Driftwood ~ Meet Tourmaline

A whole new crop of driftwood specimens arrived at my doorstep last night compliments of my friend and partner-in-beaded-crime, Jennifer.  She recently and quite spontaneously decided that we needed more driftwood inspiration and hopped-a-plane for the Oregon coast...my hero!  Tourmaline is said to enhance understanding, increase self-confidence and amplify psychic energies...bring it on.  Who knew multi-colored tourmaline on driftwood would look so smashing?! The dragonfly was added as a custom touch for a client. 

Driftwood Gallery: Apatite ~ Stone of Acceptance

This faceted aqua colored gem perfectly brightens a sea-washed piece of driftwood.  They call apatite the "stone of acceptance".  Ok, no problem, I accept!  It's Friday and I chose to highlight my latest driftwood necklace creation with a pretty pink background.  Happy colors, happy day.  Cheers!

Driftwood Gallery: No. 3

There are endless possibilities with this medium.  I LOVE working with driftwood.  In this necklace, I liked the contrast of the turquoise with the darker wood.   It's a fairly simple design but I think it works.  This one measures 1.5" wide and a little over half an inch tall.  Let me know what you think!

Driftwood and Aquamarine

Hello Part II...in the Driftwood Gallery series that is!  This one was created to specification for my friend Cathy.  This time I used mineral oil to bring out the color and definition in the wood.  Then I wire wrapped faceted aquamarine to create a lengthwise tassel necklace.  I used a dark antiqued brown leather and gold wire and button for the adjustable clasp.  I truly love the one-of-a-kind-gallery-feel this piece has!  Email me at lisabead@gmail.com, if you'd like a quote on your own special piece.

The Jewelry Bird Copyright 2012

The Jewelry Bird Copyright 2012

The Jewelry Bird Copyright 2012

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