today's featured seller-The Mint Wagner Gallery

I met this wonderful fellow jewelry artist through my supply shop on Etsy. She has always been the kindest person, with a true appreciation for the product and the story behind it. The beads that she incorporates into some of her lovely creations come directly from my stash of vintage brass beads that I inherited from my Grandmother, who worked for the Vogue jewelry company from the 1940s through the 60s. Shown on the pieces here are the textured gold brass rondelles and beads.


here is an excerpt from her profile on Etsy:
About Me and my Jewelry:
"My name is Melissa and I am a woman who loves opposites: Light/Dark, Organic/Industrial, Ancient/Modern - and the best thing about these opposites is when they come together in the middle, co-mingling and creating interest and support for one another. It is like magic and it is what I strive for when I design jewelry."
here are some of her other beautiful designs:

here is her SHOP
here is my supply shop
thanks Melissa! happy creating to all....

adorned- long asymmetrical style necklace

Created with purely vintage components, it is a pretty yet funky statement piece of jewelry. several strands of antiqued silver chains in different textures and sized combine with awesome turquoise glass and silver connectors, flanked by a cut crystal pendant, white floral carved cabochon on silver filigree, a side closing rhinestone clasp from the 40's and a sparkling strand of faceted Swarovski crystal to complete the look. it is available here
let me know you found it in my blog and I will include a free pair of earrings!

~bells & trumpets~

Newly listed! Beautiful bell and trumpet flower vintage style layered earrings. Prices range from $12.00-$15.00 as part of my new shop promotion, and shipping is only 1 dollar in the US. You can find them at my new shop, www.earringemporium.etsy.com

using props in jewelry photography

Not that i'm an expert, but I thought I'd share my recent discovery of how cool it can be to include props in photographing your jewelry designs. I made this ring using a vintage flower cabochon and copper filigree ring base. I was thinking of how to showcase it in the best way and my mind stumbled across this pretty teacup... I decided to try it out with the ring on my finger. I took it on my front porch after it rained which makes for a good lighting situation, and you can see the wet wood in the background. I'm excited about the outcome and about trying out more options in the near future. sophia ring available HERE

my top etsy picks! first edition!

Welcome to the first edition of my TOP ETSY PICKS! I'm going to start posting every week or so to feature my favorite items/gift ideas. Support handmade! Click on the image to see a larger view.

these are the shops featured in order of appearance from left to right, all clickable:
www.JoannasPhotography.etsy.com
www.sweetheartsinner.etsy.com
www.lindylou2.etsy.com
www.toybreaker.etsy.com
www.stevester.etsy.com
www.carambatack.etsy.com
www.redrubyrose.etsy.com
www.frostingcouture.etsy.com
www.whatyoumacallits.etsy.com
www.PrettyRaccoon.etsy.com
www.ArtsNcharms.etsy.com
www.fromthehipcreations.etsy.com
www.BindMe.etsy.com
www.ItsAllAboutThePrint.etsy.com
www.dreamy1.etsy.com
www.JacqleenBleu.etsy.com

lovely lockets

I just listed some awesome locket earrings, HERE, in my new Earring Emporium shop.

They remind me of Molly Ringwald's style in Pretty In Pink!

new

~aquamarine~
It's an asymmetrical style necklace made with... of course... vintage re-purposed embellishments. The fantastic aquamarine and rhinestone focal on the side is an earring my Mom picked up for me at a yardsale. The chains and rhinestone beads(1940s) are from my Grandmother's stash. I added aqua pearls, silver czech crystal beads with sterling silver caps, an aqua and silver handmade Murano glass bead and a shimmering vitrial jewel cabochon surrounded by silver "roping".

my babies are leaving the nest....

Aha! For those of you who are artists, you may know that some of your pieces feel like your babies... yesterday I sold two more of my nicest necklaces, to the lovely buyer of Couture Charms. Now, I better get to work making more!

nouveau pearls

I've had this beautiful art nouveau style silver stamping for so long... I finally decided to add some simple pearls to compliment it in an elegant way. It's an asymmetrical piece, so the focus is on the side...which is my favorite style these days! It's 21 inches long, with pearls that are handwrapped together, going all the way up around the neck.

buried treasury blog

WooHoo! Featured in the Buried Treasury Blog today... showcasing Etsy shops... in the Jewelry Lovers(HOT) section, HERE, check it out! Fellow Etsians, you can be featured too!

appletini!

Sometimes things are created more easily than others... this piece kind of made itself! I named it Appletini because I can just imagine some trendy chica wearing it with her cocktail dress during cocktail hour :) The gold swirl beads and textured chain come from my Grandmother's stash of beads from the days when she worked for the Vogue jewelry company in the 50s. I like the chunky architecture of it.

mad about mocha

I was asked recently to do a custom order...there was a set in my shop with vintage celluloid ivory roses and portrait cameos. She wanted the roses a MOCHA color. I searched and searched all the sources I could think of, and finally broke down and asked a fantastic fellow seller and friend of mine on Etsy (MataHariJewelry) how on earth I could find them...as the only ones vaguely close to what I needed were in Italy and would cost me about half what I would end up charging.
She told me that she had JUST been experimenting with dyeing the roses with RIT powder dye, and showed me the gorgeous outcome of her coral roses.
I decided to give it a go, using Cocoa Brown dye, and a little patience... after a few tries I was able to get the right shade for my customer, and now I am obsessed with dyeing everything mocha! I don't know what will happen when I get my hands on more colors...the possibilities are endless.