A new week, a new necklace, a show coming up soon!

Below are two images of a necklace that I am working on for a show on October 28th. This is a simple beaded construction with an amethyst and sterling silver cross.  The cross can be taken off and worked with a simple cord. I like that versatility. The necklace has a slight Victorian accent. What gives the contemporary edge is the sheer volume of the curtain-like drape of glass beads and wire, juxtaposed with the antique look of the chunky amethyst pendant. It also has that high-low/new-old aesthetic that is pleasing to my eye. I would wear this necklace. It would perk up my basic, nearly all-black Fall and Winter wardrobe.

P.S. The glass beads are a dusky purple. I am still a neophyte with digital images!

What to do when it rains....

Another Tuesday, raining again, as so many of the recent days. I am a person who loves rainy days - especially  rainy Autumn days when the temperature dips ever so slightly. Today, there was no better place for me than my studio. I puttered around with my trinkets, lit only by work lights, and was in the good company of decent soundtracks (several of The White Stripes, as well as Dylan's latest).

Today, I did not feel like filing, sawing, hammering and soldering.

I did some "beading" work today. I am not a "beader", but I often distinguish my work with offbeat combinations of beads, gemstones, mixed materials and offbeat placements.

The above photo is a necklace that I created with glass, crystals, sterling silver and nickel. I have distressed it slightly, oxidizing and twisting the sterling wires to achieve the look of an artifact that is pleasing to my eye. 

I like this particular necklace.

There is something about the necklace's composition that looks unique to me - not crafty or mass-produced.  It is  important to have a finished product that looks handmade - not homemade. This, my Friends, is much harder to achieve than it may seem.

I am not a fine jeweler. I am not a craft person or an artisan. I am a metalsmith who often makes "wearable art". I justify my time and materials in a way that, I hope, represents style with a higher aesthetic.

I can buy fashion - style is priceless.