For this leather cord necklace I was inspired by the new colors we just got in the deer hide lace. The wine and sienna remind me of fall which is quickly approaching. Fall also happens to be my favorite season and color pallet. Although spring is known as the season of new beginnings, I believe fall is as well. A new year of school starts, the sun is changing, trees are turning beautiful colors and the air is crisp. The succession of colors of the leather and the gemstones I used captures this feeling.
One element I love experimenting with in my jewelry is using leather in unexpected ways. It is so versatile in the ways it can be manipulated. Instead of using the tulip crimp clasps, I used jumprings and a gold vermeil three strand clasp. I just poked holes at the tips of the leather and stuck the jumpring through it. This gives each leather cord a defined length and the beads sit in relation to one another. It sits on my neck just as I envisioned it.
What are the different ways you have used the deer hide leather lace?
The Splendor of Fall Necklace
Punch Small Holes with Awl & attach with Jumprings
Markels in front of The Diving Cat
Everyday at work we send out many boxes of jewelry findings all over the world. I get so excited just imagining all the different ways and in all the different spaces we all create jewelry. Imagine sharing that beauty with others who create jewelry and think of how we can inspire each other. Whether your “studio” is a small corner of your living room, a rolling table in front of your t.v., a converted hall closet, or a space outside your home, we’d like you to open your studio to our Virtual Studio Tour.
Real Life Tour of the Diving Cat Studio and Gallery
When Clara and I were recently in Philly at the Beadfest Show we met Markels Roberts, a longtime customer and proprietor of The Diving Cat and she invited to us to spend an evening touring her studio. Markels is an inspiring woman and has enjoyed a long career in jewelry and the arts. She is a glass artist, jewelry designer, sculptor, teacher, and gallery owner. Whew! Her drive as a business owner and artist are impressive.
(psst . . . keep reading for more details).
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Dragonfly jewelry findings have put in me in a summery mood. Watching dragonflies hover and drift over still water is a quintessential summer pastime of mine and a dragonfly pendant or charm is a nice way to remind myself to appreciate long days while they last and remember them as fall approaches.
Dragonfly Necklace
Dragonflies are busy little creatures that pop up in myths and legends from around the world. In some parts of Europe they were little boogeymen waiting to punish ill-behaving children. They appear in many Native American stories as clever tricksters carrying gifts, as powerful healers dwelling around lakes and mountains, or as the spirits of a lost loved one. In some parts of the US they are even known as Snake-doctors following around snakes and fixing them up when they got hurt.
Today dragonflies mainly inhabit an aesthetic space alongside butterflies and nymphs, but in feudal Japan they were considered masculine symbols of strength and courage since dragonflies, being unable to fly backwards, never back down from a fight. As a result dragonfly ornamental findings can be seen decorating armor and weapons from that period and what we now know as Japan was once “Akitsushima” or “The Dragonfly Islands.” I don’t think I’ll be creating any dragonfly jewelry for the men in my family any time soon, but then again who knows?
After all, Nina Designs’ dragonflies are globally inspired as well. From handcrafted filigree dragonflies that speaks of the skill of Indonesian craftspeople to whimsical sprites gathering flowers it’s not hard to create a story of your own. For this last lazy bit of sunshine, Nina’s Dragonfly Necklace of light silk cords and delicate silver pendants lets me gaze at dragonflies a little longer.
My favorite silver charms are all inspired by nature. I am drawn to organic shapes. They make me feel good. I especially like to capture a sense of movement in our charm designs. Recreating an animal or a plant in a solid form like silver poses a challenge. How do you represent the intangible qualities that breathe life into a bird or a leaf? There are so many subtle details, it is impossible to capture them all. When we design, we try to hone in on the most distinctive elements of our subject in an effort to capture the essence of the form. In some cases, we make several versions, to explore different facets of the same object. In the case of feathers, we spent years trying to decide how to capture both their light airy quality and the amazing detail and texture of their silky strands. In the end, we settled on one silver pendant to highlight texture and one that is light and airy. What natural design elements do you find hardest to translate into jewelry?
Floating Feather
Textured With Detail
Light & Airy
Peacock feathers swaying in the summer breeze
So many of Nina Designs’ jewelry components are inspired by nature. In fact, our Botanical Collection is completely derived from nature. When I first saw our new sterling silver Peacock Feather Pendant, I knew right away that I wanted to make some earrings. They’re so beautiful on their own, but I wanted to add something special and unique. I decided to match it up with a real peacock feather to compliment the translation from nature to design. With some gemstones and sterling vermeil dangles, I’m ready for a night out on the town!
Where do you find your inspiration for jewelry design?
Time Machine
I love steam punk jewelry that brings together old, mechanical parts, unexpected jewelry links, and brilliant gemstones. It’s very distinctive and inspiring and I’ve noticed the increasing popularity of the Steampunk aesthetic in fashion magazines, blogs and online stores. Intrigued, I did a little research and learned that Steampunk is born out of futuristic and science-fiction ideas based in the Victorian era, and gets it name from the idea of life in a world that operates mainly by steam power (typically the 1800’s). Think H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, who wrote about futuristic technology: air, space, and underwater travel.
In my Steampunk inspiration I created a bib-style necklace with layers of oxidized chain draping above the antique-style gear. Then below that I created a fringe of dark and sparkling garnets around a plump gray pearl and added our watch face charm. This creates a mixture of mechanical imagery and modern materials while playing into my favorite element of Steampunk: time travel.
Have you begun to delve into Steampunk style yet?
July 21, 2010
Anna and Joey
This year I got engaged and with the date is fast approaching, I have started working on my gold vermeil wedding jewelry. It has been difficult to decide just what it is I want to adorn myself with, on one of the most memorable days of my life. I want my jewelry to not only reflect myself, but also the theme and attitude of the event: relaxed, organic, playful. For my palette, I chose our warm gold vermeil coupled with forest greens, smoky browns, and champagne pearls. My challenge was to make something that was at once simple, and yet special and extra-ordinary.
I chose a simple gold ear wire with small granulation on the end that looks, to me, like a little bud about to bloom. From the earwire hangs a tiny vermeil half hammered circle link. A circle is a great classic design element as it helps to center and ground the eye. From the circle falls a cascade of minuscule burnt-orange tourmalines, button shaped champagne pearls, and warm, whiskey quartz briolettes.
To complete the look I made an accompanying necklace. Crafted from the same elements but interpreted in a different manner to keep the look fresh. The circle links sit right at the collar bone, with the pearls and tourmalines alternating between them. A small, but very secure gold vermeil clasp holds it all together. From this delicate clasp a smoky quartz briolette tear drop drapes down the back, a little extra flair.
What jewelry have you made for special events in your life?
My Wedding Jewelry
My Wedding Dress
July 19, 2010
Prize: Lily of the Valley Necklace
Did you know that we catalogue hundreds of FREE design ideas for anyone to use? Feel free to make exact replicas or to use our designs as a jumping off point for your own inspirations. Sometimes it helps just to look at many different designs to get your creative juices flowing or to see how someone else used a part you really like. We encourage you to play, have fun and create awesome jewelry!
And now . . . when you participate, you can win fabulous jewelry. Just browse through our design ideas and share your favorite with everyone to enter our PRIZE drawing. In your comment tell us which design you like best and why, and this Lily of the Valley necklace could be yours. Over $100 Retail Value. We’ll randomly select a winner next Monday, July 26th.
To join in the fun, we thought we’d pick out some of our favorites too!
Stephanie’s Pick: Anna’s Desert Green Necklace. I love the heaviness of the chain and large stones in combination with the soft deer hide lace and subtle colors. I made a duplicate for myself!
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July 16, 2010
Bali is a land filled with sensory pleasures, as beautiful a place as you’ll ever find and full of inspiration for designing silver charms. From the sweet scent of the ylang ylang flowers, to the soothing sounds of Gamelon music, there is always something to appreciate. Inspiration is in the vibrant colors of the kingfisher birds, with their bright red beaks, deep indigo bodies and tails of brilliant turquoise; in the soft breeze caressing the tender sprouts in the rice fields; in the spicy sauces and fresh grilled fish; in the sing-song greetings and friendly giggles of the children.
Everywhere Nina and I go, we see something else to admire. “Oh, look at the curve of that lotus leaf!… Wouldn’t this frangipani flower make a great pendant? … Wow – can you believe the curls in this wood carving?… Look at how the dancer’s golden head dress quivers with each movement!…What do you think of the shape of the mandala on this offering?” Our creative wells have been filled to overflowing! Where do you look for inspiration?
Lotus blossoms along the rice terraces.
Tiny pebbles create a mosaic tree in the walkway.
July 12, 2010
Sterling Silver Pendants are the focus of our design session this week. Leah and I are in Bali working hard with breaks to walk in the rice fields. There is a gaggle of ducks just off our porch that quack just like Donald Duck and sound like they are laughing at our efforts, but they are super cute and funny, so we laugh too.
Bali is a very inspiring place to work. Everywhere we go, from the garden to the temples, there are shapes and textures that spark new ideas. Ancient stone walls are covered in frothy green moss, orange lichen and tiny orchids. Vines that look like braids climb rock enclosures. Paths are paved in small black and white stones, arranged in patterns of flowers, fish, and soaring birds. Even the enormous spiders have orange and yellow mandalas on their backs!
We are creating new filigree, mother of pearl and hammer finish pendants. Any suggestions?
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