I’ve been working on a custom design project for a client that wants me to create cremation pendant necklaces. I went to the cemetery for some motif ideas. Here are some beautiful textures and lovely quotes I found while on my outing. Stay tuned for the cremation pendants in a future post.

I love this quote so much. I feel it down to my bones…

From the same grave stone. It’s a sweet heart and fleur motif.

I should re-post this one for Valentine’s Day.

Another image from the same gravestone. I’m not usually into stars except the ones in the sky, but this one is beautiful with the leaf wreath.

A leaf shadow. Lovely.

As a metalsmith, I’m all about how surfaces change with age and weather conditions. Amazing.

We all need a little anchor to keep us afloat and brighten our days. It’s a tiny sweet piece. Shown with bright red and yellow gold seed beads. Find it in the Memento Collection in the BEC Shop.

So, I’ve been told this wood goes by the name of Burl.

Hello, Burl you are so cool. I think I love you!

I took this picture in Central Park’s Ravine. It’s from a fallen log. I love the texture and will be doing some pieces with a similar pattern.

Here is a lovely testimonial from a very happy client.

“I am always having to take my wedding ring off because people who see it want to look closer at the intricate detail and craftsmanship. It makes me so proud to have others take notice of the beautiful piece of art that is my bec wedding ring!”

The gold, rubies and diamond are all from my client’s discarded fine jewelry in her family. She sent me a bunch of old jewelry to get some ideas and instructions to use the diamond. I loved the little rubies in an old broken ring and thought they should definitely be part of the design.This ring was a collaborative effort between the designer and client. It turned out to be a wonderful piece. All involved are very happy with the results.

I encourage my clients to bring their old fine jewelry to use as materials for a new custom design. It helps the environment and hefty cost of materials.

My latest custom design for a client using her emerald cut diamond and yellow gold from her old discarded jewelry. Beautiful emerald cut diamond nestled in a hand-carved low profile bezel oriented horizontally. The shape of the ring from above has a slight octagonal look with double bands in soft planes. I’ve been making a few of these cutout rings lately. I think this one turned out quite nicely. Soft, yet geometric to make it just a bit different.

I just recently made a bark texture style man’s wedding band for a client that found me on my website. He had such wonderful thoughtful things to say about my work, I had to share it. It tickles me pink, to make someone happy with something I’ve made.

“Last night I received the ring and it is beautiful! It is better than I thought. The color is not completely white or yellow but white with a hint of yellow which is very special. And I didn’t even think about the weight. The ring is not light, it has presence and I love it. Thank you very much for making it for me!”

Bark Band is part of the Manlier Collection in my shop.

Man’s wedding band with a texture inspired by glaciers. Shown in 14K White Gold, using repurposed gold from client. To find out more about this man’s ring along with others, check out the Manlier Collection in the shop.

These are beautiful examples of textures I’ve collected to inspire me in the studio. Of course, in metal it won’t have the milky pale porcelain look of these lovelies, but decaying textures- absolutely!

Dotted Swiss

Aging Nautilus

Abalone’s Weathered Skin

Prickly Corals

Shelled Glacier

Sea Sponge Bouquet

Porous Rock

I actually took this picture a couple of days ago thinking it would be a nice post for Mother’s Day, but I’m a little late in posting this.

It’s a succulent called Mother of Thousands. I gave some cuttings of this plant to my mother last year and wonder how it’s doing in her kitchen window. I wasn’t able to go visit her for Mother’s Day this year. So, this picture makes me think of my mom and the thousands of mothers out there. Happy Mother’s Day!

Detail of the lacy edges of the leaves that form and then drop into the soil to produce more leaves. Hence the name, Mother Of Thousands. Such a sweet little house plant.

In the background, horses at play. I love this photo of the one horse biting the other one.

In the foreground, a bas relief style horse head ring.

The horse head is from a white plastic whole horse that came with a bottle of whiskey. Someone gave it to me after they finished the bottle. I don’t know the brand of whiskey, nor did I have the satisfaction of enjoying the mystery whiskey. I did however, live behind the famous White Horse Tavern several years ago during my first stint in NYC. I’ve always adored horses. They are such beautiful and amazing creatures.

Ring shown in 14 karat yellow gold. Custom design for an equestrian client. All materials/metals used in the process were from the client’s old gold.