by Barbara | Nov 20, 2015 | Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Components, Earrings, Embellishments, Gemstones, Handmade, Inspiration, Materials and Supplies, One-of-a-Kind, Patina, Sterling Silver, Uncategorized
Another pair of earrings is finished. I’m thinking ahead to the holidays…they are mere weeks away, and I’m trying to finish up several pairs of earrings to offer for sale for holiday gift giving. Creating the earrings is not a problem, but parting with them...
by Barbara | Oct 19, 2015 | Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Beads and Materials, Bronze, Cabochons and Gemstones, Components, Earrings, Embellishments, Gemstones, Handmade, Inspiration, Patina, Sterling Silver
Born in 1122, Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine was wealthy, intelligent, and ambitious. She reigned as Queen of France from 1137-1151 while married to King Louis VII and as Queen of England from 1154-1189 during her marriage to King Henry II who imprisoned her from...
by Barbara | Sep 25, 2015 | Art to Wear, Bead Embroidery, Beads and Materials, Components, Embellishments, Fine Silver, Handmade, Materials and Supplies, Metal Clay, One-of-a-Kind, Patina
It seems that I had just completed a large selection of fine silver metal clay Flower Disks and Faux Ammonites, but I have run out of them again! They are very popular components because they embellish and accent so many different art and craft projects from bead...
by Barbara | Sep 10, 2015 | Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Bronze, Cabochons and Gemstones, Components, Earrings, Embellishments, Handmade, Inspiration, One-of-a-Kind, Patina, Sterling Silver, Techniques
Louis XIV, known as the Sun King ruled as King of France for 72 years, the longest reign of any European Monarch in history. He was a patron of the arts allowing classical French literature to flourish. Louis was also passionate about ballet…at fifteen years of age,...
by Barbara | Sep 7, 2015 | Art Jewelry, Fine Silver, Handmade, One-of-a-Kind, Patina, Sterling Silver
There’s no getting around it. Unless treated with a protective coating, silver has an inherent tendency to oxidize and discolor. It doesn’t discolor quite as rapidly if stored in plastic bags with anti-tarnish paper, but when stored on a display in open...
by Barbara | Aug 25, 2015 | Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Bronze, Cabochons and Gemstones, Components, Earrings, Handmade, Inspiration, Metal Clay, One-of-a-Kind, Patina, Sterling Silver, Techniques
As the first wife of Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon fared somewhat better than Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn…Catherine, at least did not lose her head! Raised as a devout Roman Catholic, which factored largely in her later life, she was the daughter of...
by Barbara | Aug 18, 2015 | An Aside, Art Jewelry, Art to Wear, Bronze, Cabochons and Gemstones, Components, Earrings, Embellishments, Handmade, Inspiration, One-of-a-Kind, Patina, Sterling Silver, Techniques
That statement has been attributed to Marie Antoinette when she was told the people had no bread. Born an Archduchess of Austria and married to the Dauphin of France at the tender age of fifteen, young Marie led a sheltered and privileged life. She had no idea of what...
