Jade briolette and peach quartz 

Red crystal and peach quartz earrings with my favorite--swarvowski crystal. 

Semi-precious stones

Lately I have been concentrating on using semi-precious stones for my jewelry and using sterling silver wire. I have about 30 pairs of earrings made and ready for the Medford Arts Fair on September 10th. The stones I use are carnelian, jade, amazonite, agate, quartz and turquoise, as well as a few others. Using sterling silver wire and ear loops makes the process a little more expensive, but the end result is really nice.

My first love is still Swarvowski crystals, and I am always eager to add one or two of those to the earrings. Unfortunately, not everyone is quite so in love with sparkle as I am, so I have to "throttle back" a little sometimes and leave them off. I'm taking a class next week in chandelier earrings to get more ideas. I can't think of anything I'd rather do right now that make beautiful jewelry.

Amazonite and white jade dangly earrings made with sterling silver wire. 

Pearlized chandeliers that are a real flight of fancy. 

Two kinds of Jasper, and Carnelian center bead. 

Jasper and carnelian

I have been making earrings this weekend using natural stones and sterling silver wire and loops. My favorite stone lately is the natural faceted carnelian, which has a lot of different hues from beige to orange, and is creamy an beautiful. These earrings I made this morning. The fall colors are really great, and I'm going to sell my "fall theme" earrings and necklaces at the Medform Arts Fair on September 10th.

Blue necklace.

This necklace was fun to make as well. I took pictures this morning, and they don't quite show how nice and interesting the necklace is. Seeing all the variations and colors of beads up close is much better than a photo. This one has little "bead charms", which I made and fastened into one of the strands with jump rings. It is chock full of fun things to look at. 

My new knitting bag that I'm crazy about 

Real butterscotch agates with two shades of carnelian ovals on sterling silver. 

This necklace has lovely dark green semi precious stones as well as the sparkly blue stones--just a nice combination. 

Have beading tools, will travel 

Crocheted necklaces

I finished this blue necklace today. It is shades of blue and "art" beads woven into silver wire by crocheting. There are four strands full of beads that sparkle and catch the light. THe finished product is light weight and fun to wear. The ends are wire-wrapped together around a toggle clasp. The length is 17" from the clasp. I had fun making it and love this technique.

Fun lucite drop earrings I made tonight. I'm on a roll! These are made with beads I bought at Bedazzled in Washington. What a great bead store that is! 

Chandeliers that I made today. I've been busy! 

My brown and pink necklace I made today. 

I made these to be versatile. They will match almost anything and I really like the way the rust carnelian blends with the silver. A great combination and one I will try again, selling on  

Carnelian and Crystal

Long and elegant, 3" earrings.

Green and silver crocheted necklace.

Green beaded necklace with unique center beads 

Crystal earrings. 

Fun fun 

Four strand gold tone crocheted necklace with turquoise and shades of blue seed beads with turquoise leaf drops. 

Sparkle and flash 

Toggle clasp 

Lavender flower earrings. 

The crocheted wire necklace I call the Czarina necklace. 

My favorite crocheted necklace on silver wire with antique white pearlized beads mixed with turquoise accent and seed beads. 

Silk knotted seed beads, a time consuming project that makes a delicate and very wearable necklace. 

Crystal and silver earrings

Crocheted silver wire with blue 

Welcome to my blog about my hand-crafted jewelry

I have been beading for years. I believe it all began when I found a bead store and was immediately in love with all the beauty and variety of beads. The combinations are endless and I couldn't wait to learn the craft. I took a class in wire-wrapping at Beadworks in Harvard Square about six years ago and I've been wire-wrapping ever since. It is a skill that gets better with time.

I use hand selected beads from a variety of stores and I visit bead stores in whatever city I visit. My beads vary in texture, color and style, but I find that in almost every piece of jewelry I design, there is a lot of flash and light. I love Swarvowski crystals and my designs may start with a certain color combination, but I often add a few of these crystals into each piece for shine.

Over the years I have learned to make my jewelry items durable and wearable. I wear my jewelry myself and can now vouch for the fact that each piece is sturdy and does not fall apart. Nothing I have made in the past four years has fallen apart--something I couldnt say in the beginning.

I am now making crocheted wire necklaces, which start with 24 gauge silver or gold wire and the beads are crocheted in as I go. I can make these necklaces with only one or two strands, but usually I like to make them magnificent and lush with at least four strands. Sometimes these necklaces have a center stone, and some do not. Some are made with the tiniest seed beads to add that extra touch of glitter. These crocheted wire necklaces are full of pretty beads scattered through each piece. They are delicate and need to be handled with care. I pack mine in the a jewelry box with tissue paper between each one so they don't get entangled. The clasps are made by wrapping all the wires together into a loop and attaching a matching hook clasp. They are easy to get on and easy to take off.

I am attaching pictures of the things I have made recently and will include more as we go along.

Thanks for looking at the jewelry that I make and love.

Yvonne Shea