Saturday, February 14, 2009

Custom Orders and Alchemy

Debashri is someone I have known for a long time. Not only is she an exceptionally good singer , she is also a gifted artist. Her medium? Clay! She is a clay flower artist based out of the beautiful island state of Hawaii. For those who haven't already visited her fabulous shop on Etsy, please do so and see what you have been missing. She specializes in Bridal bouquets...and what a great idea to be able to hang on to beautiful flowers from your own wedding, for years!

I could go on about Deb and her flowers :)...but this post is actually about her custom earrings. Deb approached me with a request for Citrine and Emerald Earrings; she also gave me complete liberty as to how I design it! Wow! How many people do that? Knowing her simple but elegant style, this is what I came up with. Sparking Faceted AAA Citrine teardrops and gorgeous green Emerald rondels were wire wrapped with Sterling Silver and accented with .925 Sterling Silver Components. I love the fact that the Sterling Silver Rope spacers hang loosely on the Citrine teardrop and are movable. It adds a certain whimsical touch to these sparklers. Enjoy your earrings Deb! Here's to creating more jewelry with complete free rein...Cheers!!

This was a week where I also lucked out on the Alchemy or Custom Feature of Etsy. Alchemy (now re-named as Custom) is a feature where Buyers can post requests for custom handmade items, and then sellers bid on the opportunity to make the goods. One such request was for a Gold Bead necklace by a delightful College librarian, knitter, reader and writer. It was M's first Alchemy request (and my second) and I am very very happy to share that she loved the necklace that I made for her. I took 6mm 14K Gold Filled Smooth Seamless beads, and strung them into a simple strand for her. These beads are 14/20 Gold-Filled, which means the piece is 1/20th 14 karat gold. The 1/20 notation refers to the ratio of the 14 karat gold layer to the brass layer by weight, which is 5%. Thank you so much M, it was a pleasure to work with you.

Meet A. Bride-to-be.
A. was looking for 3 silver necklaces with a flower charm and an initial charm on each for her three Flower girls. This was another Alchemy request and luckily I won the bid! A. wanted the charms and chain to look nice (not cheap) and we settled on these gorgeous 3-Dimensional large flower charms with smaller initial charms, all .925 Sterling Silver. The flower has a slightly oxidized look to bring out all the details, especially the stamen. This is one of the necklaces that I finished today. I can close my eyes, and imagine a little flower girl all dolled up.... wearing this lovely necklace, sprinkling petals down the aisle for the bride. Aww...
This is my first wedding transaction on Etsy....thanks so much A! Here's to your perfect wedding!

4 comments:

  1. Hi Som. Your pieces that you have shared with us are quite beautiful. I love the earrings. You are exactly right the rope rings add just the right touch. I would have never thought to do that. Congrats on your alchemy successes. I like the clay flowers by Deb too. What a great idea to be able to really keep your bridal bouquet without having to store it in the freezer. LOL

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  2. The Flower was BREATHTAKING

    Go Dd go... :)

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  3. Awesome job!!! Beautiful and inspiring too! I just love weddings. Just finished one for a client. It gives a new type of energy to the creation of the pieces ;)

    ~Mahalo

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