, flower crowns for all occasions, wedding arches, boutonnieres, dried arrangements and more.
Faye has recently begun to offer workshops. Participoants learn the craft of making their own crown under Faye’s tutelage. Her recent flower crown workshop at Arrowood Farm Brewery in Accord was a sell out and was enjoyed by all.
Faye’s love of gardening runs deep in her blood and has deep family roots. It dates back to her Ukrainian great-grandfather, Harry who immigrated from the Ukraine. Harry supported his family as a WPA gardiner (Work Project Administration) during the depression.
You can follow Seedhead flower farm on Instagram at @seedhead_flowerfarm
Faye in her flower garden.
Groom and Bride modeling their flower crowns made at Seedhead.
Outdoor wedding arch ready for the big day.
Autumn wedding boutonnière.
FLOWER CROWN WORKSHOP AT ARROWOOD BREWERY
FAYE, CENTER , & PARTICIPANTS MODELS FLOWER CROWN WORKSHOP CREATIONS.
Flower crown workshop at Arrowood Farm Brewery.
Flower crown workshop at Arrowood Farm Brewery.
Follow on Instagram at seedhead_flowerfarm
The thumb is often overlooked when it comes to adornment. I designed a ring to celebrate this digit.
The low relief surface of the tall ring shank features a delicate branch and leaf pattern that winds its way around the sterling silver band. It is highlighted against the darken patina background.
Contact me here on my blog Contact Page for inquiries.
Saffire and alternative moonstone are the birthstones for the month of September. Mention signs of the zodiac relative to this stone
I’m continuing to explore creating variations of kinetic earrings. Recently, I’ve fabricated them with amethyst faceted stones. Movement and color are a feature in this subtle pair of earrings. The deep purple color of semi precious amethyst is enhanced by being set in an opened back, tube bezel. Light passes through the gem from behind as well as the front. These earrings measure 1 1/2” long. Amethyst is the birthstone for February.
For inquiries, please contact me directly at soundbeachstudio@gmail.com or from this clickable link. https/wwwsoundbeachstudioblogcom/contact-mentact-me
Be well,
Joanne
Hot off my bench are two pair of earrings that I designed with movement in mind. Tiny hinges and loops of sterling silver wire enable each component of the earring to move in different directions as you move.
In addition to movement I played with some subtle design choices. The pair of earrings on the left have the 14k gold filled ball below the potato shaped cultured pearl. The earrings on the right have that same gold ball on the top of the potato pearl.
These earrings are hand-fabricated with attention to detail and loving care by me, in my one person studio. “ Hand-fabricated” means I make all elements in the earring: for example, the marquise shaped wire finding on the bottom the earring . These aren’t factory made shapes that I purchase and assemble together to make an earring. Hand fabrication allows for creative control, quality and freedom when designing and making jewelry pieces.
To keep in touch or for inquires, please contact me from my contact page
https/wwwsoundbeachstudioblogcom/contact-mentact-me or email me at soundbeachstudio.com
Left pair; 14K gold filled ball on bottom. On right the same ball is on top.
The month of August is represented by 3 birth stones as is June and December. The clickable link below from the American Gem Society provides information on peridot, sardonyx and spinel, the 3 August birthstones.
https://www.americangemsociety.org/birthstones/august-birthstones/
I’m looking for a good read that will keep me connected to the garden and give me a physical break from the endless chores the hot summer weather brings to its maintenance. A recent review of “The Garden Against Time” by Oliver Laing caught my eye.
A.O. Scott, writer and critic at large for the NYT’s book review states “This (book) isn’t an historical survey of gardening, much less a practical guide, so much as an inquiry into the IDEA of the garden- its history and poetics, its relationship to sex, imagination and power.” (See July 28, 2024 edition of the New York Times Book review.)
“A garden, in other words, inevitably filters nature through the lenses of human labor, creativity and will. Gardens also reflect the brutality of human social arrangements even as they express the wish to erase or over come them. People may seek refuge among their carefully tended rosebushes and fruit trees, but the cruel and noisy outside has a way of intruding.”
I’m excited to get my hands on Laing’s book, who “makes an impassioned case for the garden-as repository of natural beauty, as democratic ideal, as writerly inspiration.”
In creating this hollow pendant necklace I worked with the design idea of opposition; the organic textured pendant surface in opposition to the geometric shape of the triangle pendant.. The handmade sterling silver chain echos this principle. Semi precious red aventurine beads adorn the handmade chain and add color. The beads mimics skin tone and almost disappear when the necklace worn. Red aventurine is associated with the root chakra, located at the base of the spine. It is said to control the energy for kinesthetic feeling and movement and is the foundation of physical and spiritual energy for the body.
In the second pendant I fabricated, pictured below, I flipped the hollow sterling silver triangle pendant top to bottom and attached it to a sterling silver rolo chain. The chain stays quietly in the background letting the design principals of opposition stand out more directly.
Hollow jewelry is something like holloware such as pitchers, tea pots and receptacles. When used in jewelry, this type of fabrication adds a depth and volumn to the piece without adding weight.
For inquires please contact me on my blog contact page. https://www.soundbeachstudioblog.com/cohttps/wwwsoundbeachstudioblogcom/contact-mentact-me
Or click on this link below which will take you to my Etsy shop, SoundBeachStudio.
Hollow sterling pendant on a rolo chain
Sideview of hollow sterling silver pendant on a hand made chain.
What is the difference between a precious gem and semi precious gem? There seems to be some gray areas so it’s worthwhile to take a look at different points of view.
When this categorization came about, it was mainly due to the value and rarity differences between the 4 precious gemstones diamond, ruby, blue safire, emerald and the rest. Today some semi precious gemstones can be worth much more than a precious stone. As an example, many natural pearls garner huge prices, often worth more than a low quality precious diamond, ruby, emerald or sapphire.
My sources include the following; Gemstone Institute of America, The Eye Of Jewelry , https://www.carelle.com/blogs/our-world/precious-vs-semi-precious-gemstones
https://theeyeofjewelry.com/stones/precious-stones-semi-precious-stones-differences/
Ruby is the birthstone for July. It is second only in hardness to a diamond and one of the 4 precious gem stones, diamond, ruby, Safire and emerald.
The well respected Gem Institute of America offers an in-depth look at this beautiful gem.
https://www.gia.edu/birthstones/july-birthstones
Gemselect.com offers a look at a few famous wine rubies.
https://www.gemselect.com/other-info/a-few-famous-fine-rubies.php
www.gia.edu
The Hamptons Fine Art Fair will be held in Southampton NY from July 11 to July 14. Tickets can be purchased advance for this huge cultural event.
I hand forged a square piece of sterling silver wire to create what is called a “change of plane” shaped pendant. By “change of plane” I mean the silver is hammered flat at one end and begins to change direction at mid section.
My change of plane necklace features a 3mm turquoise, bezel set cabachon. A sterling bail connects the pendant to a rolo sterling chain.
For inquires, please send me a message from my contact page, here on my blog.
The American Gem Society assigns 3 gemstones to the month of June. They are pearl, alexandrite and moonstone. Here’s a bit of information about those 3 beautiful choices.
Courtesy of the American Gem Society , www.americangemsociety.org
Many things can be used to create texture on silver metal for jewelry. A few examples I’ve used for my handmade jewelry are paper, seaweed, dried leaves and plastic. I’ve included a few examples of the textures I’ve created and used for earrings.
The textured pattern for the earrings I’m modeling was made in my studio by “sandwiching” laser cut paper over sterling silver sheet metal. That “sandwich” gets passed through a piece of equipment called a rolling mill, at very high pressure. The paper image gets transfered to the silver. The result shown here is a rich organic texture that I use to fabricate earrings. Other examples of textures I’ve enjoyed creating for may handmade jewelry can be seen below. These include the use of seaweed and plastic egg cantons.
Jewelry can be about many things such as fashion; things that are precious and important to us or what we hold sacred and identify with. Handmade jewelry reflects those interests with attention to detail, process and design decision unique to each piece.
Image credit: Mark Forman
Texture impression earring
Water ripple texture made by rolling plastic egg carton over sterling silver .
Seaweed texture earring:
