New Engraved Celtic Knot Necklace

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Celtic knot necklace in gold
Celtic knot necklace in gold

This necklace came to me the other day on a whim. I’ve had these diamond shaped blanks for quite some time now, and although I like their unique shape (as far as engraving blanks go) I could never find a design that I liked with them. With our annual spring trip to Nova Scotia coming up I had the Celtic knot on the brain. It is a common symbol in said province, and I love the symbolism of this endless knot. It just hit me out of the blue to engrave a Celtic knot onto the diamond shaped blanks.

celtic knot necklace in silver
celtic knot necklace in silver

This is definitely not my favorite design to engrave. It is incredibly intricate and if I miss a spot well, there really is no going back to fill it in. So like a maze or complicated jigsaw puzzle I have to analyze every line to make sure I have every piece connected correctly. I thought about what stone I wanted to pair with this celtic knot necklace, but in the end, I decided it looked the best on its own.

I’m really quite pleased at how quick of an idea this was. I have a sketchbook full of ideas and yet, some of the best ones simply come off the top of my head. I’m also looking forward to getting more practice engraving this mystical symbol.

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New Clearance Jewelry Items – More to Come…

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sterling silver turquoise chip hoops on sale at 40% off
sterling silver turquoise chip hoops on sale at 40% off

I’m going to be adding new items to the clearance section for the next little while. I finally have to give up some of this stuff. I have a huge bin of product that I made, either it was once available for sale and I took it down for some reason or another, I had plans to develop it further – or for no particular reason they just never made it up on the website (probably because I am so busy. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it ;)). For example that cute pair of earrings above is available at 40% off. Sterling silver people! 🙂

I also have items that I engraved to fill orders but they weren’t quite up to my standards so I redid them. Maybe they are engraved slightly off center, the blank was scratched up or I simply made a mistake and engraved the wrong letter. They are essentially handmade seconds. 🙂 So I’m thinking I should list these deeply discounted as well. Why waste them? They may be perfectly acceptable to someone else. Score if you can get them below cost!

I’m starting with earrings and I have quite a few pairs. Some of these I can make more of and I just might do that if they sell/time permitting. I do so much custom stuff these days it is fun to just play around with stones and beads again just for the heck of it. 🙂

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New Product: Dark Angel Necklace in Tourmaline

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A dear friend of mine requested the “dark angel” necklace in tourmaline for her daughter. I was surprised how hard it was to find faceted rondelles the right size for this piece, I was finding only teeny tiny beads. I know tourmaline can run on the expensive side compared to other gemstone beads but sometimes I get frustrated trying to find supplies in this country. I finally found a supplier in the US thanks to help from my jewelry group. Although these rondelles run smaller than the beads featured in the other necklaces (these are from 6 – 7mm in size) I still think it works just fine.

DPP_3939I absolutely love tourmaline and I’m happy to finally add it to my complement of beads.

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Jewelry Inspired: Halloween

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Halloween will be upon us very soon so I wanted to try my hand at some pieces inspired by the holiday.  The first thing I thought of was All Souls Day: Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos and the artwork/tattoos that are based around this theme. The second thing that came to mind was a goth/vampire feel. So the challenge was to create pieces based on left over materials I had on hand (since my Etsy & Artfire studios are the places where I list jewelry made mostly from leftover materials from past projects).

I bought these pewter skull charms on closeout awhile back, so I knew they would be perfect. Paired with some red flower beads & hematite I created these Day of the Dead inspired earrings:

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The red flower beads reminded me of the red roses I’ve seen in tattoos inspired by El Dia de los Muertos.

After those were constructed, I decided to go into a whole different direction. The words “fallen angel” kept popping in my head, as well as “Angel of Death”. So I worked with this idea, again with the pewter skull pendants, adding pewter wings. I just needed the perfect “body”. So for this time, I decided to wade through my “premium” (read: not leftovers) supplies as the hematite beads I had on hand just weren’t cutting it. Fabulous labradorite faceted rondelles caught my eye quickly. They are a nice ghosty gray tone, plus the metaphysical properties seemed to fit. Here’s what I came up with:

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I used moonstone to create the neck of the “angel”.

This soon had my mind working in the direction of a pendant. I have a few of these black (dyed) quartz faceted teardrops that I knew would be perfect for  the body. A little wire twisting and voila:

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A 4mm hematite bead makes up the neck, & I used a 22 gauge sterling silver wire. I decided to hang it from a sterling silver chain so not to take away from the focus of the pendant itself.

What I really enjoy when making themed pieces – particularly when it comes to holidays- is to come up with a design that can encompass wear year round & not just for the certain event. I find if you are not careful, jewelry designed around a theme can appear costume-y (which of course is fine if you are designing costume jewelry!). I want to create something that could be enjoyed year round. I think with the right customer, these pieces can be enjoyed over & over again.

And you know what – I really don’t find these pieces morbid. Perhaps because for me death is a transcendence of the soul, where we are reborn…although the body may die and flesh rot away. To me, that is beautiful…

Orange Crush: The Bead Wrist Corsage

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I am enjoying my summer vacation, therefore I am on a hiatus from jewelry making. I did find time this evening to list this great piece I made several weeks ago. It is inspired by the orange dahlias in my garden. I have had these vintage orange beads for several years now. I bought them as they intrigued me so, but no design ever came to mind. Let’s face it, it’s a pretty funky colour! The 10mm oval glass beads have a gold AB (aurora borealis) finish on one side.

Since the piece is inspired by flowers, I was thinking wrist corsage when I made it. Therefore, I concentrated on getting a large cluster of beads to sit on the front of the wrist, rather than wrap all the way around. A magnetic clasp finishes the piece. I thought of adding a lobster clasp in order to make it adjustable but it was way too tricky to clasp. So a magnetic one means no fuss, no muss!

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Update on this Weekend’s Sale

So the Starving (Jewelry) Artists sale on Etsy starts this Friday (April 24th) at 4pm EST. The promo is free shipping from the participating shops. I am looking into giving away a free gift or additional discount for my customers as well since my shop always offers free shipping worldwide. Remember Canadians, I offer at par pricing to the US dollar amount. So if you see something you like for $20 USD I’ll sell it to you in Canada for $20 CAD. Plus free shipping. Good deal! Check out or team blog for participating members: SATEAM on ETSY

SATEAM Mother’s Day Sale on Etsy this weekend…

Okay so, I am typing this half in the dark with a newborn laying on my chest…bare with me…but I am excuted to announce that SATEAM on Etsy is having our first ever sale! Details to follow…all participating shops will be offering free shipping. I’ll post updates as I have them or go to SATEAM on Etsy for more info…start time is looking like 4pm PST on Friday the 24th of April.

100 Days of Creativity: Day 69

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Today was mookaite day. I felt the need to add a couple more affordable pieces to my Artfire Studio, and mookaite came to mind. This bead stands really well on its own therefore I thought it was the appropriate choice for these pieces. Mookaite (also spelled moukaite) is a form of jasper native to Australia. Stone variance from a reddish brown, tan and cream colored.

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You can see by comparing the first and second pair of earrings, there really is a neat variance to the colour of the stone. Truly one of my favourites to work with. As far as lore goes, mookaite is believed to aid in in embracing new circumstances, acts as an emotional protector, encourages the desire for variety & new experiences, enhances decision making & helps us when dealing with negative situations. Indeed, a fascinating stone.