I bought a batch of cut garnet beads in December and have been pulling them out and petting them once in a while. Finally it became clear what they wanted to be and last week I made them into this necklace.

I’ve always made this version of the Wild Geese necklace in a choker length, but I just kept going until all I had left was a little pinch of beads.

These pictures really don’t do it justice; it’s slinky and luxurious and I’m enjoying playing with it, swishing it across the table. It makes a sound like the beach, which goes well with the heat wave we’ve been having.

A snapshot of the necklace I’ve been working on.

This might be the first time I’ve made a new design in something other than white pearls! Still pearls though. Can’t get too way out.

I just sent out a special order Long Squares Necklace. This one in goldish-pink pearls.

It still seems miraculous that women I’ve never met are wearing my jewelry. I love it! It feels thrilling and mysterious.

I went to the Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America show on Tuesday. It was my first time; I’m trying to network more and make use of the tremendous resources that are out there for jewelers.

I went with another jeweler who works completely differently than I do. We were attracted to different booths – I stopped at bead sellers and clasp manufacturers, she talked to CAD specialists and an enameler. It was fascinating, if I’d been on my own I would have missed a lot.

I bought some small vermeil beads. I’m not sure what I’m going to make with them but they’re the perfect size for something like a Wild Geese necklace.

I’ll probably just pet them and love them for a while first though.

I’ve started making another white pearl Deco Choker like this one:

photo by Christine Linder

This time I thought I’d try using a paler gold, which is also thinner, and it turns out that the pearls I’m using are a fraction of a millimeter narrower than the ones I used last time. It’s amazing what a difference it makes, although it’s kind of hard to illustrate the point without having them side-by-side.

Here’s the new white pearl version I’m working on next to a brown pearl necklace I made previously. The new piece is narrower and feels lighter; I think the final necklace will be more delicate and might need an extra triangle so it’s long enough.

I could probably spend a lifetime making the same piece over with new materials, or making tiny variations in spacing or length. I can make an educated guess as to how the beads will behave but I have to make the necklace or at least a sample to be sure. And it’s still frequently a complete surprise.

Being sick is dull, dull, dull. I’m getting better but it feels like sixteen million years since I was in the studio making anything. I’ve been able to knit but that’s not WORK. The kind that satisfies my sense of purpose and brings in chunks of bacon. (Which still amazes me!)

So to shut up my whiny, sniffly self and create the illusion that I’ve been in the studio, here’s what I was working on before the great plague* descended.

I made another experimental piece out of half-cones. This time all the bumps are on the outside.

Again I think it’s a lovely object, but not yet wearable. The search continues… as soon as I get back into that beloved studio.

Happy Leap Year!

*aka common fluey cold.

Last week I set aside my cone experiments to work on an order for two Squares Necklaces in time for Valentine’s Day: one in soft pink, the other one in brown.

It’s always nice to work on a design I haven’t made in a while; like visiting an old friend. A meditative break from the constant questioning and figuring out that designing brings up.

The cone necklace made me wonder what I could do with half-cones so I started this experiment.

Today I closed it so that it turned into a flower. The curves allow it to stretch so it can fit over your hand and onto your wrist. It’s a pretty dramatic bracelet. Or a small sculpture.

Now I’m wondering how the shape will turn out if I change the size of the waves, or the angles, or the number of rows…

I made these earrings a few weeks ago to go with the squares necklaces. For this pair I used my favorite batch of silvery gold pearls, but I’ve also made them in white and steely-silver pearls. I’ve been wearing them a lot; they’re easy, and so light that I forget they’re on until the drops brush my cheek.

I have lovely news to share; I just shipped a grouping of my jewelry to Jerry Szor Contemporary Jewelry in Dallas, Texas.

My designs have been in stores before, but as part of a design partnership. This is the first time that a buyer has chosen my work purely on its own merits. I’m absolutely delighted, and feel honored that my work will sit alongside jewelry by several of my favorite designers: Gabriella Kiss and John Iversen.

If you live in the Dallas area, check out the store!