Astarte Designs

2009-01-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

This piece was a commission for a co-worker by her boyfriend. I used Peruvian Opal nuggets, aqua Chalcedony, and Amazonite linked together with sterling chain and Thai hammered sterling links. The heart charm at the closure finishes it off nicely.

I oxidized the bracelet with a non-toxic technique using hard boiled eggs, and then a burnishing with a stiff wire brush. The finish in real life is a bit more "antiqued" looking than this photo.

I made and sold a lot of jewelry throughout the Christmas season this year, but I was very negligent in photographing and posting photos of it before it sold. I really liked how this bracelet turned out, so I photographed it so that I have a reference to make another one!

The Busy season...

2008-11-23T11:58:00.000-08:00

Here we are again, with the holiday season fast approaching! Every year it appears far too quickly. I've been busy making jewelry but I confess that I haven't been remembering to document my new work. I tried taking photos last weekend but my hands were too shaky and all my photos ended up blurry! I've posted some here anyways, because these are the only photos I have.

This winter has been all about using up left over inventory and supplies I purchased last year that sat in my drawer for the summer. I haven't done any craft fairs for the past couple of years, but this winter I'm doing two. The first was the Maternal Creations fair that took place yesterday. My reasons for doing this event were not to sell lots of jewelry, but to meet and connect with other "crafty" moms. I met some lovely women yesterday, which made the entire event well worth while. It also got me inspired to haul out my sewing machine and get sewing again! The other Craft fair is an event I am organizing myself for my office. I've invited about 15 other crafty women to take part in a lunch hour craft fair at my work. I'm really looking forward to this one (as well as being a bit nervous) because I'm the one organizing it. I doubt it will be a "dud" but there is always that little tiny fear of failure when you're the one hosting something!

and the bride wore...white & black!

2008-04-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

Hello - I'm back!

I've taken a long break from making jewelry, but something always calls me back. This time it was a request to make some bridal jewelry for a co-worker. It's a somewhat unconventional combination for a bride, however I think it will look stunning! The dress is white with black embroidered flowers and the bride will have her dark chestnut hair in a 1920's bobbed wave.

She really wanted black Swarovski crystals and I suggested that a few pearls thrown in would keep it from looking too "goth". I'm happy with the end result and I think she is too!

I've plans to re-open my Etsy Jewelry store at the end of May and will be posting more pics of my progress as I move into production. I'm looking forward to sitting myself back down at my work table and bending wire again. I really miss this creative outlet when I don't have any projects on the go!

"Feelin" the Green

2008-01-14T19:31:00.000-08:00

These are not new earrings, I made them back before Christmas - but they have become my new favorites. It's funny that I'm not too attached to most of the items I design and make. I think it's because for me, the thrill is in the "figuring" it all out, and putting it all together. Once that's complete I'm on to the next idea. However, for some reason I just couldn't part with these earrings. I think it's the bright "appleness" of the colour. Many people have asked if they are jade because the colour is similar. The stone is called Chrysoprase. I think it belongs to the Chalcedony family...

Sadly, I have run out of stones now. I made 3 pairs of earrings and sold two. These stones were especially nice because they were drilled the long way, which I think looks nice in a "danlgly" style of jewelry.

Tektite Black Moldavite Meteor!?

2008-01-08T20:42:00.000-08:00

Well - that was the name description of the focal bead for this necklace..... I think it looks like lava myself.

This necklace is a hand linked gold filled chain with alternating gold stardust beads, labradorite, onynx and freshwater pearls. I'm trying hard to improve my photography shots. Ultimately I know I need a light box to achieve this. In the meantime I was fairly happy with how this picture turned out.

Back to Blue

2007-12-13T21:06:00.000-08:00

It doesn't take long for me to gravitate back into the blue gemstones. A couple of pieces I'm loving right now are these cluster earrings of Peruvian Opals and this front toggle closure necklace with a stunning faceted marquis Aqua Chalcedony. I suspect some lucky person will receive these for Christmas!

Geodes & Gemstones

2007-12-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

These are a couple of fun and easy necklaces to make. I found these cool Geode slices in my travels on the internet and had to have them. I've paired them with double chain necklaces and a faceted gemstone of sage amethyst to add a bit of interest and movement to the necklaces.

I also did matching hoop earrings. That's all for this week! I should have a few more items to post next weekend....

cheers, Jodi

Olive I'm in love

2007-11-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

In my goal to showcase some jewelry in new colour palettes I've switched into the Olive tones. This necklace is a collaboration of smoky green quartz and Grossular Green Mali garnets. I love how these earthy greens look with gold!

Looking at my jewelry one might think I'm a very elegant and classy kinda gal. The truth couldn't be more different! My daily uniform is strictly jeans & T shirts. I've never owned a pair of heals and rarely remember my makeup! It's curious that I love designing such exquisite high end jewelry. I really do love designing it and get a total thrill to see it on other people. It's just that I'm not my own muse. For myself I wear very little jewelry and when I do it's small and subtle. Ironic?

A lot of designers design for themselves, but I'm not one of them. I love designing specific styles for people I know. Some of my friends are very classic and elegant and others are edgy and off beat. I enjoy the challenge of interpreting their different personal styles and designing pieces specifically for them! That is my favorite part of designing jewelry.

I thought it would be fun to include a photo of my "studio" which is really just a small computer desk in the corner of my bedroom. Try as I might to keep it tidy and organized it just explodes into what you see pictured here every time I sit down to make something...

Movin into Grey...

2007-11-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

Ok - I promised a new colour scheme, and although I know grey isn't exactly a "colour", I thought it would be a break from all the blue jewelry I've been posting lately.

The center piece of this necklace is a Thai Hilltribe Silver Orchid. The Thai people are truly talented artists. Every flower is different and you can see how each person puts their own special embellishments into each piece they create. I have some silver butterflies on their way which I can't wait to design something with.

My photos of this necklace did not turn out well. The light was too dark when I was taking them, and even my macro shots are blurry. Oh well - I plan to work on my photography skills in the new year!

There's something about blue....

2007-11-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what it is about blue in jewelry - but it seems to be one of the colours people gravitate to the most. Watery aqua blues, bright Lapis blues, bright turquoise blues or Icy Kyanite blues...they always get the most attention. The more I try to steer my colour palettes in other directions (away from blue) the more people ask for it. Knowing that it sells well, I've put together a few more pieces with Kyanite. These are from the first wave of Christmas Collections I'm currently designing.

Next week I promise a new colour!!

Cheers! Jodi

Garnets remind me of Christmas

2007-11-06T21:36:00.001-08:00

Every November I hunker down in the dark rainy evenings and get to work on my Seasonal Jewelry Collections. Christmas is my busiest time of year for sales, and I always do a few "Christmasy" pieces because people really like them. For me Garnets are the perfect Christmas stone. Their deep rich red colour really says "Winter" to me. I love garnets with gold. Pictured here are a necklace and bracelet from my upcoming Christmas Collection.

a bracelet a day....keeps the rain away!

2007-10-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here in Vancouver we are settling in for the loooooong rainy winter. This is my favorite time of year to get crafty. Today I'm posting a bracelet I made for my friend's birthday. I used the same technique as the baby bracelet in the last post with the wire loops wrapped to closed jump rings. I added interest and movement with the dangling charms.

The stones I used were rough cut Peruvian opals and kyanite.

Tiny baby bracelet

2007-10-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

This is the smallest bracelet I've ever designed. It's for a newborn baby girl and I can't wait to see it on her wrist! Her mom mentioned that she really wanted a bracelet for her baby daughter and I made note of it. The result is so delicate and pretty I think I'll want to make an adult sized one also!

The bracelet was made using gold filled wire and closed jump rings with alternating Arizona Turquoise stones and 4mm gold filled beads. I really like working in this style of making delicate "chain" from linked beads and jump rings. I find if I just link the beads without a jump ring the jewelry doesn't move freely enough. The links get kinked very easily when the jump rings are absent. Something I've learned from linking thousands of beads together over the years.

One of the first things people always ask me when they look a my jewelry is how I get the loops formed so perfectly. Practice, practice, practice! Exactly the same as sewing a straight line....lots of practice!

Filigree from Oaxaca

2007-10-14T16:11:00.000-07:00

I don't have any current jewelry updates to share with you today. Instead I thought I would share a bit of my personal history in my journey towards becoming a jewelry designer.

I spent the year of 2001 living and studying in Oaxaca Mexico. It was a sabbatical of sorts from my career as a designer in the clothing and apparel industry. It was also a year of reflection about what kind of work I would really like to be doing next. (designing jewelry) ..... I have been designing jewelry for almost 20 years! I started when I was only 14. I spent my year in Oaxaca brushing up on my Spanish, and I also spent that year enrolled in a jewelry design program at a local Artisan's School. That was where I learned the intricate art of filigree jewelry making. It is a dying art I might add, as the labor and time involved in creating these pieces is enormous. Young people today are looking for more lucrative careers and are more drawn to technology. One of the things I loved the most about this art form was it's ancient, manual techniques. Everything is done painstakingly by hand! The photos here are two pair of earrings I completed at the end of the course. The amethyst pair I wore for my wedding. I also met and married my husband during this year long sabbatical!!

I have lots of new jewels on order so expect to see some new collections very shortly. The winter season is the busiest for me, so I should be getting into full production mode as soon as the rain starts here in Vancouver - end of October and ALLLLL of November!!

Lovin those Circles....

2007-07-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick post to show off my latest necklace design for a local store. The hammered circles are one hot ticket this summer so I've been using them in almost all my new necklaces. I'm ready to move on to something else - but when you are working with a store you also have to listen to what the customers are responding to. In this case it's the circles!

The faceted nuggets are Aqua coloured Chalcedony. Another popular colour with this store's clients.

Have a great weekend!
Jodi

To Nepal and Back

2007-07-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

So much for crafting - I'm still making jewelry! That's ok as I really do love jewelry and my apartment is set up for it. I have a designated table for my jewelry and this makes it easy for me to sit down for 10 minutes here and there to work on it. This is how I work most of the time as I never have large chunks of time for any of my hobbies. They happen in bits and pieces of time that I squeeze into my day. The problem with sewing is the lack of designated space. I have to dismantle my kitchen to sew and I hate doing this. I generally only sew when I have an entire day off to myself so that I can make a big mess for 6-7 hours and then clean it up. The problem with sewing is that you need a table, ironing board and cutting area ie. (space!) something we lack in our current apartment of 450 sq. feet!

This necklace and earrings is for my dear friend Norah. She is an artist and will be exhibiting her work at the Winsor Gallery starting July 19th here in Vancouver. If you get a chance please check it out! The necklace is a re-design of something she picked up in Nepal about 10 years ago. It had been strung on string and was falling apart. In hindsight I should have taken a before photo. I'm never thinking in terms of my blog....I am very pleased with the resulting design and earrings to match. I added faceted nuggets of Carnelian and Lapis that I had left over from previous projects. As well as a sprinkling of turquoise - much more interesting than the original!

Circles & Hoops

2007-07-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

So far I'm only averaging about 1 post per month...I'll try and do better! It seems once I made a conscious decision to devote more time to crafting (check out my craft blog ChicaCraft)
The jewelry design business took off. I'm so thrilled that my latest designs are selling well at the House of Jewels boutique where they are sold here in Vancouver. She keeps asking for more. I just need more time to devote to it. Maybe it's the full time job getting in the way! Unfortunately at this time it still pays the bills.

Circles and Hoops is the name of this post. It seems to be the hot trend for this summer. Hammered circles are selling very well along with the wire hoop earrings. All shades of blue. I always fall back on the watery blues of Peruvian opals and Amazonite so this time I tried something new. The gemstones I used in the two necklaces here are Kyanite. It is a very icy blue which works best with Silver. This blue looks great combined with denim which we all have in our wardrobes!

I should add a note that the beautiful hammered circle and intricate Orchid are from the talented Hill Tribe people of Thailand.

I'm hoping to get back to some of my craft projects so it may be a while before I post again.

Santa Fe Nights

2007-05-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

It wasn't my intention when I started working on this collection to have it end up with such a "Santa Fe" feeling. I guess when working with this colour palette it's inevitable. One necklace is more traditional with the silver accents it it very much looks as though it was inspired by New Mexico or Arizona. The other necklace with the round turquoise beads is a more modern take, with the asymmetric carnelian nugget accents.

I'm sending this small collection off into the world tomorrow and wanted to record them in photos first. I do miss my designs sometimes after they're gone. But, it also gives me so much pleasure to know people like and appreciate my art enough to want to purchase it! I love seeing people wearing the pieces I design specifically for them.

More Tanzanite!

2007-04-01T18:09:00.000-07:00

Two new designs to share with you today. A pair of tanzanite earrings with "grape" clusters and another neckace along the lines of the bracelet I posted a few weeks ago. I love the colour combination of the gold with blue, orange and green.

Feeling Blue

2007-03-09T07:34:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pieces from my new Spring collection. I want to post a few photos of them before they get sent out into the world! I spent the winter working with gold but now I'm itching to experiment with different metal finishes - and silver has caught my attention all over again. The hammered silver rings are from the Thai Hilltribe people. I wish I could have made them myself, but alas I have no metal working equipment at my disposal. One day!!

As usual, I've been drawn to watery blue stones, especially Peruvian Opals, Amzonite and Chalcedony. I never get tire of them and they combine well with silver and gold.

Tanzanite Inspirations

2007-02-17T20:07:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's time to start blogging again! I took a bit of a break over the holiday season, but I'm back at it again. I just finished this bracelet for a co-worker. She loves tanzanite and that was my starting point for this piece. I decided to make it really colourful by adding orange and green and gold to it. The brilliant blue of the tanzanite really stands out.

I just opened my Etsty shop a few weeks ago so I need to take this opportunity for some shameless self promotion. You can see what I have for sale at www.astartedesigns.etsy.com

I encourage all jewelry designers to explore Etsy. It is a forum for crafts people to buy and sell all things handmade. What a brilliant concept! And its free - well almost free. You have to pay a small fee to post something for sale, and pay a small commission when something sells. It's a bit like eBay that way. It's still better than paying 50% to a store for placing an item on consignment!

Joyas Brillante!

2006-12-05T20:04:00.000-08:00

I'm posting a couple of photos of a custom necklace order I designed for a friend's sister to lives a very posh life in Hong Kong. It was exciting to design such a glamorous piece. I had a good budget to work with so I was able to add lots of extras like the decorative gold vermeil chain with multiple jump rings to give it lots of movement and the little gold heart shaped charms. The gemstones are amber quartz which compliment the gold in the necklace nicely. To highlight the stones and make them "pop" more I added faceted carnelian in strategic areas of the design. I was happy with how it turned out and my friend was thrilled!

Feliz Navidad

2006-11-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

This necklace and earrings set would be perfect for a "Christmas Party". I used some beautiful vintage gold vermeil jewelry parts I salvaged from a necklace that belonged to my Grandma and burgundy Swarovski crystals. I don't work with a lot of crystal but I find it appropriate for the holidays. People seem to purchase more "sparkle" at this time of year. The earrings are 14k gold filled threaders with an asymetric Swarovski crystal drop. (new shape for Fall 06) Very simple and elegant with just enough sparkle to make them special!

Agua Azul & Hojas de Oro

2006-11-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

These are a few more pieces from my fall collection. There were two parts to it. The first part featured 24k gold dipped leaves, acons and chili peppers. The second part features some beatuiful blue peruvian opals and chalcedony. A few pieces have already been sold!

Santa Rosa Collection

2006-11-13T19:05:00.000-08:00

Well, my first blog is offically gone - a combination of our antivirus software update that wouldn't let me log into my my old blog anymore and now I've updated to this new beta version only to discover that my old blog has disappeared....

Now I have the opportunity to to make this blog better than the first one! My goal of this blog is to profile my jewelry and use it as a live visual journal for my new jewelry designs and to share my thoughts and opinions on fashion jewelry and trends. I spend a lot of time on line reasearching fashion jewelry, other designers and sourcing new and interesting materials and gemstones. I would like to share this information with other jewerly enthusiasts and designers.

These are photos from my new Winter 06 Collection "Santa Rosa". I've used 14k gold filled chain and findings, vermeil toggle clasps, Pink Peruvian Opals and Rose quartz. I love the way the pink and gold look together! I've been inspired by the return of gold in fashion jewelry. It brings wamth to every gemstone and makes it glow!