The jewelry on this site is all hand crafted by myself. The exceptions are chains and pin converters (pins to pendants) that I resell here simply for the convenience of my customers. I use a variety of wire techniques and work primarily with 14K/20 gold filled wire and .999 fine silver wire. I also work in other wires, like 14K or 18K solid gold, by request.

I am a wire artist, not a gemologist. I strive to give accurate information about my stones and to buy from people I trust. If you are a gemologist or other expert and notice any inaccuracy in any information on my site, please let me know!!

Designs

I love stones - and I love using wire to frame them and make them pop, just like a mat and a frame make a painting pop. I often think of myself as "the third artist" when creating my jewelry - after Mother Nature and the lapidary artist that freed the stone from the rough rock.

Ammolite, Labradorite/Spectralite, Opal, and other stones with "color plays" require proper orientation to show their wonderful colors. Soft stones, freeforms, and unusually shaped items can be hard to put into a traditional jewelry setting. Using wire allows me to work around the stone and set it as it wants to be set.

The techniques used in wire wrapping, weaving, braiding, and the like have been around for so long that it is tough to say that something you have done is truly original and not just a variation of what has been done before. There are certain things that just have to be done to make sure the stone is locked into place and will not come loose. Above and beyond those basic requirements, each artist develops their own style that separates their work from others.

I usually play with each stone before I start to work with it. Sometimes the image of what it wants to be flashes clearly in my mind while doing this. I think the designs that result from these flashes move out of the unique or one-of-a-kind category and truly fit into an originals category. For some reason, most of the stones that want to be originals want to be pins - I don’t really know why.

Many stones are happy being pendants, which is a good thing since pendants are so popular and versatile. I strive to keep my pendants different from each other and to give each a unique bail decoration, but I do have some designs that I use repeatedly. Hopefully other wire artists will respect these designs and you will not see items that you recognize as my designs available for sale anywhere other than my web site and shows.

Materials

I work with precious metal wires and natural stones. I love to have an excuse to buy all sorts of rare, unusual, and wonderfully colored stones. For the most part, I stay away from anything that is not natural and simply just freed (cutting, polishing, stabilization) by man.

There are exceptions to every rule though, and you will see them scattered throughout the site. Imori or Victoria Stone is one manmade stone that is so pretty I do buy it when I can find it. It is the only cabochon stone I can think of that I use on the site that is not natural, unless Rainbow Cal Silica should someday turn out to be an elaborate hoax.

Any of the jewelry with glass as the centerpiece (dichroic glass, art glass, etc) or as accents (fire polished czech glass beads) are of course showcasing manmade materials. Poured agate cameos are also manmade products.

When I work with pearls as the main centerpiece, like the blister pearl pendants, they are cultured or natural. When I use pearls as accents, you have to read the description to see what I did in fact use. Sometimes they are freshwater pearls - which are often dyed. Often times, they are Swarovski glass pearls, which are manmade. I love using the Swarovski pearls for their uniform size and shape, the colors available, and most importantly, because they fit on the wire I use. They have proven to be a quality product that do not crack or chip under wear.

Finally, the major place where you will find manmade stones is in the Birthstone Jewelry category. Faceted stones are quite different than cabochons. Where inclusions can create wonderful patterns in cabochons and be quite desireable, they interupt light in faceted stones and lessen the sparkle. There are wonderful manmade faceted stones available, from lab-created stones to CZ’s, that can give the sparkle and color desired. While you need to know what you are purchasing, there is no need to tell others whether it is "genuine" or manmade. You can read more in the Faceted Gem Information section. If you want genuine faceted stones, shop in the Gemstone Jewelry category.

Product Information

Product information can be found throughout the various areas of this site. You can access it via the menu on the left side of the screen. Information covered includes -