Second piece featured in an Etsy Treasury....

Wow!  I'm very happy to have another item featured 

in a beautiful Etsy treasury!  

View the treasury: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTQxOTIzNTd8NTAzMDY4NTIz/love-all-things-asian

Buy the bracelet: http://www.etsy.com/listing/78619117/treasury-item-green-empress-bracelet

See the original blog post: http://bohemianearth.blogspot.com/2011/07/green-empress-bracelet-green-cinnabar.html

September Bracelet: Orange Jade, Textured Silver Rounds, and Antiqued Copper Globe

Another new bracelet....

This bracelet  reminds me of the month of September with its harvest color palette, but I'm sure it would look lovely from the lazy days of summer to the frost-bitten days of winter.

Six textured silver  rounds, chunky and organic, compliment the rich antiqued copper tone globe and light pumpkin-orange carved jade beads.  Two heavily plated and faceted silver beads frame the antiqued copper globe with floral detail.  Near the toggle bar, a tiny white shell bead adds interest to the design.

Perhaps the most interesting detail about this bracelet is the carved jade beads.  I've consulted and some say they look like little pigs, and it so happens that in some cultures, pigs are lucky!  Both the Chinese and Irish consider the pig to be a symbol of luck, and the Chinese believe they bring luck and success to businesses (see source).  So, let this bracelet bring a little luck into your life!

The bracelet is 7 1/2" long and fits a wrist up to 6 1/2".

 Buy it here on Etsy!

Treasury Item! Green Empress Bracelet: Green Cinnabar, Natural Seeds, Coral, and Pyrite

Lately, I've been in love with making bracelets.

The Green Empress Bracelet draws on the Empress collection's aim to make the wearer of each piece feel beautiful, creative, and courageous (read about the first one here and the second one here).  I love how the natural materials in this bracelet come together to create a distinct and elegant piece.

This one-of-a-kind bracelet features six green cinnabar beads, which are carved with an Asian design, three natural seeds, which have been coated to protect their striking beauty, a large white coral globe, and three pyrite rondelles I've polished to a nice luminosity.  Two TierraCast Turkish-style gold rondelles frame the largest of the seeds, which is a lovely shade of golden mustard.  There are other hints of gold in this bracelet including the three textured brass discs nestled between the coral globe and chunky seed. 

For those who enjoy stone lore, Pyrite, also known as Fool's Gold, is grounding, encourages positivity and the release of old emotional baggage.  It is also a protective and enhances one's "intelligence, mental stability, logic, analysis, creativity, memory, and psychic development" (source here).  Pyrite is associated with the sun signs Gemini and Virgo.  Coral is known for its ability to bring internal peace, settle emotions, and aids intuition, visualization, and the circulatory and nervous systems (source here).  Coral is associated with the sun sign Libra.

This bracelet is 8 1/4" long and will fit up to a 6 1/2" wrist (6 3/4" is a tight squeeze) .  Please  note that the coral is white with a spongey surface.  If dirt gets into the crevices of the coral globe, you can clean the globe by gently blotting with water and very mild soap (if necessary).

Buy this bracelet here on Etsy!

Update 7/28/11: This is the second Bohemian Earth item featured in an Etsy treasury! See the treasury here!

First piece featured in an Etsy Treasury....

Frida y Estrellas

View the treasury here: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/OTMzMDg2OXw0OTE1NDU5NTM/the-summer-colors-of-carolina

Buy the earrings here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/77580176/treasury-item-frida-y-estrellas-frida

Check out the blog entry here: http://bohemianearth.blogspot.com/2011/06/frida-y-estrellas-frida-stars.html

 

Coming Soon...

While I wait on a few more materials to arrive for my high-end collection, I've been working on a necklace featuring white magnesite, blue turquoise, amber, and pyrite along with a bracelet featuring green cinnabar, mustard colored natural seeds, and white coral.

I'm really excited about these pieces.  The bracelet is right-on for fall, which is only a few months away, and the colors and design will make this piece one-of-a-kind and a piece one can wear for seasons and years to come.  The necklace has a southwest feel with a bit of an edge--I'm saving further details until it's complete.

I'm also designing a few silver-toned earrings that will most likely feature chunky, organic-looking silver pieces and dramatic rustic silver drops. These earrings will be substantial and statement-making (I may have to make a copy for myself!).

More than one of these pieces should be ready and posted here and on Etsy by the end of this week... I'm looking forward to completing them and their subsequent unveiling!

Update 8/7/11:  See the fall colors bracelet and the chunky earrings that evolved into another bracelet here and here.  I'll finish and re-envision the other items this week!

Bohemian Engagement I: OOAK Necklace w/ Guanyin Coin, Picture Jasper, Sesame Jasper, Agate, Olivine Jade, and Palmwood Beads

 This necklace was a spontaneous creation.  I originally planned to design a bracelet, but a necklace soon evolved out of the materials I wanted to use together.  I've been experimenting with white backgrounds and lighting, and I think the combination of the two elements was perfect for this one-of-a-kind piece.  Because I enjoyed making this piece so much, I plan to make a few more that incorporate a bohemian palette. 

This necklace is both minimal and bohemian.  And, despite it's neutral palette, it is full of texture and pattern.  The necklace will make a statement with its various natural materials and eye-catching focal piece.

 

The necklace is reversible as the antique bronze Guanyin (Kwan Yin) centerpiece and replica Chinese dynasty coin are double-sided.  Guanyin is the Bodhisattva of compassion and is believed to observe or hear the cries of the world; on the back of this quarter-sized centerpiece is the yin yang symbol.   The dynasty coin, which is penny-sized, bring luck with a dragon on one side and Chinese characters on the other. 

Three picture jasper stones on one side of the necklace feature rich browns and creamy lattes, and tell a story of their own making them perfect for encouraging creativity and awareness.  (Above on the right.)  On the other side, a picture jasper stone accompanies an olivine jade stone and two white shell beads. (Above on the left.)

Two striking saucer-shaped palmwood and  water buffalo horn inlay beads, handpainted and polished by Filipino craftspeople are on each side of the necklace.  These horn used in these beads is a by-product, which makes these beautiful beads a sustainable result.  One of these beads is grouped with an olivine jade stone  and two carnelian colored agate stones with white bands (olivine is perfect for drawing luck and money).

Near the focal piece are two sesame jasper (also known as kiwi jasper) stones.  One stands alone and another is paired with white shell and a fluted, iris brown iridescent Preciosa Czech pressed glass bead.  Near the spring clasp of the necklace is a grouping of olivine and agate that will draw interest to the back of the wearer's neck.  This necklace looks amazing both coming and going!

This necklace is lightweight and measures 23 ¼" from end-to-end.  The pendant is 2" long and is about an inch wide at its widest point.  The chain is gold-plated iron that is nickel and lead free.  The chain has a beautiful soft, yet luminous, luster.  You can buy "Bohemian Engagement I" here on Etsy!

See this necklace for another design featuring Gwanyin : http://www.etsy.com/listing/75461379/sage-necklace-jasper-pyrite-statement

Love minimalism?  See this necklace: http://www.etsy.com/listing/76702162/desert-pearls-i-ii-necklaces-turquoise

*SOLD* Lillian III Earrings: Amethyst & Lilac Stone Inspired by Thai Water Lilies

I love my Lillian I earrings, so I decided to make a similar pair that is also  one-of-a-kind.   These lightweight earrings are full of movement and the purple and gold--the colors of the Thai Water Lilies that inspired my Lillian Collection.   

These earrings feature deep purple to violet amethyst chips and Delica®, glass, silver-lined chocolate seed beads, which are secured by a gold tube bead on gold-over-brass teardrop hoops.  A golden faceted bead, heavily plated with 22 karat gold, a lilac stone, and a precious Delica® seed bead complete the drop that dances below the amethyst. 

This third version of Lillian earrings will compliment the Lillian I or Lillian II necklaces well.  Lillian III earrings come with ear nuts so you can wear them fastened through the first or second ring, for a touch of elegance, or unfastened, for a more contemporary look (e.g. see images above and below).  They are approximately 2" long fastened or unfastened (including the 3/4" drop).

 Buy them here on Etsy.

See the matching necklace here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/74705511/lillian-i-necklace-faceted-amethyst
and here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/76404970/lillian-ii-necklace-amethyst-naga
And more earrings in the Lillian series here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/74889161/lillian-i-earrings-amethyst-lilac-stone
and here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/76405838/lillian-ii-earrings-vintage-lucite-lilac
See the Lillian bracelet here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/77650266/lillian-bracelet-yellow-jade-amethyst

Search Lillian on this blog's search feature to view pieces from the collection.