Silver Fox Gems now has an official site!

I'm very pleased to announce that we now have a standalone site where you can find all of our jewelry off of Etsy! Stop by and see how it looks!
Silver Fox Gems Official Site

Where does the time go?

It's already June! I haven't been around on the blog as much as I would like, but trust me, the time not spent blogging has been spent on working! There are some exciting things going on around here lately.
Firstly, I have several giveaways coming up, being hosted by some very kind bloggers, and you will be eligible to enter and win a pair of earrings from SFG!
Two are scheduled for the next week and another is scheduled for July! Keep an eye on the blog, Twitter, and the SFG facebook for the official announcement and where you can go to enter.
Second, Silver Fox Gems will soon have it's own pretty standalone site!It will take some work and some tweaking, so it may have been a little too early to be mentioning it. It will be hosted by supadupa shop, so if you've never seen any of their gorgeous sites, I highly recommend tracking one down (or seeing ours when it goes live!)

And one last thing, if you haven't see the new flower earrings in the shop, stop on over!

Flowers for Mom

It's a bit cloudy outside here on mother's day, but it seems like my mom's flowers are celebrating her special day with her. I have been working on a set of flower themed jewelry for a little while now, so I went out to take some pictures for inspiration. My mom's green thumb is pretty evident!



I love blue flowers. There's something about them that makes them jump out in every landscape!

This rose was fully open this morning and it was the greatest peach/coral/pink color. Absolutely stunning!

It's been a pretty great day so far, I hope all mothers out there are having a great day.

One last reminder: my 20% off sale ends this afternoon, so if you have your eye on anything (even the new pieces!) now would be the time to snag them!

Silver Fox Gems on Etsy

Happy Mother's Day!

Just aquick note to all moms out there: Happy Mother's Day! May the kids be sweet, the breakfast in bed be delicious, and the mimosas flow all day long!

I made my mom some one of a kind gemstone wrapped hoop earrings, with freshwater pearls and tiny gold fill beads. Hoops have been my favorite things to make lately, and they are so easy to pair with any outfit. Not to mention they can be made with any stone or material combination!

These are the ones I made her, she's always been a fan of big hoops and hoops in general. I may make a pair like this for the store at some point but there is a good selection in the store right now. My personal favorites are the sapphire encrusted ones! They are too prety to pass up. Check them out; it's too late for ordering anything in time for mother's day, but you can always snag a little gift for yourself!

Silver Fox Gems on Etsy

Beach Love!

It's been a great weekend! I hope it has been for everyone else.
My family and I ventured to the sunny beaches here in Florida for a little R&R, though that doesn't mean I didn't get some serious jewelry work done. On the contrary, it was actually pretty good for getting some pieces done that I had been thinking of for a while.
I wanted to share some of the great views though!

We stayed at some lovely beach houses near Port St. Joe, FL. It was the first time the dogs have ever been to a beach, so it was quite interesting for them, to say the least. They loved running on the beach, the wind running through their ears, but stayed away from the water. Something about beagles and water I guess.

They were pretty in love wit the concept of sand, and it was pretty entertaining to watch them get nowhere fast on their leashes when they tried to run faster than their walker.

And the beach! It was pretty empty most of the time we were there, which was great! It was pretty hot but the water was still too cold to get in. Still, a much needed vacation!

Handmade

I'm not sure who has heard about the (latest) controversy involving Etsy and resellers. I haven't weighed in on it really at all on the site, because there seems to be enough sellers doing that already. If you think about it, selling on Etsy, especially for a reseller, is pretty advantageous. Etsy has a dedicated group of buyers looking for things that are unique and, in a perfect world where everyone follows the rules, all of the sellers make their own wares.
I have mentioned in previous posts the benefits of buying handmade. You support an individual using their talents to make something out of love. A reseller, which is a loose and not always accurate term, is usually a larger company that has someone else making their product. To be fair, there may be small-time sellers who buy something wholesale and assemble it themselves, putting their own spin on it. This is, and always has been allowed on Etsy, and isn't a bad thing.
The problem isn't the existance of these entities, or having a company big enough to turn a profit large enough to grow that big. The problem is that Etsy isn't the place for them, and Etsy doesn't seem to be doing enough to keep them out. Granted, their investigations are private and that's also a good thing.
I guess what I'm really getting at is that there is something very authentic about something being handmade, from start to finish. Thought up, drawn up, items procured, and then assembled all by the same person.
So without further delay, the hands of Silver Fox Gems:

They aren't always pretty (espeically after a few painful hours of wrapping rondelles for chains) and they apparently don't pick up after themselves, but there you have it. Silver Fox Gems will always be one piece, thoughtfully made one at a time.
Food for though in a world so used to whatever you want whenever you want and however much of it you want.

For mom!

Mother's Day is coming up fast and time is running out to figure out what to get the one woman who really does mean everything. Nothing says you care like finding her something handmade, too! There are many benefits to buying handmade: you support an artisan who has spent much time perfecting their craft, and your item will probably be found nowhere else.
I scoured Etsy and found tons of items that would probably make any mom feel appreciated but I narrowed it down to 5 items. It wasn't easy but here are some ideas to make mom feel special on her day!

Berry Banilla Creme & White Chocolate Cookie-Wiches -1 Dozen, $27.00

From tookies

Etsy is a great place to find food! The only problem is giving them to mom before eating them! This is a great idea for the mom who has everything already and who has a healthy sweet tooth. Or, if sweets aren't her thing, Etsy also has many options for more savory treats and spices!

Oatmeal and Honey Soap Handmade Cold Process, Vegan Friendly, $5.75

From Blushie

Giving soap can be tricky. My advice is to never give anyone that you like a bar of regular soap from the grocery store. It sends the wrong message about the way they smell! So consider these! Over the top, fancy, vegan-friendly soap in an alluring scent is perfect for the mom who needs an hour to lock herself in the bathroom and get away from it all. The relaxing scent coupled with soothing oatmeal is perfect to get away from it all, even if just for long enough to get clean!

Family Tree Hand Written in Custom Calligraphy, $150

From njwcalligraphy 

There are few things more valuable than knowing where you come from. This is perfect for framing and putting in a place of prominence in your home. Not to mention the whole piece is created by a professional calligrapher who will hand write each of your family members, creating a tree with as many branches as you have people in your family!

 

Organic Infinity Scarf - Screen Printed Teal on Natural, $30

From ToddAh

There's nothing like a good summer weight scarf to compliment any outfit. Infinity scarves are incredibly versatile; their shape does away with dealing with the ends, making them tuck discretely into a jacket on a chilly night or just preventing an end from snagging on a closing door embarrassingly! This one in a neutral pallet with small mint leaves will go with most anything!

   Mother's Day Card, Mom, I Love You Calligraphy Card, Hand Lettered in Gold by KisforCalligraphy READY TO SHIP, $7

From KisforCalligraphy

Ever the trusty fallback, a card is probably the easiest way to say 'I love you' on Mother's Day. Often given with a gift, it's also great by itself. Etsy is full of great card makers who make one for any occasion. The best part is that they aren't mass-produced, so it's likely she won't see it anywhere else. Plus the multitude of card makers ensures that you can find a card in any sentiment you want to convey!

I hope this was helpful. As I mentioned, Etsy is full of gift ideas. With so many different directions to go in, the hardest part is picking just one! (Or five!)

Summer Sun and a Sale!

From now until Mother's Day enjoy 20% off anything in the store! Use the code TWENTYOFF and get the most important woman in your life something to remember! (And if you have siblings, gain some favorite child points!)
Plus, some new hoops are in the shop with plenty more to follow:

Raindrops and flowers

New things up in the shop today. With all the flowers blooming it's been kinda hard to pick just a few colors to put into the new pieces, so some of my newest creations have plenty of color!

This is the Matar necklace. Matar is Arabic for rain, and the big green blue aquamarine resembles a large raindrop. It hangs from a hand-linked 18" chain with cloudy green amethyst rondelles and small faceted silver pyrite rondelles.

Next is the Zahra necklace, which is Arabic for flower! A pretty pink kunzite faceted oval hangs from a long hand linked chain made from tanzanite, gold pyrite, and black spinel. It looks like the pink roses and small purple flowers growing right outside!

There's more new in the shop, stop by to check them out!

Last Minute

Just a quick update on this fantastic Sunday afternoon:
We are currently having a Spring sale in the shop! Everything is 20% (even the sale section!) with the code TWENTYOFF. Hurry and snag your favorite piece before it's gone! The sale ends tomorrow afternoon.
Also, I will be getting new pieces up by the end of this week. Silver Fox Gems is getting a new look to its pieces!

Happy Easter!

3/31/2012

Phew! Time sure is flying around here. Even though spring technically only began a few weeks ago, it feels like summer is already making her presence known!
I'm working on a little nice little projects, and expect the shop to get a little more tidy over the next few days.
I will be having a sale soon to make room for some new inventory coming soon, so look forward to that!

Hearts in March

It's been pretty quiet around here lately. I've been mostly working on things around the house and a few other non-jewelry projects, but it was time to settle down and get down to work!
I've been experimenting with a few new ideas lately, trying to mix up what's in the shop. I've decided that I should make more of my own chains. It's time consuming but totally worth it!

 The Hearts necklace is already up in the shop! I found this gorgeous faceted green amethyst heart and went nuts! I wasn't even really sure what I was going to use it for and almost used it in the solitaires collection but now I'm glad I paired it up with some lavender quartz, pink topaz, and rose quartz. I hung it from a hand-linked chain with more of that hot pink topaz. I think it came out pretty great and will make the perfect gift for any woman who needs a little love!

Also up in the Etsy shop is this glamorous baby! I came across this oval pearl while visiting one of my favorite supply stores and couldn't resist. It's the palest shade of gold and was the last one! I decided to keep it simple to show off the wonderful color. All I added was a gold fill bead wedged between the pearl and the vermeil headpin to match the tiny vermeil beads on the satellite chain. Great for a wedding detail or for any outfit! I'm excited to add it to the collection of uniquely shaped and colored pearls at Silver Fox Gems!

Solitary Creatures

New in the shop today is a small collection of solitaire earrings. I found these gems to be irresistible, but also found that they were too gorgeous on their own to add anything to.

 The fist are the Sunflower earrings! Perfect now that the weather is heating up, these flower cut citrine briolettes are wrapped in gold fill wire on gold fill earwires. They make me wish it was summer already.

And gorgeous ametrine emerald cut briolettes hang from gold fill earrwires for a stunning set. THey look like the point where light turns to dark in a sunset.
Look for these in my shop, and look for more in the future if I find more gem sets that need no other gems to look so elegant!
Silver Fox Gems on Etsy

Exciting Things!

As promised (a few days late), my mother's bracelet that I made for her and some new additions to the shop.
I wanted to make my mother something nice because she really is one of my biggest supporters, and she is a very glamorous woman with exquisite taste. That being said, it was challenging to make her something because she is a woman who knows exactly what she wants and exactly what she likes and I'm not always spot on in picking what she likes. I decided to go with a color scheme I have seen her use a million times. It's a safe bet, but it is nonetheless a beautiful pallete.

I would also like to add I designed this with the help of my stepfather (who also paid for it) so this is completely a family made gift. I'm pretty pleased with the results. The large stones are mystic champagne quartz and in between the large nuggets are clusters of tundra sapphire, black spinel, and garnet. I love the way the larger spinel and garnet onion briolettes almost look like berries, which is further accentuated by the wine, orange, grey, and pink of the tundra sapphires. A gold fill toggle finishes it off.
Mom loved it, and I'm glad she now has a nice piece to wear out for brunch with girlfriends or for when she goes out to dinner. I also made her small earrings with similar stones for a matching set, but wasn't able to snag a picture of those.
Unfortunately, the strand was only big enough for one bracelet but I plan on getting more of these mystic champagne nuggets in the future, so similar designs are possible.

In other Silver Fox news, there are new pieces up for sale in the Etsy shop.

First up is my rose quartz and pearl cluster earrings, designed for spring weddings. The pearls dangle off of vermeil headpins and hang from gold fill ear wires.

This one is becoming one of my all-time favorites. A huge faceted London Blue topaz is topped off by a cluster of apatite, emerald, tundra sapphire, black and mutlicolor spinel, rose quartz, lavender quartz, and grey moonstone. It sits under a champagne citrine coin bauble andhangs from a gorgeous gold fill chain.

You may recognize these nuggets from my mother's bracelet above. I couldn't stand letting the few pieces I had left to unused, so I set these on vermeil headpins with a gold fill bead on the end for a finished look and topped them off with clusters of multicolor rose and pink spinel, rose quartz buttom rondelles, and shiney black spinel. They sit on gold fill French ear wires. I'm pretty happy with how they look, so nugget earrings may be making a few more appearances in the shop!

All of these pieces are available now in the shop and are ready to ship out.

Rain, rain, go away

The weather down here turned pretty nasty today. I still got some pretty important work done though, seeing as tomorrow is my mother's birthday! Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture of her gift, but I will snag one tomorrow when the weather is better.
Until then, dreaming of nicer weather and bigger flowers!

Arm Adornments

We now have a ring and a bracelet up in the shop, with more coming! Stop by and see the new Hydrangea Ring in spring confetti:

It's in a size 7, though future rings will be in varying sizes. Also in the store: my quartz cluster bracelet! It features large pale green mystic quartz nuggets with citrine and gold fill bead clusters overflowing between them. It measure about 8 inches from toggle to toggle.

Stop by and see them both!
Silver Fox Gems on Etsy

New x2!

All of the new pieces are now in the shop and ready to ship! As always, if there are any questions about any of the pieces, send me a convo through the shop and I will respond to it as soon as I can.
Stop by the shop to see all of them!
Silver Fox Gems on Etsy!

Cheers!

New!

Here's some of the pieces that will be on my shop momentarily, you get to see them here first! A few hyper-colorful pieces and the first of the bridal line!

The sunset necklace matches the large pink topaz earrings posted last week. Carnelian, garnet, citrine, amethyst, multicolor spinel and tiny gold fill beads top a gorgeous hot pink topaz faceted teardrop briolette. It sits on a 20" gold fill chain.

The huge white quartz in this necklace is topped with gold fill beads and black spinel. The gold fill bead on the bottom of the snow quartz  tops off an elegant design that compliments any outfit!

The amethyst on this necklace is huge! It's topped by clusters of teal apatite, lime green peridot, green emerald, and deep blue iolite. This piece reminds me of the irises that bloom this time of the year, with their dark purple petals and new green shoots. It comes on a gorgeous gold fill necklace.

These earrings are a new set of mini earrings I have been working on. All the elegance and fun of the larger earrings in a smaller and more affordable package. Golden rutilated quartz faceted onion briolettes PACKED with pyrite veins are topped with black spinel clusters. They hang from gold fill ear wires.

These earrings feature large, elegant green amethyst (prasiolite) faceted drops topped with rose quartz, blue sapphire, pink sapphire, lavender quartz, pink topaz, and deep purple amethyst. They hang from elegant gold fill ear wires.

And now we have a (growing) wedding line! Featuring hand selected focal pearls, gorgeous clear quartz, and multitudes of freshwater pearls and other gemstones. Pieces in both gold fill/vermeil and sterling silver allow for perfect coordination with gowns and other accessories. Let Silver Fox Gems complete the outfit you'll remember for the rest of your life!

The First Dance Necklace features a large hand-selected flameball baroque pearl topped with my signature cluster of freshwater keishi and potato pearls on vermeil headpins. A gold fill bead at the bottom of the pearl adds the finishing touch to this pendant. It hangs on a gorgeous rope chain that measures 20".

 The White Swan necklace's large rock crystal is checkerboard faceted and topped by freshwater pearls of varying sizes on sterling silver headpins. It hangs under a rock crystal nugget bauble and includes a gorgeous 18" sterling silver rope chain. Let this be your "something new!"

I'm currently working on some rings and bracelets, too. Check back soon to see how those are coming along!

My Apprentice

Okay, so I don't actually have an apprentice, or even a helper. What I have is a certain friend who thinks he's a big help by (not so) subtly coercing some scratches behind the ears.

Charlie likes to assume that you don't have any priorities other than scratching his tummy and letting him sit in your lap, but today a load of new stuff came in so I had to work. He did get a bone to keep himself occupied though.
Still, it was a pretty productive day and I got a project done that I dearly wanted to turn out well. A while back, my mom purchased a set of custom earrings from me when I started getting good at making the clusters. She's been my biggest supporter and has so far coveted all of the earrings I've made, so I wanted her pair to be good.

I think they came out pretty well. It's hard to see but they're on posts instead of hooks. The drops are black onyx with a crown of yellow and orange songea sapphire (only the best for mom, lol), red quartz, garnet, carnelian, and citrine. I'm pretty happy with them myself. I have an extra pair of onyx drops, so there is the possibility that this design or a similar one will end up in the shop.
I did get quite a few other pieces done through the course of the afternoon, so tomorrow they will get photographed and should be up in the shop sometime soon. For now though, it's time to let my hands rest. Wrapping rondelles on headpins can be tiring!

Champagne and Pearls

Working on a few things lately. I received a huge flameball pearl in the mail today, along with some champagne citrine coins. I'm excited to be using both of them.
The pearl is for a new wedding line I'm working on, so expect that soon.

The champagne citrine coins are cute, but I'm still not sure what I'm doing with them just yet.

They'll be gorgeous once they're finished though! More on the way soon.

Rain

It's been pretty muddy and rainy here in town. I'm hoping that the sun pokes out at some point this week. Some big things coming to the shop in the next few days. As always, more clustered earrings and necklaces are on their way. I should also have a ring or two coming, which is pretty exciting.
Look for gems to get more colorful and for clusters to get bigger! All of these will be available on the Etsy shop as soon as they're done (weather permitting for pictures of course!)
I'll have pictures of the new gems up when they arrive.

For now, we'll just have to be content with pictures of flowers (they're not that bad!) as I seem to be posting all of my inspiration photos. Spring is coming along pretty here, even with all the rain!

Springing up.

Just a quick note: a whole lot of new stones are headed this way plus a whole mess of new chains and headpins (I seem to go through both of those at pretty alarming rates). Also, weather permitting, new pictures coming this weekend!

Here's a sunny flower picture to hold everyone over until then.

Until next time!

Rainy days

It's been pretty gloomy around here lately. Weather-wise, at least. The lack of sun has me craving the color yellow. Or maybe orange. Or maybe both.

These have been blooming pretty furiously lately, and their bright colors seem to light up even the grayest days. I won't say that gray days aren't also good inspiration days, I just really want to see something bright.
It appears that it's not going to get much better for at least the next few days, but here's to hoping for more sun soon!

Open!

My Etsy store is now OPEN!
Go there and check it out. There is a link widget on the side of this blog for your clicking pleasure.

New Additions

New and exciting things happening today. My current supply of jewelry will be going up on Etsy this evening. Below is a preview of what you will find!

The sunset earrings are made up of amethyst, carnelian, garnet, and citrine crowning a pair of large hot pink topaz. The are suspended from gold fill ear wires.

The champagne and berries earrings feature superb smooth cut teardrop champagne citrine briolettes with bunches of garnet, pink spinel, and rose quartz rondelles.

The dusk necklace features a gorgeous, large labradorite pendant with flashes of green and gold. It hangs from a chain with a single piece of shiny black spinel.

 As featured earlier, the conch shell necklace will also be available.

This necklace is one of my favorites. A VERY mossy 13mm moss aquamarine sits under a crown of tundra sapphire, carnelian, and citrine. It is suspended from a faceted coin smokey quartz. The necklace is a satellite chain with 2mm vermeil beads, adding interest to no just the pendant but the piece as a whole.

 This necklace goes with soooo many things. A faceted gold pyrite teardrop with a mess of black spinel as a crown brightens up any outfit. The vermeil beads on the chain match the tiny vermeil head pins!

 This particular necklace catches light playfully and is a substantial pendant. A large rock crystal briolette is topped with garnet, apatite, multicolor spinel, amethyst, carnelian, and milky opal.  It hangs from an 18" chain.

 This necklace hides a beautiful secret. What looks like a drab grey labradorite lights up with gorgeous blue flash in just the right light. It is crowned with garnet and tundra sapphire.

 This is the big sister to my other moss aquamarine necklace. This one is a bit bigger and is crowned with green emerald, ruby, and blue sapphire. It is the perfect transition piece from spring into summer!

My pink amethyst necklace features a wreath of pink sapphire, garnet, opal, black tourmaline, rose quartz, rock quartz, and sterling silver beads. It's set on a gorgeous delicate sterling silver chain.

And last but not least, the champagne and caviar earrings feature smooth heart champagne citrine toped with black spinel rondelles on gold fill ear wires.
And more to come. The mail lady has been very generous with her deliveries lately!
Stop by and take a look!