Summer time has finally hit the Northwest.  Our Red Hot Pokers are in full bloom.  I love the gradation of color from yellow to firery red.  The hummingbirds like them, too.

I made my own ‘torch flower’ with these beauties.

Sapphires come in all colors, shapes and sizes. 

Jamie’s been finding these fantastic sapphire slices and making them into rings.  They are quite exquisite- each totally unique and one of a kind.   Picutred here are some beautiful pink and green ones and the lighter ones I’ve named “linen”. 

Worn by carried by royalty in the Ancient world, this gemstone has been highly sought after by numerous civilizations- empires have grown and fallen over this stone.  The blue sapphire, as most people know of this precious gemstone, is the most highly prized variation, but these others sure are pretty too. 

As the September birthstone, it’s a favorite of mine!

In sapphire light - naomi

Check out these lovely Sleeping Beauty Turquoise!

This is a highly prized form of turquoise from Arizona, known for it’s confluent robin’s egg blue color. 

I think it’s dreamy. 

Though it is such a vibrant blue, the stone remains smooth and calming like a warm breeze. 

Imagine, swinging in a hammock on a clear summer day gazing up at your finger with one of these on it!!

I’ll be sporting one this summer!

- Dream on, Naomi

Jamie is going home.  Her sister just opened a beautiful yarn boutique and Jamie is going to support her at the grand opening of A New Yarn. 

Seeing all of the jewelry we make here in the studio, I have the opportunity to view it all collectively.  In this, the many inspirations for Jamie’s designs have revealed themselves to me.  Similar to planes, trains and automobiles I’ve been able to attribute a few themes to many pieces of her work.  Here is my interpretation through Jamie’s work, of land, sea and air.  - Naomi

Land

Sea

Air

I just received these opal beauties in last week. 

They are from Lightening Ridge, Australia.  They are cut from “nobbies which is a rounded concretion found in clay.”  They catch the light in different ways depending on the angle.  I see a new opal ring in my future.

Jeremy and I went to an art opening the other night at Winston Wächter gallery  http://www.winstonwachter.com  and finally met one of my favorite encaustic painters Christopher Reilly.  His paintings portray nature in an abundance of rich color and varied textures. He uses a varied mixture of wax, pastel, gouache, gesso and pigment layered on canvas to build up a thick and lush surface. Reilly then applies intensive scraping, re-heating, and re-molding techniques revealing the many layers beneath the surface. He will even carve into the encaustic surface to enhance the contours of the imagery. This process creates a dramatic contrast between portions of worn away and rough surfaces, which bring an earthy feel to the imagery, juxtaposed with the delicate organic imagery of the raised surfaces in the foreground.

The Honeycomb series came out soon after purchasing several of his paintings, coupled with reading several articles on colony collapse disorder.  http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=15572

We’re full throttle gearing up for some holiday trunk shows.

Meet Cleo and Eddy.  We pulled them in to help!

For those in the Pacific Northwest

this Saturday, December 5th

A Mano 

1115 1st Ave Seattle  98101

______________________

For you New Yorkers and those nearby

Jamie and the rings will be at

Bergdorf Goodman

Friday - Sunday

December 11th - 13th

and

more jewelry will be at

Greenwich Jewelers

December 10th - 17th

Happy Holidays!

It’s been a while, I know.  A new season has “fallen” upon us and here we are on the verge of Halloween and day light savings.  We’ve been busy making rings.  Here are a few from our last trunk show at Essenza. 

Check the events page for our Fall trunk show schedule and one near you.

Here is a piece that made it into the Bergdorf Goodman Spring 09 catalog.  This necklace has a big Phantom Crystal Pendant- which is a crystal that grows within another crystal.  Each one is different from the other- totally organic and so amazing.

Here’s the latest press in print

IN DESIGN | For the retailer of fine jewelry design | May / June 2009

Generation Next -  top designers for 2009