Throwback Thursday

This is 2009, my first Christmas craft fair in Vancouver! (I think it was the first one)
Do you even remember the long necklaces being in fashion? :)

Throwback Thursday

Christmas Art Fair, Vancouver, 2009

Something I made for myself

This piece got changed from the original idea, though not by much. Originally it was going to be a locket. The metal piece is handmade from brass. The stone is a pink topaz (dyed, of course, as there are no natural pink topazes). The chain is long. it is made of silver, copper and brass links.

New jewelry in my online shop

Cute dainty necklace with a natural pearl

Maple leaf pendant necklace

Fluorite flower earrings

Maple leaf donat necklace, sterling silver, 24k, pearls

Copper bracelet with a white bronze maple leaf charm

New jewelry in my online shop

I have not been adding anything new in my shop for a while. There are new arrivals there now! Fresh from the tumbler :)

Rainforest necklace with the deer, rainbow moonstones, labradorite and freshwater pearls

Wide silver band with a cluster of freshwater pearls

Big maple leaf silver necklace with Swarovski crystals

Canadian maple leaf that reminds me of Russia

 

 

I have stayed in Russia for a few month with my mother a few years ago (those months will always be in my heart). My life was quiet and rather lazy, I should admit. I really did not have much to do. Lots of time to think of jewellery and come up with some new designs. Lots of sketching and drawing... Visiting my old University friend, who stayed at home with her new baby at that time... This maple leaf design was her idea. I liked it... and created it when I went back to Canada (did not have any tools in Russia). This maple leaf will always remind me of Russia, my happy months I spent there with my mom and my friend Lena.

 

The leaf is not OOAK, I made a mould and can cast it. So, I do not mind selling as many as there are people there who would like to have it :) In fact, this one is for sale at my etsy shop right now :)

 



Sentimental value of my creations

Some time ago I wondered if I would ever make jewellery with sentimental value... a story behind it... Now I can tell a story about almost any piece of jewellery that I make. These earrings, for example, have those little faceted green chalcedony beads. I am looking at them and recalling the day I bought them in Russia... They told me it was apatite :) I did not believe them and estimated the price for the enhanced chalcedony. The price was right, the colour was gorgeous... I bought them :)

 

The crystal glass in the picture has a sentimental value too. I remember how we bought them with my mother. Many years after I brought them to Canada with me in a purse... all six of them... I was very careful :)

 

The glass does not come with the earrings, by the way :)

Boho necklace

This necklace is made of copper, brass and natural stones. The gem stone beads in the pendant are black onyx, peridot, iolite, labradorite and a big bead of Botswana agate. There are many other stones in the chain. The chain is bigger than you can see in the picture.

 

I would like to say that this necklace is for sale in my etsy shop, but I have not figured out how to make a good picture of the whole necklace yet. It is so long! :)

Humble vintage Russian bottle keeps its mystery well :)

Before I've returned to etsy as a seller, I had researched some ideas on taking well staged pictures.  In one of my previous posts I have already mentioned my vintage book that makes a good background for the pictures. Today I would like to tell a story of this Russian wooden bottle.

 

It is at least as old as I am... that makes it vintage... (does it make me "vintage" too? :) I remember it as long as I remember myself, and it already looked like that - old. So, it must be older then...

 

This humble bottle was used by me... I was keeping my little treasures... one of them was Canadian one cent coin. We had no idea where it had come from! There was no Canadian currency available in the Soviet Union... but I had that coin... it is still a mystery. Now this humble vintage bottle is a great background for Canadian maple leaves :) This bottle has a mind of its own, that's all I can say!

Autumn necklace

This Fall necklace was not made "yesterday". As it happens sometimes, its time just has not come until now. The smaller leaf has a color of a vintage book as well as dry leaves lost by the trees in autumn. The metal of it is nothing special, though rear. It is so called white bronze with patina.

 

This piece is one of a kind because of this. Another one can be done with gold, or brass, with or without patina, but no white bronze again and no "vintage book" patina :) 

 

This wonderful necklace is still for sale in my etsy shop. If you are interested in something unique, it might be just for you! Click here to see more pictures or purchase it.

Canadian labradorite necklace

 

This is Canadian labradorite necklace. The gemstone is set in sterling silver and hangs on the leather cords.

Most of the commercial labradorite stones are mined in Madagascar. Canadian labradorite is a very rear stone to see in jewelry. Most of it is very cracked and impossible to use. That is usually the case. The stone in this necklace is not perfectly perfect, but it is descent quality and has a very nice blue flash. The stone has been custom cut by a local (Canadian) lapidary artist.
This artisan necklace is a unique conversation piece.

The size of the pendant is 3,5cm * 2,5cm (1 3/8" * 1"). Pendant comes with a leather cord and silver clasp. The length of the necklace is 16''.

The necklace is for sale at my etsy shop.

Fall necklace

This new necklace is not a newly made piece. This happens to jewellery sometimes... when it is made and put away in a box and... well forgotten. Why? Nobody knows... just happens. It was wrong time to try and sell it, perhaps... Now it is taken from its plastic bag and photographed to find its display in my etsy shop. Autumn is coming and this pendant is a reflection of my fall mood...

 

The Fall Necklace is for sale here

My little squirrels

I took my jewellery from CCBC gallery on Granville Island and started putting it out into my etsy shop.
This squirrel necklace is one of the pieces from the gallery:

The stones (citrine and garnet) make this necklace one of a kind. I always try to make changes in my cast pieces so they can still be unique. I have another necklace with this pattern... This one:

It is also unique and one of a kind. The background is a handmade copper piece. Both pictures are from my etsy shop. Both pieces are available for sale. The first one is here, the second is here.

Fashion bracelet for a mother of a young baby

This bracelet is made of silver, copper and an assortment of gem and a few glass and wooden beads. The choice of beads was influenced by their shapes. I have a young baby and  wanted to offer him very small objects for touching.Though I did not want him to be able to put them into his mouth... So, the decision to make a bracelet like this has come easily. I wear the bracelet and he can touch all the different beads with his little fingers! We both are very happy with each other :)

Last piece of jewellery before moving!

Well... less than 2 weeks are left before moving. I managed to find time for just one more ring :) I love how it looks on my hand, but... the pearl is not permanently attached, so the size can be changed. My etsy store is on vacation for the moving, but as soon as it is back, the ring will be available for purchase. Current size is 5,5. Price: $135.00

Bear and its cub pendant

This sterling silver pendant with my signature ornament inspired by the folk Russian ornaments. This pendant tells a story... It is a bear with a cub from the ornament on a Russian carved wooden box. I placed these bears in my own imaginary forest. This forest is in Canada... Definitely, Canada :) The green heart of BC Jade (jade mined in British Columbia) indicates that :) This is also a night forest. Tiny black with a star diopside shows that. I could not catch the star on the stone, but it is there (if you get the pendant you will easily see it)
The pendant is slightly concaved.

The size of the pendant is 4,5cm * 4cm (1 3/4" * 1 1/2").

 

To see more pictures or buy it click here.

Silver pendant with white topaz

Some jewellery pieces were born only because I needed to make a sample in a class that I was teaching. Just like this necklace. I was teaching Advanced Stone Setting class and had a demo on making a basket setting for a faceted stone there.

This white topaz on the silver pendant looks like a sparkle of light. When you wear this necklace, you might not notice a stone right away, but you will notice an extremely sparkling pendant. What an interesting effect!

Deer necklace

This is one of my favourite ornaments for jewellery.

The picture of the deers themselves were found in a 50 y.o. Russian book for housekeeping in woodworking section (as a pattern for a scroll sawed jewellery box). Trying to bring together my love for the Russian ornaments and the nature of beautiful British Columbia, I designed the ornament around the deers. If you look carefully, you will see tiny maple leaves there!

The original ornamental plate was hand-made in metal (by me, of course). I do cast them now. However, all the necklaces are very different. For example, this one was a custom order from a friend of mine. Another one was inspired by the Art Nouveau style. Do not let me forget this bracelet!

There is one more... It was hand-made (again) in silver for a contest.

Modern organic shape of this necklace is enhanced by the copper background piece. It gives the colour to it without involving any gemstones, that I consider an advantage, as the piece becomes suitable for wearing with any outfit. No need for waiting for a special occasion. Leather cords with just a few sterling silver beads on them only help the same purpose. The clasp is sterling silver also.

The necklace is going to be available at my Etsy store.

Old work, new picture :)

The central piece and the toggle is made of silver (the gold leaves are gold-plated with a keum-boo technique). This necklace is made of Japanese gold- and platinum-plated beads. The only reason for making it was I had extra beads from this project. (Souds like a good reason to me :)

Kynite Maple Forest pendant

This is one of my favourite styles to work in. I've made a free-form pendant with a gorgeous kynite before... It was my favourite piece at that time. I gave it to a jewellery gallery on consignment to "decorate my display". Of course, it was gone soon after :) I had to make another one in the same style and with a kynite... Though it is the same ornament, a similar stone and it is made by the same person again (me, of course), it does not look the same at all. That is a good thing, I think.

This pendant is available in my etsy shop online. To buy it or see more pictures click here >>>