freshly picked :: Lin Designs

I'm loving the colorful, vintage-inspired gemstone jewelry in Lin Designs' shop. The bright pretty colors and easy-to-wear styles are perfect for summer.



Lilac Lucite, Silver Flower and Crystals Necklace | Red and White Flower Snowflake Earrings | Pink Owl Necklace | Ocean Blue Earrings

My jewelry shop :: the shape of things to come

Since I mentioned earlier that I'm closing up shop in my current store, I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of what's coming sometime in the future.

I may have discussed my obsession with artisan lampwork beads once or twice around here. And I've been busy hatching a new line where these little works of art are the star of the show. The only problem is I've ended up keeping everything I've made so far for myself (or I've given it away as a gift). So for now, I can only offer you the pictures below, but hopefully soon, I'll actually be selling these babies (or something similar).


PS- Did any Lost fans catch my episode title reference in the blog post title? I'm a geek, and I'm okay with that.

What I've been up to

Hi, everyone! During my mini-hiatus, I've been extremely busy with final projects for grad school. I thought I'd share with you a small piece of what's been keeping me busy.


I designed this necklace as a prototype for my Trend Analysis & Product Development class and it's representative of the plan for a full line of jewelry I developed (for this class). Fortunately, I did not have to produce a full collection, although that would have been great fun!

But, this necklace is just a small piece of the work. I conducted trend forecasting and market research before determining my product line and now I need to create a business and marketing proposal that I could present to industry professionals who might be interested in buying or promoting the line. This is a fully branded product line (I created tags, a logo, etc.) and follows the real world process as closely as possible. It's been a fun journey!

Your feedback would be appreciated, as I still have time to include it in my presentation!

Oh, and have I mentioned I'm also working on an e-commerce business plan for another class and a fashion history project for another class?

I'll be back to blogging regularly in a few weeks when this is all over and I can breathe again. Happy May!

---

In unrelated news - We picked out a stone for the engagement ring! After meeting with our jeweler and deciding that aquamarine would be too fragile for someone like me to have as an every day ring, we looked at blue diamonds and purple sapphires. I went with a round, 1 carat, sparkling blue diamond that's the color of the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla. Check the picture below from our recent vacation- that deep blue-green color? Yeah, it's like that. And it's perfect! But now I'm not allowed to see or hear of it until D gets the ring back from the jeweler.

A sense of place

Whether it's your hometown or favorite vacation destination, celebrate a place that's close to your heart with custom vintage map jewelry, cufflinks and home decor items by dlk designs. I'm pining for an NYC or San Francisco one myself.

Necklace and bracelet for her, cufflinks for him and coasters for your home,
all by dlk designs.

If there was ever a piece of jewelry that describes me...

...this is it:



I heart California fine silver, handmade necklace by Truche on Etsy - This necklace can even be custom-made with the heart over your favorite California city. It is officially on my "Gifts from me to me" shopping list.

It's mine! All mine!

I couldn't resist this speckled raku lampwork flower ring by Angelfire Art Glass on Etsy. It took me exactly 2 seconds to snap up this beauty. I can't wait for it to arrive in the mail next week!

PS- You can still get your own. There are plenty of gorgeous rings in the shop and they're custom made in your size when you place your order.

A little obsessed with... { rosettes }

I think I may have taken my obsession with rosettes a little too far. I have three nearly identical shirts in three different colors (see Silence & Noise top below). But I can't help it. This feminine trend is all over the place- on runways and celebrities (pictured above left and middle, Koi Suwannagate Spring 2009 RTW and Sarah Michelle Gellar, far right), in stores and best of all, in the hands of some very talented emerging designers and indie artisans.

A few of my favorite rosette picks:



Top (left to right):
Clustered Petals Dress, $188 by Shine at Anthropologie
Tattered Cosmos Sandals, $118 by Miss Albright at Anthropologie
Rosette bubble top, by Silence & Noise, in stores at Urban Outfitters

Bottom (left to right):
Your Dream Wedding necklace, $79, by Flora Bond on Etsy
The Gypsy Clutch-Hip and Funky Day or Night Floral Delight-Flower Rosette, $34,50 by Bohemian Gyspy on Etsy
Romantic Gathered Shirt, $79 by Mimi's Designs on Etsy

A little bit obsessed with artisan lampwork glass

I really love artisan lampwork beads. Really, really, really. I stumbled upon them a little less than a year ago while perusing for jewelry supplies in the pages of Etsy. I was immediately captivated by the intricate, swirling colors and designs created by such talented artisans. So, of course, since I was on a supply hunt, I snapped up a bunch of these delicious beads (see a small selection from my collection in the picture to the left).

Most of my collection consists of borosilicate beads. Borosilicate, more commonly called boro beads, are made of Boron, a very hard glass that can also include a variety of metals. Boro glass creates extraordinary bright colors and it appears especially saturated in natural sunlight and less bright indoors. But whether in natural or artificial light, boro beads are fantastically beautiful and talented lampwork artisans bring out their most vibrant shades.

For more about boro beads, visit the Artbead Divine Jewelry blog on 1000 Markets where Mary of Sandcastle Jewels writes a very interesting explanation. For a history of lampworking, visit another blog post on the Artbead Divine Jewelry blog by Sharon of Bijoux Jardin.