Strobe Light Star... recently discovered

Ok, being a big fan of the Hubble photographs, this is an absolutely astounding strobe light star recently discovered by European astronomers.

Normally for this blog I do not intend to post random (non-jewelry related) stuff, but you will occasionally see inspirational posts that I think you all would appreciate as well. If you would like to know any more about this 'magnetar' then check out the link below. Enjoy!

http://blogs.usatoday.com/sciencefair/2008/09/astronomers-spo.html?csp=34

Next piece... Rose Quartz Starburst

Ok, last post of the day! Man i'm tired! ha ha.

Anyways, this next piece I am sure I will absolutely wear out... I have been wanting to create this piece for a while but couldn't until now b/c I just got a large supply of silver, copper, brass, & bronze to play around with!

So this piece will be quite large, approximately 3-4" in diameter and it will be a starburst shape filled with Rose Quartz (and maybe additionally Clear Quartz as well)... for some reason I am having a flashback to the 80s as being a child and being a big fan of 'Jem' (the cartoon). Ha ha, so I am sure it will totally look like something one of those ladies would wear. 

I'll be working on it very soon so i'll keep you posted!  :)

XOXO

Have a wonderful night!

A few beautiful stones & crystals soon to be used

These are few gorgeous stones to be used that I have laid out for you to see... Aren't the colors and textures knockout? I love em! So keep an eye out soon!

I'll take a few pictures of my workspace/studio area & my table next to my workbench that is packed full of crystals & stones! You crystal lovers will drool! Ha ha.

Pieces in progress.... shh!!

Thought you all may like to see a few pieces in progress that I am currently working on. Sometimes when I start a piece I know exactly the way I want it to look like, and other times it is just fun to play and see what comes out. I am always surprised at how much I love each end result... well at least most of the time! (minus the guitar string ring! ha ha)

So the first set of images are going to be another geometrically inspired pendant that will either be a square or a diamond shape depending on the angle. The stone used is a chunk of dark Smokey Quartz. I immediately gravitated to this stone in the store b/c of it's dark & sparkly qualities. I haven't come across Smokey Quartz this dark so it will be a lot of fun to work with.

Next up is the Quartz Crystal point pendant that I can't wait for it to be finished! This will be stunning! I still have quite a bit of work left to it but I intend for this piece to have a somewhat 'spiral' look... a kind of intensifier for the crystal. We'll see!

And lastly, these are a pair of cute little Double Terminated crystal points that are uniquely drilled twice, so I am in the process of making them into dainty little earrings, also spirally inspired. The crystals themselves are only about 1/2" wide. I guess you could say that I am not really feeling this design so knowing me it will probably change drastically. But that is a wonderful and exciting thing!

 

Organic earrings with Vintage glass beads

While working on these earrings I just had an open mind and let whatever was going to happen... happen. I really love how organic looking these earrings came out and I love the arrowhead shape that was formed for the final piece. Also I love the little tiny ball at the top of the earring (look where the wires connect at the top).

These just turned out precious...

They are also very comfortable to wear and are super lightweight, I just the way they sway back and forth when you wear them.

The beads used are Vintage glass pearl I found in a dusty old antique shop in the middle of Nebraska.

Inspired by Musicians - Jewelry series

Ok, despite this is another sad attempt I still would like to show you all my progress in projects. This is my first attempt at a jewelry series that I dreamt up... I am in the phase of deciding if this is jewelry inspired by musicians or for musicians, but either way it is my homage to music... as it is one of my very top inspirations in my art & life.

This project is combining Fine Silver with a Stainless Steel Guitar string. During this process I have learned the hard way that SS has an extremely high melting point and so therefore i'll have to be inventive and think if other ways to combine SS & FS.

I have a whole box full of musician stuff such as guitar strings of numerous metals (bronze, brass, nickel, etc.), snappy snares, drum brushes, guitar picks, microphone mesh, etc... I can't wait to figure out this line of jewelry, it will be seriously cool!

Sacred Geometry pendant

I guess you could call this a part 1 of 2 project as this not quite finished. I have an idea of combining this pendant with a crystal... both being strung together onto a necklace. I'll keep you posted!

(Aren't both the front and back of this piece beautiful?)

I believe imperfections are beautiful.

Kitten face ring

Good idea, bad result! Ha ha, well I know I can't win em all but even though this ring didn't work out you can still see where it was going... maybe in a few months i'll try it again, cause it would be a super adorable ring!

If anyone knows me well, they know how much of an animal lover I am... especially cats. I have 3 of them! I know I am a sucker... but I am a lover. As I recently adopted my newest addition to the family 'Lola Sky' (she's the third and final cat, unless I get a barn!)  :)

I would love to do a small series of cat & dog jewelry, so keep an eye out for that one.

Vine (fused) ring

An organically inspired, experimental ring... 

This ring started with a more modern feel but for comfort reasons it turned into a more natural ring (as the edges of the back plate were filed/rounded down). A great thing about this ring is that it is what you could call reversible... there is no defined right way to wear the ring. It can be worn like in the pictures but also flipped so the back plate does not show... Does this make sense at all? Sorry I am a visual person as well so it is quite hard to explain! Ha ha.

The pros and cons about working with fused wire is that you will never create the exact same piece. I love it because I feel that in the melting/torching process the wire turns into whatever it wants to be. It takes quite a lot of skill & practice to repeat the same look over and over. But personally I love for each piece to look different, it's much more unique!

Pineapple Art Deco necklace

This is another Art Deco inspired piece. The materials used are Fine Silver, Brass, & a Amber colored Vintage Chandelier Crystal. This pendant is quite long (approx 4" in length), but it is absolutely gorgeous and is hung on a very long necklace so it approximately reaches the top of your rib cage.

This is the first piece that I have used Brass with and I feel it is a beautiful & cost effective alternative to gold. The color is a little deeper of a warm brown than gold, but still very beautiful.

*The front and back of the pendant look exactly the same.

Weaved Silver Wire Cuff

This is a beautiful design that I learned in class... it is actually a trick to the eye! Despite the fact that it looks weaved it is actually twisted! I love it. This is made of a heavy gauge Fine Silver wire.

Lunar Crystal & Azurite Pendant with Titanium

This was a custom piece especially creative for my fantastic mother...

She left the design up to me but just said that she really loved the Triangle Crystal pendant, so I could do whatever I desired for her. 

So my design for her was inspired by many ideas. First of all since she is a mother of two (my brother and myself) I wanted to have two separate elements that when combined make a whole (symbolizing her)... but also I was very inspired to have a lunar shape since she is female... and lastly I wanted the difference between the two sides to be very different for the obvious reason of male and female but also b/c my brother and I are quite different (even though we are both fantastic and awesome! :). 

So the crystals used on the left side are Quartz crystal and Peridot (which is my birth stone)... and for the right side Azurite & mini Double Terminated Crystals are used.

For a touch of beautiful color and a unique look I added a strip of titanium which I colored by torching... hence the beautiful blue. Titanium is an amazing metal to work with because it can give you some amazing colors to add to your piece.

The properties of Peridot are:

~used to bless and energize one's work

~can assist in reestablishing a sense of self-worth

~allows one to move forward on one's evolutionary path

~used to manifest the increase of wealth, increase of health, and increase of job and emotional well-beint.

~allows you to gently expand your ability to receive from the universe

Azurite:

~strengthens the astral and etheric bodies

~seals 'holes' in the aura

~opens one's inner eye to a wide array of connections and possibilities 

~a stone of synthesis whereby the discovery of new commonalities and links between different ideas leads to higher levels of understanding of life and the new world.

~a stone of insight and vision

~great aid to non-judgemental discernment

~allows one to understand the true motives in others as well as oneself

~enhances one's psi powers and helps maintain objectivity and accuracy

~stimulating to the mind and can help with learning, memorizing, writing, etc.

(These descriptions all came from an excellent book called 'The Book of Stones' by Robert Simmons & Naisha Ahsian)

Double Terminated Crystal pendant

This double terminated crystal is one of the most beautiful crystals I have ever seen, so I knew that I would have to incorporate this into a piece of jewelry. Since I wanted to crystal to be the main focal point I decided that I needed to keep the design very simple and this 'crystal floating inside an oval idea' came into mind. 

Initially I was going to have the silver arm-like piece extend from left to right because I didn't think it would hold the crystal any other way very securely... but I was wrong. This piece is very sturdy and I am quite impressed with the outcome... and another plus is that I have noticed that when I wear this piece the crystal flips from the front view to  the back view which you can tell the difference by the way the crystal is wrapped by the silver arm-like piece. (the bottom pict is the back view)

Honestly for me this piece is very intense to wear, I am guessing it is because the crystal is so large and may not be intended to wear all day... but I do notice that a lot happens to me during the day (good and somewhat bad). I think this is a crystal that you just have to develop a relationship with and slowly introduce yourself to it so it won't be so overwhelming while wearing.

A little insight to my company name was that I was initially going to call it 'Modern Texture' because as I am sure you will notice, I love to use simple geometric shapes but also using a lot of texture in my pieces whether it be from the stones used or from the way the silver is textured/finished. 

Pearl Swirl earrings

These were a quick fun little project that came out pretty adorable. Just a simple look with a fun twist. The pearls used are Vintage Japanese Glass pearls and also the wire is fine silver. The earrings are very light weight but are very dainty but they are somewhat larger in size and are quite durable. Great for a classic and also fun look.

Crystal triangle pendant

This is my all time favorite piece yet! I guess you could call her my baby. This was yet another experimental piece (see a trend happening :) that my teacher said just would not work out... but being a stubborn artist... I kept working at it. I just simply adore the end result.

The piece is made of fine silver, and natural quartz crystals. 

Notice the diamond shaped details on the back of the pendant, and also the tiny silver balls hidden among the crystal points. 

Properties: 'Quartz crystal is the universal stone. It is a pure and powerful energy source. It receives, activates, stores, transmits, and amplifies energy. Stimulates brain functions and activates all levels of consciousness. Brings harmony to the soul.'

Chandelier Crystal earrings

This was and experimental technique with vine-like fusing of wire and chandelier crystals. They came out really beautiful and are extremely sturdy. I really like the organic feel of the fine silver wire with the classy touch of the sparkly vintage glass crystals.

Bubble / Sea Urchin Ring

In comes Amber's love for Art Deco design and natural textures! This ring is quite large and bulky as inspired by an old Art Deco cocktail ring, yet the bubble / sea urchin look was created for a 'natural' inspiration. The pearl used is actually a vintage Japanese glass pearl, and the ring is solid fine silver.  

(FYI: Fine siver is 99.9% pure, and Sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals.)

Punk Ring

This ring was an inspiration to my love of rough and intense textures. This is obviously very punk inspired as well. The ring is solid Sterling Silver and is quite heavy in weight... and it is quite the self defense mechanism! Ha ha. 

The ring was created in such away that the highest spike points are at the top of the ring so while you wear it, the spikes that touch the inside of your other fingers are not bothered by the lower/smaller spikes. (Please see 2nd image to verify what I am talking about.)

Cosmic Ring

This ring was inspired by all of the thousands of amazing Hubble photographs that I absolutely love and dream about all the time. The stone used is 'Chrysoprase', properties: 

Helps make conscious what is unconscious. It strengthens the workings of insight and the higher consciousness.

Amber Allena's BIO (in entirety)

Amber Allena was born in sunny Florida and grew up on the Indialantic beaches. As a child she was always very creative, but it was in high school that she discovered her true talent as an artist. The summer of her high school graduation she started her college training as a Graphic Artist. After briefly living in Boston she moved back to Florida to attend the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. Graduating in 2002 with a B.S. in Graphic Design she decided that she needed to move to 'the big city' so she could exceed in her career.

While working in NYC, Amber has solely worked as a Digital Imaging Specialist (Retoucher) for many well known magazines and companies. She is truly talented in the field as she describes retouching as 'painting on the computer all day', and it is also fantastic because you are required to have an extreme amount of patience.

In the summer of 2007, Amber was inspired to take a 'hobby' class and thought silversmithing would be fascinating, especially considering you are making an everlasting piece of artwork that can be worn on a daily basis, also she loved that people buy jewelry for themselves or others as a token of appreciation, love, and/or just to simply make them feel good about themselves... plus the thought of working with a torch sounded amazing!!!

Amber Allena has described Jewelry Design as having to use more of her Graphic Design skills in this industry than anywhere else. As a lover of many different types of fashion, music, and time periods... she likes to show off these different elements in her design. Also being a very positive and spiritual person she likes to show off her love of naturally formed crystals and spotlight them in her modern designs... and of course keeping their healing properties in mind while creating each piece.

Amber Allena's jewelry is not only unique in design, but also each stone/crystal used is of a very high quality, and is made with pure and loving intentions for the future wearer. Amber intends to use eco-friendly packaging and also will use sage leaves to pad each piece from not only from damage in transit, but also so when you get home you will be able to 'cleanse' each piece with the sage.

Allena is actually Amber's middle name that was given to her by her mother in honor of her grandfather (last name Allen) and his Cherokee heritage. At the age of 14 he left his reservation in order to find a better life for himself, which he succeeded in creating. Amber is very much in touch with this Native American side of herself and honors this through her spiritual quest.

Currently Amber Allena is slowly setting up her business and would like to be selling on etsy.com & at local art/craft fairs soon ( AmberAllena.etsy.com ), so please keep checking that link to see when she is selling, or you can email her at AmberAllena@gmail.com to get on the subscription list.