Etsy Shop for NovelForms

The Lady of the House of Love

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:06:59 -0500

$30.00
The only thing better than a story about vampires is a story about female vampires. And Angela Carter's short story from her collection of revamped (pun intended) fairy tales is just such a one. You know what they say, when you're a vampire, love bites...

This little necklace may seem an odd choice to be named after a vampire story, but after all, a rose is both beautiful and thorny. The petite silver bloom, hand-wrought by artisans of the Karen Hill Tribe, measures 10mm and perches next to a beautiful ruby drop. The stone is a deep opaque purple-red--a beautiful example of how lower-grade gemstones can at times be just as beautiful as their triple-A grade brethren.

Both of these delicate baubles hang from a 19 inch long sterling chain. The necklace is finished off with a sterling silver S-clasp. A beautiful necklace for any woman, mortal or otherwise.

My Lady Greensleeves

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:38:54 -0500

$45.00
One of those ballads whose words and music always make me think of green hills and woods and epic love, Greensleeves has inspired beautiful paintings and a number of adaptations, including one of my favorite Christmas carols.

It also seemed a fitting title for this little branch of leaves and berries, which I have hand-wrapped using sterling silver wire, carved labradorite leaves, and beautiful glinting garnet beads. The central branch is approximately 3 and a half inches wide and is hung from a pretty sterling chain with a sterling silver S-clasp finishing it off. The whole necklace measures 19 inches in length.

The perfect necklace for frolicking in the woods or capturing the hearts of unsuspecting swains.

A Price Above Rubies

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:38:29 -0500

$35.00
The title of this necklace comes from a quote from the King James Bible (and from a 1998 movie). While the original object of this value above rubies is "a virtuous woman," for me the thing that could be said to hold a price above rubies is a kind and devoted friend. And it is just such a friend, who happens to adore rubies, who is the inspiration for this necklace (and owns the original version of it).

A gorgeous 12mm by 12mm ruby has been wire-rapped in sterling silver to form the centerpiece of this simple but stunning necklace. The ruby is a beautiful deep pink-raspberry color and has not been enhanced with any dye (as many rubies are these days. It has been heat treated to bring out the stone's shine--which is also standard practice). Call me crazy or romantic, but somehow the fact that this is an undyed ruby makes its color seem all the more magnificent to me.

The ruby hangs from a 17 and a half inch sterling silver figure eight chain, and is finished with a sterling lobster claw clasp, so there is no chance of this precious gem falling off your neck. Though very delicate-looking, this necklace also has a lot of presence and dresses up just about anything. A really stunning piece in person.

Crocodile on the Sandbank

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 01:38:11 -0500

$65.00
I love a good mystery novel now and again, especially if that novel centers around an indomitable Englishwoman Egyptologist who wields a parasol as an (extremely formidable) weapon. As such, Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series is just my cup of tea.

This eclectic little number is named after the first novel in the series and reminds me of something that might be dug up from some sandy archaeological site. At 22 and a half inches long, it contains all manner of stone, nut, and wooden beads. Among its components are jet, carnelian, moss quartz, faceted smoky quartz, picture jasper, kukui nuts, wooden beads, sunstone, red agate, and a big old yellow opal round. Best of all, there is a wonderful stripey little stone that I recently came across at my local bead shop that is actually agate that has been dyed and apparently reconstituted (don't ask me how!) to form this fabulous creation. The effect is something like a modern version of tortoiseshell and really quite stunning. The whole thing is finished off with an antiqued copper-tone toggle clasp.

I hope someone will have as much fun wearing this as I had making it!

Sense and Sensibility

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:22:44 -0500

$36.00
The best of both worlds; a necklace at once both quite sensible and very romantic.

Named, of course, for one of my favorite Jane Austen novels, this necklace would suit either an Elinor or a Marianne with equal propriety. Composed very simply of a vintage blown glass textured crystal bead, with original filigree bead caps still intact, and strung on a 14K gold-filled chain that closes with a gold-filled lobster claw clasp. The necklace measures just over 17 inches in length (but can be custom made to any length upon request--just convo me).

Delicate and subtle, perfect for the vintage bride, but equally suited for a day at the office or a night on the town.

Love Without Hope

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:32:25 -0500

$36.00
"Love without hope, as when the young bird-catcher
Swept off his tall hat to the Squire's own daughter,
So let the imprisoned larks escape and fly
Singing about her head, as she rode by."
--Robert Graves

I stumbled across this beautiful poem the other day and thought it just suited this necklace of brass lovebirds and smoky quartz, a stone which somehow always puts me in the mind of things melancholy and lovely.

A simple necklace with a whole lot of impact, this piece has as its base a beautifully faceted teardrop of smoky quartz (not glass) which measures a full inch in length. I have then bent and wire wrapped the brass lovebirds around the stone, so there is absolutely no possibility of the stone shifting or slipping out of the lovebird's embrace. From bail to bottom, the pendant measures an inch and a half and hangs from an antiqued brass chain 17 and a half inches in length that has been finished off with an antiqued brass clasp.

Stunning and simple. You'll fall head over heels.

La Bella Principessa

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:31:04 -0500

$42.00
I tend to name most of my necklaces after poems or novels, but I simply had to name this one after the newly rediscovered da Vinci painting that's been in the news lately, both because the necklace has a wonderfully Renaissance feel and because I think that the story of the painting's rediscovery is just so darned cool.

Composed of two strands of wonderfully patinaed antiqued brass chain with a huge, faceted green glass briolette as the centerpiece, this necklace is strangely ornate yet simple, as though you might find it gracing the neck of a the Duke of Milan's daughter when she didn't want to be too showy.

The shorter chain measures a little over 17 inches, and the whole is finished off with a bronze colored toggle clasp. A truly beautiful piece to discover for yourself.

***N.B. The glass briolette is actually clearer than it appears in the photos, and reflects light quite beautifully when worn.***

Tales of the Alhambra

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:31:04 -0500

$39.00
Just as smoky quartz always makes me think of Henry James novels, for some equally unknown reason, carnelian always makes me think of my time in Spain. Something about this necklace speaks to me of vibrant Spanish sunsets and Mudejar architecture like that found in the Alhambra.

Apparently I wasn't the only one inspired by the Alhambra, and this necklace take its name from a collection of stories written by Washington Irving (of Headless Horseman fame) during his stay in southern Spain. The necklace is composed of deep russet carnelian rounds, two reddish orange carnelian hexagon beads, and a wonderful variegated fire agate rectangle, all suspended from a simple antiqued brass chain. The necklace is about nineteen inches in length, the fire agate pendant is over an inch and a half in length. A really stunning piece, ready to tell a tale all its own.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:27:59 -0500

$53.00
Named for the 1958 novella by Truman Capote and the movie that was made from it, this necklace seems like just the thing Holly Golightly would wear with her iconic little black dress.

A perfect piece of modern elegance, this necklace is made from large black agate ovals and beautiful white coral beads carved into the shape of a lotus flower. Measuring 23 inches in length, it closes with a silver-plated toggle clasp. Simple, elegant, and timeless.

Modern Love

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:27:41 -0500

$33.00
The thing that George Meredith's 1862 collection of sonnets, entitled Modern Love, always confirms for me is that the idea of "modern" love is hardly modern idea. Each age thinks it has the claim to modernity, with all the good or ill that that entails.

This necklace, I think, just like love or "modernity" has a timeless quality about it; it at once has an antique air while being quite up-to-date. Elegant in its simplicity, "Modern Love" is composed of a gorgeous, chunky, faceted rock crystal (crystal quartz) briolette, wire-wrapped and hanging from a pretty antiqued brass chain, 17 and a half inches in length. This necklace is not loud, but it has lots of impact, and looks fabulous with a wide variety of outfits. I liked it so much I made myself one, and I wear it constantly.

A necklace that you are certain to fall in love with.

To the Lighthouse

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:31:05 -0500

$49.00
All beautiful things need not be unattainable.

A bracelet of delicate colored but chunky Peruvian blue opal punctuated by tiny sterling silver beads contains within it a single nugget of soft pink rose quartz, like a beacon in the mist. Finished with a beautiful twisted silver toggle clasp, it measures just over 8 inches but fits a 7 inch wrist or smaller (the chunkiness takes up a bit of the length). While this bracelet can't be lengthened, I do have a few more of these stone, so please convo me if you'd be interested in a larger version.

Love Among the Ruins

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:30:23 -0500

$75.00
"Love is best." So this poem by Robert Browning ends. And he should know. He flouted conventions of all kinds when he ran off with and married the six-year-older, invalid Elizabeth Barrett against her father's wishes. Theirs is one of those great love stories of English literature, made all the more romantic because it was true. It was a marriage of minds and of hearts, and they lived very happily in England and Italy for many years until her death.

Italy is in fact considered as the probable setting of this poem, which details a shepherd and his love imagining the wars and power struggles and toil and strife that occured when the ruins they now walk among were in their heyday. The shepherd prefers his quiet life of love to any of the other tales that once played out against this backdrop.

A friend of mine thought this necklace looked very Greek or Roman, and I have to say I can almost picture it being found buried amongst the ruins and given by the shepherd to his love. It is fit for a noblewoman of ancient times, but I think it will do equally nicely on the neck of a very unassuming woman of our own.

Made of barrel beads of absolutely stunning ocean jasper in all shades of green, grey, and mauve, and punctuated by equally lovely faceted moss agate coins. The beads are separated by tiny sterling silver balls, and the whole is finished with a beautiful sterling silver clasp with a small posy of flowers in its center. 19 inches long, this necklace looks stunning with a wide array of styles and colors--I take no credit for this; the beads themselves do all of the work.

Mrs. Knightly

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:29:54 -0500

$44.00
My Emma necklace, all grown up. Still as much fun as Austen's intrepid matchmaker, just a little more refined.

I have once again used the herringbone pearls as in the Emma necklace (in my sold items section). This time, they form a willowy bough at the bottom of the necklace and are suspended from a fine sterling silver chain that I have doubled up and attached to each side of the bough. All of the components including the wire that holds the pearls are sterling silver, making this a piece elegant enough for a bride but simple enough to wear to the office. Finished off with a filigree clasp, it measures approximately 19 inches.

Note: while this necklace can't be shortened or lengthened, I do have a few more of these pearls and can make a longer or shorter version upon request. Just convo me if interested.

Tintern Abbey

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:38:12 -0500

$29.00
The thing I love most about the poetry of William Wordsworth is his clear and abiding love of nature, especially secret glades and overgrown ruins, like those of Tintern
Abbey.

This necklace reminds me of the discovery of some wonderful secret verdant glade, all surrounded by trees and vines, and the wonderment and sense of protection that one feels in such a place. A beautiful antiqued brass locket, embossed with vines, hangs from the center of a bough of nephrite jade fluted melon beads, which are set off by two tiny unpolished serpentine beads. The stones have a rich, wonderful deep green color, that pairs beautifully with the antique brass figure eight chain from which they hang. The necklace measures approximately 22 inches in length and closes with an antiqued lobster claw clasp. The necklace can be shortened upon request.

A perfect accessory for wandering through the woods.

The Inheritance

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:24:20 -0500

$25.00
There are few thoughts so intoxicating and exciting to humans as the possibility that there are still things in the world yet to be discovered. I can only imagine the person who first realized that they had stumbled upon an as yet unknown and unpublished novella written by Louisa May Alcott. The Inheritance is not one of Alcott's better works, written as it was when she was a teenager, but it provides wonderful insight into the kind of reader she was and the kind of writer she would become.

For me, lockets are so attractive for the very reason of the draw of the undiscovered. Certainly they are beautiful of their own merit, but it is the mystery of what they contain inside that always fascinates me. Like the best things in life, they have a story to tell.

This simple little necklace consists of a small vintage brass locket from the 1960's coupled with a beautiful organic faceted peridot nugget. The locket, which measures and inch in length, has a slight patina which gives it character, but has remained wonderfully shiny on the whole. Both locket and peridot are hung separately from an antiqued brass chain eighteen and a half inches long that closes with a brass lobster claw clasp. Simple and incredibly wearable, and ready for you to hide your own story inside.

Temporary Sale--Aurora

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:43:56 -0500

$31.00
Was $36, now $31

Aurora was the Roman goddess of the dawn, and as such she is a symbol of renewal.

Like the multi-hued light that often plays across the sky at dawn, this glorious little ametrine pendant is not content to be just one gorgeous color. Instead in its mixing of amethyst and citrine it manages to display a whole range of colors; delicate purples, flashes of gold, and a wonderful champagne where the two colors meet and meld. The briolette is micro-faceted, too, which creates amazing sparkle and clarity, and makes the piece truly deserving of wear on the most special of occasions, yet without being too formal for everyday use.

Wrapped in sterling wire, and hung from a 17 inch sterling silver fancy figure-eight chain with a lobster claw closure for security, the pendant measures over 3/4 of an inch in length, including the bail (stone itself is about 1/2 inch). Truly a beautiful thing to wake up to.

N.B. I can make a custom version with a different length or type of chain. Just convo me if you are interested.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:38:06 -0500

$33.00
This novel by Elizabeth George Speare was one of my favorite books when I was a child, and when I read it one Christmas at my parents' house a few years back, the magic had not dimmed. It had everything you could hope for in a book: love, friendship, a misunderstood heroine who gains not only the understanding of others, but also a greater understanding for others and for herself.

The necklace I have chosen to name after this novel that I have loved so much had to be special. And frankly, any necklace made with labradorite is by its very nature just that. Like the little town in New England in which the novel's heroine finds herself, labradorite can appear bleak and gray at first, but look more closely and you will see flashes of great beauty and color. The necklace consists of a single large smooth labradorite teardrop, over an inch in length, wire-wrapped in sterling silver suspended from a delicate yet sturdy sterling silver chain. The chain is 18 and a half inches long and closes with a sterling S-clasp. While a deep grayish-green in color, the pendant also contains beautiful bits of blue and yellow flash throughout.

The perfect necklace for when you need a little bit of magic.

The Woman in White

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:13:22 -0500

$49.00
Like the delicate phantasm for whom this necklace is named (from the Wilkie Collins sensation novel), this necklace has an air of mysterious grace about it.

Five faceted kite-shaped briolettes of rock crystal (crystal quartz) dangle from a fancy sterling silver chain. The crystals catch the light beautifully, and are much prettier in person than my poor camera skills can capture. This is a very light, delicate looking necklace, with plenty of impact without being overwhelming. Looks striking when worn for an evening out, but would also be a lovely compliment for a wedding dress.

The chain measure 21 inches in length, but I can happily shorten it upon request. Finished with a sterling S-clasp. Simple and sophisticated, for just the right amount of drama.

****Earrings available in a separate listing****

Cassandra

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:02:32 -0500

$41.00
Cassandra is perhaps my favorite character in Greek mythology, a prophetess who is doomed never to be believed. She is loved by Apollo, who bestows on her the gift of prophecy, but she is a smart girl, and knows of the misery that comes to anyone loved by a god, and so she refuses him. For this transgression she is cursed to have no one ever heed her words. She foretells the fall of Troy, her own capture, and even her own death. It is not a happy story, hers, but there is a powerful dignity to all her actions. She is the true tragic heroine without the tragic flaw; she sees what others do not, and in the end goes bravely to meet her fate.

As I said, she is a favorite of mine. So it seems fitting that the necklace I name for her should be a special one, and this necklace is just that.

Delicate, dignified, and a little bohemian, this necklace combines three beautiful stones for its pendant: deep rich black cherry-colored garnet; delicate transparent green amethyst in a beautiful marquis cut; and a powerful, irregularly shaped labradorite briolette, with a bit of flash and lots of sparkle in its cloudy gray depths, like lightning on a stormy sky. All three stones are wire wrapped to a little loop of sterling, which dangles from a long, 22 inch chain. Finished with a lobster claw clasp for security. All components are sterling silver.

Fit for a princess or prophetess, for owning such a necklace shows nothing if not good foresight...

The Wine-dark Sea

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:32:42 -0500

$57.00
A more elaborate variation on my Blue Peter necklace, The Wine-dark Sea is named for another novel in the Master and
Commander series by Patrick O'Brian, which have often been compared to Jane Austen novels set on the high seas.

A gorgeous, beautifully faceted Peruvian blue chalcedony briolette, the color of a tropical sea, hangs from an antiqued sterling silver chain that closes with a sterling silver S-clasp. Adding drama to the pendant are hand-wrapped baubles of faceted labradorite and wine-colored garnet beads, hanging from sterling silver headpins. The necklace measures 18 inches in length, the pendant is a full inch and a half in length, including the dangles.

A necklace equally fit for adventures at sea or on land.

Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:20:13 -0500

$67.00
Believe me, if all those endearing young charms,
Which I gaze on so fondly to-day
Were to change by to-morrow, and fleet in my arms,
Like fairy-gifts fading away,
Thou wouldst still be adored, as this moment thou art,
Let thy loveliness fade as it will,
And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart
Would entwine itself verdantly still.

It is not while beauty and youth are thine own,
And they cheeks unprofaned by a tear,
That the fervor and faith of a soul can be known,
To which time will but make thee more dear;
No, the heart that has truly loved never forgets,
But as truly loves on to the close,
As the sun-flower turns on her god, when he sets,
The same look which she turned when he rose.
--THOMAS MOORE

I first came across this love poem when I was 12 years old, and to this day, I have yet to find one that is more beautiful. Love poems too often are about passion and nothing more; this one is about devotion of the purest kind.

As such, it seemed a fitting title for a necklace that I envision as the ideal wedding accessory. This necklace is a true stunner--no thanks to me; the beautiful natural elements do all the work. Gorgeous natural designer pearls practically glow against the neck, but the real soul of this necklace is the absolutely stunning step-faceted champagne citrine hexagon set off to one side (which is slightly less golden and more champagne-colored in person than the photos show). There really are no words to describe how beautiful this stone is.

The necklaces, which measures 18 inches in length, is finished off very simply with a sterling silver toggle clasp. Beautiful, simple, stunning. Fall in love.

****N.B. I can make custom versions of this necklace to meet length specifications. Can also be made with gold-filled components. Please contact me if you are interested in these options and we'll work up something together.****

Clearance Sale -- She Walks in Beauty --Was 80.00, now 50.00

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:19:56 -0500

$50.00
Was 80.00, now $50.00!!!

SHE walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes

Lord Byron, the bad boy bard of the 19th century, sure could write a line of poetry. And just like the beautiful subject of Byron's poem, this necklace combines dark and bright in the most striking of fashions.

A handcrafted Karen Hill Tribe Thai silver rose sits at the center of a strand of peacock-colored potato pearls, which are wonderfully heavy on the purple hues, though they contain hints of many a color more. Seventeen inches in length, the necklace closes with a beautiful Thai silver rose S-clasp. The perfect accessory for walking through a rose garden in the dark of the evening.

***As with all my Thai silver, these pieces have been purchased through a fair-trade company that works directly with the artisans.***

Persuasion--Temporary Sale--Was 30.00, now 25.00

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:04:36 -0500

$25.00
***This is for a custom necklace. Please specify the length you would like the chain in the notes to seller and I will make it right up for you. The pearl will not be the one pictured, but will be comparable in size, lustre and quality. If you have any questions, please convo me***

Simple, refined, and full of more depth than perhaps first given credit for, this necklace reminds me of Anne Elliot, the heroine of my favorite Jane Austen novel, Persuasion. Now, I've never met an Austen novel I didn't like, but this one holds a very special place in my heart. I hope this necklace may do the same for you.

A single large freshwater pearl, handwrapped in sterling silver wire, hangs from an extremely delicate (but sturdy) sterling silver chain. The whole is finished off with a sterling silver S-clasp. The pearl itself is just lovely; a nearly half-inch long nugget pearl with a flat back that will lay perfectly against your neck and wonderful white color with a hint of iridescence (not as pink as in the pictures.) All sterling silver components.

This necklace pairs just as nicely with an polo shirt as with an evening dress. The only persuasion you will need will be to take off this versatile necklace at the end of a day.

Persephone

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:42:42 -0500

$23.00
******This listing is for a custom version of the necklace pictured. The exact necklace in the photo has been sold. Please specify desired chain length when ordering.******

Persephone, daughter of Ceres, was tricked by Hades into eating a pomegranate seed and thereby had to stay with him for half the year for the rest of eternity. She thus became the bringer of Spring, for on her return, her mother's sadness abates enough for her to allow life to grow anew.

Persephone's myth is one of my favorites, representative of both the strength of the bond between mother and daughter, and also of a woman who must learn to live in both worlds, both dark and light. Besides, I never could really blame her for eating that pomegranate seed--they are such a heavenly fruit, who'd ever think they'd doom you to Hades?

A tiny pomegranate seed of luscious garnet dangles on top of a Karen Hill Tribe Thai silver disk (fair-traded). The pendant measures just 1cm in length and hangs from a delicate sterling silver chain just over 17 inches long that closes very securely with a lobster-claw clasp. A very wearable necklace that goes with everything and has a surprising amount of impact for its tiny size.

****Earrings available in separate listing****

Bright Star -- Smokey Quartz Version

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:19:44 -0500

$53.00
"Bright star! would I were stedfast as thou art--
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors--
No--yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever--or else swoon to death."

Rowr! That Keats sure could write some love poetry!

Named for the poem (that has now given its name to the new Jane Campion movie), this necklace will surely become a bright and steadfast addition to your wardrobe. Simple and stunning, the centerpiece consists of three beautifully faceted kite-shaped smokey quartz briollettes set off by sterling silver spacers. The pendant measures two and three-quarters inches in length and hangs from a delicate but very sturdy 18 inch sterling silver chain that closes with a sterling lobster-claw clasp.

An incredibly striking and flattering necklace. Perfect for those days when you feel quite beautiful.

Nimue

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:08:12 -0500

$33.00
Alternately given the role of the Lady of the Lake who bestows on Arthur his sword, a temptress who seduces and destroys Merlin, and a tragic maiden who falls in love with Merlin, Nimue is always a figure of magic, a fae who is linked to the landscape and the old ways. To me, her very name has something of magic and beauty in it.

The necklace named after her has a little bit of magic in it too. A smooth moss agate tablet forms the focus of the necklace; it hangs from a delicate but sturdy sterling silver chain and is finished with a simple and elegant sterling S-clasp. There are really no words to describe the beauty and depth of moss agate--it must be what swimming in a kelp forest looks like. You can literally get lost in this stone.

The whole measures 17 and a half inches in length and sits very gracefully on the neck.

Ozymandias -- Sale --Was 24.00, Now 20.00

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:31:54 -0500

$20.00
Percy Shelley's poem about a traveler relating the scene of a shattered colossal statue in the desert has, ironically, endured as a classic discussion of the ability or inability of human acts and thoughts to endure. The king depicted in the poem instructs his audience to "Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"

Now, I make no claims for any of my creations being things of greatness or grandeur, and I certainly would prefer if they did not make people despair. But this lovely little carved turquoise horse makes me think of a colossal ancient statue in the sands, and seems to have a strength, power, and simplicity to it that reminded me of the poem. On a strand of silvery hematite tube beads, and finished with a silver-plated hook and eye clasp. The pendant is threaded onto silver wire with a single hematite bead gracing it.

Helios

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:31:31 -0500

$65.00
Helios was the sun god in Greek myth, brother to Selene, the moon, and Eos, the dawn. He is the bringer of light and day, and is depicted as riding a chariot of flaming horses across the sky.

His name seems a particularly fitting moniker for this simple but gorgeous necklace. Composed entirely of organic chunks of citrine and glinting silver beads and clasp, this necklace literally looks like you have managed to capture drops of sunlight around your neck. The sterling silver beads beautifully set off the citrine, which glows both white and gold, with little iridescent inclusions that make it so much more beautiful that higher grade (clearer) citrine. But the real stunner on this necklace is the Hill Tribe Thai silver sunburst clasp (handmade and fair-traded)that simply radiates against your neck.

This necklace measures 18 and a half inches in length. Sure to bring a little sparkle to your day.

How Do I Love Thee

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:23:15 -0500

$67.00
"I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith."
--EBB

Like Elizabeth Barrett Browning's famous love sonnet to her husband, this necklace proves that simple things can be beautiful.

A string of lustrous creamy white button pearls is punctuated by a gorgeous checker-faceted champagne citrine coin 20mm in diameter. Finished with a sterling toggle clasp and measuring just under 18 inches in length, this necklace is the perfect accessory for your wedding day or for lunch out with the girls.

Classic and classy. You won't be able to count all the ways to love it.

Aurora Floyd

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:23:04 -0500

$31.00
A friend of mine with a penchant for 19th century sensation fiction was the recipient of the first incarnation of this necklace, so I have decided to name it after one of these wonderful potboilers that she is currently working on. The novel contains all the sensation one could hope for.

This necklace is pretty sensational itself. A simple affair really, this necklace packs a lot of punch thanks to a gorgeous antique glass pendant. The pendant is faceted and has a foil back, so the sparkle is absolutely incredible and also has a lot of depth to it--it looks very classy, rather than just glittery. The pendant is three-quarters of an inch in length and has been wire-wrapped by me in sterling silver and then hung from a sterling silver chain and finished with a sterling lobster claw clasp.

The chain measures 16 and a half inches and hangs beautifully at the base of the throat. A beautiful antique piece for the thoroughly modern woman.

Atalanta

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:01:13 -0500

$29.00
For goodness sake, what is it with apples? They seem to always be getting women in trouble.

This little necklace, which consists of a gold freshwater pearl, a nephrite jade carved leaf, and a beautiful little faceted peridot, represents the golden apple that was thrown in the path of poor Atalanta, dooming her to lose her footrace and her freedom. A woman who liked nothing better than the hunt and the woods, she was content to follow boyish pursuits and refused suitor upon suitor, finally telling them that she would marry only he who could beat her in a footrace. Since no man living was capable of this, one finally cheated by throwing three irresistible golden apples in her path, which she had no choice but to follow, allowing him to win the race. Like I said, apples are trouble.

This little apple necklace is equally lovely as the original, but hopefully will prove far less troublesome. Each individual bead is free-moving on the chain, which is a pleasantly long 22 inches (but can be shortened on request). Antiqued brass chain and lobster claw clasp finish it off. Practically irresistible.

Bright Star -- Rock Crystal Version

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:01:01 -0500

$53.00
"Bright star! would I were stedfast as thou art--"

Named for the poem by John Keats (that has now given its name to the new Jane Campion movie), this necklace will surely become a bright and steadfast addition to your wardrobe. Simple and stunning, the centerpiece consists of three beautifully faceted kite-shaped rock crystal (crystal quartz) briollettes set off by sterling silver spacers. The pendant measures two and a half inches in length and hangs from a delicate but very sturdy 18 inch sterling silver chain that closes with a sterling lobster-claw clasp.

The rock crystal version of my smokey quartz Bright Star necklace, this incarnation would make a particularly romantic and stunning accessory for a bride or just to add a little sparkle to your evening.

The Siren (Large Pearl Version)

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:00:40 -0500

$38.00
Just the sort of necklace to grace the seductress of the seas, or her landbound counterpart. Named for a John William Waterhouse painting of a siren who has drawn a sailor to his doom with her song. She looks rather saddened by the effects of her beauty and power.

Still, I think it possible that this necklace can be used for good rather than ill. Golden bronze pearls alternate with wonderfully bright and clear chips of green peridot, forming a gorgeous contrast. A single very sizable green biwa stick pearl sits off to one side. Its form is pleasantly organic and it has a wonderful bronzey sheen. Finished with an antiqued brass color toggle clasp, the necklace measures 17 and a half inches in length. Quite a seductive little number.

***Note the last picture is of an earlier version of this necklace and is for reference purposes only. The pearls in this necklace are a bit larger***

A Winter's Tale

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:55:43 -0500

$37.00
"'Tis time; descend; be stone no more; approach."
(Act 5, scene 3, line 99)

Part tragedy and part comedy, A Winter's Tale is Shakespeare's great play of rebirth and second chances (at least for those who deserve them).

This beautiful necklace of garnet and labradorite makes me think of such rebirth, like bright red winterberries glinting out from the surrounding drifts of snow. Very delicate yet strikingly vibrant, this necklace measures 18 and a half inches in length and closes with a sterling silver S-clasp. The faceted labradorite rondelles beautifully offset the garnet spheres and barrels, making for a piece that is at once stone, and yet vibrant with life and light.

Sweet Disorder

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:29:45 -0500

$64.00
Robert Herrick's ode to things not quite symmetrical, which:
"Do more bewitch me than when art
Is too precise in every part"
seems particularly fitting for this collar of gorgeous creamy white blister pearls, which are so striking precisely because of their asymmetry. It is through this quality of the pearls that this necklace manages to be at once classic and modern, formal and informal. This certainly isn't your grandmother's string of pearls, but I wager she would have been more pleased than scandalized to be seen walking out of the house in it.

Seventeen and a half inches of blister pearls are punctuated by tiny sterling silver balls and finished off with a pretty rope-twist sterling toggle clasp. Simple, elegant, but hardly conventional.

Sale -- Tales of the Klondike

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:29:35 -0500

$23.00
Sale--Was $28, now $23

My quirky little homage to Jack London's short stories of the Klondike Gold Rush. Who wouldn't be a fool for this gold?

A little glass vial full of nuggets of pyrite--otherwise known as fool's gold--hangs from a antique-patinaed, lengthy brass chain. Finished with an antiqued brass clasp, the whole necklace has the feel of a different century, like you have taken a bit of the 1890's and stored it away in a little bottle.

The Woman in White Earrings

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:34:44 -0500

$15.00
Delicate earrings to match a delicate necklace, but quite striking on their own.

Named for a Wilkie Collins story that became one of the more famous sensation novels of its time, as well as a precursor to the detective novel, these earrings have plenty of drama while being understated and delicate all at the same time.

The picture of simplicity, two faceted rock crystal kite briolettes dangle from sterling silver french hooks. The briolettes are 3/4 of an inch in length, the earrings themselves fall to a length of and inch and 3/8. Simple and stunning, perfect for everyday wear or your big day.

****Matching necklace available in a separate listing****

The Solitary Reaper

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:09:23 -0500

$32.00
"Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound."
--William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth set out in his poetry to show the extraordinary beauty of ordinary things.

This little necklace makes me think of that attempt. Captured within the crystalline walls of this simple pendant is an intricate web of beauty--it reminds me at one and the same time of mist upon a heath or the sheaves of grain that the singing reaper might collect. This necklace is a single step-faceted moss quartz (not glass) pendant with beautiful depth and character, wire wrapped and hung from an antiqued brass chain and finished with a brass lobster-claw clasp. The chain measures 18 and a half inches in length, the pendant is an inch and a quarter in length, not counting the bale.

Simple, striking, and anything but ordinary.

Anna Karenina

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:01:05 -0500

$55.00
An opulent and hefty necklace deserves an opulent and hefty namesake, and there are few novels more grand and sweeping, more opulent and hefty, than Leo Tolstoy's tragic novel.

Gloriously clear and rich russet red carnelian forms the body of this tribute to epic Russian novels. In the center then hangs a faceted chunk of lovely black stone (whose name I unfortunately don't know), with beautiful stripes of milky white crystals and even slight hints of red that echo the carnelian. Finished with a sterling silver S-clasp and just shy of 19 inches long. The kind of necklace to be worn to aristocratic balls of a bygone era.

The Bower Meadow

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:00:47 -0500

$41.00
Named for a Rossetti painting so beautiful you simply want to crawl into it, this is the perfect bracelet to celebrate the coming of the spring.

Leaves of mossy fancy jasper are punctuated by pink rhodonite and sterling silver beads. But tucked in amongst this beautiful foliage is the real jewel: a Thai Hill Tribe silver rose clasp that has been hand-wrought. Hill Tribe silver pieces are usually stunning, but the artist who made this clasp has simply outdone him or herself.

Eight inches in length (fits perfectly on my six-inch wrist. A little tribute to springtime to remind you of rebirth and renewal all year long.

King Solomons Mines

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:40:33 -0500

$40.00
What treasures await! Named after H. Rider Haggard’s adventure tale, this necklace speaks of a richness that European heroes and heroines have long sought in a mythic “East.” You needn’t seek quite so far.

Carnelian beads of a deep orange-red are punctuated by a huge nugget of green agate, itself swirled with inclusions of rich red. The beads are so rich looking they may actually make your mouth water. On flexicord and finished with a brass-toned toggle clasp.

Guenevere

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:09:20 -0500

$65.00
There is just something about brass and blue the color of the sky or rain that puts me in mind of the complicated queen of Camelot. I must admit I grow more fond of her with each such necklace I make. Who wants for a muse a perfect angel of the house anyhow?

So here is my latest incarnation of the Lady Guenevere. Ten beautifully faceted Peruvian blue chalcedony briolettes hang at random from a naturally patinaed vintage brass chain 39 inches in length meant to wrap around the neck twice. The stone are of varying sizes and shapes--the overall effect is one of extreme elegance without the rigidity of perfect symmetry. An apt metaphor for the queen, perhaps. Finished with an antiqued brass clasp.

Much Ado About Nothing

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:17:15 -0500

$65.00
This strikes me as the type of necklace a spirited Renaissance lady like Beatrice might wear while mocking (and winning the heart of) her Benedick. Besides, the gorgeous colors of these stones remind me of the sun-drenched hues of the wonderful Kenneth Branagh film version.

This is a necklace at once both chunky and subtle, with absolutely glorious texture and color. Large yellow opal rounds in creams, yellows, and butterscotches of varying translucency and and opacity are interspersed with smaller beads of a stone I came across called old yellow jade, which varies from yellow to green to the occasional reddish brown. A simple sterling silver toggle with a twist pattern finishes off this 18 inch long necklace. This necklace is all about the stones, and they really are sparkling--just like the banter between Beatrice and Benedick.

P.S. This necklace looks amazing with a tan!

This Side of Paradise

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:20:21 -0500

$80.00
Just the right accessory for breaking hearts in the Jazz Age, this necklace is also a pretty good one for winning hearts in our own time.

Measuring 35 inches in length, this confection of faceted smoky quartz, bronze pearls and gray and amber cut glass can either be worn long or double around the neck for two equally stunning effects. The bronze pearls are a particularly deep and wonderful color, smooth and with lots of shine, and the high quality of the large smoky quartz nuggets shows through in their beautiful clarity and sparkle. A truly decadent necklace, but subtle enough for everyday wear. Finished with a bronze-color toggle clasp.

Persephone Earrings

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:58:50 -0500

$20.00
Persephone, daughter of Ceres, was tricked by Hades into eating a pomegranate seed and thereby had to stay with him for half the year for the rest of eternity. She thus became the bringer of Spring, for on her return, her mother's sadness abates enough for her to allow life to grow anew.

Persephone's myth is one of my favorites, representative of both the strength of the bond between mother and daughter, and also of a woman who must learn to live in both worlds, both dark and light. Besides, I never could really blame her for eating that pomegranate seed--they are such a heavenly fruit, who'd ever think they'd doom you to Hades?

A tiny pomegranate seed of luscious garnet dangles on top of each Karen Hill Tribe Thai silver disk (fair-traded). The disks measure just 1cm in length and hang from sterling silver french hooks. Delicate and very wearable little earrings.

****Necklace available in separate listing****

Echo Earrings

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:19:09 -0500

$20.00
Echo was a nymph who fell in love with the vain Narcissus, who loved nothing so well as his own reflection. It is usually said that she pined away from him until only here voice remained, repeating the words of others in the lonely mountains she had once dwelt in.

Something about these little branches of peacock pearls make me think of echos, of images or sounds repeating in on themselves, like stepping stones or a stone being skipped upon the mirror-like surface of a pool of water, not unlike the one into which Narcissus might have stared at his own reflection. The earrings on hung on vines of sterling silver wire from sterling silver leverbacks. Earrings measure appoximately 2 inches in length.

A Midsummer Nights Dream

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:02:50 -0500

$35.00
Huzzah! I am going to my first-ever Renaissance Faire tomorrow, so I thought I would post a necklace befitting of one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays.

Truly a necklace worthy of the Queen of the Fairies, enough to make either an Oberon or a Bottom drool. This magical little number is made to mimic the lush foliage of a midsummer’s forest, with fancy jasper providing the glorious purples, greens, and mauves of a humid and heady solstice night, hidden among leaves of wonderful mossy green agate. Finished with a simple but lovely sterling S-clasp and strung on flexicord both strong and flexible enough to withstand all of your frolicking.

N.B. Once again please keep in mind that the neck in the picture (mine) is a bit on the gigantic side. This necklace is actually just over 17 inches long, and will thus lie lower on the neck if yours happens to be smaller. It will lie very nicely on necks of all sizes, but as always, it can easily be shortened upon request if you would like it to be more of a choker.

The Princess Bride

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:55:59 -0400

$37.00
Because there's nothing better than twue wuv.

A simple and elegant necklace named after a spectacular book that was made into my favorite movie of all time. Gorgeous creamy white button pearls alternate with little faceted aquamarine rondelles, of a delicate blue color that reminds me of one of Buttercup's utterly romantic dresses. And in the event that you are planning on mawwage anytime soon, the aquamarine will do nicely for your "something blue."

Just over 18 inches in length. Finished off with a fair-traded Thai Hill Tribe silver clasp that is elegant in and of itself.

This Rough Magic

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:35:00 -0400

$36.00
A murderous smuggler, an altruistic dolphin, an alcoholic Shakesperean actor and his damn sexy ill-tempered son. It's hardly a wonder that I loved this old Mary Stuart mystery novel when I was a teenager (and still do).

This necklace is my homage to the mysteries both above and below the sea (and to the altruistic dolphin who was quite nearly as winning as the book's heroine). I have once again used the seaweed quartz that so resembles its namesake--here in the form of beautiful little coins. Alernating with it are bronze gold pearls that have a truly lovely sheen to them. A petite bronze colored toggle clasp completes the necklace.

Measures just over 18 inches. Please convo me if you would be interested in a different length.

Selene Necklace

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:47:54 -0400

$30.00
Selene was the Greek pre-Olympian goddess of the moon, sister to Eos, goddess of the dawn, and Helios, the sun god. She famously took as her lover a beautiful mortal, Endymion, about whom many a poem has been written. She was often represented as pale and gloriously beautiful, with a crescent moon as her crown.

Simple and elegant, this necklace may prove just as intoxicating as the moon at its full. A beautiful, delicately iridescent white coin pearl is suspended from a sterling silver chain. The necklace is finished with a sterling lobster claw clasp (so that while you may lose your heart to this necklace, you won't ever lose the necklace itself.)

****The necklace pictured has been sold. This listing is for a custom version. Please specify desired chain length in the notes section when ordering (the pictured version is 16 inches. Matching earrings available in a separate listing.*****

Midsummer Eve

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:59:37 -0400

$36.00
Soft and ethereal, just like the painting by Edward Robert Hughes after which it was named, this necklaces will lend a gentle grace to whatever neck it encircles.

Composed of softly faceted, wonderfully organic light amethysts nuggets, set off by tiny sterling silver beads, the necklace seems to glow from within. Finished off with a pretty sterling silver toggle clasp and measuring 18 inches in length, it sits perfectly on the collarbone.

The perfect necklace for midsummer, or any other season.

Mermaid Summer

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:11:44 -0400

$36.00
This pretty little necklace was the result of a bit of a flirtation I had with taking silver wire that I had wrapped and twisted and then hammering the bejesus out of it. Interestingly, it proved not only a way of making pretty jewelry, but was also an excellent stress release. I started with a AAA quality prehnite briolette drop that I wrapped in sterling silver wire, doubled, and then quadrupled to form the long twist. I then carefully hammered the silver to flatten it and give it a beautiful texture and glimmer while trying to avoid smashing the lovely little droplet. This accomplished, the drop, which measures an inch and a half, was strung on sterling silver chain and finished with a sterling lobster claw clasp. The necklace measures 17 and a half inches.

Though I think this will be a very wearable necklace year-round, I must say that the prehnite and silver look amazing against a tan. For this reason, I have named this necklace after a pretty little tale I read as a child by Mollie Hunter about two children and the mermaid who has caused their grandfather to be banished. The silver and prehnite drops somehow bring to mind what I always imagined mermaids' tears must look like.

The Long White Seam (Large Pearl Edition)

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:07:48 -0400

$80.00
"Fair fall the lights the harbor lights,
That brought me in to thee,
And peace drop down on the low roof
For the sight that I did see,
And the voice, my dear, that rang so clear
All for the love of me.
For O, for O, with brows bent low
By the candle's flickering gleam,
Her wedding gown it was she wrought,
Sewing the long white seam."

Another necklace that named itself, this time after a love poem by the Victorian poet Jean Ingelow. This would make an incredibly romantic yet classic wedding necklace (that could make later appearances with simple dressy black tops).

A single strand of gleaming white freshwater pearls lies perfectly upon the neck. A gorgeous, hand-wrought Karen Hill Tribe white silver rose (fair-traded from a non-profit that works directly with the artisans) sits delicately at the center. The whole is finished with a beautiful Hill Tribe silver rose S-clasp (Hill tribe silver is .999 pure, compared to sterling's .925 purity). The necklace measures 17 and a quarter inches in length. Gorgeous, simple, and very elegant.

Port After Stormy Seas

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:50:12 -0400

$65.00
Like the painting by Evelyn de Morgan for which it is named, this bracelet shows what beauty can come out of rough weather.

A large crescent of chocolate brown seaglass has been wrapped in pure sterling silver wire. Two smaller pieces of green seaglass grace either side, forming a pretty contrast to the centerpiece. Made of all sterling components, finished with a beautiful sterling silver twist toggle clasp. Approx. 7 and 1/4 inches in length. Can be lengthened or shortened on request.

N.B. This is genuine Jersey Shore seaglass (not manufactured frosted glass), gathered on a recent trip to play skeeball at the Point Pleasant boardwalk. In case anyone was wondering, I play a mean game of skeeball.

Water Willow

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:56:01 -0400

$45.00
Like the Rossetti painting for which it is named, this bracelet exudes a restful tranquility.

Like stepping stones over a gentle stream, each piece of agate that composes this bracelet is wonderfully smooth and organic in shape, with beautiful varieties of color and depth. Interspersed between, like sun glinting of burbling water, are tiny sterling silver beads, which serve beautifully to highlight the individuality of each agate tablet. The bracelet is then finished strikingly with a Thai Hill Tribe silver toggle clasp (fair-traded), which looks to me like the rippling aftermath of throwing a stone into calm waters.

The whole measures slightly over 8 inches in length, and fits very pleasantly on my 6 inch wrist (as seen in photos).

Corinnas Going A-Maying

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:46:58 -0400

$76.00
***Apologies for the fuzziness of the first photo--it was the only one that came close to capturing the true colors of the stones.***

Nay! not so much as out of bed?
When all the birds have matins said
And sung their thankful hymns, 'tis sin,
Nay, profanation, to keep in,
Whereas a thousand virgins on this day
Spring sooner than the lark, to fetch in May.

This is one of those wonderfully lovely poems by one of those wonderfully bawdy 17th century poets, Robert Herrick. I love this poem; it makes me think of spring and all things verdant and impetuous.

And I think this is just the bracelet that Corinna would have worn to go a-maying, once her lover convinced the "sweet slug-a-bed" to get up. Beautiful rough-faceted peridot nuggets serve as foliage that sets off wonderfully a large faceted muscovite nugget. I bought these gemstones at different times, thrilled to have gotten my hands on such gorgeous and relatively hard to find stones (at least in this shape for the peridot), with no intention of putting them together. I was so excited when I thought of the combination that I actually called a friend to tell her (can only guess what she thought of this!). They really are gorgeous together. For those not familiar with muscovite, it is a stone that varies from pink to brown, with flecks of gold that sparkle from within. This is actually the prettiest piece of muscovite I have ever seen; a lovely soft mauve-y rose color (not as bright pink as in the photos--though it can be quite bright in direct sun).

The best part of all is that the toggle clasp is Karen Hill tribe silver (.999 pure, rather than sterling silver's .925 purity), hand-made and beautiful in its own right. And to top it all off, I bought it from a fair-trade seller that works directly with the artisans who made it. Who says you can't be beautiful AND good?

This bracelet measures just shy of 8 inches, but will fit wide range of sizes--it is quite comfortable on my 6 inch wrist.

The Ambassadors -- Sale --Was 45.00, Now 32.00

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:28:48 -0400

$32.00
One part Old World decadence, one part New World sensibility, and all elegance. This necklace reminds me of a Henry James novel without all of the depressing repression and soul searching. Believe me, I love depressing repression and soul searching in my novels; I just tend to prefer my jewelry a little lighter.

A simple, delicate sterling silver chain and all sterling silver components form the base of this necklace. Suspened from the chain are three beautiful citrine drops of lovely golden clarity. Two tiny citrine rondelles dance inbetween, completing this elegant affair. The whole measures approximately 19 inches; it can be shortened upon request.

Matching earrings are available in a separate listing.

Cecilia

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:12:00 -0400

$35.00
A little loopy, but elegant. Just like the novel by the very successful Fanny Burney (Jane Austen loved her novels), whose heroine remains lovely and good—even while being put-upon, duped, and, worst of all, courted—this necklace takes some interesting twists and turns. Besides, something about it reminds me of the masks donned for a masquerade ball, and one such ball provides what was for me the most memorable scene in the novel.

A delicate piece, but sturdy, this necklace is made of sterling silver and garnet beads strung on flexicord, with a central pendant of wrapped and twisted silver-plated wire with garnet beads floating upon its scrolls. The whole is finished off with a pretty sterling S-clasp. The pendant is one-of-a-kind—the result of me playing one evening with pliers.

Selene Earrings

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:24:22 -0400

$12.00
Selene was the Greek pre-Olympian goddess of the moon, sister to Eos, goddess of the dawn, and Helios, the sun god. She famously took as her lover a beautiful mortal, Endymion, about whom many a poem has been written. She was often represented as pale and gloriously beautiful, with a crescent moon as her crown.

These earrings are my tribute to the cold ethereal splendor of the moon. Lovely white freshwater coin pearls, with a slight iridescent sheen, hang from sterling silver french hooks. Total length of the earring is just under 1 inch, pearl is approximately one-third inch. All components sterling silver (besides the pearls, of course)

****This is a custom listing. The earrings pictured have already sold. You will receive earrings made from pearls from the same strand, of equal quality and luster. Matching necklace available in separate listing.****

Mrs. Dalloway in Serpentine

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:03:17 -0400

$55.00
***This is a custom listing. Please contact me before buying for gemstone and color options and availability.***

“What a lark! What a plunge!”

This is a necklace meant for the refined lady who still likes to buy her flowers herself. Indeed, something about this necklace makes me think of the vibrant cut flowers that Clarissa Dalloway goes out to buy in the Woolf novel, and something about it seems fitting for the party she throws later that night. But this necklace also brings to my mind a sense of things forgotten and things remembered, of pasts and futures and how the two can interweave. This version is also particularly appropos, as the Serpentine river plays a role in many of Woolf's novels.

Faceted semi-opaque lime green serpentine teardrops punctuate a strand of sterling silver. A second fall of silver and serpentine balance below the central bead. Strung on flexible and extremely strong flexicord, finished with a delicate sterling silver S-clasp. Hangs beautifully upon the neck. The perfect necklace for looking like a vision or like a visionary.

This is my third incarnation of this necklace--the first was in a vibrant cherry quartz (shown in the last picture), the second a lovely peacock green agate. I will probably post other versions in the future, but if there is a particular color or stone that you would like this necklace in, please feel free to convo me and we'll see what we can do.

N.B. Necklace measures 19 inches long, not counting second fall. Can be shortened if desired.

Brideshead Revisited

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:56:23 -0400

$33.00
Modern meets old-school in a classic collection of colors. This is not the necklace I would have imagined naming for this book of pre-WW2 Britain, but something about it reminded me of Julia, the eldest daughter of the Brideshead estate. It has a pleasant "tennis, anyone?" feel to it, I think--perfect for the summer months I could swear are just around the corner.

Clear and navy blue frosted glass nuggets encircle the neck in a combination that is chunky but subtle. A silver plated toggle clasp with a slightly nautical feel finishes off this necklace that measures just shy of 18 inches.

Canciones a Guiomar

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:30:31 -0400

$47.00
****This is for a custom version of this necklace. The original is no longer available. Like all natural stone, the carved flower beads vary slightly in color. If you would like a slightly darker or lighter flower, please tell me so in the note section at checkout and I will do my best to pick the perfect centerpiece for you (or feel free to convo me in advance). You can also select your desired chain length in notes section as well. Thanks!****

Guiomar was the name Spanish poet Antonio Machado assigned to his beloved (a married woman with three children) in his poems to her to protect her identity. Machado chose for her a name which was rich with romantic and historic reference; first the name of Guinevere's male cousin who fell in love with Morgan Le Fay in the Vulgate cycle of Arthurian legend, it soon became the name of choice for women in medieval lyric poetry and romances in Spain. I have chosen the name for reasons of my own; I fell in love with it and the story behind it when I visited Machado's home (now a museum) while I was studying in Segovia, Spain--I used to pass the house each day on my way to class. And something about this necklace reminds me a bit of Spain; the colors, perhaps, or a slight resemblance to the patterns of mudejar art. I like, also, to think of this necklace gracing the neck of some beautiful medieval Spanish lady, who has made some poet lovesick enough to write a whole lyric to her.

As to the necklace itself (finally!), at the center of a long antiqued brass chain lies the heart of the necklace, a gorgeous carved carnelian flower, with translucent orange, red, and clear striations. Beautiful russet-colored carnelian beads are suspended from the chain and at the bottom of the flower. A petite antique brass tone clasp finishes this necklace off. The pendant measures just shy of 2 inches, the chain is a lengthy 23 inches.

***Please note: the photos show the necklace on two different necks and at full length but also pulled up a few inches.***

Oroonoko

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:56:11 -0400

$60.00
Feeling a little adventurous? Named for a heroic tragic novel by the great playwright Aphra Behn, this necklace gives its namesake a run for its money in terms of mixing all sorts of elements and locales.

The novel has an enslaved African prince as its hero, a young British woman as its narrator, and the South American colony of Suriname as its setting. The necklace has equally far-flung elements: Four gorgeous three-side tubes of whispy red-orange-clear carnelian are offset by gorgeous deep chocolate heart-shaped kukui nuts. Little bows of chocolate satin ribbon are knotted in between, and the whole is finished off with antiqued brass-colored clasp. 23 inches long. A truly eclectic affair.

The Odd Women -- Sale --Was 30.00, Now 24.00

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 01:54:09 -0400

$24.00
This odd little late 19th century novel by George Gissing asked if women could have it all: meaningful work and a loving marriage. Both ahead of its time and aware of the constraints of its time, the novel had to answer “no.” But these are different times, and just because you wear a Victorian bauble doesn’t mean you need to be fenced in by Victorian social strictures. Indeed, if this necklace shows anything, it’s that old forms, with a little imagination and a lot of elbow grease, can take on a whole new life.

Made of a pressed brass antique Victorian dresser pull, with the handle removed and replaced by a strand of rich garnet (my favorite of favorites), this necklace is strung on a long chain of brass.

A note: these pressed brass pulls were nearly black when I acquired them. A posting in the forums suggested using ketchup as a brass cleaner, so I gave it a try one evening. The result is a lovely patina that maintains an antique look while bringing out more of the luster of the brass. There are even some spots that turned a wonderful buff peachy color. And for the duration of the cleaning, the smell made me crave hamburgers every time I went past the pendant.

My Antonia

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 03:00:26 -0400

$25.00
"Optima dies...prima fugit."

"The best days are the first to flee." I had been thinking long and hard about what necklace to make as a tribute to Willa Cather's rhapsodic masterpiece of prairie, something the color of waving wheat or gently rolling farmlands, golds and straw yellows, and browns. But once I made this necklace, I could not stop thinking about this beautiful novel that I had read as a child and which has stayed with me ever since. Every book I have ever read has had some eefct on me, of course, but there are a few that have woven themselves into the way that I view the world around me; My Antonia is one of these. Which is perhaps why this necklace named itself. For My Antonia was perhaps less about the gold and brown land than the beautiful blue sky above it, that promised boundless possibility and the ability to dream even when life on the earth was painful and burdensome.

Thus, like a gem in the rough, like Antonia in the vast world that surrounded her, small beads of rich garnet glint out between ovals of lovely blue glass, with a hint of grey in it that promises neither fair weather nor foul, but only holds the possibility of both. And isn't possibility all that we can hope for anyway?

Finished with a sterling silver S-clasp and strung on flexicord.

The Snow Queen

Sat, 30 May 2009 13:34:51 -0400

$45.00
In this fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson, love conquers all and melts even hearts of ice.

This is a necklace made of singularly beautiful and subtle beads, that will look just as lovely on you if you are wearing a wedding dress or a pretty black top or a business suit. When I came across these quartz twist beads I had to buy them. I had just passed a gray and rainy Christmas, and these beads reminded me so much of the snow that I was longing for. I have alternated them with clear Czech glass cathedral beads with silver tips, which look like little icicles among the snow. The whole is finished off with a sterling silver hook and eye clasp.

Wuthering Heights

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:58:46 -0500

$40.00
When I was a child, the moors of English novels sounded like the most wildly romantic places in the whole world. This necklace reminds me of such desolate and yet verdant landscapes, like grassy fields after a rain. And most wildly romantic—though hardly a love story in the traditional sense—of all English novels is Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, whose heroine Cathy is as much a force of nature as the landscape around her. This is the only type of necklace I can envision her wearing, besides the flowers of the moors, in the days before she became a refined lady, at odds with her very nature.

Made from jaspers and agates in all manner of wonderful shades of greens, oranges and reds, this choker-length necklace (approx. 16 ½ inches) will make you look (and maybe even feel) like a force of nature. The whole is strung on strong but pliant flexicord, and finished off with a sizable sterling silver S-clasp. A rather weighty necklace, but the whole lies very comfortably on the neck—the weight is oddly very soothing.

Lady Marmalade

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:08:25 -0500

$38.00
Well, I don't usually name necklaces after songs (or prostitutes), but a friend recently half-jokingly asked me to make a necklace with this name, when all of a sudden I realized that I already had one that I had been searching for a name for that reminded me of Mardi Gras. The colors of this necklace are those of king cakes and Mardi Gras beads; I think it just the thing that would look striking on any lady (of the night or day) "down in Old New Orleans."

Beautiful lime Czech glass beads offset English Murano-style silver-foiled squares in a glorious grape color. The necklace is finished off with a raw brass toggle clasp and measures a striking 20 inches long. Though quite elegant, this is a necklace that will get you noticed.

Great Expectations

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:04:48 -0400

$35.00
This elegant little necklace makes me think of all of the things the young semi-tragic hero Pip desires in Dickens’s novel: wealth and respectability. For Pip, this nearly costs him all he should hold dear. This necklace has no such strings attached.

From a brass chain hangs a dapper antique watch fob, which once decorated the end of some gentleman’s watch chain—a true mark of gentility, or aspiring to it. It is either brass or goldplate by my best guess, both ornate in its design and simple in its lines. I like to think of all the places it might have traveled to. Flanking this centerpiece are two creamy orange moonstones, an additional cluster of three moonstones of grey, white, and deeper orange hues adds interest a little higher up. Finished off with a brass shepherd’s hook clasp.

This chain measures approx. 21 and a half inches long. It can be shortened upon request.

Xanadu

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:46:16 -0400

$36.00
Next in line to the throne of my Kubla Khan necklace (so to speak). This necklace reminds me of pleasure gardens and caves of ice. Indeed, it seems just the thing to grace the neck of a damsel with a dulcimer wailing for her daemon lover.

Coleridge, the author of the poem Kubla Khan, the setting of which was Xanadu, was known as something of an armchair traveler; his poems often lay out vast geographies in minute detail. In this poem and others, he seeks to make the exotic familiar and the familiar exotic. I have sought to do the same with this necklace. Deep green jade is punctuated by a single, large red cloisonné bead decorated with pink and blue and green flowers outlined in gold. Off to each side, however, three beads of the most gloriously rich and clear orangey-red carnelian add interest in unexpected ways, echoing the colors of the cloisonné. The overall effect is of opulent, yet subdued, elegance. The whole is strung on flexicord with a brass-tone toggle clasp.

Vanity Fair

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:43:46 -0400

$80.00
If life were all sweetness and light, well, it would be pretty boring.

Enter a necklace decidedly feminine, but with more than a little edge. Five huge, gorgeously faceted rose quartz briolettes bloom from a background of yellow green serpentine faceted teardrops. Paler rose quartz faceted ovals are interspersed with tiny sterling silver beads to form the chain. A lovely floral sterling silver S-clasp completes the look.

A perfect necklace equally for the social climber or the woman already at the top.

Approx. 17 inches. Can be lengthened on request.