Bathtub Envy

Have you ever stumbled across some random item and fallen head over heels with it?  You don't need it, but you want it....bad!  It happened to me this morning when I saw this amethyst bathtub...

 

Baldi Amethyst Bathtub from the Gilded Life blog

Yes, this bathtub is made of the gemstone amethyst.  Who thinks up these things?  Whoever you are...I love you.  And for just a little over $120,000 it can be all mine.  Errrk *crashing back down to earth*...this is where the love story ends.  Maybe I should start buying lottery tickets...

Rocks, Minerals & Gems....Oh My!

Ugh, my new shipment of wire was delayed in its arrival through snail mail, so I didn't get any pieces finished (or started) this weekend.  Its nice to take a break every once in a while...or at least that is what I've been telling myself.  Saturday, I got caught up on all the housework that is constantly put off so I can have some quality studio time.  Saturday evening, I felt on top of the world - Super Mom to the rescue.  By 8:00 a.m. Sunday, I was bored as heck!

What's a gal to do!?! When in doubt - Pinterest!  I decided to start a Pinterest board dedicated to my sweet true love - rocks, minerals and gems.  I found some real beauties too!  Check it out if you get a chance - http://pinterest.com/kristinahenning/rocks-minerals-gems/

Here's a sneak peek...

Some lovelies from my Rocks, Minerals & Gems Pinterest Board

I also started a blog on Tumblr - random thoughts.  What am I sharing over there?  Random thoughts in the form of photos of pretty stuff, quotes I like or find inspiring, and my favorite predictions from fortune cookies.  Stop by if you get a chance, I'm at http://kristinahenning.tumblr.com/.

Elizabeth Necklace. Ametrine.

I wrapped up some lovely projects this weekend including the newest version of my Elizabeth necklace.

In case your wondering, the purple and yellow stone is called ametrine.  Ametrine is a naturally occurring mix of amethyst and citrine.  It is one of my favorite gemstones.  Here's an example of what it looks like in a more natural state...

 

Image via Pinterest

Now I'm off  to clean up my studio. I found myself in a bit of a creative whirlwind this weekend and moved into each new project without putting up the elements from the previous projects.  Now the top of my jewelry bench is a sparkling, cluttered mess!

Work in Progress. Green and Teal.

I thought I'd try something a little different here on the ol' blog - sharing pics of works in progress.  These will be quickie shots taken with the Instagram app on my phone to keep them spontaneous.

So here we go...

I was almost through with this design before I got struck by the idea of a work in progress shot.  This pair of earrings includes green tourmalinated quartz, antique leland slag in teal, vesuvianite, labradorite, moss aquamarine, peacock teal quartz, freshwater pearls and silver.  I made all the fine silver head pins myself with a torch.  I also made the ear wires (no pictured) by hand. Tomorrow morning I'll oxidized the silver in this pair of earrings and then buff it.

It was a wonderful day in the studio!  Along with the earrings above, I finished two more pairs of earrings with cascades, two more Hudson necklaces, two pairs of Peyton earrings with carnelian and lapis, and a pair of Gesine earrings with a huge pair of marquis carnelians - the unwrapped drops are a long 2 inches!  My thumb joints are killing me but I'm happy as can be.  I'm hoping to be able to finish an Elizabeth necklace with a large teardrop of ametrine in the morning.

Hopefully the sunny weather we had today will hold out for tomorrow afternoon's photo shoot.  The last couple of Sundays have been overcast and the photos haven't turned out as well as I had hoped.  If the weather cooperates, I'll reshoot some of the previous pieces while I'm at it. Look for the new pieces to start making their way into the shop on Monday.

Now its time to head off to bed so I can get an early start in the morning.  Good night all!

Fall Colors

I'm always on the lookout for new color combinations.  Here's a few that have caught my eye for Fall from Design Seeds along with a few possible gemstone combos...

 

Smoky quartz, rhodocrosite, champagne citrine, citrine and not sure about the last color...maybe a dark peach moonstone or something from Swarovski crystal like crystal copper

 

Scapolite or beige pearl, moss aquamarine,  smoky quartz, black spinel, rutilated quartz

 

From top -  This is a hard one....maybe cats eye scapolite, smoky quartz, plum sapphire, rutilated quartz, champagne citrine or soft gold pearl

 

Silver quartz, gray moonstone, black onyx, peach moonstone, lemon quartz 

 

Chalcedony, blue topaz, burgundy Swarovski crystal, carnelian, .....mmm, mustard yellow...maybe a yellow jasper or a gold freshwater pearl

You can find more color inspiration at Design Seeds http://design-seeds.com/.