FUF: Puffy Heart Peacock Necklace & Earrings

I am thrilled with this sweet necklace made with a vintage sterling silver puffy heart featuring an Art Nouveau peacock design, vintage Japanese glass beads and vintage Swarovski crystals. My favorite part? The little 'fob' I made by carefully applying patina to raw brass and manipulating it into the shape you see here.

WTW: Vintage Heart Charm

I love this little vintage sterling silver peacock heart charm and have decided to make something special for myself this week. The little yellow beads are also vintage Japanese painted glass.

Happy Wednesday!
Chris

WTW: Adding Antique Silver to All Jeweled in White!

Build a Line Challenge 2016 - All Jeweled in White Reveal!

I can't believe we're here - the final blog post in B'Sue Boutique's 2016 Build a Line Challenge (BALC)! It has been an incredible learning experience for me and I'm pleased to announce the first run of the All Jeweled in White collection!

WTW: All Jeweled in White 'French Filigree' Necklace

Calcified Metal Statues as Jewelry Patina

My 'Calcified' Patina

For my All Jeweled in White line, I am looking for interesting ways to add touches of white to the jewelry I create. Pearls and crystals are an obvious way to do this, but I wanted to try something different.

FUF: Agate and Vintage Glass Necklace

I love how this necklace turned out! The blues of the vintage glass beads complement the agate so well it is like they were made for one another. I decided to use a simple antique silver chain to bring everything together with this one.

Happy Friday!
Chris

WTW: Agate and Vintage Glass

This is a custom order for a very special customer. I had converted a pair of vintage clip earrings featuring beautiful Japanese glass turquoise stones with a black matrix to posts. She loves them, but was hoping for a necklace as well. I was thrilled to find a vendor with a handful of coordinating stones and another with the stunning agate I wrapped in titanium wire. Can't wait to see this one come to life :)

Happy Day!

Chris

Production Mode!

Having a wonderful Saturday morning in the workshopish studio making inventory and packaging for All Jeweled in White. I wish I could show you the jewelry now, but we're under wraps until April 1!!! Stay tuned :)

Cheers,

Chris

FUF: Zebra Lady Necklace and Earrings

Here she is! A necklace and earrings set inspired by a W.T. Benda Life magazine cover illustration from 1922 featuring a beautiful lady astride a zebra (read more about the inspiration here). I love how this set turned out. It's brightly colored, but somehow, everything just works well together with the mixed metals.

Happy Friday!
Chris

WTW: 1922 W.T. Benda Life Magazine Cover Inspiration

Image via My Ear Trumpet

I LOVE this amazing Life magazine cover by W.T. Benda from November 30, 1022. When I first saw this, I fell into the trap many of us do and just took for granted credit was given appropriately. It was on Pinterest with 'VOGUE' splashed across the top. This morning, I started digging some more to find out who W.T. Benda was and what other art did he/she produce.

FUF: Georgia Peach!

Here she is! She took her time sipping sweet tea on the veranda, but she's finally here. I love how this necklace and earrings set turned out. Luscious layers of summer color with deep, rich patina brass is perfect for dressing up a simple tee and jeans or taking a flowing lace dress over the top! I entered this sweet set in B'Sue Boutique's February Challenge, Hearthside Memories, and am honored to have been chosen as the winner among many talented jewelry artists who inspire me every day. Check out B'Sue's Pinterest board for their amazing creations!!!

This set is listed in my VintageCravensToo Etsy store.

Build a Line Challenge 2016 - The Journey Progresses

Art Nouveau Necklace by Gorges Fouquet Jewelers, Designed by Alphonse Mucha
Circa1905 (photo via Project Wedding)

When I started the B'Sue Boutiques Build a Line Challenge (BALC) 2016, I discovered relatively quickly my design influences lie in the beautiful, undulating designs of the Art Nouveau movement, yet I am also drawn to the simplicity found in Arts and Crafts designs. Many of the colors used at the turn of the 20th century are soft and mutable, like the colors found in nature from which both artistic movements find their roots.

Sweet Charm Earrings

I am busy working on inventory for an upcoming show in Lebanon, OH. I am planning to bring my new All Jeweled in White line, but wanted some sweet and simple earrings as a nice option for people looking for gifts. I love how these charm earrings accented with tiny crystal beads turned out!

Happy Monday!
Chris

Earring Time!

I am working on some simple charm earrings. Excited to try out a jig I made to make the wires!

Happy Saturday,

Chris

WTW: Georgia Peach!

I'm taking a little break from All Jeweled in White and having fun playing with lots of spring color. I love this vintage glass cabochon and can just imaging taking a bite out of that juicy peach!

Happy Wednesday!
Chris

Build a Line Challenge 2016 - The Journey Begins

Photography of Chihuly Glass Works by Chris Cravens 

As you can readily see by my intro photo, I adore color. Why in the world did I choose white as a theme for my new jewelry line???

FUF: A Frabjous Mistake!

Available in My VintageCravensToo Etsy Store

So, this sweet Frabjous Day* necklace was originally intended to hold a large vintage cloisonne heart I had in my stash. However, a minor oopsie made me dig through some more stash to find this beautiful mid-century earrings holding a piece of Dragon's breath glass instead.

WTW: A Frabjous Mix

I'm thrilled at the colors in this fun necklace that is coming together. Bright and shiny beads in a multitude of Pantone 2016 tones blend perfectly with a huge vintage cloisonne pendant I had in the stash. I'm trying something new here with crimp beads on lightweight wire and definitely keeping my fingers crossed.

Playing with Fire: Torch Fired Copper Headpins

I'm learning how to use a torch to patina copper and brass - who knew 27 colors could be made on a piece of copper with the same flame! Today I had fun learning how to make a metal thread and capture the drip as a ball tip for headpins. There are many videos and tutorials available on how to do this (search for 'make ball tip headpin'). After watching a few techniques, I felt confident enough to try. At first, my ball tips came out very pointy until I started learning exactly the right time to take the wire out of the flame. I also learned quenching the metal fast makes the gorgeous pinky-red color you see on most of my samples while waiting a few seconds gives a darker color. Can't wait to use these in something!