Amethyst Art: jewelry

Showing posts with label jewelry. Show all posts

Monday, February 20, 2012

Monday, July 11, 2011

Red Boho Concept

I liked my Rouge Hemp and Copper necklace so much, I decided I want to make a longer version. Here is my initial idea:

I have some small antiqued copper beads that would go really well with the tubes I used on the shorter necklace. In the illustration I have a single strand. Since the cording is so thin, I am torn between making it thin and delicate, or layering for more "heft". The existing piece has three strands and is still pretty delecate, but I kind of like that about it. It is simple and understated which gives it an air of sophistication you wouldn't normally associate with hemp jewelry.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Concept Realized

I made my sister's necklace that I teased and then some. I also made a necklace for my mom. These were designs I had in mind for them for a while and thank goodness, they liked them!

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Flight Club

I have a silver feather necklace I made a couple of years ago (I lengthened it and added some silver beads since the version in the link), that I just love. It is on a long chain and it just goes with just about every outfit. It is shiny though, and every now and then I wear something that is a little more "dressed down" or earthy and it doesn't quite work- but more due to the finish than the style. So... what's a girl to do? Make another version of course!

This time in antiqued brass:

Monday, June 27, 2011

Mossy Pebbles

This necklace was something I wanted to make for a while. I love green and copper, so I wore this necklace proudly today. It was exceptionally easy to wear!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Glitter and Smoke

Black is my neutral. I wear black or gray just about every day at work. Yes, I do use a pop of color so I don't look like I am attending a funeral every day. I needed a new go-to neutral necklace for work. I think I made it- it is a mix of smokey gray, black and metallic silver Czech glass faceted beads all on silver chain. Perfect for adding a little sparkle to the daily uniform!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Upcycled Concept

This is an up-cycled concept that I sketched last year. The idea was to weave strips of old T-shirts into a layered necklace. I made a note saying that it should have "5 layers", but in the end, it became 3. It just made more sense. I started to add more and it became a bit busy.

The colors ended up being black and white for the first run, thought I have been considering making one in red for my little sis. She's been a fan of the black and white one (read: borrowing it on several occasions) so at some point, I need to make her one that is all hers and suitable for her vibrant teen personality.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Concepts are Sketchy

Something you may not know about me (unless you saw some of my not-so-hot 365 posts):

I am not a great sketcher. I think I can draw and paint well but my sketches are rarely to never neat or realistic. This is mostly because I feel sketches are kind of a throw-away. They are not the real deal.

With that being said, sometimes I have an idea that I don't want to lose. These usually come in bursts. I will cover a sheet of 8"x11" with tons of little sketch doodles. Some make their way to fruition, others just go in my bag, purse or get buried under craft-junk on my drafting table.

Here are a couple of examples of these *ahem* sketches:

Each of these are supposed to be covered in individual hand-applied scales. That's what those little circle blobs are. The one on the left would be sort of a bib necklace. I still want to make it, but that trend train might be on to another station by the time I get to it.

I actually made the pendant portion of the item on the right. It turned out great, with bright colors in aqua, hot pink and white, but it is pretty large and heavy. I am not saying that is a bad thing- just very audience specific. Therefore, I haven't made the necklace portion yet. I need to make sure it is balanced correctly. Since the pendant is 3-4 inches long, I am thinking it is better suited to a long chain and could lose the drop beads above the pendant. We'll see where that goes.

I actually decided to post this because my co-workers tease me about my sketching I do for my for mock-ups, brainstorming, etc. They don't say so, but I know it is because it is bad. And frequent. Not going to stop though, bad or not!

I guess it is just the way I can get the idea out and explain a process. I guess that means I am a visual person? Hmm...

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Turtle, Turtle

leI had a recent commission for a couple of items for the requestor's turtle-loving friends. I think they turned out pretty nicely:

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year 2010!

It has been a long and challenging year. I knew creating something each day of the year would be difficult. I was able to post through two trips to Boston and one to New York with success if not a little frustration to my travel mates. I was a little fanatic in the first few months!

Over the year, I had some significant life changes and the blog became routine. Though I stuck to making something for each day, posting was the difficulty. Each posting requires a scan or photo which must then be edited or at least resized. Then I must transfer the file to a computer. That seems easy enough until your computer goes on the fritz!

I started posting my pictures in batches so that the lengthy process was limited to a few nights a week and life could be lived. I felt bad about this at first, but I also realized my readership was not close to what I had hoped for. The lack of objections made it much easier to post when time allowed.

In the end, I have gained practice and experience in crafts of many types this year including polymer clay, resin casting, painting and jewelry design and creation. However, I feel the daily constraint limited the amount of detail and attention I could give to each item I made. I was prolific, but not particularly proud of my results. I have had so many ideas and concepts I dreamed up, but in the end I would have to go towards simplicity in most cases.

I started the year with a retail web site and an Etsy site. I also had a very busy (regular) work year which along with focusing on the blog left my free time limited. So I let both go to the way side and focused on my (regular) career instead. Of course, I can do both. I have done both and I WILL do both going forward. I took my original web site down, but I still own the http://www.amethyst-art.com/ domain. A talented friend is helping me get that restored, but in the mean-time, I have begun using the Etsy shop again which is located here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AmethystArt

I will continue to post creations on the blog and eventually I will integrate it into the web site. Until then, keep visiting to see the the latest creation (though not daily).

As always, please contact me with any requests or questions. Often the greatest inspiration comes from the ideas of others and their excitement.

Thank you to those that did visit and support this project and an advance thank you to my new friends that might stop by.

Until next post, please enjoy something else that came to me this year- a fantastic new logo from the mind and artistic hand of Kevin Whelan