Custom Wedding Jewelry

The final touch to your bridal gown is usually jewelry. Should you go with bold baubles or delicate diamonds? While there are dozens of places to look for the right accent for your dress, having your jewelry custom-made ensures you get a perfect match, no matter what your personal style is.

Look for a bead or other jewelry store that has worked with brides before. Jewelry designers suggest bringing a swatch of your gown to your consultation. At that time, the designer can help you select the right beads and stones to match. Necklaces are most common, and with brides becoming more adventurous with their wedding-day look, they now come in all colors. Jet black Swarovski crystal is growing in popularity, while the “aurora borealis” Swarovski beads (clear with a shiny, rainbow-like coating) are a favorite of brides-to-be. Continue Reading »Custom Wedding Jewelry

Category Categories: Jewelry

Eco-Friendly Gets New Life in Lines of Jewelry

Back when “eco” was first becoming a buzz word, it seemed like what often followed it was some variation of scratchy hemp or unwearable hippie craftwork – especially in the realm of earth-friendly jewelry. Thankfully times have changed, and as new and innovative designers continue to emerge from the shadows, they’re bringing their fashion-forward vision of a green lifestyle along with them.
Take Sand Jewelery, for example. Designer Therese Nguyen is an avid surfer, so it’s no surprise that her line is inspired by the beaches of Southern California. Each of her handcrafted pieces feature elements of beach and earth, including sea glass, healing stones and freshwater pearls (my personal favorite is a simply stunning freshwater pearl ring bound with gold wire.) And although it’s tempting for this sea baby to use coral in her work, she refrains because of how damaging mining is to reefs, choosing to focus on more sustainable offerings. Continue Reading »Eco-Friendly Gets New Life in Lines of Jewelry

Category Categories: Jewelry

Metal Arts Critique Collective

Philippe Destouches, a 16th century French playwright, said, “Criticism is easy, art is difficult.” Yet in some cases, artists find that criticism from a supportive group can cultivate new ideas and foster solutions to overcoming obstacles. For members of the Metal Arts Critique Collective, a San Francisco-based group that formed to critique each other’s jewelry, art and criticism go hand in hand.

Christine Dhein and Shana Astrachan, San Francisco-area jewelers, met through the Metal Arts Guild after graduating from college. While in school, Dhein and Astrachan each had the opportunity to critique other students’ work and to have their own work evaluated. Through these peer assessments; they learned what elements of their jewelry worked and what elements didn’t. After graduation, they lost this source of inspiration — and they missed it. Continue Reading »Metal Arts Critique Collective

Category Categories: Jewelry