Subtle Hues of Winter

Winter Song, Bracelet in Natural Coral, Onyx, Smoky Quartz, Bone, and Brass

Here are some more bracelets, a genre I neglected (along with my jewelry in general) last year but am loving now because it allows me to try new ideas and techniques and offer new jewelry at affordable prices. These bracelets both use brass -- a metal I've been growing fond of lately, especially as silver prices surge -- and wonderful natural coral rounds with a warm, earthy texture and color that actually work better with brass than silver. They both are in uncharacteristically (for me) muted colors and were inspired by a photo I took earlier this month -- a creative crossover I should continue to foster. 

The bracelet above has a hand-carved onyx raven focal bead and the last of my faceted onyx "pillows"; it closes with a button clasp based on a hand-carved bone button from my sewing stash. The bracelet below is all ocean: the coral rounds, dyed pearls, and two exquisite faceted ocean jasper teardrops "wrapped" in what could well be seen as seaweed. These and several more (which I'll probably show tomorrow) should be up in my Etsy shop by tomorrow. If any good movies are on tonight I'm hoping to finish some new, more springlike offerings that mix sari silk (my favorite new medium now that I've figured out how to use it in jewelry) and glass. Maybe I can get some inspiration from some of the many flower photos I took last spring. If you find inspiration from any of these, I'd love to see what you come up with!

Winter Shores, Bracelet in Natural Coral, Pearls, Ocean Jasper, and Brass