As of late..

I think this last month has been so productive, what means productive? means I fill the orders from the shop, custom orders and make new work, which to me it’s the perfect balance, covering everything so there is a good flow of orders and new listings and I realized there is no updates of the work I’ve been doing over here

Let me see..

First I played a little bit with the idea of the yogis, I’ve been meaning to find the time to maybe make one of these but with several different poses instead of other charms.

Then came what it feel like a lifetime of sawing, for a bracelet needed for a wedding..

 

This was made with a jeweler’s saw, and a lot of patience, usually you can’t rush it because if you do just a slip of the blade can ruin the pattern you are trying to cut.and well you have to start again. and noooo, we don’t want that.

 

This is the final result,  I had to make 2 of them in a row (someone on FB saw it and ordered one just like it), so It was time to make some more coffee and put the same playlist back on..and saw away

 

 

 

I think it would look pretty nice in silver as well..

Then as I was on a bracelet roll I made these two..using lapiz lazuli and larimar.

One night in April just before falling asleep (because between all the things I think before falling asleep jewelry is included) I thought of a ring that had a stone that kind of sat partially on top of your hand.. ermm I know it doesn’t make much sense, and when I jumped out of bed at like 1am like a zombie to find the stone and put it on my hand it didn’t either, but the next day, the wave rings were born:

 

 

Then the latest work I’ve done are pretty big rings, letting the stone do most the work and the detail focused in the band.

 

 

Then came the ammonite addiction , ammonites are the mineral form of a fossil shell of the Cretaceous period
that existed 70 to 135 million years ago

 

 

Still using the details in the bands, this one with little 14k gold pebbles..

That look like this when worn..

 

This morning I made the sketch for the matching pendant, I now want ammonite everything, to me to be able to handle something so old is wonderful.. sometimes we get used to the pretty materials included in jewelry making but if you think twice, it is really unique.

And so this is what I made in the last month, this plus several other smaller pieces..

I have also been struggling with photography a little bit,I think is important to have a constant image but I just can’t decide..been using black backgrounds, I ended up thinking I should go back to grey. What do you think?

And now I am off to get something sweet, summer is here and I keep finding excuses to go for some frozen yogurt!

I leave you with this beautiful,beautiful song.

Lazy,lazy weekend.

I had a big schedule planned for this weekend, taking photos,thinking and sketching what to make for 2 upcoming fairs, answering several emails I had.. but then, a friend asked me to STOP for a while and it was exactly what I needed, a little time to relax…had to go to the city to do a little shopping for some very specific things I needed, talked,talked and then talked some more while having a  little decaf *arghh I know but they don’t let me have the real thing any more* over at the national theater..

 

 

  I was supposed to list several pieces today at the shop but it is a bit late already so I will just list this one..

I seriously have to use other stones, I am on an ocean jasper frenzy..

 

This one at least has a little quartz too..

 

  

Isn’t it pretty?  want to make more on this same line, this one follows the one I made for myself, but then like I said I have to build a stock for the coming fairs that start in a week and a half and a really big piece for a wedding I am quite excited about making..I will show some of the process of it, in the next few days..

Construction work.

 

This pendant is the matching one for the ring I posted a few days ago, this is a rather big geode, with an extremely rough and irregular back..

So it needed a box to protect the wearer from the back, to hold it high but firmly.

Looks a little bit like an eye, the stone had an outline with little gaps in the borders, I had to accommodate the prongs to that to facilitate the setting of the stone.

I added a couple of circles in the bottom and top, side to side, to help support the stone and to follow the design of the ring..in this last photo you can see what I mean by the box holding the stone up high…

I finished the pendant a little late so I decided to take a close up shot of the inside, it’s so hard to capture..

Here is the front …

And since today I got into one of my hyperactivejewelrymakingfrenzy mood.. I forgot to take photos of it worn, there is one thing I can tell you, it is BIG!

If I run into the necklace again but worn, I will make sure to post it here..

That’s all for today, I am officially out!

Good night!

I wake up at 6:30 in the morning..

 

Every single day, and have a pretty simple morning routine, yesterday, I found a package on my doorstep as I was walking out to work, a birthday present, with a beautiful note, a copy of  “The little Prince” and a wooden box filled with ocean Jasper, Amethyst and Lapis lazuli…

 

Two of them where chosen  by H to be mine and I just wanted to take the day, sit down and make something for myself.. the day went by , imagine walking down the street and running into a girl with extremely long hair, listening to music, with a little smile,more like hopping like a rabbit than walking, that would be me yesterday and well I finally made it to the workshop ((on my bday I know! but I had been celebrating my bday since Friday, it was time to work))))

I found this right next to the door..

 

 

I smelled the flowers, made a phone call, smiled all day and made me this necklace using one of the stones..

 

 

  Feeling loved and blessed..

So hard to convince…

This is Jorgito he is a gnome that was born March 18th,2010   between a good friend of mine who loves gnomes and I .

He went with me to Guatemala and came back.. he’s always been around..

This week I thought it was about time for the world to see him, but then he just completely turned around and didn’t want anything to do with me..

He is not being mean, he is just very very shy, and I guess it could be scary for a little gnome used to hiding to call the attention so much..

I tried to bribe him with chocolate..

And he gave me such a hard cold stare.. how embarrassing! how could I think he would give in so easily to a giant chocolate bar???

The disappointed Jorgito kept hiding all week long..

I tried to convince him once again, and basically told him, that by letting me make a piece of jewelry with him, he could travel! he could meet new people and see new places..

After hours and hours, of sitting down and chatting..

He wondered where he would go?? We don’t know yet but it triggered his interest and asked to see what I had planned..

He finally agreed!!!  but under his own  terms of course.. and here you have it..

Still hiding a little bit, but I assure after this he is fully into it. so there will be more of him around here..

I can brag.. I have the most beautiful costumers. :D

 

This is  Maddison ..

The other day  a friend of mine asked me to make him a piece for a baptism, the piece consisted of 5 pendants that all fit together as one.. the main one for the baby and the others for parents and godfather and godmother.

The central piece has to feature a pearl because it is the birthstone of the baby. and the other 4 needed to have a 14k Gold symbol of mother and baby..

It was a bit of a challenge but i like pieces like this.. that you pretty much have to think over and over to find a way to make them.

the baptism was in New York.. I pretty much finished the piece, packed and run! so guess what I spent hours and hours on this and just got 1 picture my friend took before giving it to them.

I was truly in love with the piece of the baby .. it just looks like a little star.. but the next picture is the best from the bunch!

Both mother and Father sent me emails thanking me for making them a piece and people I almost cried! This is why I like doing what I do.. a piece of jewelry can mean so much than just something to wear.

IT can have messages, it can start memories and stories.

I’ve got more flowers in my workshop than in my garden..

Today I want to show you the things I’ve been working on.. flowers and flowers I wanted a delicate feminine line of things

First the Rosette:

Made a ring following the rosette idea

Then I made this other one that looks more like a lotus.

Bit of a long post hope you are not bored!

This one is one of my favorites

This is how it looks on

and last but not least the  itsy bitsy flower..this one was made specially for etsy so i could sell it at an affordable price

and how it looks on!

I will be the gladdest thing Under the sun, I will touch a hundred flowers And not pick one.

This a serie of pieces based on this quote.

This necklace is the first piece I made for it and just brings a smile to my face. It’s a very versatile piece.

I do find flowers very femenine, if you think about all they represent,Why do people give each other flowers? they bring color to the world, also the romantic side of them, to celebrate various important occasions.. who doesn’t likes to receive a flower from a loved one?

The idea of this serie is to send out this message and have endless silver flowers and again why kill a flower picking it up?

This item is for sale here http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13192594

The most beautiful hands (Silver piece)

 

Hands always willing to help, to serve , hands that are never closed or hurt ,working hands that assume work  as way to get to their dreams.

 Tender hands, that say hello, that clap with joy , that are thankful . Hands that give and receive.

Hands that heal, that are warm, that make distances shorter.. Hands that are dark from working, that smell like mud , hands that do good deeds and don’t mind getting dirty or stand pain to make a change. These are the most beautiful hands…

 

(Oxidized silver and leather cord, this piece is unisex.. )

Soon for sale at
http://www.nataliaraya.etsy.com

On making drops, rings out of leftovers and people giving some feedback..

Good Morning,

 

6:17am here and having a big cup of coffee to avoid passing out and to be found sleeping under my desk… and I wanted to show my latest piece.

I  was asked for a drop, or my idea of a drop and this is the result…

 

 I Love packing so much it gives such a difference, the pretty thing about this one is that as soon as you open it , a light smell comes to you and well it was a present for someone’s best friend had to be special.

 

This is the close up of the butterfly I made:

 The back of it has a bit of  a texture, I honetsly like matte textures and oxidized pieces more than super shiny ones..

There’s a small plaque with her initials that hangs on the side of the neck …

 

 And this is for me! … because I love thumb rings and well I didnt have any and people I hardly ever make things for myself but this is beginning to change.

 3 stackable rings.. the idea is that with every piece of wire i got left I will make me a ring to keep stacking it sort of like a memory of the materials used..  i hammered a bit and was more open to do things with them since i wasnt hoping they’d be perfect and did them so quick but I do like them a lot..

 

And yes well this is what I’ve done this past weekend.. have some halfmade pieces which hopefully will be finished soon.. I get so happy by people liking things…

Actually I received this email from a person that bought this piece  online., here’s an extract of the mail…

“Thank you so much.  The necklace arrived today.  It’s beautiful!  I love it!  It’s the perfect gift for my sister, who is graduating from university.  She will graduate about a week before her 43rd birthday.  She is married, a mother of 3, works full time, and still managed to complete her degree!  I am very proud of her and the necklace you made embodies the sentiment I’d like to express to her on this occasion.  “How high could birds fly….  I’m sure they can’t fly up to the moon, but what if one tried”

 

Am a happy Nat.