Assemblage Jewelry in Dreamy Sapphire Blues

Really loving the assemblage jewelry pieces in the shop that would transcend well from the workday to a holiday party or a special date. This blue really pops and would be great if you are like me and wear a lot of pretty basic colors and styles to stretch your wardrobe.

sapphire and cobalt blue necklace

The antique cobalt blue colored rhinestone is fairly noticeable, about the size of a quarter...and it's paired with vintage french pressed glass givre rosary beads in a monochromatic look.

blue french rhinestones and flourishes of gold

I do enjoy using vintage and antique props...the above photo was shot with my good 'ol canon point and shoot using very old little peach lusterware tea pot and a tiny creamer that depicts birds and flowers. I am noticing more and more on Etsy that most of the items that get noticed and included in the front page collections are ones that use a white background. To me, it just doesn't look right and its not especially creative or fun, so I'm sticking to using the old props for now.

sapphire collet using vintage rhinestones

This sapphire collet was shot using an old ledger paper and some dried peonies from KW's spring garden. My favorite window for light is the bedroom window at about 10ish, so i have a little photoshoot area set up there. I makes it easier to shoot the jewelry if everything is right there on hand. I have my props in a basket and a stool and my favorite antique mannequin right by the window. I try to get new jewelry made the night before, shoot it the net morning, then edit and post.

sapphire assemblage earrings with vintage pressed glass cabochons

These earrings are made with gorgeous vintage pressed glass cabochons that look like you could just eat them... lots of light through the vintage crystals on the bottom. The shabby silver beadcaps and rondelles are from an antique necklace that came apart. This photo was made using a letter written to my great-grandfather, Harriman Simmons. He was a business man who at one time, had his own tea company in New York, partnered with a man with the last name of Bleeker.
Some of us in the family collect the "Bleeker & Simmons" tea tins that are still out there floating around the country.
These earrings are a one of a kind pair. My favorite thing to make. A one of a kind piece is a bit like making art that cannot be replicated. I like that. a lot.

A Heartfelt Thank You

I was going to begin this with a story about the adversity I faced going into this new wholesale jewelry partnership with the wonderful company Creative Co-op... I was going to go into more detail about the things going on in my life that made this dream of mine almost become just a memory...I almost completely gave up on it...perhaps I'll talk about it another day.
Today I want to thank you for helping to make my dream a reality...for fostering my hopes and urging me onward...telling me that my journey was  worthwhile. Calming the demons that haunted me and told me that what I was doing was never going to be worth it all...the hours at my desk, working until my head drooped from exhaustion. I put myself "out there" here, on this blog, on facebook, and in my shop. And what I got back was positive energy, uplifting comments about how lovely my work was, and even glorious photos of you wearing the work of my heart.

You have made me feel so blessed that my hearts work has been there during your most special moments...soaking in the spirit of the extraordinary person that you are.

     My prayer is that somehow I have touched your life. Even in the tiniest way...made you feel as special as you are, by adding something that connects us somehow. Because each thing I create is a prayer...a message of love and hope.
That is what you gave me. That is what I want to give to you.
I didn't give up...against all odds...against the deadlines and the illness and the life altering things. I kept on believing in my dream and my prayer, which was always something like this~

Dear God, bless the wearer of this work of my hands and of my heart...beauty that can only come from you, the source of all beauty. God, may I someday be able to bless others lives far beyond making something pretty for them to wear. Far beyond the confines of this desk and this body. I want my work to be meaningful, so that someday it will make the world a better place in the making of it. Amen

my table for making vintage jeweled collets

My focus was never really on me. It was on you. Not on my wallet, but on the world. Not on the physical but spiritual, and how I could make this gift of mine something that would become eternal. I didn't know how I was going to do that making jewelry. I just knew that something propelled me forward. I dug deep and found the strength to keep going against everything that was thrown into my path.
I want the same for you. I want my journey to give you hope and belief in your dreams. If you follow spirit; follow hope,  your life will become enriched and so will the lives of those around you because of it.
If you don't shine your light, you cannot lead others out of their darkness. So I decided to shine as bright as I could one small step at a time.

This new partnership with an amazing company, Creative Co-op, means more to me than a paycheck. Anything make will be a blessing to this family, but more importantly to others out in the world that are less fortunate. That is all I ever prayed for. My husband and I would lay in bed together at night and dream about Opening soup kitchens, and building wells in Africa, and free art classes and after school activities for local teens.
Creative Co-op did a beautiful job re-creating the work of my heart...beautiful collets and bracelets and earrings that made me breathless to see them in print~

 

I never would have guessed that prayer would lead me here. I just kept believing. I kept praying for guidance.

I don't mean to sound hokey, but please, keep your dreams alive. Nourish them every day. However you can. One small step at a time.Whatever they are. Keep moving. Keep swimming. Keep hoping.

I cannot wait to tell you where this takes us.