A Comprehensive Update

Hi everyone,

I arrived in North Carolina eight years ago today. Wow. So much has happened in those eight years. I completed my PhD in English this May, so now I have more time to devote to creating (before I begin teaching at an area university for at least one year).

I've completed a number of custom pieces and I've sold a few pieces since my last post. I'll share a few photos here below. In general, I've wanted this blog to serve as a digital portfolio for my jewelry work. Many of my designs are one-of-a-kind or have limited runs due to available materials. However, if you find something you love that I've sold, or you'd like me to create a custom piece for you, please do let me know. In some cases I can create something similar to what I've sold, and I've made pieces tailored to customer's desires. You can contact me by sending me a conversation on Etsy or by emailing me at bohemianearthetsy@gmail.com.

I also have one new listing I've posted today--a necklace I've named Coraline with its materials (pink coral) and a dear old friend, Cora Kammer, in mind. I think she would have loved this piece.
 

In love and beauty,
Jameela

Coraline

Agate, Coral, Wood, Brass, Quartz, Czech & Indonesian Glass, Vulcanite, Copper

 

1974

"1974" - A custom birthday present for a customer's friend of over 41 years - Sold

Green Empress II

Green Empress II - Aventurine, Sesame Jasper, Amazonite, and Solid Copper - Sold

Detail of Green Empress II - Aventurine, Sesame Jasper, and Solid Copper

 

Viola Verde I

Turquoise, Amethyst, Baltic Amber, Jasper, Shell, Solid Copper - Sold

      

Azure

Custom Clip-on Hubei Turquoise Earrings - Sold

New earrings I'll be posting in the coming weeks...

Long Overdue Update!

Hi everyone!

It's been a while since I've posted because I'm nearing the end of my dissertation and PhD program and most of my time has been devoted to writing, revising, and researching. My free time has been devoted to trying to have a little fun! I'm still designing things, I just need to finish some pieces and post them for sale.

In the meantime, enjoy these pictures :-)
 -Jameela


Last October 2014, I created this lovely piece for my Spanish client, Florencia:

Materials used:
Necklace:
-Faceted and Smooth Amazonite (Amazonite is wonderful for writing and communication. It has a calming effect.)
-Faceted Peruvian Pyrite (mirror finish; Pyrite brings good luck!)
-Faceted Pyrite (can be polished)
-Faceted Larkvite
-Red Coral (Coral is a great protective stone.)
-Pink Coral
-Pink Coral Buddha (reconstituted)
-Square Hematite (silver mirror finish; Hematite is great for grounding!)
-White Jade
-White Shell Discs
-Delica seed beads

 Pendant:
-Aquamarine silk thread
-Faceted Ocean Jasper (Ocean Jasper is a protection stone.)
-Red Coral
-Square Hematite (silver mirror finish)
-Pink Coral
-White Shell
-Black/Deep Green Tourmaline (Another great protective stone!)
-Sterling Silver Pins
-Silver Filled Pin
-Delica seed beads

The length is mid-chest: 58.5cm or about 29cm per side
The silver pewter clasp adds 3.5cm to the length

Last Week's Roundup

Here are two new necklaces available now...

World Traveler I - Sold

I've named this necklace World Traveler I because it reminds me of something someone might put together after a trip to India and Western or Northern Africa, perhaps. It represents a mix of cultures with its Banjara tribal coin pendant (dated 1974) and rust-colored carved horn beads (that bring West Africa to mind).

Rich red and warm gold wood beads balance the composition and earthy, turquoise and brown ceramic beads break up the red tones in the piece. This necklace would be lovely on someone with a warm or neutral complexion, and would be a striking piece on someone with pink or cool undertones.

To keep the necklace light, yet still make a dramatic statement, the top half is antiqued brass chain. I've added a brass clasp I hand formed and hammered and a tiny white-banded red agate to finish off the chain. The necklace is 18 1/2" (47cm) long including the clasp. The large bone beads are 3/4" (20mm) diameter and the coin pendant is just under an inch in diameter (24mm).

See the pictures for close-ups of both sides of the coin and the clasp.

  The Banjara are nomadic tribal peoples of India (sometimes called the gypsies of India). You can read more about them and their culture on Wikipedia or many other sources.

 Azure - $50.00 

 I love this necklace! Each one of dark blue druzy agate stones are a work of art. The labradorite tubes are framed between tiny mustard-hued delica seed beads; these along with the hammered solid copper chain and add a complimentary color note to the composition.

The copper chain is continuous (~14in/35.5cm) and the asymmetrical clasp adds interest. I hand formed and hammered the copper clasp especially for this design. Another touch of color is found in the aquamarine silkon cording the stones are strung on. This cord is strong and I've reinforced the knots with jeweler's glue.

The copper will take on a natural patina, or you can polish it with a gentle cloth. The chain has a slight patina already, so if you want the color to be more penny-like, you can polish it up (or ask me to do this before I ship it to you.)

The necklace is 19 3/8" (49cm) total. The blue druzy stones are 9/16" (14mm) in diameter. The labradorite dangles are 5/8" (16mm) long.

 

News and New for Summer 2014!

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since I've posted, but I've had a creative couple of weeks (in the midst of teaching a summer composition class five days a week!).

This spurt of creativity has been brewing for a while. Even though I haven't been actively creating and listing items in my Etsy shop, I'm always picking up materials and making notes for designs. The key is finding the time, and because I wear many hats, I have to make time. And I'm learning that making time for what I love (feeding my creative heart) is very important.

Intention I

Okay, back to the story. This spurt of creativity has been brewing and exploded into four new pieces (and one is nearly complete) due to a customer query.  A customer from Spain messaged me about a few of my pieces (Intention I, O'Keeffe I, and Desert Fire) and wanted to know about shipping terms and my general suggestions about what would suit her best based on her preferences and coloration.

O'Keeffe I

Desert Fire

Well, we messaged back and forth for days. The time change and my daily teaching schedule (coupled with her own busy schedule) made the process take longer than average. Yet, I wanted to make her happy. I wanted her to have the perfect piece.

 So, last Friday, I'd been thinking about her favorite colors, her preferred length, and what she'd told me about her complexion and coloring. Then, I got to work and Florencia en Verano (named for my lovely customer) was born.
 

In morning light

These colors are so lovely!

The next morning, she sent me pictures of herself and told me she'd settled on Intention I if I could change of clasp color to silver. Of course I would, I answered, but then I told her about my mad night-into-morning of design and creation, sent her pictures of the necklace I'd just completed with her in mind, and hoped that she would love it.


She did.

Florencia en Verano

Detail of rare yellow Czech disc African trade beads

Detail of the carnelian stones framed by coral

Detail of coral, Mykonos silver-finished ceramic beads, and Amazonite

And then she asked me to make a pair of earrings to compliment her overall style. So, I promised to make her two pairs and let her decide to take one or both. Thus, the Cherimoya and Watermelon earrings entered the world. She chose the Cherimoya pair, as I had a feeling she would, and now I'm waiting to hear of the necklace and earrings' arrival in Spain. I hope she loves it all even more in person.















 So, both the Cherimoya and Watermelon earrings are limited edition and are available. Florencia en Verano is one-of-a-kind, but I can always make similar pieces based on my available materials. I'm also open to creating commissioned pieces with materials of your choice (just tell me what you'd like, and if I don't have it, I'll buy it and we can negotiate a budget).

Now I'd like to share Farmers' Market I and a preview of another necklace on its way...

Farmers' Market I: Yellow Agate, White Magnesite, Frosted Fire Agate, Teal and Gold Wood

On the way: A necklace featuring a 1974 Indian Coin from the Kuchi Tribespeople

And, here's a custom piece I made for a customer last April featuring pink and green agate and jade and radraksha seeds.

Featuring some of my favorite faceted pink agate.

The radraksha seeds are often used in Buddhist prayer beads.

Thank you all for reading and following my journey in jewelry making!

-Jameela

Holiday Sale! 30% Off!

Hi everyone,

It's been a quiet year for me at Bohemian Earth! Blame it on major life upheavals, dissertation writing, teaching, being the managing editor of a peer-reviewed scholarly journal, and many other responsibilities! I've had a few small projects, but many of my creations have remained on the drawing born waiting to be born! I hope to be able to have more creating time next year as I will have a little less on my plate. 
  
Alright, now to the good stuff! I'm having a holiday sale to celebrate the year and the season of winter holidays! Here's the deal: everything in my Etsy shop will be 30% off—including sale items! Just use the code HOLIDAY13 at checkout valid 11/30-12/3/13. Ready-to-ship items will ship no later than 12/4/13 and made-to-order items will ship out by 12/10/13 depending on order volume. If you have a mixed order, it will ship out by the later date. Feel free to ask me any questions!

May you have a lovely winter holiday season!

All best wishes,

Jameela, owner, designer, and crafter at Bohemian Earth

These pictures link to blogposts!

My thanks to you all for another amazing year!

thank you.

Dear friends and fans,

This year has been another wonderful year!  I am very thankful to all of you for your continued support and encouragement throughout 2012.  I made quite a few pieces this year, was a featured artisan in the October Raw Artists' Showcase, and completed a very meaningful commissioned series. I look forward to creating much more in 2013 (and beyond).

I will continue to make pieces inspired by vision, love, creative spark, beautiful words, artists and authors who inspire me, beautiful works of art, and so much more. I will continue to build an inventory based around materials I think are beautiful.

2013 will bring more Frida Kahlo inspired pieces, and a few pieces inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe and Gustav Klimt. There will also be more literary-minded pieces like the Carmen bracelet, and you can always count on a few pieces inspired by the beauty of the Southwest. 

If you've been following me since 2011, you will know that I did meet many of the goals I laid out for 2012 a year ago: I've made some multi-strand designs, colorful necklaces, and the first necklace in the Frida Kahlo series. I have also incorporated more copper, brass, and sterling silver and I've been forming, hammering, and polishing earwires and clasps. I will venture into creating some hair barrettes featuring gemstones and I will also begin using gold-filled wire and chain in the near future and I may even take up some soldering before the end of 2013.

I will be writing my dissertation this year, so my updates may not come as often as I'd like, but I'll do my best to keep you all informed of what's new, what's coming, and the like.  

As I said last year, I have a lot planned for the coming year, and I look forward to sharing my vision and designs with all of you. And, I can promise that I will continue to create pieces of jewelry in the spirit of Frida Kahlo's words on painting: "I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration."

Many thanks to you all and happy new year!

Jameela

The Fortune Collection

What follows is a long overdue post about one of the most fun, challenging, and meaningful collections I've made sine the inception of Bohemian Earth...
 
 

The Fortune Collection

In mid-October this year, ten days after I became ABD, I completed the Fortune Collection. I created four pieces for four very special women: Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Joanne Gabbin, and Nikki Giovanni. The occasion, Sheer Good Fortune, was for Toni Morrison, but was a celebration for what these women and others like them have done, are doing, and will continue to do, that is, create more beauty in the world through creation, cultivation, and circulation of the creative written word. 

Necklace with freshwater pearls, amazonite, sterling silver& garnet with garnet & copper coated pyrite drop

I give special thanks to L. Lamar Wilson, author of the forthcoming poetry collection, Sacrilegion. Without Lamar, this jewelry series would not have existed. I thank him for giving me the opportunity to help shape his vision into material form.

With gratitude, I share my vision in the statement that follows...

* * *

The Collection in Morning Light

My Statement:

I have designed these four pieces especially for Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Joanne Gabbin, and Nikki Giovanni by the loving request of Lamar Wilson. Lamar envisioned four pieces that would unite four women who share a passion for written and spoken word, be it poetry, fiction, or nonfiction and then left me to my creative whim. I’ve named each piece Fortune followed by the initials of the woman for whom it is designed in recognition of the Sheer Good Fortune event in honor of Toni Morrison and to capture the spirit of such an auspicious gathering of so many people who love and appreciate the art of carefully crafted language.

Detail of necklace in warm light

 Amazonite, freshwater pearls, garnet, and copper coated pyrite are present in each piece of jewelry. Sterling silver, copper, and rainbow-torched copper unite the colors of the gemstones and reveals my love for mixing materials. Early on, Lamar and I decided sterling silver would be a good metal to tie the pieces together. The copper came later; its presence reflects my love for the warmth and richness of the metal, and for the way it patinas with age but can easily be made like new again. In the beginning, I knew that garnet would be a chief stone in each piece because of its many beneficial properties. Garnet aids a number of physical ailments, protects bones and joints, imparts a sense of clam while providing adrenal support, inspirits courage and creativity, and aids passion and intuition. After a few preliminary sketches for these pieces, I had a vivid dream in which amazonite and pyrite were prominently featured, so I knew that these two stones would be included in the design. Amazonite calms, encourages happiness and good health, and, perhaps, most important, it is a stone associated with writing and communication. Pyrite is an all-around protective stone that helps with dream work and dream recall; it is also known for inspiring creativity and imparting good fortune. Associated with spirituality, feminine energy, the heart, and protection during travels, the four freshwater pearls in each piece also represent the unity of and the love shared between the four women. Each pearl is differently hued and shaped, lovely and iridescent. Copper is another material that aids communication and circulation, soothes joints, enables channeling, and imparts a bit of luck; silver adds more protection and increases the properties of the gemstones. 

Bracelet with freshwater pearls, amazonite, sterling silver, & garnet

Finally, I created each piece with positive intention, love, and joy. I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to share my vision with you all, just as the body of crafted language you all have birthed, nurtured, and empowered has helped shaped the vision and purpose of my own life.

With love,

Jameela F. Dallis 

Detail of bracelet clasp: hand formed & hammered rainbow copper; garnet & copper coated pyrite drop

Aquamarine drop on necklace for Maya Angelou (Aries Birthstone)

Turquoise drop on necklace for Toni Morrison (Aquarius Birthstone)

I look forward to creating more commissioned pieces and collections in the future!