YOJ 2005 Week 23

The theme for this week is Red Carpet Jewelry. This reminds me of the expression "Hollywood royalty" -- even though we live in a democracy, our actors are given all the privileges of kings and queens. So I created the necklace Purple Queen, using blood red garnet, tourmaline and glorious AAA purple amethyst. Now, all I have to do is find the right Hollywood royal to wear it at the next Red Carpet event... :-)

YOJ 205 Week 22

The theme for this week is again You Choose the Topic!
Rhodochrosite is a stunning naturally rose or salmon colored stone -- it's name comes from the Greek meaning "Rose Colored". This beautiful nugget inspired me to combine it with rare Peruvian pink opal coins, intricate Balinese beads, garnets and pink jade.

The result was a bracelet so *sweet* suddenly little silver insects started crawling all over it: the tiniest bee, a butterfly and a lady bug.

Rosa Cor Bracelet
Click here to see more pictures of this piece

YOJ 2005 Week 21

The theme for this week is You Choose the Topic! Sounds *good* to me, considering my lack of ability to follow the proposed themes of each week. I created another bangle, called Swirls, Swirls... So many ideas, so little time, sometimes the mind can swirl, swirl...

Swirls, swirls...
Click here to see more pictures of this piece

This one is made with a combination of lovely clouded aquamarine nuggets, crackled quartz, light green garnets circles and green jade.

YOJ 2005 Week 20

The theme for this week is Something New for 2005, however, in light of recent tragic events, I decided to work on last week's theme, creating a bracelet In Memory of Tsunami Victims.

The bangle is constructed with rather large rough aquamarine nuggets, surrounded by thick 18 ga coiled wire swirls. It measures 3/4" wide. And of course, the marine critters crawled all over it: a sea-horse, an appropriate "Angel fish" and a tiny, tiny starfish.

This item has been sold.
A donation was made to the South East Asian Tsunami Relief Emergency Appeal though the American Jewish World Service organization.

While I was making this piece I was a bit concerned such a sad story be woven within a piece of jewelry -- which is essentially a beautiful thing, supposedly worn to make a person happy -- but this is what makes it even more meaningful to me.

We are living conflicting times -- natural and man-made disasters all around us -- while at the same time we try to lead happy and productive lives. We shouldn't shield ourselves from the sadness, instead, let it be an integral part of our lives, so that we DO NOT FORGET and appreciate MORE what we have.