A quick post-and-run here... I just had to share these paper-thin (OK, more like 0.05mm) lacy filigree teardrops with you - and what's more, all of them are matte! While I don't normally use base metal components, these were much too lovely to pass up. The satin-finish silver, gold and black are so modern but the intricate open teardrops hark back to a romantic era where one sat down for frou-frou tea and buttered crumpets on doilies. They're also super lightweight so you get all the drama without any discomfort. Finished with my own handmade sterling silver and 14K goldfilled earwires. Check'em out in my Artfire studio now :)

... in pictures! Maybe these will put you in the mood for Valentine's Day - which is not really that far off.

Remember the rose filigree rings from the Fiorissimo collection? I've just added two new colours, coral pink on antiqued silver and deep red on glossy black:


In addition to the ivory cream on antiqued brass, the following popular versions have also been restocked:


I've got only a few of those rose stud earrings left, and have just added a dark grey pair for those who aren't really into all the girly stuff:


Last but not least, there is also a new selection of pretty pastel floral bobby pins featuring pompom chrysanthemums, daisies and sakura:


All are available in the Artfire studio, but several rings might also be lurking in the Etsy shop. Hope you find something you like :)

Wow, I've really fallen behind on my blog. Been busy with everything and nothing. Which is to say, if you want anything made for Christmas, now would be a good time to act, since we're already in the second half of November and I'm rushing out some festive commissions. Don't forget, international shipping cutoff is Nov 24th, Dec 17th for Singapore packages.

In other news, here are some goodies from my new ---{@ fiorissimo @}--- collection. Ralph Waldo Emerson said the Earth laughs in flower. Well, you and I know that flowers, especially roses, have been celebrated in art and literature since antiquity. What appeals to me most are their uniqueness, transience, fragility and perfection. (And of course their scents, because I'm such an olfactory person.)

So, immortalised petal by petal in durable resin, here are the rose earrings:


Now, I am fully aware of many similar pieces on offer out there. They're exceedingly easy to make. But I've forgone tacky colours and dodgy findings to pair what I believe are some of the most nicely cast floral "cabochons" with 925 sterling silver. They are just the right size too, because you know, it's a bit much if the blooms are too large. Lots of colours too, from the darkest red to palest blush pink. I've been smitten by au nom de la rose ever since I visited their stores in Paris, please just indulge me ;)

Some time back, I also bought these really fab quality brass filigree ring bases (white, black and antiqued brass), but it turned out they didn't really work with the things I wanted to put them together with. So I've set these open roses on them and I think they look rather decent. Photogenic, in any case:


All in all, great gifts for girly girls, diehard romantics, little princesses, nature lovers, bridesmaids or of course, yourself. These items are now in my ArtFire studio, with more Fiorissimo pieces and other stocking stuffers coming soon.

But first, my weekend break awaits :D

This is one of my favourites of the lot. The varying shades of teal green coming together in rough wavy patterns, all in a pear-shaped stone, were impossible to resist. Highly polished with beautiful banding reminiscent of stormy seas, this ocean wave jasper needed nothing more than a simple, coiled loop bail and oxidised sterling silver components.


Ocean wave jasper, like its sister ocean jasper - and discovered not too long ago near the main ocean jasper mine in Madagascar - comes in a multitude of colours like white, brown, green, blue (rarest), pink and red. Not all together of course, usually in combination. For me, the easiest way to tell them apart is that the patterns on ocean wave jasper resemble, well, ocean waves, and the orbicular patterns on its sibling look like something you might see under a microscope. Apart from that, I guess it just a technicality depending on the part of the Madagascan coastline from whence they came.

Jasper in general is fine-grained, opaque quartz from the large family of chalcedonies. Then again, there are a whole range of jaspers that came about depending on the way silica minerals permeated the sedimentary base rock - the part my inner geologist finds most fascinating. Broad groups include the dendritic, brecciated, orbicular and scenic varieties, commonly given locality or descriptive names, each type and each specimen a testament to the diversity of nature.

The name "jasper" comes from old Anglo-French "jaspre" or spotted rock. These so-called spots or speckles usually come about as a result of geological processes on the base sediment: tectonic forces could produce fissures that break up the rock and allow different mineral solutions to seep through, while wind or ocean waves could produce gentle undulating patterns. Much like what we see on ocean wave jasper here :)


Jasper is known as the "supreme nurturer" and is said to bring calm in times of stress. Ocean wave jasper is apparently useful for balancing, healing and renewing, and has detoxifying properties.

O, chrysoprase. You're another one of those things whose colour a digital camera usually has problems reproducing.

The latest addition to the ANIMA | MUNDI line is the Ferngully necklace featuring a large asymmetrical Australian chrysoprase pendant and oxidised sterling silver components, which always work so well with the bright minty green. The paler feathery inclusions here add a bit of texture and organic appeal.


The most valuable of the chalcedony minerals (which include carnelian, bloodstone and the wide variety of jaspers and agates), this stone gets its characteristic colour from traces of nickel in its cryptocrystalline structure. It is also this extra fine crystal structure that gives good quality chrysoprase a smooth gel-like translucency.

Although Queensland, Australia is the major source of quality chrysoprase, it's also found in Brazil, Germany, Poland, Tanzania and the USA. I should also point out that if you come across "lemon chrysoprase", it's a trade name for magnesite, a completely different mineral.


Depending on the exact shade of green, I think chrysoprase can feel either quite soothing (watery paler greens) or refreshing (vibrant apple greens). As a crystal, it's said to be excellent for relaxation, induce meditative states, calm compulsive behaviour, promote hope, unleash inner talent and stimulate creativity.

So much work for a little green stone!

This second piece in the ANIMA | MUNDI collection is a delightful play of contrasts: check out the unusual rectangle shape, elongated but with banding going along the short side. And what banding it is - translucent shades from the deepest royal purple to lavender and palest white, arranged by mother nature a distinctive chevron pattern. Quite scrumptious.

Much has already been said about amethyst as it has been used and treasured since antiquity. I've seen a couple of variations on its legend, but I like this one best: one fine day, a lowly mortal angered Dionysus, the god of the grape harvest, wine and winemaking, who vowed death by tigers on the next human who crossed his path. But this unfortunate victim happened to be a beautiful young maiden named Amethyst, who happened to be on her way to worship the goddess Artemis. Artemis turned Amethyst into a pillar of clear crystal quartz to protect her from the violent attack. Dionysus was moved to tearful remorse and wept wine over the statue, staining it purple. But whichever it was, the Greek origin of the word ["amethystos" means "not intoxicated"] probably played a historical part in its being considered an antidote to drunkenness and plastered all over wine goblets. Or maybe it was the other way round, who knows.


The birthstone for February, amethyst is found in alluvial deposits or geodes (the sight of a large open one glittering with purple crystals inside always has me in awe), with major sources in Brazil, Zambia, Uruguay and Madagascar. It comes in violet, purple, lilac, mauve and pink varieties and is the highest prized form of quartz (silicon dioxide), a large family that also includes citrine (yellow), ametrine (purple and yellow), rose quartz (pink), rock crystal (clear), smoky quartz (brown), tiger eye (chatoyant) and even aventurine (aventurescent).

Amethyst is purportedly an extremely powerful and protective stone with a high spiritual vibration. Extremely beneficial to the mind, it can be calming or stimulating as appropriate. It helps one feel more focused and in control of their faculties, facilitating the decision-making process. Amethyst also aids in enhancing memory and improving motivation, and is helpful for insomnia, bringing about restful sleep and promoting dream retention and understanding.


Which finally brings me to the OOAK Dreamtime necklace, chevron amethyst on oxidised sterling silver, only in my Artfire studio :)

And so I launched my ANIMA | MUNDI collection with the long Waverider necklace last week, without really having time to blog about the first piece here.

Amazonite is really one of my favourite stones to use. It's a variety of microcline (or potassium aluminium silicate for you nerds like me), a feldspar mineral that may come in white, yellow, pink, grey, green, blue-green or colourless. I find it weird that it's named after the Amazon River although it hasn't even been found there; most significant deposits are in India, Canada, USA, Brazil, Russia, Madagascar, Tanzania and Namibia.

As beads for jewellery and accessories, I've seen amazonite in various shades of aqua, green and even yellow and pink, some with white to brown or black inclusions, with the more saturated colours being more desirable I guess. But really, when you say amazonite, the opaque, aqua colour, perhaps with wispy paler inclusions, is the type that most readily comes to mind... like this giant specimen below:


As you can see, it's got a more muted and subtle hue than turquoise, and in my humble opinion, goes just fine with about any type of metal. However, amazonite is not a very hard mineral (rates 6 on Mohs scale), so care should be taken when wearing it. Best to be used in earrings or necklaces where there's minimal contact with anything else.

In the Waverider necklace, a 48x48x7mm flat heart briolette of amazonite has been paired with gunmetal-toned oxidised sterling silver. I particularly love how the inclusions resemble frothy waves in a churning sea, pounding towards the shore (of some fantasy tropical beach, where else). It's a bold-sized piece, paired with suitably larger-link sterling silver chain - so if you have it on and fail to elicit even a single comment, I will give you a refund! No, I'm just kidding, but I might just smack everyone you meet that day and then buy you a drink :P



Now for some hokey metaphysical info you might be interested in (or not). Amazonite:
- is known as the stone of self-expression
- acts as a filter against geopathic stress
- has soothing and calming properties
- is most protective against microwaves and other electromagnetic pollution

Betcha never knew!

I've been so busy this week that I'm going to have to do a post and run here...

This is the first batch of pieces for my new ANIMA | MUNDI collection, which is comprised of big, bold and beautiful statement necklaces that celebrate the Soul of the World, the abundance and grandeur of our one and only home - Planet Earth. Yes, the spirit of Tellus is rearing her head :)


The stones in this collection are really pieces of our world in miniature, each being completely one of a kind and selected because I see something special or unusual in it. I hope they speak to you in a similar way.

There are more to come, and more bloggy info on each piece. Appearing exclusively in my Artfire studio from next week.

Toodles and have a wonderful weekend~!

Been out of stock for a while, but I finally made up some more because they make great gifts, either for your friends, family or good self. I love the unique Swarovski baroque briolette shape and just wish they came in more colours. I once had some in Comet Argent Light - those were magnificent. These ones I've selected more closely resemble the colours of peridot and pink amethyst:


These on the other hand, are a bit more special. I wrote about them some time ago, lamented the fact that I was already out of stock, tried to hunt down the mirror-backed dark crystal drops to no avail, and had to turn down remake requests. Then recently, I happened to come across them again. The colour is Crystal Satin (not Black Diamond as previously thought), and they have a subtle, multicoloured sparkle not unlike that of actual diamonds (which the artificial lens refuses to capture):


So there they all are, each with different metal components, available in my Artfire studio.

It seems I've been in a naturey mood lately. Maybe it's just gardens? Or maybe I need to get outta the house more... anyway here's some of what has hit the shops this week:


In other news, I finally got started today on a new collection. It's been quite difficult because the horrid weather this whole week has been making me feel 101 kinds of inactive and like all physical, mental and respiratory functions automatically shut down once 33°C and/or 70% humidity is/are reached. Am still not entirely sure I bought the right findings but we'll see what happens when I try to oxidise them *nervous and deliberately vague*

Last of all, here's an Etsy treasury I made a couple of nights ago. Rather a profound waste of time... I could've spent the 1.5hrs catching up on my reading in bed or something, but once I started I couldn't stop and it was kinda gratifying to finally complete it:


Till next time!

So I was poking around my pearls the other day (no, that is most definitely not a euphemism of some sort) and wondered why I always seemed to make pearl earrings in white. Apart from the fact that I am fastidious about matching components for earrings, I guess I'd always assumed people preferred the classic colour. Easy to match. Goes with anything. Bah. Actually I do have a lot of coloured pearls - it's just that I've either used a lot of them up for bracelets, or I can't seem to pick out matching shapes/sizes/tones (that are also unblemished, of course). Had some really pretty sage green oval pearls once and have never been able to find similar ones since.

Anyway, here are some dainties - the violetish pink ones are the colour of pink tourmaline, while the coppery ones were born to be with antiqued brass and aqua, I think. Time soon to start scouting around for holiday presents, and handmade gifts do add that little extra touch of soul. Just a helpful suggestion :)


These and more are now available exclusively in my Artfire studio - which I re-opened last month and have been in the process of stocking up. More to come soon; off to make dinner!