dashing about

Well, here I am again ... about cross-eyed from listing new work on Etsy.  So far I've listed 5 of the 12 pieces I have ready.  The thing is, it's gorgeous outside and here I am plonking away at the computer.  I can't stand it any more, so I thought I'd share some pics of the new work already listed and the new work to come over the next couple of days - just a bit of a teaser.

When I was last here, I had been working on the crosses.  I'm quite pleased with the results.
This one is sapphires and diamonds and ruby with a Tunduru sapphire and silk necklace.

This one is peridot, sapphire and diamonds and the necklace is iolite and spinel with steel blue silk

I got a wonderful blast of inspiration earlier in the week - the resulting pieces were inspired by two of my favorite spring happenings, blooming redbud trees and azaleas.  One of the best parts about being back in the south is spring - gorgeous, blessed spring.  The branches of redbud trees are an amazing feat of nature and I think this necklace really speaks to the bloom encrusted branches.  It's all deep rose faceted tourmaline rondelles with one faceted nugget accent, dark brown silk and some of my plum silk ribbon.

This one is the same style, but the colors are inspired by the, soon to be heavily laden, banks of azaleas.  It's mostly garnets, regular red and plum colored mystic garnet, with dark brown silk and my steel blue silk ribbon and a few sapphires on the solo branch.

The last big piece is an update of a KVK classic.  For years and years, I wore variations of a beaded 'bracelet'.  It started off in 1992 as a few strands of seed beads on quilting thread and, over the years, grew to a 15' wrap on heavy duty beadalon of about a zillion different kinds of beads.  Here's vintage me with the longest incarnation.

 

I wanted to update the idea with the knotted silk and faceted gems and the 'spring branch' idea. I was also compelled to add something extra to the silk.  I decided to inscribe a message and braid it into the piece - a gentle, but constant reminder and one of my favorite passages from Oneness.  Written on the silk and braided into the necklace/bracelet, "These times are about embracing the power with which you have been blessed and relinquishing the remnants of limitation and fear that result in separation from self."  

The 2010 version can be worn wrapped as a bracelet or doubled for a necklace.  The new "Spring Branch" piece is 36" long.  Remember that to knot those tiny gems on silk, I need to use more than double the projected length.  Working with 4 strands of 6' was about all I could handle - literally.  At 36" it will wrap twice as a necklace or about 5 times as a bracelet.  There probably won't be too many of these - it was quite an undertaking - satisfying end result, but quite a challenge.  

I think that's it for now.  I have got to get outside and soak up some of that wonderful sunshine.

Sending out all good things and copious blessings - kvk