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 Get a Custom Jewelry Design
Megan spotted the bracelet worn by "Katrina" in the movie "Sleepy Hollow", and asked me to make her one like it. She sent me three photos of Katrina wearing the bracelet, including a closeup. After doing lots of internet searching, I sent her photos of numerous star-shaped centerpieces, and she chose two of them to be used in two different bracelets. Can you see which two she chose? One is a gorgeous, vintage-look brass, layered flower, and the other is a silver pewter star-flower. On the brass flower, I attached several rows of Swarovski cream pearls, adding one to the flower center. For the silver flower, I used freshwater pearls, and made matching earrings. I think they turned out much more elegant than the movie's bracelet!
Brenda sent me the wrap matching the sangria colored gown she would be wearing to her son's wedding. Having the fabric at hand helped me find perfectly matching beads to make her double-strand bracelet and 3-inch chandelier earrings: exquisite faceted pearls, with Swarovski crystals. A few silver crystals were mixed in to complement the silver rhinestone shoes she wore. This amazing sangria color might also be considered as magenta, ruby, or fuchsia, but whatever the name, Brenda looks absolutely royal wearing it!
Theresa's gift for Lillyanne, her new little niece, is a handmade necklace featuring Lillyanne's name in sterling silver rounded cubes at front, followed by lavender and purple crystals. Here is Lillyanne, posing with her Mommy, both looking beautiful. Lillyanne's necklace is long enough that she'll be able to grow into it and wear it for some years to come.
Anabel loved the book, "Chosen", as well as the necklace on the cover. So she sent me a photo of the book and asked me to duplicate the 5-strand necklace. I found a similar sterling silver crescent moon pendant, and the right color of Swarovski crystals and glass beads to make this choker necklace. I added extra crystals on the bottom row of Anabel's necklace, so they would go all the way around to the back instead of just part way across the front. When worn, it has the same type of drape as shown on the book cover, with the weight of the pendant tugging a bit at the bottom strand. It turned out great, and Anabel said, "Not only is it beautiful, but it's a perfect fit!"
Karen wanted to surprise her mother with a sentimental gift, and requested a necklace for her of white pearls and birthstones. I used big, white Swaroski crystal pearls, and large, round Swarovski crystals in peridot, emerald and light amethyst to represent the birth months of her closest family members. The necklace was 28" long, as her mom likes long necklaces. The earrings are made of the same birthstones. The necklace turned out more elegant than it appears here, and Karen's mom was surprised and touched.
Patricia is a hypnotherapist and a healer. She understands the energies and healing properties of stone better than I do. She lets me know what stones she would like to wear, and I search sources to find them. I have made several gemstone and pearl bracelets for her, including these favorites. Top right: huge, natural rubies! Several occupy the front part of the bracelet, which finishes off with natural white pearls, and another pair of rubies. Left: Gorgeous blue apatite gemstones. Apatite comes in a range of blues and greenish blues, but if you can get this intense, capri blue, it will delight you! Bottom: Wow! All shades of pink tourmaline from a subtle hue to deep fuchsia. Pink tourmaline is said to bring in the love vibration. Two strands of this luscious stone!
To celebrate her daughter's university graduation, Kathryn took her on a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, escaping the cold of Canada for the warmth and sunshine of the Mexican beach. Kathryn requested a bracelet to commemorate that fun trip, and asked for it to include the colors of the turquoise tropical waters, and some white calla lilies like those that are abundant in Mexico. As luck would have it, I had just purchased this handmade bead from a lampwork artist, featuring a calla lily on a turquoise background. I centered it among indicolite and capri blue crystals, and vintage white lily beads. Two heart-shaped sterling beads were added near the closure, with the initials for Kathryn and her daughter, Melissa.
Kathy sent me a photo of a deep purple dress she bought for a wedding she's attending. Then to be sure I had the right color, she sent a ribbon from the dress. I had just the perfect thing ... some purple cubic zirconia briolettes in the right color. I made her these lightweight earrings that have the same breezy movement as her dress, and the sterling stardust beads and the tiny silver crystals in them go with her other silver accessories. Kathy said, "Those gorgeous earrings, I never saw such beauty, and the light flow to them is just amazing."
Barbara is a graphic designer planning a wedding vow renewal in July. It was to be an outdoor ceremony, and her theme was "daisies". Barbara loves turquoise, blues and greens, and her dress was a white peasant style. Sometimes it seems fated that I save certain beads for years, and it seemed so in this case. I had been hanging on to just the right beads: a large Peruvian ceramic bead, dark blue with a turquoise daisies, and a few handmade Peruvian white and yellow daisy-shaped beads. I knew they'd be perfect in Barbara's necklace. I rounded up other daisy-themed beads in her colors, and her 24" long necklace turned out fabulous! She sent me a photo of her ceremony, and she looked so happy and beautiful! Her comment: "IT IS PERFECT!!!!!! It's the perfect size and coloring for me--I've already pranced around the house in my dress with it on--it absolutely adds the exact amount of color I was hoping for---and it is just so pretty!!! I'm still a bit stunned at how this all came together so perfectly!!"
Victoria has a large collection of old Cracker Jack toys that she's been saving for a long time. She wanted a way to display them, so she asked me to make a colorful necklace she could hang her charms from. She also wanted to be able to switch them off; to let all her charms have a chance to be displayed at various times. I made attachments directly on the necklace, so that all Victoria has to do is remove a charm and replace it with another. Even the earrings have a way to exchange the charms for others! The necklace is quite long so it is able to display many Cracker Jack toys at a time, and it gets lots of admiring attention!
Kathy's dad was a WWII Vet, and everyone in his family admired and respected him. He was proud of himself when he renewed his driver's license at age 90, but within a year, he passed away, leaving a family that has missed him deeply. Before he passed, Kathy asked me about a bracelet that would honor her dad, featuring a veteran's poppy in the center. I commissioned a glass artist to make this deep red poppy flower bead, added some silky green leaves, sterling silver, black onyx, deep red crystals, and a sterling, heart-shaped "Dad" charm. It is even more meaningful to Kathy now that he is gone. She sent me a photo of how her family lovingly decorated his grave.
Charles had a symbol with special meaning to him. We worked together to commission a lampwork artist to create a pendant resembling that symbol. The lampworker created two pendants, and a set of smaller beads to match. I used one pendant, the lampwork beads, sodalite and bronzite stones, and copper metal to make a long necklace for Charles. With the second pendant, I used copper chain and a leftover lampwork bead to make a watch fob that can connect to a belt loop. It's an amazing set; rustic, yet rich in color, and just what Charles wanted.
Mary Beth sent me this necklace purchased in Prague. She had been looking unsuccessfully for matching earrings, so she asked if I could make some. I searched until I found the same color of lampwork tube beads, made in Czech Republic, where she had bought her necklace. They are all in the color Siam, lined with silver foil, but the beads I found are smaller, just right for earrings. Some of the gold metal on her necklace had worn off, so I mixed silver and gold metals in her earrings, and the result was a perfectly matching set. Mary Beth returned for several more pairs of custom earrings.
These two name necklaces were commissioned for two sisters, Padmini, whose favorite color is blue, and Rohini, who loves purple. The necklaces are pure, stunning color, made of Swarovski crystals, and sterling silver letter cubes to spell out their names. A very special gift, which was well appreciated!
Ginger Dee works at a hospital and school, and the colors for both organizations are blue and yellow. Ginger asked for jewelry in those colors. At top is her cute charm bracelet of Swarovski crystals in blues and yellows, with intermittent dangling crystals. The necklace below it has her name spelled out around it in oval letter beads of pewter. I added other shades of blues and greens to blend the colors harmoniously. The bottom necklace uses sterling silver cube letters, followed by three crystals, and the rest of the strand (not visible) is made of sterling silver beads. Now Ginger has a beautiful way to show her spirit and her name at work.
Stephen requested a beaded Pittsburgh Steelers necklace for his sister, who is a big fan of the team. He wanted it to look athletic, yet feminine at the same time. I found a ready-made pendant and put together this black and gold design to make her a necklace unique from all other Steeler fan necklaces.
Among other sport team custom necklaces I have made, Jason's request was for a Denver Broncos fan necklace. He wanted it to be in stone, yet in the Broncos colors. It's a little tricky to find these colors in stone, and then put them together in a way that still looks classy, but I think the goal was reached by using dark blue sodalite stones, white quartz nuggets and deep orange carnelian, with sterling accents.
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