Handmade wire wrapped amethyst pendant for February

Since I have a February birthday, I love my birthstone, amethyst. I own a lot of purple amethyst jewelry and often use the gemstone in my own pieces. But while I use many amethysts that have been cut into clean and clear shapes, I really love the natural look of the stone. I've always wanted to get a huge amethyst geode, but those can be thousands of dollars!

The next best thing was to get a smaller version and so I purchased "raw" amethyst beads. I like using large beads as a canvas for my wire wraps, so I dressed it up with a brass design. I actually made this pendant a couple of years ago, but it's been getting a lot of attention on Etsy this month -- probably because it is February -- so I'm giving it a little showcase:

What's interesting about this set of beads is that not all of the stones are purple. Some have a greenish color and some are purple and clean. Then there are even a few that look almost clear. Most people I know associates amethysts with purple, but they're more varied. It's amazing what beauty is produced in nature!

I'll continue to use my amethyst hearts and bicones, but these purple stones are lovely to look at as is.

Check out the rest of my wire wrapped and enamel jewellery at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Photo Gallery: Wire wrapped amethyst jewelry for February birthdays, Part II

It's just about February, which means three things in Jewelry Land: One, it's my birthday (February 3, for those of you keeping track); Two, Valentine's Day is just around the corner and jewelry makes the perfect gift; Three, amethyst is the February birthstone. It also happens to be my favorite stone -- and not just because it's mine. I just like the way that soft purple color looks. Amethysts are said to have healing properties, too: some believe that it can help you sleep better and ease stress.

Last year, I put together a photo gallery which featured some of my favorite handmade amethyst jewelry designs. Here are some more of my wire wrapped amethyst pieces. All can be found at Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

Silver wire wrapped double amethyst earrings with spiral design

I was so inspired by that customer who sent me a photo of my amethyst earrings matching the necklace that her late husband gave her that I decided to make a different type of wire wrapped amethyst piece. These earrings use smaller amethyst chunks and have a much more intricate series of spirals:

For each earring, I used two pieces of amethyst. Though these are faceted gemstones, they still have a very "raw," organic look in the way they're cut. They're also a very striking shade of purple. I know that most people associate amethyst with purple, but this stone can actually take on a pinkish or even green hue. But for this particular creation, I wanted a deep purple, which is what I got.

Doing a wire wrapped pattern on an odd-shape stone can be a challenge, but my wraps came out pretty even. I think you have enough of the wrap for the design to take center stage, but it doesn't completely cover the amethyst. The elements work well together, which is how jewelry should be. I need to try this with a different type of stone -- maybe quartz? What do you think?

Check out the rest of my jewelry at Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

Thanks for the memories

I make my jewelry because I enjoy the process of designing and love to create beautiful pieces. However, sometimes a piece will "speak" to a person for whatever reason beyond it simply being attractive. This happened recently with my silver wire wrapped amethyst earrings.

Amethyst is my favorite stone because it's my birthstone and these are one of the first earrings I made when I got into jewelry. I purchased large, natural-looking chunks of amethyst and then wire wrapped them. The photo is terrible, but you get the idea.

To be honest, these earrings haven't gotten that many views. They hadn't really gotten a lot of notice at craft fairs, either, as people tended to gravitate toward my colorful geometric jewelry. I kind of forgot I even had them. That said, I was kind of surprised when they were purchased last week.

I wasn't thrilled with my initial wire wrap design so I removed the wire and redid the earrings from scratch. I've become much more skilled at wire wrapping so I was able to create much better-looking earrings -- and I wanted this woman to get her money's worth. I then sent them out, hoping, as always, that she'd like the final product.

A few days later, I heard from her. She not only liked the earrings, but explained that she'd purchased them because they matched an amethyst necklace that her late husband had given her. She'd been looking for a way to complete the set and my earrings worked. She sent me a photo of the pieces and she was right; my earrings were a perfect match for her husband's gift.

I'm always pleased when my customers like their purchases and, of course, enjoy getting compliments on my work, but her note moved me to tears. I feel as if she were meant to have these earrings and this was the reason why it took so long for me to sell them. I'm honored that she'll be wearing my jewelry along with this precious, sentimental reminder of her loved one.

I don't have any delusions that my jewelry will change the world. My earrings and bracelets won't bring world peace or fix the environment, or cure cancer -- but I'm glad that I can bring at least a little bit of happiness to my customers and can help them create some new memories.

Check out my jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Wire wrapped amethyst jewelry for February birthdays

It's my birthday today, so it's my party and I'll blog if I want to! There are some downsides to having a February birthday: it's usually cold and it gets dark pretty early. But a huge positive is that I get to have what, in my opinion, is the prettiest birthstone: the purple amethyst.

I love, love, love amethyst jewelry. One of the best gifts that my husband gave me was a pair of amethyst heart earrings. The deep purple color is so pretty, but the stone also has the personal meaning for me.

I know many people who wear amethyst jewelry simply because they like the color and not necessarily because they were born in February. But most of the people I know who share a February birthday with me take special pride in having this special stone for our month!

In honor of it being my birthday today, here are some of the handmade wire wrapped amethyst jewellery pieces that I've designed. Everything is available at Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

Wire wrapped triple heart amethyst earrings

Amethyst Swarovski crystal heart earrings

Wire wrapped chandelier earrings with purple Swarovski crystal hearts

Silver wire wrapped amethyst ring

Amethyst heart dangle earrings

Silver wire wrapped amethyst birthstone infinity ring