Changelings

So I've been madly crafting some more jewelry. Ok... I'll be honest... I made it a while ago, but never posted the pictures or offered them online.

Why?

I didn't like the way the images came out- and since I'm a nitpicker, perfectionist... Bah! I just like really good pictures. Great pictures. High quality, catch your eye ones.

When I have images that I feel are sub-par, I tend to not do anything with them. They don't convey the detail of my jewelry, so I figure why would people actually want to stop and look if they're less than average quality. I may be wrong, but that's my take. Many of the pix I've snapped just didn't cut it- they were too close, too blurry, too far away, not quite catching the "essence" of my jewelry. None of the pictures gave it the wow factor. I was not impressed, since the detail some of my pieces have need to be captured in order to convey the feeling of the piece itself. It's not just about a pretty sparkle. I know details need to be seen. And none of the pictures conveyed that.

Until now.

New pictures were taken.

These make me happy.

I never in a thousand years thought that I could possibly get this much detail, this much color, this much... WOW. What do you think?

I've always loved dangly earrings- since I can remember. And anything that's ever sparkled- well, impossible to keep me away from. I'm serious! Glitter, crystals, diamonds, faceted stones... If it's got any possibility of reflecting light in an enticing manner.... This girl has to stop and inspect it.

I'm not really one to wear many pastel colors, but I do have to admit that in selecting my crystals lately- they've definitely been geared to soft and delicate colors. Like the Jonquil and Antique rose "Changeling" earrings pictured- there's something soft and romantic about the colors- and just totally irresistible. The inspiration for these came from the fact that I have a ton of earrings. But when you buy them just out and about, they all have the same, exact earwire. Ho-hum, boring. I like my jewelry to stand out from the crowd. I want someone to go "OH, where did you find those?!"

So yes, it's become my habit to fashion my own earwires and slip on the dangle part (unless they're the kind you can't) and slip the dangle on a custom pair. I usually get stopped and have inquries as to where I've found the earwires. To which I simply say- I make them myself

It didn't dawn on me until later that I should actually make the components and offer them for sale- both the earwires in a selection of shapes- like the leaf pair I pictured above- and the dangles- which can be done in hundreds of combinations, with crystals, stones, silver beads... You name it. The possibilities are endless. The customizations are yours. You essentially pick out and create the type of earring you want.

Voila! A one of a kind creation.

Now the ones below... They're threaded themselves on the earwire- so it's all one solid piece. I like these, since they're sturdy and free-formed. Imspired by leaves, and accented with different crystal colors- I chose Tanzanite to make my first pair. I had done these years ago, with different beads- and lets just say that the final result wasn't impressive at all. However, after discovering that Swarovski now makes top-drilled bicones... I couldn't be happier.

The beads themselves remind me of little diamonds- without the huge price tag. Tanzanite is quickly becoming one of my favorite colors- the tone of the purple changes from an almost lavender, to a deep amethyst.

I think being on this type of an earwire, it really shows off the different facets that the beads have, as well as being simple as well. Understated is sometimes the best statement a girl can make.

And as for this little one... This is a pendant I made, without knowing what it was going to turn out to be.

Yep... That's right. I grabbed a few containers of crystals and pearls, dumped some into my bead board... And let it design itself.

Again- I'm not terribly in to pastel shades for myself... But the tones of this necklace reminds me of Easter for some reason. The little bicone crystals were bought in "color packs" in Maine- and I haven't been able to find the colors again. I think they were a special limited time offering. The only ones I've used in it that are available are the Peridot (green) and Jonquil (yellow). The pinks I haven't been able to match to any current colors- so they're unique indeed! And if you look at the pearls, you can see me and the camera in the reflection... Talk about detail!!!

I'm holding on to her for a little while.... A friend has expressed some interest, so this little beauty is staying stashed for a little while.

So if anyone out there cares to let me know what they think of my pictures so far- I'd love to know. I haven't had any feedback- and while I think they look pretty good... I'd like some outside opinions too. More of them are in my Etsy shop too... So if you swing by there and take a look, you should be able to see all the ones I've taken so far. Actually, now that I remember... You can just gaze to the right to see what's currently listed... Wow, I have moments!

Thanks!