Bright sun brings urge for bright colours

I´ve been creating tiny intricate stuff for some time now. But the bright sun, inspired me to make some plain colourful pieces for my Suzy Q Trinkets shop.

Normally I don´t like to just string my jewelry. Bores the /&%¤ out of me. But these I actually enjoyed making.

Sometimes I get an image in my head and can´t get rid of it until I create what I see. And it was just like that with this simple design.

I saw a plain row of smooth beads only interrupted by one single silver bead.

Eventually I had made 5 desings out of that idea. All different, but with the single "interruption" in common.

I´m lucky to have two shops, one with intricate designs with only precious materials and one with more simple designs, sometimes made of vintage plastic beads.

See more pictures in my shop: www.suzyqtrinkets.etsy.com

Emerald Isle necklace

This months Team Wire Artisans Guild challenge "Emerald Isle" and my longing for spring really came together in this necklace. The image I got in my head when thinking of "Emerald Isle" was green meadows full of spring flowers.

I tried to work on a celtic inspired idea, but the meadow image kept popping up in my head. So here it is...

The original idea was to make a pearl chain. I have a strand of really beautiful spring green freshwater pearls. But somehow I felt this flat diamond cable chain suited the necklace better. Perhaps I will let the customer choose.

Material:
925 sterling silver and 999 fine silver chain, wire and findings. Peridot briolettes and a round smooth citrin bead. Oxidized and tumbled
Size: Chain measures 16". Pendant 1"x1.2"/2,5x3cm

See more pictures at www.suzyqjewelry.etsy.com

WHITE LILY - more innocent white jewelry

Today I´ve been struggling with making my tiniest earrings with this technique ever. Just be happy the ugly words I used while doing it are´nt wrapped into the design.

First I had the intention to make the swirls a bit differently. But I couldn´t manage to get the wires to fit into these tiny drop shapes. So I used a very familiar design in the end.

I´m pleased though. They look so fabulous on and I´m proud to have achived this even though they are so small. The drop are no more than 0.66"!

I named them White Lily due to their innocent appearance. Actually my name, Susanna, is hebrew for white lily. At least I´ve been told so... :)

Material:
925 sterling silver and 999 fine silver wire and findings. Oxidized and tumbled to a nice shine. Freshwater pearls and rock crystal rondelles.

Size:
1.77"/4,5cm including earwires. The focal part is less than 1"!

Dreaming of summer meadows

I´ve added a new necklace to my Etsy shop. This necklace really is an expression of my dreams of summer and spring.

Last night it fell another 4" of snow so the winter keeps holding a tight grip of Sweden. My kids love it though. The snow castles they´ve built in the garden are amazing. But yet, my cat and I agree upon one thing - it´s enough now. Let the spring arrive!

Well, back to the necklace, I´ve tried to wove all that longing for warmer days into this pendant.

It´s a medallion like pendant with a beautiful butterfly, surrounded by a swirly pattern set with spring colours. The pendant is very light weighted though it gives a dense expression. It looks gorgeous togheter with anything purple. And I guess a plain white shirt will go nice with it too.

I had many thoughts of adding more tiny pearls and beads to the chain, but I decided to keep it plain, not to loose the medallion feeling.

Do you agree with me on that decision?

Material:925 sterling silver, oxidized and tumbled to a nice shine. 925 sterling silver butterfly charm from Bali. Pink amethyst, peridot and white freshwater pearls.

Size:Pendant 1.2"/3cm, 1.6"/4cm including the bail. Chain is 16"/40cm

Côte d'Azur earrings

Quote from Wikipedia about Côte d'Azur:

"The Côte d'Azur is one of the first resort areas in the world. It began as a health resort for ailing British tourists at the end of the 18th century.
With the arrival of the railroad in the mid-19th century, it became the playground and vacation spot of British, Russian, and other aristocrats, such as Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, when he was Prince of Wales."

Imagine all the beautiful clothes and jewelry women brought with them to wear at their walks at the beaches during those eras!! And the French Riviera have continued to attract the rich and beautiful. Just look at the Cannes Festival. A parade of beautiful clothes and jewelry.

With this pair of earrings I tried to make something small and dense - like some 19th century earrings. And the dangling part are no more than 1".

I can easily imagine a beautiful woman wearing these, sun tanned, with bare shoulders sipping a colorful drink. Perhaps a

Material:
925 sterling silver and 999 fine silver wire and findings. Oxidized, handpolished and tumbled. Beautiful sea blue apatite and fresh green peridot.

Size:
1.57"/4cm including ball post, the dangling part is 1"/2,5cm high and 0.70"/1,8cm wide

Visit my shop for more pictures: www.suzyqjewelry.etsy.com

Lady Una - bangle

This is a bangle made for The Wire Artisans Guild challenge Stardust and our great re-opening of our Etsy team store on Valentines day.

The movie Stardust begins and ends with the beautiful Lady Una living in the magical world of Fairie. Lady Una is kept as a slave for Madame Semele. She gives birth to the main character, Tristan, but has to leave him to his father who lives in "the real world". Lady Una is very much a charachter in the background, but the end of the movie reveals her well kept secret.

The colours of Lady Unas teal dress and the yellow/red carriage of Madame Semele (Ditchwater Sal) inspired me to make this bangle.
I loved the movie. It was so full of both beautiful scenes and humour and of course all the elements to make it a wonderful feel good story. Don´t miss Robert de Niro playing the tough captain with a little secret hidden in the closet....

The bangle and focal, together form a clasp. One of the images show to open and close the bangle. The trick is to angle the focal. I managed to do it myself with one hand...But you can always ask someone else to help you with this...

Material:925 sterling silver and 999 fine silver wire and findings. Alex topaz briolettes (heat treated), ruby leaves and rondelles, citrine briolette and smooth rondelles and white cultured white fresh water pearls. Oxidized and tumbled to a nice shine.
Size:The bangle fits an arm between 6"-7"/15-17cm. It moves around a bit on a smaller arm.

Be sure to visit the grand re-opening of The Wire Artisan Guild Etsy team store on Valentines day: http://www.wireartisansguild.etsy.com/

Source of my style PART II

I recently wrote about my great grandmothers necklace as a source for my love of intricate designs. But something of equal importance to the origin of my style, as the necklace, is my period as a guard and guide at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. This was something I did while studying for a masters degree in Art.

The palace in Stockholm was built in the 18th century and is fully furnished with a lot of treasures from that time. Everything from the decorations in the ceilings to details on doors is so delicate. I also worked at the Royal Armoury where all armours and clothes from past monarchs are kept. The museum displays the most beautiful gold-embroidered wedding clothes and coronation pieces. They even have a stuffed horse, Streiff, which belonged to the king Gustav II Adolf who was murdered at the battle in Lützen 1632!

One exhibition at the Royal Armoury have etched itself into my memory more than any other. It was the exhibit of jewelry from the court jeweller WA Bohlin, a colleague to the more famous Fabergé in Russia. WA Bohlin choose to escape Russia to Stockholm when the revolution started 1917. In Stockholm the firm soon became court jeweller and are so still today.

The jewelry exhibition showed masterpieces dated back to the 19th century. As a guard I had plenty of time to enjoy and study all the jewelry. I was totally enchanted buy the precious gems, shapes and the intricacy of the designs. I still have the exhibition catalogue and now as a jewelry designer myself (playing in a totally different league though) I look at all the beauty even more impressed.
If you ever visit Stockholm you must see the Royal Palace and the Armoury!

FIRST LOVE - romantic necklace

This necklace is made for the monthly Wire Artisans challenge, and the theme for the month is Affair Of The Hearts. My jewelry are normally very romantic, but this time I went all the way and made a VERY romantic piece. It´s all about that wonderful first love we experience where the world are seen through pink glasses and will never be the same. It´s like someone found a key to our most inner chambers.

Originally, as you see on the sketch, I had the idea that I would tie a velvet bow onto the bail. I tried but never managed to tie a nice bow. Think I got to find ready made tiny bows for next project.

You can also see from the sketch that I´ve changed some details. The scrolls are a bit different. These are things that I´m aware of will change when I sketch. It´s hard to grasp how large the finished piece will be – and how many and big details will fit.

What I managed to achieve is a necklace with a “locket feeling”. Almost like a heirloom piece. The oxidized greyness adds patina and looks great with the pink tones. I´m also very pleased with the twisted wire I´ve made by myself. It wasn´t as hard as I thought at first.. JMaterial:925 sterling silver and 985 Karen hill tribe silver details. Natural pink cultured freshwater pearls, pink tourmalines, rhodolite garnet and tiny peridot beads.Size:Pendant 2"/5cm, chain 16"/40cm

You can see more pictures in my shop: http://www.suzyqjewelry.etsy.com/

I´ve also started to take pics in a new way. With details of nice fashion adds as background I´m trying to add the feeling I think suits the piece. Not quite sure yet what I think of the result. So I´m trying not to use these pics to much.

What do you think?

Crema di Mascarpone - tasty earrings

These earrings are made for The Wire Artisan Teams monthly challenge (www.thewireartisansguild.blogspot.com). And the theme of the month is Tasty.

I just love ice cream - it´s one of my addictions. And an ice cream sold in Sweden is called Crema di Mascarpone. It´s nothing like the Italian original I suspect - but I love the taste. It´s ice cream with mascarpone cheese, raspberry and pistagio nuts. SO TASTY!I covered these earrings in the colours of Crema di Mascarpone.

Material:925 sterling silver wire and findings (oxidized and tumbled for a nice shine). Pink topaz, green amethyst (prasiolite), tourmaline and white fresh water pearls.Size:5,5cm/2.15" including leverbacks

This is the first time I used 30g wire - only 0.25mm thick. It was very smooth and easy to work with. And I love the result - so even. I will definitely convert to 30g and wave good bye to 28g. But I did notice that some of the tiny tourmaline rondelles had 0.25mm holes. Imagine that drill!!!

THUMBELINA - long eye catching earrings

Today I finished a pair of long sexy and sparkly earrings for my FAIRY TALES collection.They are named after Thumbelina the tiny character in Hans Christian Andersens story about the lady who wished for a child and got a tiny little girl no longer than a thumb. The lady was ever so happy for her little girl. But one night a large toad takes Thumbelina with him as a wife for his son. After that she´s lost and meets with all kinds of unpleasant creatures that wants to marry her. But a swallow, Thumbelina has nursed, rescues her and takes her to a whole little kingdom of tiny people in her size. Of course she meets Mr. Charming and marries him.

When I new I wanted to make something for this story I first thought of red petals and tiny things, but all my sketches felt too cute. But what if she had lived today; young, beautiful and famous. She would surly turn up in gossip magazines, with shots walking the red carpet somewhere. Wearing something bright coloured, shoulderless and sexy. So here are the earrings to go with that dress!These earrings truly make a statemen! The large grape amethysts touches the collar bones and enhances your neckline. The dark red rubies and garnets make a beautiful contrast to the shiny golden tones.

Thumbelina is ready to receive an Oscar! JMaterial:14k goldfilled, 24k vermeil. Earposts are made of 14k gold filled. Grape amethysts, rubies, garnet and tiny rhodolite garnet.Size:4"/10cm long, including earposts

Custom order - cuff

When I started with wire wrapping I used to make this kind of cuffs. I had learned from tutorials by Eni Oken: http://www.enijewelry.com/ . It was fun but very time consuming. So for more than a year now I haven´t been making these.

But now I have a custom order for a cuff with rhodocrosite and garnet. And I´m exited! And the order is of the kind when you work close with the customer to decide which material will be used. I love that!

Nightingale earrings

NIGHTINGALE earrings is part of my new collection FAIRY TALES, with intricate and colorful jewelry inspired by characters in stories from all over the world.
Material:925 sterling silver wire and findings. Golden citrine briolettes, tundru sapphire rondelles. Oxidized and tumble to a beautiful shine.Size:1.5"/4cm including ball post
NIGHTINGALE is a story by Danish HC Andersen about the chinese emperor that caged a nightingale to enjoy it´s singing. The tale is said to be inspired by Andersen’s crush on the singer Jenny Lind (see image to the right), who was about to become famous throughout Europe and the United States as the Swedish Nightingale.
Jenny Lind was known in America and Europe in the 1800s, for her beautiful voice and natural singing style. She made her American debut at the Castle Garden Theatre in New York City on September 11, 1850.