May Birthstone: EMERALD

A stone of true mystic beauty, the emerald is one of the most coveted gems ever. I almost do not know a woman who doesn't simply adore the rich green of this magnificent mineral.



Handmade sterling silver and emerald earrings

 Emerald is one of the earliest minerals known to man. The name emerald is thought to be of the Ancient Greek word smaragdos meaning green stone.

It has been assigned a very large number of properties over the last 6000 years. Some beliefs are that emerald is a symbol of immortality, and that wearing emerald jewelry is good for the eyes and eyesight, that it prevents epilepsy, promotes cleverness, courage, eloquence, honesty, prosperity and much more. In general it can be said that emerald is believed to protect against illnesses, physical danger and evil and that it can improve your mind and character.


A tall order, but whether all of that is true or not, the fact remains that true emeralds are stunning in their beauty, so don't be surprised if you find yourself gazing at one for significant stretches of time. Ideally it should be at the mirror reflection of yourself wearing one!

Single chunk of emerald on a sterling silver hoop

The astrological signs of emerald are Taurus, Gemini and Aries.

Light coming through genuine emerald beads on multi-strand pearl bracelet

Berlin in My Soul

It's been almost six months since my last extended stay in the wonderful capital of Germany. During those two months of soaking in the language and culture a lot of my jewelry pieces were inspired by the rich history and abundant museum collections. Here are some of the images that have left their mark:

Here are some of the pieces that translate that Berlin feeling:

Queen of Prussia Earrings

Porcelain Earrings

You're A Star Porcelain Pendant

Black Gold Etruscan Choker

Etruscan Choker



MISS CONGENIALITY

People, that is friends, always ask me what I sell most of. That's not an easy question, because most of my jewelry are one of a kind pieces, so I can only sell one piece and that's it. Of course there are trends, people seem fond of my chunky copper gemstone  necklaces, turquoise and silver also seem to be a winning combination. Still for me it's very easy to define what sells most. Exactly this:

the quintessential golden bracelet

This favourite bracelet came into existence for one simple reason - vanity! Especially during the summer months I like the glow of gold jewelry. But I was lacking a nice statement bracelet to wear on my tanned wrist. I didn't want anything too chunky, because it makes my wrist looks thick, but I did want something larger than life. This was the result. As soon as a put one in my shop, I had to keep making more, because they were selling like hot cakes. One of my best friends recently panicked when she heard I had sold one again. She had had her eye on it for a while and wants me to make her a new one.
Sooner rather than later some of the vintage components in this piece will run out and that will be the end of this story.
I wonder though what is it that makes this bracelet special that it's so popular despite the not-so-perfect photo. Perhaps its the soft glow of the gold color or the luxurious feeling of a draped chain on your wrist or is it something else? Something as simple as itself.

Diamond Drills Are a Girl's Best Friend

I had this insane idea of combining my love of jewelry with my passion for beautiful vintage china. I've been making the former with a passion for a while now and recently I have again started accumulating vast amounts of old porcelain and bone china, simply because I loved the desing and the intricate handpainted details.

One thing led to another and I got myself a Dremel. A Dremel is a high-speed rotating tool used for carving, sanding or drilling. However porcelain and bone china are among the hardest materials around. So your regular drillbits simply won't do. You need diamond-clad bits, because diamonds are the hardest substence on Earth. So I got some.

The first opportunity to try everything out came yesterday. I had recently bought a truly stunning Alka Bavaria collector's set of a teacup, saucer and sandwich plate. The shade of grey-blue was poetic and the intricate gold detail was handpainted with real gold. Unfortunately it arrived broken. The only surviving piece was the plate. The teacup lost a handle and the saucer was broken into several pieces.

I picked out a few pieces that still had the beautiful pattern and similar shapes. I started drilling.

To drill porcelain is very tricky, because although very hard, it's also very fragile. It can easily break under too much pressure or if it gets too hot. The friction between the drillbit and the material causes heat. That's where lubrication steps in! I took a large baking pan, padded it with a thick cork mat, poured water over it, so the porcelain piece was submerged in it, as was the tip of the drill.

And then you start. It takes forever to drill a tiny tiny hole only a few milimetres deep. And that's not all, after you've finally pierced through all the holes you need, you still need to sand every piece. As china breaks, the edges are very sharp. You need to lovingly sand every edge so it's completely smooth. Again I did this using my new diamond drill.

Once you have what you need, you can incorporate it in the final jewelry piece.

Broken China Girl Necklace

One of a kind porcelain earrings

Vintage or Modern?

Real jewellery lasts for ever. The really beautiful pieces go beyond fashion. Don't you have a favourite that you wear time and time again? Or you let it rest for a few years and then rediscover it in your treasure chest? It happened to me recently when I pulled out a nice ivory cusp my dad brought back from India when I was 10! To be more specific (but not too specific!) that places it back to mid-eighties. A vintage piece so to speak and still looks great. The only difference is that back then I was able to spin it around my wrist despite its oval shape and now it just sits nice and snug on it.
I have always had a love affair with jewellery. Already as a kid I would dream of being a queen clad in huge saphires or rubies. Through the years I have accumulated an impressive collection of everything. Still the fashion has never been so much to my taste as this year. Bold, fifities, seventies, eighties styles suit me well. Only a few years back I would look ridiculous, but now I can pull off a Cleopatra, a Tzarina or a Jackie O without batting an eyelid.
In the last six months I have tapped into the world's richest resource - EBay. It's great for those unique vintage pieces that nobody has. You want a bib collar? Your wish be done. Just type in vintage bib collar, add color or metal of choice and happy shopping. You can get some really amazing bargains for nothing. I've bought chunky rings that everyone notices, even men! for less than 10 dollars. Things that used to belong to society ladies are now often up for grabs.

Another great forum and undiscovered source of great vintage jewellery is http://www.etsy.com/ It's not as popular as EBay yet, so the choice is smaller, but so are the prices. A great piece of vintage jewellery is unique, beautiful and well-made. Otherwise it's just old. The perfect fashion statement is when you wear a mix of vintage and modern, so as not to look like you've stepped out of a dusty magazine.

A great bib collar necklace will work best with sleek modern clothes. You can even wear it to spruce up a jeans and top outfit. You can choose between metals or plastic. Gold tones are especially cool this summer. The plastic of old used in vintage jewellery is lucite. It comes in different colors and shapes, it can simulate sparkly crystals or it can be found in popular ice-cream hues.

If you like being expressive with you jewellery then vintage is the way to go. The best thing about it, you won't break the bank. Although some pieces can be collector's items and if you have the misfortune of having excellent taste, so you might find yourself bidding against other fashionistas or jewelry dealers. Still the choice is so vast, you'll be damned if you don't find a steal.

http://www.anakit.etsy.com/

In the Beginning Was the Word

Well, well, well. Here we are. I never thought I would want to advertize things to the world, but there's a saying that every man in his lifetime should plant a tree, conceive a child and write a book. Well, I'm not a man, I haven't reproduced yet and all I've been planting is a few terrace pot plants. So that leaves me to write a book. Hmm. I love literature and I just love imagining myself typing away at some New England retreat, however I also like to stay down to Earth. A blog will do for now, and if it reaches many, that will be better than a book.

So what will you find here? Anything on life, love, fashion and jewellery. It's basically what we women revolve around. Good luck to us all!