A yummy gold chain, a bit of black and a sweet thorn… yes, please.

Ready, steady, point & shoot with the oh so useful & quite handy dandy i-Phone.

Gold chain on charcoal soldering block. This was taken with the Instagram App. I love how abstract it looks.

Rose thorn cast in silver with yellow gold cable chain on charcoal soldering block.

Self portrait with finished Rose Thorn Necklace from the Botany Collection in my shop. This will go to a lucky lady in Chicago.

I just finished this redesign ring project. Here are a few pics of the process.

This is the final redesign image. From here we’ll go back to the beginning.

This is the original nugget ring that was used for the redesign.

Wax carved model for redesign. Diamonds are in place just for client approval, but will be set after the ring has been cast and cleaned.

Casting in the rough before sprue removal and cleanup. Setting the diamonds is the last step of the process.

Another picture of final redesign using Instagram.

I’m a big fan of the PBS series, Downton Abbey. Actually anything Jane Austin or from a time period where manners and getting dressed for dinner were a part of everyday life. It seems to be lost in our present day society. So with that in mind, well maybe in my unconscious creative thought process… I designed a custom pendant channeling the Victorian era. The design was to accommodate a lovely oval faceted green garnet. My client provided the gemstone along with another tiny round garnet and the yellow gold. Having the two garnets gave me the idea to create the pendant with the small one hanging by itself. Also, the prong setting is an old style of setting that goes along with the rest of the Victorian style. The result is quite stunning and even more so on my client. She could definitely be cast in a period piece.  I should look into getting my work on the next series! I’m sure it’s all old heirlooms and not new designs. Of course, who would know the difference?

Latest custom project with repurposed gold and diamonds provided by client. This pendant was designed with a lily motif. The client’s daughter is named Lily.

Chain attaches seamlessly to pendant and to petal detail with diamonds.

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.

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.

Gritty Heart Ring in yellow gold.

Tiny Conch Ring in yellow gold.

Nautilus Shell Ring with emerald in yellow gold.

Bird Nest Ring with chocolate diamond in yellow gold.

Sand Dollar Ring in peach gold.

Right now, I’m working on some new designs for men. I’m still in the wax carving stage, but hope to have some pieces cast in the next couple of weeks.

Since I’m thinking a lot about jewelry for men,  I decided to include some old designs. The rings below are a small selection of custom wedding bands I’ve made for guys.

Rough faceted file marked band. Shown in yellow gold with an antique finish.

The client had made a temporary ring from a washer at a hardware store that he wrapped in rafia. He wanted the custom ring to be similar to his original. Shown in silver with a patina finish.

This custom ring is made for a client that is a green builder. He wanted a ring that looked like a nut that he’d use in his own design projects.  This client was featured in Charleston Magazine and he said my ring is one of his favorite things. That’s so awesome! Shown in white gold.

Custom three ring band. This ring was designed to compliment the bride’s wedding set I made that had several thin stacking rings in different gold hues. Shown in silver.

I call this my doily ring, but that doesn’t sound very masculine. I call it that because the wedding ring for the bride did look like a doily. Her ring was tiny open circles that linked together and very delicate like a doily. His ring is very sturdy and not delicate. Shown in white gold.

My next posting will have some pictures of the bridal rings I’ve been referencing.

This is a grouping of several custom rings and pearls that are all repurposed designs. Bespoke service jewelry- where I reuse client’s old fine jewelry into new high-end luxury pieces. Reusing the stones, fine metal and restringing pearls. Something old is now something new.

4 tiny rubies set in a clover pattern. Repurposed yellow gold and rubies.

Blue topaz bezel set ring in 14k peach gold.

Diamond cocktail ring using all repurposed diamonds and gold. 14k Peach gold hand carved and cast ring. Hand carved 14k white gold bezel for large diamond. Small diamonds are bead set.

Peach gold hand carved and cast dinner ring with mandarine garnet and diamonds. Repurposed materials with the exception of garnet.

I think I’ve already shown a picture of this ring, but thought it appropriate with the high-end grouping on the black sand. The stone is a rutilated quartz set in a vintage style hand carved prong setting. Cast in 14k peach gold.

Restrung pearls with handmade ball clasp. Incorporating client’s old diamonds into the design to go with her pearls.