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!

Dresses I would love to make jewelry for

My favorite type of custom orders are when a customer wants something made for a special gown or dress. Nothing triggers my creative engine like that kind of request. I love to come up with designs that fits how the dress is cut, the textures and the colours. Just like I did for sweet Erin who had the most beautiful vintage 50´s gown for her wedding.

Erins dress is all cream coloured and wrapped up in lace and finished with a chocolate brown ribbon. I´m very happy with the earrings I made for this dress. It´s a swirly designs that captures the expression of the lace and the texture of the fabric. And the smokey quartz, brown and cream coloured freshwater pearls I put on the earrings match the colour of the dress nicely. Do I have to say the photos from Erins wedding was like a dream! She was so beautiful!
Here are some dresses I would love to make jewelry to go with. First is a dress by Anna Sui with (again) a beautiful lace pattern. I think I would choose tiny spinel rondelles for this one contrasted with one single bright coloured stone. Earring would be best for this dress. With a dramatic design.

Anna Sui also designed this psychedelic paisley patterned dress with vibrant colours. For this one I would love to make a cuff with fuchsia and tangerine colours sprinkled with details in 14k gold filled.

Finally I would feel blessed if I could make something for this 1940´s vintage dress. Or actually it feels like I´ve already made it! Don´t you think the FIRST LOVE necklace would look lovely with this dress? If you feel really romantic?

Vintage Textile sells this beautiful dress.

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!!!

Fabric + jewelry = TRUE LOVE!

Right now I´ve got a thing for jewelry with textiles, lace and embroidery-like solutions. And suddenly I see it everywhere. A trend perhaps?

I´ve tried to figure out what it is that I like about the usage of fabric in jewelry. And it must be the textures and the contrast between hard and soft, if the jewelry also are made of metal. Fabric and metal makes a great clash between cold and warm. Since I´m a swirly girl, the usage of scrolls, vines and flower embellishments could also play a part…

My favourite jewelry designers using fabric are Tinctory ( http://www.tinctory.etsy.com/) and Edera Jewelry (http://www.ederajewelry.etsy.com/).

Tinctory stands for a more strict, modern look. I just love her choice of colours – always great against the base which is oxidized silver. Edera jewelry are more like traditional brocade, full of intricate patterns. I always dream of wearing her jewelry with Versailles or some other “little house” as a fond…

Two designers that recently started to experiment with fabric in their jewelry are Eclettica, (http://www.eclettica.etsy.com/ )and Meristem (http://www.meristem.etsy.com/) .

Both Eclettica and Meristem are gurus for me when it comes to colour – and now they impress me with their courage to experiment with fabric too. Check out their latest pieces and enjoy the fantastic work - fabric included or not.

So will fabric reach my jewelry? I might tie a descrete ribbon bow on a pendant soon. But that´s as far as I will dare to go I think…:)

The source of my style

If it´s possible at all to point out a certain object to be the source of my style it has to be this necklace. My great grandmother, Fanny, a lady with Sami origin (natives living in the north of Sweden) got this as a gift 1947.

It´s a 925 sterling silver pendant with a rococo lady and beautiful ornaments. I´ve always adored this piece. The design contains everything I want to achive with my own jewelry; interesting swirly details, a feminine expression and a wonderful balanced composition (even though it´s assymetrical).

Ever since I got this necklace in my hands I´ve loved it. And when I found it again today and polished it - it all seemed so clear to me. This necklace must be the explanation for my love for swirly jewelry. Of course being brought up in the 70´s with stripes, large flower patterns and pine wood furniture can also be reason to my preferance for inricate, swirly and shiny materials :).

Being a Swede I´m supposed to embrace the nordic "blond" minimalistic designs so common here. I think no other people has taken "less is more" as serious as the Swedes. :)

I don´t have any daughters of my own, but will hopefully have grand daughters to pass this on to. And I´m sure they will treasure it like I do – even if fashion changes all the time and it will only lie in their jewelry boxes.

Do YOU have a particular object that can be the source of your taste and style? I´d love if you shared the story here. It doesn´t have to be about something that inspires you to make jewelry - it can be anything.

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