Primavera Primativa

The Spanish translation just captures the mood I want so much better than English can describe it! Literally it means Primitive Spring. It's finally springtime, and I wanted to offer some of my ethnic style jewelry pieces in bright spring colors that will energize and inspire my viewers (all 7 of you). Maybe an infusion of color and a bold tribal style will give you and your spring wardrobe a boost?

Hilltribe copper medallions against vivid blue turquoise stones in varied shapes and colors in this luscious statement necklace.

All of these rustic stone and glass pieces and more are available in my Etsy shop, Chrysalis Too. Tribal and primitive jewelry made with authentic African beads, recycled glass beads, handmade components from talented artisans, and many that I have made myself. My beginning as a jewelry artist was in creating southwestern style jewelry, and I have never lost my affection for it. But I have branched out into ethnic jewelry with more of an African flavor because of all the handmade beads now accessible from there. I also have a selection of minimalist pieces featuring gemstones and gold vermeil for the purist tastes.

Definitely a Mexican southwestern vibe in these colorful beaded earrings with ceramic Guadalupe charms. This design was inspired by the statue of Guadalupe in front of the Cathedral Basilica St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe. The photo below is from my 2010 trip to Santa Fe, NM.

Gloria Ewing
Chrysalis Too on Etsy

Grand Opening of Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry

Some of the jewelry artisans I most admire have opened sites on Indiemade, and I have decided to join them! My choice was based on impressive feedback regarding Indiemade ease of use and responsiveness as well as the ability to be linked with my existing Etsy shop. Indiemade was "built by artists for artists", with features that are suited to the individual artist marketing their own creativity, including a website, store and blog.

I invite you to visit Indiemade and check out my new website, Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry, for rustic, tribal and primitive creations that are all designed and handmade by me. To celebrate my grand opening, I am having a 15% OFF SALE just in time for holiday shopping! Just use coupon code OPENING15 on checkout.

These luscious pewter and copper wire wrapped earrings are new in my Indiemade shop, as is the boho tribal southwestern necklace pictured above. The selection of rustic Bohemian style jewelry is at its height this time of year, but don't wait too long. Every piece is one-of-a-kind so when it's gone, there will not be another one to replace it.

Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry

Rustic Roman Glass Jewelry

Much of the Roman glass available today in the form of beads, pendants and connectors, was excavated in the early 2000's in Afghanistan along the "silk road" trading route. The estimated age of this glass is 900 to 1200 years old. It has a characteristic scaling of white and has an etched appearance, perhaps from exposure to wind and sand over many years. I find the blue, green and yellow colors and the primitive look of Roman glass very appealing and I love to use it in designing jewelry.

In this pair of earrings, I have combined the aqua colored Roman glass tubes with nuggets of matte green fluorite stones and discs of Czech glass. Love the combination of these colors together!

I am finding Roman glass to be very versatile. There is really no limit to the creative combinations that will show off this beautifully rustic glass, and it blends extremely well with my primitive Bohemian style.

Atop a body of hammered copper, I have added two layers of leather, and then the pale aqua discs of Roman glass. Wrapping light weight oxidized copper wire with seed beads around the layers holds them in place and protects the fragile glass.

Roman glass jewelry has proven to be in high demand. These pieces do not stay long in my Etsy Shop! This particular necklace is already sold, but if you have an interest in Roman glass jewelry, I would love to design a piece especially for you. Just convo me on Etsy.

Chrysalis Too on Etsy

Almost Summer Sale

<<< ALMOST SUMMER SALE >>>

It's time to get things moving! My Artfire studio is full of my own handmade rustic, Bohemian, ethnic, primitive, southwestern and tribal jewelry that must be cleared out. So here's your chance to score some great jewelry finds at a reduced price. I am offering a special coupon for my blog readers so that you can get an additional 10% off my already reduced prices. Just enter coupon code CURIOUS10 at checkout! Now through Saturday, June 14th.

If you follow my work, you know that I rarely have sales so don't miss this one! Here's a link to my Artfire studio:
Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire

Over the Top Tribal

Green Jasper Carved Bone Necklace

In an ongoing quest to add new and interesting techniques and materials to my jewelry designs, I have been doing more designs substituting cord for beading wire. I like the look of jute, but I use mostly braided nylon cord because it comes in such beautiful saturated colors and because it doesn't fray easily. If I want the natural look of the jute in the piece, sometimes I will use both nylon and jute. Of course, jute is usually going to require larger holes in the beads as well, so if I use the nylon along with jute, I can use either to go through the bead and get the best of both in the finished piece. My plan is to include more and different types of fibers in future pieces.

This technique lends itself well to my tribal style.
Stone and Bone Tribal Pendant Necklace

The colors of the cord contribute to this fringe earring design.
Copper Metal Clay Flower Earrings with Fringe

Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire
Chrysalis Too on Etsy

Embracing the Primitive

I'm still fiddling around with primitive findings, this time with copper. The freedom to use any freeform shape I can dream up is intoxicating! The photo shows some asymmetrical toggles and links; I've also used a number of roughly shaped and hammered drops to add interest to earrings. Two of the toggles have a sort of "keyhole opening" that I found interesting. Some of the textures are achieved using the Big Shot and others have been done by using texturing hammers.

Patina adds another dimension to the copper (or whatever metal you might choose), and I like to use the unexpected results even more than I like to use the predictable ones. I do like the more uniform patina that results from tumbling the treated pieces, but there is a rustic quality when the patina is less even that I also find appealing.




Primitive Orange Ceramic Earrings



Hand Forged Copper Textured Earrings

Happy 2013!!!

Seems a good time to reflect on where I've been (as a jewelry designer) and where I hope to go.

In my "evolutionary process", there have been some distinct benchmarks. The first was a stage of stubborn independence. I was certain that I could teach myself to make jewelry without a class, a magazine or a tutorial. How hard could it be? This initial stage was marked with some successes, but also some failures that could easily have been avoided with a bit of outside instruction and a dose of humility.

The between stages leaned more toward my developing style. I still felt that taking too much instruction would limit my approach to design. If an experienced instructor were to show me a technique, I would be likely to accept it as the only way to do something instead of at least trying to create my own techniques. This is certainly not a recommendation! As I said earlier, there are definitely some pitfalls to this way of thinking. The many learning experiences have helped me to develop a recognizable style.

Now I concentrate on broadening my pool of resources. More ethnic beads are available than a few years ago when I started beading. Many talented artisans are selling their handmade components, which I like to use whenever posible because they add so much character and diversity to my pieces. I have begun to make a few of my own metal components that blend well with my more primitive tribal style designs. I hope to grow in that area during the coming year.

What the next stage may bring is anyone's guess. To see more of my tribal contemporary jewelry click here or here.