Etsy Finds. Paintings on the stones

I would like to introduce you to an art that is getting very popular in Russia right now. I see more and more talented artist starting doing the paintings on the stones for the jewellery. It is not something too new, but relatively new in Internet.

 

The author of this work is Elena Mitrofanova, who is... to think about it... the first artist I've met in an international online market.

 

This kind of work is usually in a high demand in Russia. I can only wish Elena good luck on Etsy too!

Queen of the Night

The collar for this necklace has been in my possession for a long time... I really could not decide what to do with it! I am still not sure if this design was the best I could do for it. For my luck the crystals (Swarovski crystals) had just perfect size to fit into the open spaces of the squares.

The collar is made by Irina Astratenko, the tatting and ANKARS artist. When she showed the collar to me, I knew it could be a base for something absolutely fabulous. Now I just needed to make it happen. I felt a great deal of responsibility!  

The first idea was to get Russian synthetic diamonds. It would be a lot more work to set the stones in silver. The necklace could become even more fantastic than right now, but... it would be against my idea to make something affordable, something that would be good for a fancy and fun night out, and not just fancy one.

The big Swarovski is set into a black Japanese glass seed beads bezel with more Swarovski crystals around it. The seed beads allowed me to transfer the lacy look from the collar onto the big drop and "marry" them together.

The black Swarovski crystal on the back is set into sterling silver. It can be white (if a buyer wishes so), but I personally felt that it needed to be black.

The necklace is available at the Just Jewellery gallery at the moment.

Do you believe in fairy-tales? You should... They still happen!

A wonderful story has just happened yesterday... So wonderful, that I have to share.

If you are an artist you know... if you are not an artist you might not know... that even if you make beautiful things that many people like... you still need lots of promotion in order to reach your customers. Some people are very good at promoting just about anything, though not everybody... Then it is wonderful to see when their friends artists help in promotion.

Irina Astratenko, who is my co-artist in making the lace necklaces like this one, just got a surprise personal exhibition in Moscow (Russia) by a friend of hers, who was her first ANKARS teacher many years ago. Rina Stepnaya got hold of her best work and organised Irina's exhibition herself without Irina knowing about it! (She wrote about the exhibition in her own blog, there are more pictures there too. The blog is in Russian).

I am very happy for Irina. Her work deserves such an amazing surprise!

My opinion of Rina has been very high before, but now it goes just above and beyond. I am even happier now that I have something in my possession, that Rina has made just for me... (I see, I called her a "fairy" in my post... I had no idea how close I was to the truth! :)

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! :)

Co-operation with other artists

There are many pieces of jewellery that I've made in co-operation with other artists. I did not even think about it until today... Jewellery making is not just work for me, it is my biggest hobby. I enjoy the process of making jewellery and I enjoy coming up with the designs. I also enjoy making something, that has not been designed... when you just start making something and see what comes out. It is a game that... thinking about it... I have managed to involve other artists into :)  I think, they loved that game too :) otherwise they would not have played with me :)

 

The biggest co-designing game was the "Virgin" project, of course.

 

I've written about it in my blog already, here. That was a nine-artist project for a wearable art contest. We had a sketch of what result approximately we should get, but that's about it.

 

There were also parts for the jewellery that I was ordering and buying from other artists. Sometimes I had a project in mind, sometimes I had no exact idea. For example, I asked Bruce McLellan for a custom cut  Canadian labradorite. Only after I'd gotten it I started designing a pendant for it:

 

I have a post about this necklace here in my blog.

I also did not have designs for the necklaces, when I ordered the black lace collars from Irina Astratenko. I made a few of them. The first necklaces ended up on the catwalk!

I myself was in the same position with other artists as Irina was with me. I sent my unique metal findings to my friends. They did not know what I was sending them, so they designed jewellery after they've gotten them! This is one of those projects:

 

Irina Belinskaya is the author and the maker of this necklace. The post about it is here.

I created a new label co-operation with other artists. By clicking it you will see our other projects. Of course, there are more projects coming!

 

 

 

Vologda lace

When I came across this etsy store, I knew, that I had to save and share it. It is something that pretty much everybody in Russia knows about, but probably not outside of Russia.

 

This is what the owners say about the lace art: "Vologda lace is a kind of Russian lace tatted with bobbins. Continuous smooth line, which never crosses and forms a pattern of Vologda lace, is a woven braid ('vilushka') over a thin openwork grid. Vologda bobbin lace tatting dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries, but the craft itself was developed in the 1st quarter of the 19th century and became the most famous one."

 

Expensive? Yes, it is... as any art that is labour intensive... it takes so long to do something like this, that not many people are interested in investing their time into it. If you would like to have something really unique and you also have money for it... that just might be something for you. Museum quality work!

Princess of the Night

This is a handmade necklace. The lace is hand tatted by Irina Astratenko. I made its copper extended toggle clasp (sorry no picture, but it is similar to this one). I also made the beaded bezel for the red Swarovski drop. I usually use a tektite and make a silver bezel for it, but I've run out of tektites. I like the result, though :)

Well, you might ask why it is a "princess"... That is because, there is also a "queen" :)  that I will show some other time :)

UPD. This necklace is available at the Just Jewellery gallery.

Roses for your wedding

The longer my virtual wish list is growing, the more I like it :) Here I can keep the things that I do not have a reason to buy no matter how much I would like to possess them. Just like window shopping! :)

For example, I do not need any wedding hair decoration... but I have found some I love and wish I had when I was getting married. Awesome hair pins and headbands! Do not mind sharing! :)  (I probably would not, if I was buying them!)

 

They are made of polymer clay, air dry clay and silk. I am a boring girl :) I love roses and I love when they look realistic :) Anna's roses do, so I love them! I asked her if she has made them for her own wedding the first time. Has it started then? No, it has not. She has been making them for the last 2,5 years only.

 

This ring has 40 roses! They are tiny! Did she make them under a microscope? I asked her, and she replied: "No". I guess, some people are talented enough to do such dainty job without a microscope! :) 

 

 

Well, I am not getting married any time soon (I think my husband would object that ;) So, here is that link if you are: Gentle Decisions. (I will be happy if it helps you to find something unique for your wedding!)

 

 

Beakhter, Swarovski beaded necklace

I am torn apart... :) I just do not know if this necklace needs to go into the "art project" section or into my "wish list".  Do I "wish" to have it? Oh, yes! Not going to happen :) The necklace is not for sale or even replica...  If you were reading my blog, you might even guess who the author was :) Irina Belinskaya made one more necklace with a metal finding that I had sent her. The central metal element is similar to the one in Irina's other necklace.

Every time I see this necklace... I want to grub a cup of coffee and a (big) bar of chocolate... sit in a comfortable arm-chair... and enjoy every little detail.

Thank you, Irina, for this eye candy!

 Irina wrote her own story of creating this necklace (in Russian)

Best Friend - DIY

The idea of DIY - Do It Yourself - is taking over the internet. There are lots of cute things you can make yourself.. Fewer things will be not only cute, but also can look like a piece of art. That can happen only if an artist is able to provide a very detailed instruction.

I could not pass by those blue eyes... I have exactly such eyes at home :) and have to restrict myself from dropping everything and making this bracelet!

To be fair I should mention that the author of this bracelet instruction is Irina Shevchenko. There are other instructions in her etsy store as well as the beaded jewellery. Check them out, they are worth it!