New jewellery - pendants

I have been working on more jewellery designs.  There was a call for more pendants from a friend so here is a selection from the latest crop.

These are pendants on necklaces made from tiny gemstone beads: coral (deep red), turquoise (greeny-blue), agate (brown, fluoro green), serpentine (dark green), and onyx (black). 

The focal beads are Indian cut stones mostly bought in Bangkok, Kathmandu and some odd flea market finds: turquoise nuggets,  carnelian (orange), coral, vintage cilver filigree, rose quartz, ancient Syrian glass, pearls and agate.

These are made with the autumn season in mind - they are to wear over a shirt or polo/turtle neck.
Although the colours and design make them very unique and eye catching, I have made a stand against those big, bulky resin pendants you now see everywhere.

These are one offs and made from sterling silver and gemstones.

Prices around $70.  They aren't on a website yet.

Tassel pendants

I have been working up new pendant ideas since I came back from Thailand with a bag full of stones.

These are loosely based on the good luck chinese bead charms with lucky knots and tassels you see often hanging in car windows.

I've teamed up Indian cut beads with my forged silver circles (such a strong feminine symbol), and jewel bright colours to put a sparkle in your outfit.

These will be around $45AU each.  Please get in touch if you are interested.

NZ greenstone pendants

NZ jade is called 'Pounamu', in Maori. It is a sacred stone and is found only in the South Island of New Zealand. The remote river where it is found, is still only reached by trekking into the area and cannot be taken by the general public.

Any visitor to New Zealand will see a huge selection of carved jade pendants in souvenir shops around the country. I suspect most of the carving is not completed by traditional artisans but by workshops in SE Asia. I doubt that the jade used is even from NZ.

As an antidote to this practice I have sourced some rough pieces of pounamu. Some are pebbles, some are offcuts of larger pieces. They are unpolished.

I think these pieces are more beautiful and spiritual than any factory-carved pendants.

For longevity, prosperity and luck. Jade also promotes happiness.

Have a lovely weekend all.

cast silver pendants

These went to NZ today....

Well the gumleaf with the bite and rough garnet, the lace pendant with the amethyst drop and the right hand lace pendant - I added a grey baroque pearl as a drop at the end.


hope they like them!

cast lace pendants

Antique lace from a NSW county fair dipped in wax and cast in sterling silver.

I've welded little silver rings to the lace then onto larger, forged silver circles to make pendants.

Vintage branch coral and turquoise nugget on a silver circle

This is a little different. It's a piece of pink vintage branch coral suspended on one of my silver circles with a chunk of African turquoise.

Could be worn on a thin leather thong or a silver chain.

single stone pendants on sterling silver circles

I've been fixated with making silver circles for the last couple of months and I sort of wondered why so I looked it up online.

As a design element in my jewellery, a thin, hammered silver ring suspended on a fine cord or chain is a perfect foil for delicate pearls or really pretty or unusual single beads.

But wait, there's more....

As a symbol, the circle signifies completion, inclusion, wholeness, magic.
The circle is also considered a symbol of unity and infinity, without beginning or end...

So maybe there's more to it than me hammering out little rings on the kitchen table because they look really good with a single stone suspended from them.

Here is this weekend's selection of single stone pendants.
Above image from left: Blue quartz and amethyst, Aquamarine, Moonstone, Amethyst.
Below image from left: Abalone and baroque pearl, Indian cut carnelian, Volcanic lava, rough cut Fluorite.

hammered and kooky silver pendants

The silversmithing course is starting to bear fruit.

I have spent the last couple of times welding and beating little objects in addition to the projects we are supposed to be doing.

I've found working with offcuts of silver and wire that I've brought along and making them into something pretty much more satisfying than the projects we are tasked with.

Above are two little silver pendants beaten from silver offcuts of the 'official' pendant I have been making.

The silver rings holding the stone pendants are welded, hammered and polished pieces of wire I have been saving for such an occasion.

I like their slight kookiness a lot more than the symmetrical rings I have been buying from my usual supplier.

monday blues

I don't like Mondays. Here's a blue and frosted quartz nugget pendant for calm. The pebble reminds me of sea glass and holidays on the beach.