Open to the light

Blue-winged Grasshopper Brooch by Bernard Doherty. See more of this piece and buy it here.

I wanted to write about enamel jewelry, an art form I've loved since I was a girl. Mind you, I was just thinking about what we all pretty much know as "enamel" which is basically melted colored glass on copper or other metals: what is called vitreous enamel. I was also familiar with champlevé and cloisonné. Then I discovered Bernard Doherty, a fantastic jewelry artist in Victoria on the southeastern coast of Australia, and his incredible plique-á-jour.

Plique-á-jour roughly translates to "open to the light," and that's because it is. In contrast to other enameling methods, there is no metal to back the glass in these pieces. They are like small stained-glass jewelry objects. And yes, it's more difficult than Mr. Doherty as made it look.

Platinum Dragonfly by Bernard Doherty. $15,048 AUD (about $13,450 USD). See more of this piece and buy it here.

As you can see in the astoundingly beautiful dragonfly piece above, the light is free to move through the finely detailed wings of the insect. The light will also be dancing off of the 6.97 ct pink tourmaline at the center of its back and the five diamonds set in its head and wing points. The tail is enameled, and both the wings and the tail are hinged and sprung to allow them to move on the 18k yellow gold and platinum exoskeleton. I know it looks tiny on your screen, but the wing span is a full 85 mm (about 3.5")!

As you may have guessed by now, work this fine and in materials this precious is not going to be priced at bargain basement rates, but if you have the money to spend on yourself (or your Valentine), these would be a fine investment (just the gold and platinum will likely appreciate even more than they have in the last five minutes). This is not merely jewelry; it is fine art in every sense of the word: museum pieces.

Whether you can afford it or not, you can appreciate it, so I'm featuring more images of Mr. Doherty's incredible insectarium here.

This amazing pendant is a fine example of champlevé. I love the colors and the form, and that gigantic pearl is so beautiful as to be ridiculous.

Champlevé Scarab Beetle Pendant, by Bernard Doherty. 1.75 x 3 cm. 18k yellow gold, south sea pearl, blue champlevé enamel, 0.20ct champagne diamond. Find more info about purchasing this piece here.

Brian Doherty, Southeastern Australian enamel jewelry artist. See more of his work here.

Two Butterflies Pendant by Bernard Doherty. Plique-á-jour enamel set in 18k yellow gold with about .12 ct. of brilliant cut diamonds, two pear-shape blue topaz and large pear-shape amethyst. Get more information and price for this piece here.

A dragonfly and its bug:

Dragonfly Brooch by Bernard Doherty. Ask for more information about this piece here.

Above is a gorgeous brooch with a security chain and clip in the shape of a small bug, set with an oval blue topaz and a yellow diamond. The brooch itself is another beautiful dragonfly in blue and green plique-á-jour with hinged wings. He is 18k yellow gold and set with a blue topaz cabochon, ruby baguettes and a garnet cabochon. The tail is brown enamel. So very Art Nouveau.

Dragonfly Brooch & Pendant by Bernard Doherty. Get more information about this piece here.

And this one may be my favorite. Red and green plique-á-jour, yellow diamonds, white diamonds, tsavorite and green garnets. The tail is articulated and studded with those yellow diamonds. This is a brooch and pendant, and frankly, it makes my mouth water. The pearly iridescence of the wings and the articulated tail draw me in completely. I'd love to handle it. Wouldn't you love to wear it?

Please, do yourself a favor and visit Mr. Doherty's own site here, Brian Doherty Artist in Gold. There are so very many more amazing pieces there.

Deluxe polymer clay jewelry at Stonehouse Studio

Betsy Baker surprised me! I was perusing my favorite handmade goods site, Etsy (which, if you haven't yet, you should visit and buy from) one day, and came upon these fantastic pieces of art in her shop, Stonehouse Studio. Thinking they were glass or perhaps ceramic, I noted their uniqueness, then realized I was looking at jewelry made from polymer clay.

You may not be familiar with polymer clay - it's made with a base of PVC (you know, what today's plumbing is made from - polyvinyl chloride) and is pliable as clay. Some popular brands available in your local crafts store are Sculpey and Fimo. When it's baked at a low temperature (I've used a toaster oven) it cures and hardens and lasts a very, very long time. My husband, who is a sculptor, used to use it for making maquettes and prototypical components. I've bought it for children in my life, who love its permanence over the nature of such ephemeral substances as Play-Doh.

So, I admit, it never really occurred to me that it could be formed into fine jewelry the likes of which Ms. Baker creates. To wit, her Bold Contemporary Ring ($50 on Etsy) pictured above and here. In colors of leopard skin, she has created an abstract burnished stone set in this beautiful brushed sterling bezel with an adjustable band to fit any size finger.Then there are her fabulous pendants! The colors and patterns are from the mind of someone who thinks hard about these things, and the architectural forms she gives the whole pieces are reminiscent of Eames-era furniture and lamps - that organic, a-straight-line-is-never-really-straight style, as in her Little Sunflower Neckwire ($75 on Etsy):And Blossoms on Blue Pendant on Chain ($40 on Etsy):There is a decidedly impressionistic flavor to the images she transfers to the clay stones, and easily my favorites are the Jupiter's Moons Pendant ($85 on Etsy):And the Sunset Trees Neckwire ($105 on Etsy):
I could go on and on about her beautiful work, but I urge you browse and buy it at her Etsy shop yourself (you can also see other designs on her web site, Stonehouse Studio). While you're at it, peruse her Trunkt portfolio. Trunkt.org is an online curated showcase for artists. Ms. Baker describes it in her blog thus:

Trunkt.org is a very selective site and the jury parameters are strict. Even after being accepted, each and every photo uploaded has to be approved before it's published. Since it is not an e-commerce site, design and artistic merit are what counts.

Read her fascinating blog here, where she explains some of her techniques and muses about her art, and where you will also find her very interesting and informative artist's statement.

All photos belong to the artist and are published here with her kind permission.

For love of art glass and jewelry

(Montego Bay Necklace: 32 chunky SRA beads made of Italian glass in black, ocher, turquoise, plum and silvered ivory, sterling spacers, clasp, bead caps, slider, and wire; dalmation jasper; black seed beads. Length: 22" plus 2.5" pendant. $240. Buy it!)

Self-Representing Artist (SRA) Chris Dalrymple currently resides in Memphis, Tennessee, where she has raised a (now grown) daughter, worked hard at a corporate job, and yet still found time to combine her passion for art glass, jewelry and her creative itch to a beautiful end that she calls Elemental Mojo.

Dictionary.com defines the word 'elemental' thus:

of, pertaining to, or of the nature of the four elements, earth, water, air, and fire, or of any one of them.

Consider 'mojo':

an object, as an amulet or charm, that is believed to carry a magic spell.

(Concord Caramel Necklace: 19 SRA beads made of American glass in streaky caramel and royal plum with sprinkles of raku. Components: sterling wire, rings, spacers, beads; Swarovski crystals. Length: 21.5". $145. Buy it!)With an uncanny eye for color, form and light, she creates exquisite lampwork glass beads and forms them into fabulous unique jewelry.

(If you're not familiar with the term "lampwork" or would like to know whence it comes, click here for the Wikipedia explanation.)

Chris's first infatuation with glass was impressed upon her early. From her Etsy profile:

I fell in love with art glass when I was just a kid. My father was in the military, which is how I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to watch Venetian glassblowers at work. I was fascinated with the vibrant colors and the whole process of melting and shaping glass. Since then I’ve wanted to collect art glass. A few years ago I decided to start collecting perfume bottles. While searching for them online, I discovered artist-made lampwork beads and fell instantly in love with them.

As well as making fantastic glass herself, she has amassed an impressive collection of others' work, which she has also incorporated into her gorgeous jewelry.

So, just in time for Valentine's Day, an exquisite, painstakingly designed, meticulously hand-worked necklace of hearts. I have seen this necklace in person (or is that 'in necklace'?) and as wonderful as the photos are, holding it in your hands is an entirely different experience; wearing it would be a joy. (Modigliani Hearts Necklace: 5 SRA heart beads made of Italian glass in plum, avocado, black, deep red, and ivory with accents of silvered ivory and raku. Components: sterling rings, wire, chain, spacers and clasp; leather cord. Length: adjustable from 14.25" to 18". $166. Buy it!)
Visit Chris Dalrymple's shop on Etsy and indulge your love of art glass and jewelry.

Justin Duance: sculpture for your body

Yew pebble shaped earrings with silver inlay. 28mm X 12mm X 10mm. E33Y £47 (about $91 USD. Buy 'em!)

Living in Newlyn, Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom, Justin Duance finds the inspiration for his exquisite jewelry art in the natural mingling of earth and sea in his seaside fishing town.

Once visited by the epiphany that

"jewellry was just a miniature form of sculpture, with the potential to contain deeper meanings because the pieces are so intimate to the wearer,"

he went on to develop a style which, to me, is reminiscent of surf-burnished pebbles, bubbles in the ocean and the bands of color on the horizon at sunset. You'll also find in his work the textures of driftwood and the patterns that retreating waves leave in the sand.

Kingwood pebble shaped earrings with 1mm silver dots of inlay. They measure 30mm X 20mm X 10mm E3K E34K £51 (about $99 USD. Buy 'em!)

I love the form of this pendant, the wood grain reminds me of the beautiful layers in the flesh of salmon, (Leaf shaped silver pendant with a large section of Yew inlaid. 13mm wide 50mm long 1.8mm deep. P4L £70 (about $136 USD. Buy it!) about which Justin explains,

"Yew is the one that changes the most when you wear it. It darkens and sometimes goes a deeper red but it is still obvious that it is wood."

Thus the previous quoted 'intimacy' of jewelry to its wearer: Justin's jewelry takes on a natural patina dictated by one's personal body chemistry. Justin can adjust the length of the chain or bracelet, or if you prefer a different wood such as Indian rosewood or a beautifully grained oak, you can simply request it by filling out the proper form on his site. Shipping on all his exquisite pieces is free (which is always a very good thing) worldwide, and he welcomes custom orders!

Beautifully designed and rendered bracelets, rings, cuff links, earstuds, earrings, and pendants are all available at Justin's site here.

All photos courtesy of the artist.

Divine Designs

Eni Oken is a native of Brazil, but lives in Los Angeles. Her jewelry designs are so intricate, so delicate and so amazingly detailed that I bookmarked her site the first time I came across it a few years ago. I still go back and look at her new designs, which I find consistently astonishing. Here is just one example of her mind boggling work! "Goldfilled citrine and jasper necklace," pictured above, whose title doesn't sound anywhere near as regal as it is. Read about and see more of this beautiful necklace here.

Her custom work is also astonishing, as in this fantastic aquamarine heart she designed for a special customer:More of this necklace and Eni's thoughts on making it can be found here. She journals and even features many tutorials on how to make jewelry like hers. I find that very generous.

I'm not a wire-wrapper, but I can appreciate the kind of work that goes into each of her pieces, and considering the amount of work, her prices are very reasonable.

See hundreds more gorgeous pieces of her work at her site, enioken.com.