New Jewelry and Self-Help

 I've had a pile of almost finished pieces on my bench since last week...I've been laying low with a nasty chest cold that severely stunted my productivity in the studio.   I heard my projects calling me from my stationary position on the couch, I think they felt neglected!  While I was drowning in lemon/honey/tea to sooth my throat, all I wanted to do was finish this necklace!!!  

This beautiful Botswana Agate was one of many gorgeous stones I got from Khobe while at Studio DeLucca  back in April.  I have always loved the coloring of Botswana agates, their grey/white/mocha swirls and stripes...this one has a really beautiful little circle of white that looks like a moon floating in a sunset of clouds and a milky crystallization smack in the middle!  I've been wearing it around the house since finishing it last night and it has such a nice weight to it.  I've recently ordered a few more stones like this and I cannot wait to set the next one, it's even bigger and longer than this one and I intend to set it sideways like this one to really accentuate its shape!

Offered up for your summertime ear adorning pleasure...A pair of long, swinging, brightly colored shoulder dusters.  A small leaf form hanging from below, accented with my latest obsession in color...chartreuse, faceted, matte finish glass beads!!!!!!!!  I don't think I can adequately express how much I love this color.  I've always been a fan of the olivey, chartreusey greens, but this my friends is the color of my dreams...I think I may have to order up the entire factory of these beads for fear that someday they won't be available.  I want to dangle these babies from everything, I want clusters of them on hoops, I want them strung on simple necklaces, and I've got another pair in the works with them dangled all the way up and down the chain on a pair just like these!  Dangling along side the green, I used a salmon pink faceted jade...the mix of colors is truly a summertime delight!  It's like a tall glass of pink lemonade with a twist of lime...


This last piece is a custom design for a friend who has A TON of patience...we had talked about this piece when I was visiting California in April.  She saw this necklace when I visited and really like it but wanted something a bit more substantial with a chunkier chain.   Well, this ought to do it!  Chunk-o rama-mama!!!!!

I love how hefty this piece is, it's got a ton of texture and feels great around the neck...I hope she loves it!   In addition to this necklace her husband had asked me if I could take on a kind of unconventional project,  he has a pair of vintage eyeglasses that needed some repair.  This would involve the forging of some decorative pieces for the sides of the glasses that would then need to be riveted in place...Lets just say that after stressing over it for WAY too long, I finally completed the project.  I'm saving my post about that until their package arrives safely at their door...so he can see it first!  I got some great before and after pics of the glasses project and can't wait to share with you! 

Custom projects are so rewarding once they are finished...I still consider myself to be a beginner in this craft and my doubts well up and over me far too much.  I am constantly doubting myself, the design decisions I make, and the outcome.  I know that my friends/customers trust me, or they wouldn't ask to work with me on a custom design...BUT, I have a really hard time banishing the doubtful thoughts.  While I'm in the midst of a project I keep thinking all kinds of defeating thoughts, "what if they don't like it", "should i do this or that"..."maybe I should re-think the entire idea".  It makes me stall in my fabrication,  having the entire process take much longer than it should...while I'm doubting my skills and my decisions I could be plunging head first into the project instead of staring at it sitting on my bench!

My goal this month is to break this cycle...to feel strong in my decisions at the bench, to feel the trust and belief that people have in my vision and to KNOW that what I make is great!!!!  (Especially when they have specifically asked me to make it).   The self doubt has gotten me nowhere but frustrated...and I vow to myself to value the work of my hands and stop questioning every minute detail. 

Ok, that concludes my self-therapy session for today...I do feel better having gotten all that off my chest!  Thanks for listening, and happy Thursday!