The end of the season

Tomorrow we will load the van for the last time in 2007 and hit the road for Gruene.  I've done a couple of new things, but don't have photos yet.  There's the Texas star cut in Llanoite, a stone only found in one location--Llano, TX.  My dad cut a set of earrings and a pendant.  I rather like the way they turned out.  If they don't go home this weekend I'll try to get some amateur shots next week.  

In the meantime, I'll share another one of Nancy's pictures.  This one is an 18" handmade Byzantine chain with green tourmaline.  My favorite thing about this set is the way the green stones and the silver chain complement one another.  It's rich and simple at the same time.  

I've really been thinking about the "cowgirl cool" thing a lot this fall.  I love the traditional Native American jewelry with turquoise, coral, and silver.  And I've noticed over the last several years that there are silversmiths who are using other stones as well.  The thing is, as much as I love that style, I'm not Native American.  I can be inspired by it, and I own a few pieces and will probably buy more, but I don't want to copy it.  I want to be inspired by it and to use some of the wonderful ideas I've seen as a jumping-off point to do my own thing.

And so I was thinking about a beautiful pair of silver, turquoise, and shell earrings when I made these from unakite and sterling.

p.s.  This is another of Nancy Damron's photos--I'll figure out pretty soon how to add a link to her website.

turquoise, anyone?

This is a variation on one of the earliest bracelet designs I ever worked with.  I love the chunky, almost primitive look of the hammered wire with the turquoise floating in the center.  It's my take on a bit of "cowgirl cool".  The only thing better would be a version with 18k gold accents, so visit me in Gruene, TX next week to see it.

Pics at last

I know it's been awhile since I made the first entry, so here's the scoop...

I am a really bad photographer.  It is sheer luck that anything I shoot is usable.  So I decided to outsource and have a friend, Nancy Damron, take some pictures for me.  I love Nancy; she's great to work with and has some really wonderful ideas for taking pictures.  Her first love with the camera is nature and wildlife, so I was pleased that her first thought was to highlight the natural qualities of the stones in the pieces I sent her.  

Today's piece is a pendant of red jasper with sterling silver.  My dad cut the stone for me from something in his vast collection of rough, then it sat on my workbench for months before I came up with a plan to really show it off.  I have to brag a little because I am pleased with the way it came out, but it is now in a very lucky lady's private collection