Happy Monday!!

After feeling a bit draggy in the first month or so of the year, I am now feeling like a fire has been lit under my tail!  Finally I am getting things accomplished that should have been done ages ago.

Last night I completed a custom order that I've been working on forever.  Luckily I have the most patient client in the world.  She has been very gentle with me.  I am eternally grateful.  I will share pictures after she approves!

I went a bit over board after a recent comment about how I don't make many rings.

Flamenco rings!  :-)  I was dying to share with you all, but I don't have time to take individual pictures and get them listed right now.  I have given myself a deadline with the taxes.  They must be complete by Monday.  Then I will be totally free to create without guilt!  :-)

Have a Happy Monday, and a fabulous week!!!!   

Summertime Love...

I know I'm jumping the gun a bit since this is only the first week of February and we are looking at several months before the summertime weather will be here, but there has always been the feeling of summertime for me when I work with these colors.

Turquoise and Citrine.  Ahhhhhh...... :-)    The color of these cabs are just the perfect shade of greeny blue turquoise.  All metal components are hand made by me, out of sterling and fine silver. 

These earrings are available in my store!  http://amynicole.bigcartel.com/product/sterling-silver-turquoise-heart-and-citrine-earrings

New

Freshly listed:

http://amynicoles.etsy.com

Listed

I had better luck with pictures today.  These necklaces are both listed in my shop on Etsy. 

Have you guys noticed I've had a thing for gallery wire lately?  I don't know why I have eschewed it for so long! 

I realized this morning that in the next week there are 101 things to be done.  But if I make it through this week everything will be A ok..... At least I hope anyway!  :-)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!  We are taking the kids to see Arthur Christmas this evening.  I'm looking forward to it! 

Preview of new pieces...

Sterling and Labradorite

Bleeding Heart w/ Garnet

Dendritic Opal and Sterling

Back of the Dendritic opal

I had another pair of earrings, but I'm not happy with them.  Some things work, some don't....what are you going to do?  ;-)

These pics are a preview.  The light isn't that great today, and I need to retake most of the photos I took today in the yucky light....

If you are interested in reserving any of these pieces, please contact me at amymarez@yahoo.com otherwise I hope to be back tomorrow with better pictures!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and are enjoying the magic of the Holiday season!

All in a week's work...

 Amethyst Druzy and Sterling Silver Adjustable Ring

 The Green Fairy Flies Again- Copper, Sterling and Prehnite

 Harbinger- Copper, Fine Silver, Sterling Silver

Poppies- Guadalupe Jasper, Fine and Sterling Silver

Did you guys notice my new prop for taking earring photos?  I had a potter make it for me, and it's perfect!  I love it, and the color.  I think the earrings photograph very well against it!  And now my customer's can see the earrings and how they hang.

I had a lot of fun with copper this week, and very basic Repousse work.  The Grape Ice ring was just for pure fun, but Poppies.... Ah.... Poppies is my masterpiece.   I cast the poppies out of fine silver made from antique stampings.  I'd been wanting to figure out some poppies to go with this stone forever, and finally found just the right ones!  I am very pleased with how it turned out.  Everything went just perfectly with this piece, and that isn't always the case!

All these pieces are listed in my Etsy shop

And...they are eligible for my ongoing sale.  

Coupon code Spring20 will get you 20% off your order! 

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!  And aren't you glad Blogger is finally fixed?  I am...I was having blog withdrawals!  :)

This week's offerings...

Carnival Pinwheel Necklace (no spin)

Spring Fling Scene

Kyanite Quatrefoil



And that's it for this week.  I would have liked to have gotten more accomplished, but had a few orders to take care of earlier in the week....

The Carnival Pinwheel necklace is made from the prototype for my spinning pinwheels.  This one doesn't spin, but is still quite pretty, so I turned it into a necklace and it is listed in my Etsy shop.

The Spring Fling Scene earrings began life as me trying a different approach to acid etching.  I am determined to figure out a fool proof acid etching process.   I had this piece of sterling sheet that I decide to use for etching, and just started drawing on it.  What emerged were all spring related items.  Butterflies, leaves, flowers, swirlies, and dots for fillers.  Then I had this sheet of etched silver, and didn't know what to do with it.  I must have marked up that sheet 6 times with different designs.

Yesterday after completing the quatrefoil ring, I just grabbed it, sawed a shape, domed it slightly, and then stopped.  Now what was I going to do with it?  They needed something....

I thought back to a design I did a long time ago where I wire wrapped beads onto sheet, and decided to do the same with these.  So, I drilled the holes, and then went hunting for beads.  These 3mm turquoise beads fit the bill perfectly!

Have I told you how much I love turquoise?  Growing up, I saw turquoise so much, that it became almost mundane, not interesting, commonplace.  I am so happy to have rediscovered it.  It is just so beautiful in all it's varied colors, matrix and all.

And I told you about the quatrefoil ring earlier today...but it is now listed in the shop as well...

I really try hard not to make this a place with any negativity.  But I just gotta tell you that the price of silver has me down right depressed.  When totaling up how much money I have in each piece, and then add in my labor...  The total always gives me a sinking feeling.    The price continues to go up daily, and I really don't think it is going down any time soon.  I hate to keep reiterating the price of silver to clients, or just in general...I always feel like I'm trying to justify my prices.  I don't know....it's just icky isn't it? 

Right on track....

I know it's only 3 weeks into the the new year, but I am pretty happy that I have been keeping up with my business goals.

I'm all caught up on RAW and THAW.  I've been able to have regular weekly updates....

Of course there are still things that are up in the air.

For instance my artisan findings shop, RubyMountainBeads on Etsy, and ArtFire.  I've had them shut down since early October, and still haven't found the time to decide the direction I want these shops to take.

I am considering just concentrating on the jewelry for awhile.  I don't want to totally shut the door on artisan findings.  I just need more time!!!!  I just don't know that I do myself justice by splitting my time between two stores.  It almost feels like each shop is getting 50% of me rather than 100%.  And I am really enjoying creating jewelry right now.  We shall see....

I just updated my Etsy shop this morning.  And, we just got home from picking up my kiln.  Oh yeah!  I forgot to tell you guys about my kiln!  Surprise from my husband.  He researched it, found a place in town that had one, and took me to pick it up today!

I am excited and intimidated all at once.  I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon cutting shapes from copper and screwing up my courage to play with a box that reaches 1600 degrees.  Next weeks update will be all about enamels!  Oh, and trifle earrings...I'm still having fun with my bead box.

Wish me luck!  I'll post some preview pics here of items I just added to my shop.  If you want to check it out click here.  Have a super duper weekend everyone!  :)

New Work

Remember when I mentioned that I was torch enameling?  Well, here are the first fruits of my labor.  I have been having so much fun!!!

I can already tell I'm going to be needing every color of enamel I can get my hands on.

I cut the shapes out of copper sheet, and enameled them.  When they were complete, I thought they needed a little something...

So, I grabbed the filigree wire, and made sterling silver charms that rest on top.  You can still see the gorgeous color of the enameling, but the filigree just sets it off with some detail!!

I just added these and the Aphrodite earrings to my shop.

TGIF!!  I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!!  :)

Just updated my shop!

Reserved-Thank You!

Sold!  Thank You!!

I told you guys yesterday I'd be updating tomorrow, but I got all my pictures taken today.  I just finished listing everything.  If you are interested in checking things out, click here.

I have a couple of things on the burner this week that I hope to share with you by Friday!!  Have a fabulous week everyone!   :)