Open For Business

Even though it took longer than I'd hoped, I finally opened my Etsy shop!! I'm very excited to be apart of such a great community. I hope you will have a look and let me know what you think. I've decided to feature my gemstone and vintage pieces in my shop, as well as our Cancer Awareness line, which will be moving over in a bit. Above is one of my newer creations. It is a re-purposed necklace that was originally my great-grandmother's. It is comprised of vintage glass beads, vintage chain and a large Swarovksi crystal pendant. My grandmother believes it is from the 1950's. Cool, huh?! The lovely model is one of my best friends.

With thousands of sellers on Etsy, it's very nice to meet some that are nice as well as talented. I'm lucky to have found both in my Creative Bloggers group (you are a member aren't you)? Karen of Winding Threads creates lovely bags in her Etsy shop. Viktoria of VisArt creates lovely polymer clay beads and is having a 20% off sale right now! I hope you'll visit these lovely artists and their blogs.

Emerging Trends Event: Boston Fashion Week

I'm not quite sure why I've waited until now to share this with all of you, but I'm participating in Boston Fashion Week tomorrow!! I'm super excited, nervous, stressed out, and exhausted. I've been working very hard the past 3 weeks after I found out I was going to be exhibiting my line of handcrafted jewelry. I will be a part of the Emerging Trends event, which is being held at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers. The event will enable up-and-coming designers the unique opportunity to showcase their collections to hundreds of fellow fashion enthusiasts, retailers, press, and media.

I think this is the biggest show I've ever done and I'm really hoping it goes well! I've made a lot of new pieces, many of which were firsts for me. I've worked with some unique gemstones because I really wanted my creations to stand out. Here are a few of the pieces I've created for the event. The first picture is a statement necklace made of Biwa stick pearls in a pretty silvery green shade. I've accented them with tiny green Swarovski crystals, sterling chain, and a magnetic clasp. The second picture doesn't do the lovely Mystic Blue Topaz briolettes justice. Nonetheless, I think they're gorgeous dangling from sterling leaf chandeliers. The piece above was hard to photograph. It's solar quartz, which is a very rare gemstone. It's accented by faceted green onyx on a gold-filled chain. The last piece I will share is new for me. The collage necklace is made with antique brass findings and chain. What do you think?

What's Hot For Fall: The Statement Necklace

I absolutely love big and bold necklaces! Once and awhile I may opt for a dainty piece, but typically I like to jazz it up with an eye-catching number. I guess I'm fortunate because this season, it's all about making a statement! You can take the most ordinary outfit and turn it into extrodinary by adding the right jewelry. Here are just a few of my favorites:

The necklace pictured above is a stunner and handcrafted by Elaine Haydon of Elaine Haydon Jewelry. I'm a sucker for green, and this stick pearl and peridot piece is an absolute winner! Can't you just imagine this with a simple black dress or a pretty ivory blouse? You'll certainly stand out from the crowd!

If you want a dramatic piece, here it is! Handcrafted by Annette Piper of Dip.Gem. Handcrafted Jewellery, the Iliad is named for the Greek poetry. Annette is a gemologist who has turned her love of gemstones into works of art. Luxurious peruvian amazonite is accented with a bold Hill Tribe silver clasp. Wear it with a white button down and jeans for an unbelievable look!

This gorgeous design is handcrafted by Yazmin Wickham from A Pretty Rock. I love the combination of gemstones she used, plus the oxidized silver really makes it stand out. I would love to wear this with a neutral turtleneck this fall!

This last piece would be perfect for the holidays! This beautiful 5 strand garnet and silver necklace was handcrafted by Becky Augustine of Becky Augustine Jewelry. Wear the clasp to the side to show off the garnet ends! The deepness of the garnet would show up well against black, grey, and ivory. You'll look like a million bucks wearing this to your holiday parties!

Originally posted on Boutique Flair.