Driftwood Gallery Series

A lovely person off the northern coast of England collects beautiful pieces of driftwood and when I saw them on her Etsy.com site I knew they would be the perfect inspiration for some totally one-of-a-kind and special jewelry.  My friend, Jennifer, and I thought we'd be making mostly bracelets out of this lot of pretty driftwood but as it turns out each piece has revealed a unique destiny, many as necklaces.  This piece is only a small sampling of the creativity that came out of working with this natural medium.  In this one, I re-purposed a thrift-store-gold-necklace-find and added turquoise and gold wire to complete the finished look.  I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like this and that makes me very happy. 

The Jewelry Bird Copyright 2012

Gronstedt Design

There is a very talented jewelry artist named Anita Gronstedt from Sweden who makes the most amazing leather bracelet cuffs.  My friend Jennifer discovered her in Boulder at an art festival.  She saved her pennies for two months to purchase the bracelet below.  These pieces are traditional to northern Sweden in an area near the arctic circle known as the Lapland.  These Lapland bracelets are hand stitched out of reindeer leather and are of the highest quality and workmanship.  I had to write about her because her work is so special and unique and she does all of her work right out of Boulder, CO.  The bracelet below features an antler centerpiece.  Just stunning!  Many of her pieces are featured and sold on her website at http://gronstedtdesign.com.  She also custom makes these, so they are a perfect fit to any wrist size, hallelujah! 

Turquoise Wrap Bracelet

Well, I said I may never do another ladder, Chan-Luu style bracelet again but these pretty turquoise beads lured me into another project.  It took the better part of two weeks to finish, working on it here and there, approximately 4 hours total.  I am realizing that after being a Coloradan for nearly 15 years now, it is high time I grow some southwestern roots...and style.  These last two pieces are a tribute to my deepening appreciation for southwestern style.  Now if I could just manifest the perfect pair of cowboy boots...see my "dream boots" on Pinterest!  (By the way, Pinterest.com is great fun...I highly recommend it!)

The Jewelry Bird Copyright 2012

The Jewelry Bird Copyright 2012

Chrysoprase Statement Necklace

I finally did it...I broke the cycle of bracelet creation!  These beautiful chrysoprase beads were begging to become one big and beautiful necklace.  I am in love with these stones.  The deep greenish-aqua hues mixed with the earthy browns are really special.  Visually they are stunning but even more, the very feel of them is intoxicating.  It is said that chrysoprase is a stone of love, abundance, prosperity and healing, no wonder I feel like a million bucks parading around in it!  I put it on an extender so I could wear it shorter or longer.  I mixed in some lovely turquoise beads as spacers and added a rich brown leather cord to finish it off.  This is such a special piece...I am very excited to share it!  :)

The Jewelry Bird Copyright 2012