This fun pearl ring was an experiment I did in making rings with thinner wire for the bands. I love how it turned out. I made it pretty small, actually about a size smaller than I intended, so it’s now a lovely pinky ring for me. Sometimes slight errors mean I get to keep a [...]

I love this new silver-and-pearl ring I made, so much I’m tempted to keep it for myself, except that I need about one size smaller to wear it on my ring finger. This ring is made from argentium silver wire with cultured freshwater pearls that have been color treated to look like black Tahitian pearls. [...]

I was looking through my stash the other night for inspiration, and I found some chandelier crystals that I had completely forgotten about. They are big and sparkly – the perfect centerpiece for a necklace. I decided to go with a very simple color scheme – silver for metal, and gray freshwater pearls with the [...]

I’ve been drawn to the look of copper wire lately. Started making a simple bead and wire chain using copper wire and multicolored dyed freshwater pearls. It isn’t finished yet, but it’s going to be a nice, long necklace, and I’m calling it Copper Rose. I think the pink tones of the pearls are beautiful [...]

I just sent off a few new pieces to Exhibit One Gallery in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Here is one of the necklaces, a one of a kind piece that will be for sale there in January: It is made from Argentium sterling silver, a type of sterling silver formulated to resist tarnishing longer than regular sterling [...]

A new law is going into effect very soon in California to protect consumers from lead poisoning in jewelry. Many base metal and plated or painted products contain lead, so to be safe, when purchasing jewelry *ask* what it is made of and if any materials contain lead. Once the new law goes into effect, [...]

I made this pendant from scrap sterling silver, with a few freshwater pearls added. One thing that is really nice about working with metal is that it is easy to reuse scraps. In this case, I had some half-round sterling silver wire in a size that I just don’t use. I’m not really sure why [...]

It’s been a while since I last wrote about caring for jewelry – and since I use a lot of silver and pearls in my work, it seems appropriate to mention how to care for these materials. The key to preventing tarnish on silver is keeping it clean, and storing it sealed off from air, [...]

The Pearl Book, 3rd Edition: The Definitive Buying Guide: How to Select, Buy Care for & Enjoy Pearls By Antoinette L. Matlins This book is the most informative guide to pearls I have read. If you love pearls, this book will give you lots of information on how to determine pearl quality, the kinds of [...]

Stones (and pearls) are often dyed to enhance or change their natural color to one that is deemed more desirable. Some dyes stones will retain the color permanently, but some won’t. If you suspect that your pearls or stones are dyed, and you want to check to see how permanent the dye is, soaking them [...]