Amethyst & the Color Purple

Who doesn’t love the color purple? Well, okay, I am sure there are some of you out there that aren’t nuts about it…and that’s okay. No judgement…remember? We all sit at the same table, right? That being said, I am one of the people who happens to love the color purple; but with limits. I don’t think I would wear purple from head to toe…but wait, I do own purple loafers so I guess I do wear it on my toes! 

Pantone Fall/Winter 2014: Radiant Orchid

Just squeezing in under the wire here with a look at Radiant Orchid – another Pantone Fashion Color choice for fall and winter! Most likely you haven’t missed this gem of a color in the stores in your neighborhood, on your monitor or your screen. It seems to be everywhere and, seriously, I think it is a color that will always be around in one form or another. 

Pantone Fall 2014: Mauve Mist

Lepidolite, amethyst and purple banded agate in a toss with coin pearls, crystal quartz and some old-school Judith Ripka.

With New York Fashion Week in full swing, I know that all of our attention has been thrown to Spring 2015 and the colors for that season – all of which look pretty remarkable. But, come on, if you’re a little bit like me, you live in the real world and we still get to traipse through fall and winter 2014 before those spring colors and fashions hit the arena!

Inspiration: Longer Days, Vibrant Colors, Jewels & Rocks Galore

Isn’t the spring time lovely? Growing up in SoCal, I really didn’t understand the changing of the seasons thing since seventy degrees and sunny about 340 days out of the year usually means that there was never an abrupt change in much of anything around me. That all changed when I moved to New York and had my first real experience with drastic changes in weather, clothes and foliage.

Inspiration: Craftsmanship, Heritage & Detail

I drive past this house a couple times a week while doing errands. Today I decided to stop for a few minutes, take a few snaps with the iPhone to share with you, and then go about my business. What I didn’t plan on was my getting lost in the glorious details in every square inch of this Queen Anne Victorian home. 

Is There a Formula?

Earlier this week I read a fashion blog entry that was touting what seemed to be the equivalent of the perfect mathematical formula for stacking bracelets. Being the fanatic that I am when it comes to details, I had a good chuckle over the fact that there was someone out there in the same fanatics unite club! However, I think they had a different membership than me!

Fanfare Please -- Rough & Polished Amethyst & Crystal Quartz Bracelet

By now you have to know how much I love gemstones in their rough state. That being said – this three-strand bracelet is made up of rough amethyst and dazzling crystal quartz.

Lavender & the Color Purple

Every year, when I harvest my lavender I bring it into the studio to dry for several months before removing the little buds or whatever they are called from each stem. I love having the lavender inside especially when I sit at one particular location of my workbench. As I work, my feet jostle the ends of the stems under the bench and with just the slightest movement the soothing scent of lavender is released into the air. It’s heavenly.

Tucson Day One!

Well, it's not officially day one...since that would have been Thursday; but I figure I am close enough since this is my first official post from Tucson. If you didn't know -- I'm at the Tucson Gem Show scouting lots of new things for upcoming designs!! Along with that, it's a time for me to enjoy time with my niece, meet up with old friends and eat way too much good food.

The Touch, the Feel

The touch, the feel...no, surprisingly I am not talking about cotton. You're probably thinking "come on it is jewelry and it is all about the look, so what's with the touch and feel stuff." Well, while the look is important, for me jewelry serves another purpose. You see, I am a "fiddler" -- not the kind of fiddling associated with a musical instrument; but the kind of "fiddling" that happens when my fingers have to be busy. I've never been able to sit perfectly still -- no matter the location (frequently to the dismay of those in close proximity). I can't help it, I have busy hands and I am an annoying foot wiggler as well -- so I doodle and I knit and I wear jewelry all while wiggling my foot. Be forewarned - you might not want to sit next to me on a flight and I am okay with that!

OHSU & Mt. St. Helens

At the beginning of summer, I posted a pix of Mt. Hood popping up in the distance while I was outside of Fessler's. While I told you that I could also see Mt. St. Helens that day, I did not post a pix as you would not have really been able to see it...and so you would think I was nuts!

  

Cauliflower? Yes, Cauliflower.

Yes, that is cauliflower in purple, yellow and white. Mother Nature...once again pulls our all the stops. If I was going to do something with this inspiration in gemstones...what would it include?

Tiny Gifts of Spring

Spring finally arrived with three days of glorious sunshine this week! And, today more rain...but somehow it is much more tolerable after the steady sun. Out back, these little gifts were waiting just for me when I went out his morning. I love the tiny little grape hyacinths. Not only is the color lovely, but if you look real close you'll see the tiniest little bell-shaped blossoms, tipped with lavender and white. If that treat for the eyes isn't enough -- take a deep breath and you'll experience their soft sweet smell -- not as heavy as regular hyacinth - but a lighter angelic scent. They just make me smile -- I had to bring some in and nestle them in with my other treasures. I'm inspired -- I want to gather my amethyst -- cape and chevron -- and get hopping on a few new pieces to add to the site. Stay tuned.

Purple -- Fit for Royalty

The color purple has long been a favorite of mine -- by now you know I don't wear it in clothing (well, I do have a few deep purple hoodies so my global statement isn't entirely true -- oh, and I have a pair of purple loafers -- so okay I'm a liar!) but you get the gist of what I mean -- I do love to wear purple jewelry.

Surprises and Geodes

This afternoon I will be on the hunt for gemstones. Kyanite is at the top of the list followed by carnelian, onyx, chrysoprase, calcedony, amethyst, crystal and smoky quartz, green quartz -- so okay, maybe I should just say "I am on the hunt for anything that catches my eye."

Stressing?

"Don't worry...be happy!" Okay, so those were the first words that came to mind when I was thinking about how stressful the holiday season can be for some people. Corny? Yes, so I apologize. If you are stressing, help is on the way in the form of beautiful amethyst. Yes, I said amethyst -- as in the gemstone.

Surprise in Purple

I walked around the house today on a side that isn't my normal path -- wow! Look what was there waiting for me. And, no...it wasn't a spider, although I am quite sure there are many living just beyond my line of sight in that exact spot. Thank goodness I wasn't wearing my glasses. The surprise was a good one -- this glorious clematis (would the plural of that be clematii?) in full bloom, climbing up a trellis and spilling over the roof. Of course, I had to run inside and get my Blackberry so I could capture their beauty. It is just too hot out there to get shots with the "good" camera and since my BB camera seems to do a good job, I just went with it. Then I thought it would be cool to crawl around on the ground and get a pix of the tiniest little fuchsias in the world -- I think they call these Tinkerbell fuchsias. The entire blossom is only about one inch long; and since my uncle and dad have always called me Tinker, I like anything that reminds me of that. If you look closely, the inside petals look like deep purple velvet.

Okay, I admit, I am a bit of a purple freak but in a quiet kind of way. I never thought about it much before, but I am drawn to things purple -- like flowers and gemstones and glass beads. I don't think I have any purple clothes, at least that I can think of now; but I do have a Rebecca Moss purple business card holder that I got in NYC many moons ago. Oh, and I do have a pair of purple reading glasses. And, I do have a dogtooth amethyst bracelet similar to the one shown here. When I found these gemstones in Tucson I had to grab all the vendor had left. I don't see this gem that often and when I do I get giddy! And, I hear that purple is a BIG fashion color for the fall-winter seasons. Giddy?