Holiday Visit from my Daughter Natanya Elka

My daughter came to visit over the holidays. We had a great visit.Anyway on one of my previous blogs I talked about a cloisonne necklace she had made called "The Spice Trader" . I saw the necklace on her Etsy site and fell in love with it . I was going to buy it for myself but 2 hours later it was gone. My sneaky G-d bless his heart husband bought it for me and she brought it with her when she came to visit.She also made me a beautiful pair of matching earrings. Talk about surprised and thrilled. The set is stunning.Take a look at her site you'll be amazed. She is moving her workshop to a larger space, so soon she will be super busy. I'm very excited for her.Please visit my shop The Nest Designs.com. Valentine's Day will be here before you know it. One of a Kind Jeweler

Auntie's Beads

I am always looking for new sites to get materials and a couple of days ago I found a new one Auntie's Beads. They carry one of my favorites beads Lapis for reasonable prices. The have a nice coin 30mm very nice for wrapping reasonable @3.49.  Also a strand of 6mm is 14.99 not a bad price either. Check out their sterling silver and Bali beads too.  Good selection and fair prices.  I have been laid up with a bad cold so I have not be very productive lately.  Want to wish all of you who do read my blog a happy and Joyous Holiday Season.  Also a reminder go to NATANYA ELKA site on etsy.com  she has more amazing things posted.

Buying Handcrafted Closinne

I saw a necklace closinne on Etsy it was called the Spice Trader By NATANYA ELKA. It was so beautiful and I showed it to my husband and he agreed that it was beautiful and then he walked away. I left the computer on and then went back to check on my email and to have one last look at the piece. Guess what somebody beat me to the punch and it is gone. Go to her Etsy website she has some gorgeous work  $150.00 for something that is become a lost art form. I just might find something there to buy myself for the holidays. Her sale is 25% off. I don't know about you guys but I'm going back to find myself something.One of a Kind Jeweler

Now you can see the multicolored pearls

My thoughts on One of a kind handcrafted jewelry

It goes back to the premise that no two women are alike. We all like different things,be it clothing, shoes or jewelry. The first 2 things you may not be able to have as much control as you like because unless you buy from somebody who does handmade you'er stuck buying retail. But your jewelry can help you be unique. Each piece of jewelry I make is one of a kind, you will nver see somebody else wearing your piece. I've been designing and making jewelry for close to 30yrs and I can say in all honesty I've never made the same thing twice. It all goes back to that feeling that all women are special and deserve to have a piece of jewelry even if it's a $15.00 pair of earring that nobody else will be wearing. Each piece I make gets though and time put into it. Making jewelry is my passion.
One of a Kind Jeweler

Working hard at The Nest Design Studio

I couldn't sleep last night so at 4am I decided to get out of bed and go into my studio and work. My cats were not even up yet,so nobody could get into mischief. I did a MULTICOLOR, MULTISHAPED, double strand hand knotted twisted pearl necklace. There is a pair of multicolored earring that one could  buy or not buy to go with it. This necklace will go with anything in your wardrobe. Don't have a clue as to what to wear when you are in a in a hurry grab this necklace it does jeans and it does evenings and everything inbetween. What fun, it took 3 hours to do. When my husband woke up he wondered into my studio and his response was"This is really wild, but really pretty". It will be on my site in time festivities. One of a kind jeweler

First Show of the Season

Yesterday was my 1st show of the holiday season. Traffic was very sparce. It was supposed to be a
craft show,however there were people there who brought in cheap costume jewelry from India and
China. Nothing burns me more than that, I work very hard to make to make one of a kind pieces using
only good stones and beads, fine silver,sterling silver and 14ktgf wire and chain, I make most of my own clasps, But, considering the competition I made the cost of my table+$215.00 dollars. It was also
a rainy damp day which did not help the situation. The other real jeweler's and crafter's felt the same
way. This is not a yard sale,but a craft show,the organizers need to weed these people out!
One of a kind Jeweler

Please look at my new thingson Etsy.com

My ring intitled Wild and Crazy garnets was posted yesterday on Etsy treasury.That was really exiting to have someone recognize my work as a true piece of unusal art.Signed One of a Kind Jeweler
As of tommorrow my Daughter Natanya Elka will open her Etsy store.She is a closinne artist of the highest caliber. Her works are truly one of a kind.Please go to her shop and buy.A Proud Mom

My Daughter's Etsy store

My daughter Natanya Elka is a true artist. Her shop will open on Halloween. Her pieces are chokers or hairpieces. The closinne work is exquisite. Go to her blog to get a preview of her work NATANYA ELKA @ blogspot.com. I got a new camera and still working with it got a couple good images and hope to get more. One of a Kind Jeweler

Working on new things

I have been very busy making and selling jewelry these past 2 weeks. The work is very delicate, the pendants are done with pearls and semiprecious stones and wire wrapped with fine silver and hung on sterling silver chains,clasps are all handmade. Made 4 this past 2 weeks as custom orders.Buyers very pleased. Went to the gem show this past Friday in Chantilly, Va with my friend Emily. She bought some things and was totally overwhelmed by the size and the assortment of things that were available for sale I remember the 1st time I went to a show with my daughter Natanya Elka we felt the same way and it was only half the size of this show. On Sat. I went to the pool party at the apartment complex where I live and I donated 5 pairs of The Nest Designs earrings to be given away during the raffle. Attatched a business card to the bag. hopefully that will drum up some business. Summer is slow and the economy certainly doesn't help. One of a kind Jeweler

My Jewelry

I've been in love with rocks,gems,pearls,shells anything that comes out of the earth or sea for most of my life. When I was a little girl 7-9yr I used to take apart my mother's jewelry and put it back together, my father always told me it looked better then when he bought it. He was a geologist and sometimes he would take me with him on his trips and we would find fools gold(pyrite) and any other pretty or shiney stone that happened to be lying about. He took me to the beach in the summer and the winter and we would walk along the shoreline and look for small delicate shells. On Sunday's he would often take me to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum to "look at the rocks". I started making jewelry for other people in 1990. I work with 14kt on request, 14ktgold filled because it's what most people can afford ,sterling silver and fine silver for delicately wrapped things. I work with cut stones, natural stone beads, glass beads, and pearls..I get my inspiration from nature. My pieces are all one of a kind. I just got a new camera so the quality of my pictures on my Etsy site will be better The Nest Designs. One of a kind jeweler