Green Thumb

Last summer, my mom cut a shoot from the rose bush that my great grandmother planted decades ago in her garden - she gave it to me and I've been tending to it ever since. This is the same rose bush that inspired the Thorn Series in the Secret Garden Collection. With all this rain we've been having, my garden is greener than ever and the rose bush shoot is sprouting! It's still tiny but I'm excited to see if it will bloom later on in the year.

Below is a pair of silver rose thorn earrings, studded with black diamonds, cast from a thorn from the original rose bush. 

Wax Carving

One aspect of jewelry making that I particularly enjoy is wax carving. It's an activity that can be cathartic, frustrating and calming all at the same time. Typically when I start carving, I don't have a drawing that I follow. I simply have a vague idea of what I want to make in my mind's eye and let the tools guide me. This method has often translated into finished pieces completely different than my intended original designs. I begin the process by slicing off a chunk of wax that will eventually be filed, drilled & formed into something resembling a ring, an earring or a pendant. Both pieces below were two such projects entirely hand carved from slices off of a tube of wax.

The idea I have for both of these rings is to cast them into gold, transforming them into fine jewelry to be worn as wedding bands. One version of both rings will incorporate flush set diamonds to enhance the simpleness of the designs.