Eye Candy Interlude - Exciting Bracelets by Giftbearer

Moss Chilled By Autumn - 7 1/2"-8 1/2" with extender.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=15993456
This bracelet includes artisan-made ceramic beads made by a co-op of African women, lampwork beads, bone rondelles, irregular Vintage bone-colored glass disks and a daring combination of brass, copper, and vermeil.

Silver, beads, copper, lampwork, vermeil, you name it I've got it! You don't have to pass up what you really want if you start your holiday shopping early this year. Just set aside some funds from each paycheck and buy a piece here and there between now and December and before you know it everybody on your list will be taken care of. You'd be surprised how well this works rather than rushing at the last minutes to buy everything in that one pay period. Then in December you can sit back and relax because it's all done!

How many of you have had to settle for gifts last year that were cheap and fast but weren't quite right for the people close to you because time got short and you were afraid that you couldn't get shipping before the holidays?

You didn't realize where your money went and where your time went and suddenly there was not enough of either. You were stressed and frantic, trying to finish up your last minute shopping and somehow what should have been an enjoyable experience became instead a dreaded nightmare you just wanted to be done with. Soon you were looking for any gift with your last few dollars and didn't care what it was.

I want your experience to be better this year, so I'll be posting some possible suggestions on this blog, and maybe this can be a win/win for us both. Hopefully I'll gain some repeat customers, and you will thoroughly enjoy your holiday shopping experience, and your friends and family will be thrilled with just how perfect and thoughtful your gifts are.

Opulent Mystery - 6 2/8-7 6/8 with extender.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=12207568

If you like big and bold bracelets this one will strike your fancy! It includes some very luminous lampwork beads, sterling chain, feathers and spacers, and the centerpiece is an impressive tumbled freeform nugget of Turquoise.

Caravan by Moonlight - 8"

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=12903155

Constructed using bead crochet, this bracelet uses an unusual AAA Lapis square with a hole in the middle as a focal and a toggle clasp. I always have fun making innovative features in my jewelry and this is another example of something functional but fun; one of those things that makes you go, "Hmmmm..."

Ripe for the Harvest

Scenic Jasper and Turquoise Necklace - $70.00
18" (45.72 cm) long, the strand itself consists of 31 round mixed tan-green agate beads (4mm),
Turquoise with a greenish tint, miscellaneous jaspers, 13 Unakite round 4mm beads, with a pair of silver wire guardians, sterling jump rings and a beautiful sterling silver toggle clasp. The clasp has an extra long bar for security and 3 extra jump rings, for play while closing (that puts less stress on the wire). Deep olive green seed beads between the stones on the main part (the jasper and turquoise), and two lovely Bali sterling silver beads

Steph Strain of BerrypatchDesigns based in Orlando Florida uses lots of Jaspers and other earthtone natural gemstone beads in her designs. Her style is very Southwestern, but with her own twist. The word that comes to mind for me is “Harvest”. Her pieces have a deep but warm glow about them, like the ripening of Indian corn, squash, and mulberries. I remember about this time of year in Baltimore as I was growing up, the mulberries would turn a rich, velvety shade of purple or plum. These colors while somewhat low-key always gave me a smoldering sense of excitement along with the briskness of the November air.

The necklace at the top exemplifies the richness of Steph's work at its best, flowing with transitioning shapes, colors, and textures that give the necklace a graceful but at the same time, commanding presence. This jewelry is for real women, not shrinking violets. There is a definite maturinty to it that you don't see in all jewelry, a substantialness that only a strong woman can carry off.

This bracelet is deep and powerful in its design but at the same time also conveys a sort of wry humor. Notice how well the colors in the goldstone and glass bicones go together, both the yellower hues and the darker browns.

Mouse Hunt Bronzite Bracelet - $17.00
Big, chinky bronzite beads; the largest oval is 20x12mm, the smallest pair is 14x10mm. Alternating with the oval bronzites are adorable mouse-shaped silver spacers, along with two brown-and-cream bicone glass accent beads. The silver toggle is tiger-striped with a cat face charm, for a touch of irony.

This next necklace with a variety of gemstones included is an eclectic piece in terms of the materials used, but it is consistant with her autumn motif color palette, reminding me alot of candycorn.

Yellow Aspen (N010018) - $35.00
Silver leaf agate leaves as drop pendants, on a yellow-gold Czech glass and semiprecious gemstone necklace. The stones include 10mm faceted carnelian, 3mm faceted crystals, banded agate round beads, 3x8mm tiger eye heishe and sterling silver Bali spacers.

Might I also mention that her work is very reasonably priced for the amount of stone you get in one of these one-of-a-kind pieces!

Fall is the right time for you to pick one of them; maybe more.

To keep an eye on new designs as they become available or to place a custom order, go to her several stores on Etsy:
http://BerryPatchDesigns.etsy.com
http://UnderCurrent.etsy.com
http://SilverShadow.etsy.com

To learn more about the artist and what she’s up to, read her blog:
http://strainsasylum.blogspot.com

Mineral Magnetism

Gina Egolf of ModaDesigns is a self-taught beaded jewelry artist. Her specialty is making bracelets and necklaces with magnets in them to reduce pain. A number of years ago she suffered a serious injury and finds that magnets greatly reduce her pain level while at shows.

She likes to use lots of rough nuggets, and most of her jewelry is big and bold. If you look at her online Etsy store you will see that she loves Ruby! She has pieces which include Ruby in a number of forms from Ruby in Zoisite to rough or polished Ruby beads.

Thes slabs are BIG!!! The bracelet below illustrates what the size is next to some labradorite rhondelles that look to be about 8-10mm.

Facetted Ruby Slab Bead - $40.00

4.6 grams. It's dimentions are 25.7x15.5x5mm.

These Ruby rhondelles are luscious like raspberries. Gina offers quantity discounts, so if I were you I'd grab the whole strand while they last!

Genuine Ruby Beads-$5/pair!

Size: 2-3mm faceted rondelles.

In addition to Etsy, Gina sells her work through a number of other online stores at

bluejay.com, iOffer.com, mintd.com, lovli.com, justbeads.com, and enchantedauctions.com, and she posts links on numerous forums throughout the web.

Quartz Crystal, Sterling and Healing Magnet Bracelet - $68.50 (custom order)

Four rough chunks of Crystal Quartz, 3 Bali baubles, and two large pearlescent magnets, all connected with Sterling Silver wire.

Huge Luscious Chunks of Black Tourmaline and Sterling Bali Baubles Bracelet - $70.00 ($90.00 value)

granulated sterling silver beads from Bali interspersed with HUGE, rough chunks of Black Tourmaline crystals and bench-made sterling silver beads

These lovely black crystals have a long vertical grain to them.

Living on the border between Canada and Washington State, she has easy access to resources in both countries.

To see or purchase these and other jewelry items, go to;

http://modadesigns.etsy.com

and read her blog (just getting started);
http://modadesigns.blogspot.com/

Offerings to the Gods

Dina Cuomo of Elektrajewelry has worked with stones for over 10 years and loves working with 18 or 24 Kt. gold vermeil because of her Greek heritage and her travels to that country which have made a strong impression upon her. She also works with sterling silver, and recently brought back some Murano glass beads from Greece over the summer. She will be making more of these designs available in the near future.

One of my favorites of hers is Multicolored Tourmaline Bracelet with colors ranging from a rootbeer brown to a yellow-green, bali sterling silver clasp, and nugget spacer beads with facets that reflect the light and mimic the faceting on the gemstones used.

Her Sunstone and Turquoise necklace similarly gives off a warm glow, but in this one, the Turquoise adds contrast between cool and warm, lending another layer of interest.

Purple Passion has big, smooth organic chunks of tumbled Amethyst, a bali focal bead, and lemon opalite. This piece reminds me of fruit juice with its rich, velvety colors.

Pictured at top is Dina’s Carnelian Candy necklace. I first thought the metal was vermeil but then read in the description that it uses brass chain. It has a very elegant design, and the Carnelian rectangles have such a glow from inside. Note the luxurious length!

Until recently, being a fulltime teacher and mother prevented her from pursuing this full-time, but Dina has now launched her business full-force. She currently lives in Goldens Bridge, New York. To see her whole collection go to her Etsy store at:
http://Elektrajewelry.etsy.com

and to learn more about the artist, read her blog at:
http://elektrajewelry.blogspot.com/