Jumbo Jasper Jubilee & Violet Leopards

Jumbo Jasper Jubilee: wonderfully weighty 

 I've been getting positive feedback on my simpler designs lately, so these two pairs are a throwback to my earlier, simple days.

The colors in the jumbo jasper pair are mostly green and tan, with some highlights of pink or gray. A tiny tourmaline bead tops off the jasper stack and a tiny sterling silver bead adds a little sparkle.

The violet colored tiger jasper discs are a dark wine color with lighter violet swirls that resemble a leopard print. Rawr.

*** UPDATE *** Both pairs have been snapped up by a coworker! Contact me if you're hugely disappointed-- I have similar materials and could make new pairs.

Violet Leopards, made with tiger jasper discs

Good Homes Wanted

Many of my little twins are in need of new homes! :)

I've been making earrings for a few seasons now, and I still have pairs from when I was just learning.  I think it's time to find some nice adoptive homes for them. I've been keeping an eye out for local markets where I can sell them. Fingers crossed I can find one where lots of new parents adopt my little ones!

Custom-Made Pairs for Co-workers

Lanikai Plums (made with shells, garnets and lapis lazuli)

Lilikoi (passion fruit) 

View for daydreaming

Top: Cerulean Treasure
Bottom: Orbs 

Mariner's Wish: Sea Glass!

My first foray into the world of wiring sea glass.  I found these pieces of sea glass on the shores of the island of Kauai here in Hawaii. Along with the brown glass, this pair of earrings features cowry shells and turquoise coins.

Front of Earrings, with wire curl

Back of earrings, with wiring crossed

I have other pieces of brown, white and green sea glass that I'm looking forward to using in more earrings soon!  :) 

Revamped Earth Ovals

My co-worker wanted a pair of earrings for her friend, made from chrysocolla beads.  I had made a pair called Earth Ovals back when I started to design earrings last fall.  They looked like this:

I decided that since I had made this pair so long ago and they hadn't sold, I'd reuse the beads and make them into a pair my co-worker could give to her friend. She wanted them to look more like the Elephant Footprints pair: 

So I made these, Revamped Earth Ovals:

I hope she likes them!

Snow Ashes

Snow Ashes 

I received an order to create a mostly gray and black pair of earrings, so I put to use this beautifully mottled pair of snowflake jasper beads. Added rainbow black opals, septarium and lapis lazuli beads, plus a pair of sterling silver round beads to make them sparkle a bit.  Voila!  I hope they meet expectations!

***UPDATE (7/11/13)  They were a hit, and have solicited a follow-up pair, this time with main stones of royal blue!*** 

Beachcomber and Meadow Nest

Beachcomber

Hawaiian monk seal, Poipu Beach, June 2013

Meadow Nest

 

Kalalau View, June 2013

Lime Margarita and Anemone Dream

Keauhou residents

Lime Margarita

Anemone Dream

Kona Sunset, June 2013

April Update

I've officially sold six pairs of earrings, one pair on Etsy and five locally!  ^__^ 

Prices of these pairs range from $10 to $20, and include the pairs called Water Wheels, Botswana Doubledecker, Rainbow Tiers, Onyx Dangles, Jupiter Leaves and Jasper Ice Cream.

I'm really excited to share my hobby with others, and love feedback on color combinations, shapes and the materials I use.  As I'm making more pairs, I find myself using some beads more often, such as the tiny sterling silver round beads, which add a bit of light and sparkle. Wooden beads are great, adding a bit of calm without the weight of a darker stone.

I'm looking forward to soon going to a farmer's market here in Honolulu to see how I could sell my earrings at a booth.  This may involve leaving work early during the week, or getting up early on a weekend depending on which market I try.

I've made a few pair this weekend and they're a bit darker than my earlier earrings. Tiger jasper and snowflake blue goldstone are featured in these pairs. Hope you like them!  :D

Midnight Whispers (Tiger Jasper)

Hookah Magic (Snowflake blue goldstone)

Hookah Magic 

Combining Beads & Some Inspiration

Designing earrings can be difficult, since when you see beads laying in their boxes or on the table, they can look totally different once they're put on a wire.  It depends on their size, where their holes are located for the wire and how they balance.  

Here is an example: 

Loose beads on the table

Once they're stacked on a headpin, they look a bit different!

And the finished product: Waikiki Bungalows, available on my Etsy page

 Below are a few different beads I have. Sometimes just looking at them and combining them in different patterns is a great source of inspiration. 

Shells and assorted wooden beads

Freshwater pearls

At other times, I need some inspiration from the natural beauty around me. 

Kailua beach, Oahu Jan. 2013

Kapiolani Park and Waikiki, from Diamond Head, Feb. 2013

 Appreciating the beauty around you helps when you're trying to be creative and design something beautiful yourself.  ^__^

Ultimate Design Form

Do you want customized earrings for you, a friend or a whole team of bridesmaids? 

E-mail me at an.urbane.fashionista@gmail.com and I'll send you the form to fill in.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Jasper Ice Cream: New Listing on Etsy!

Happy Spring from Honolulu!

As the weather warms up in the Northern hemisphere, I celebrated by creating this pair of jasper and tourmaline earrings. The patterns in the jasper reminded me of melted ice cream, that classic warm weather treat. 

 With their natural variations in color (dark green, gray-green and peach), they are versatile depending on your wardrobe. If you're planning to wear your hair up, these will accent your neck and elongate it.  Matching or contrasting, these will definitely get you some compliments!  ^__^

First pair made with the Ultimate Design Form!

Rainbow Tiers
  ** made with rose gold

with Tigers Eyes, dyed coral, lapis lazuli and man-made cream beads all centered around malachite 

They measure 2", are "elegant, funky and rustic" and brightly colored for those outings to the beach or class/work. 

Materials cost: $10 + Design and labor: $10 = $20 final cost (plus any applicable shipping) 

Keepin' 'em safe, prettily

My earrings are protected by a plastic bag, nestled in tissue paper and housed in either a sweet-smelling lauhala box (left) or a non-smelling buri bag (right).

And just in case you forgot where you got those fabulous earrings... ;)

Fresh Batch in February

Welcome to the urbane fashionista blog!  Here I'll post pictures of earrings I've made. I use sterling silver wire and earring hooks, semi-precious gemstones and shells, as well as a few beads made with man-made materials.

Do you like a design? Leave a comment for me! I love to receive feedback!! :D


Right: Purple Swirly

Cebu shells
man-made gold/green beads

     Left: Botswana Doubledecker 

     Botswana agates
     Garnets
     Blood agates
     Onyx

 Right: Watermelon Jasper
    *** made with rose gold
Jasper
Filipino mongo shells

     Left: Swirly Ovals

       Chrysocolla
       camel-colored blood agates

Right: Shiva's Watching

Shiva's eye agates
blood agates of various colors