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Archives for April 2019

Winter Bee Collection – Part II

April 28, 2019 ·

It has been a whirlwind eight weeks for your friendly, neighborhood moonspinner. Full of honeybees and citrine, the dreaded tax season, untimely illnesses and cat snuggles. So as you can tell, some ups and downs. But through it all, I continued to work on this batch for you, part II of the Honeybee Collection. And in the end, this next offering boasts an even 100 pieces!

Everything previewed here will go live in my Etsy shop tomorrow at 3 p.m. EST as planned.

However, as I have mentioned elsewhere, I am planning on trying out a webstore here on my website. There are a few designs I haven’t shared with you yet, and I will be saving those for some surprise updates on the webstore I have been working on.

So after April 28th, I will be posting on Instagram with a handful of surprise Honeybee updates! I have chosen one ring design, a few necklace designs, and one cuff design to hold back from the regular update. But I will wait to share photos of them until the times of their debuts.

Anyways! On to the preview for tomorrow’s regularly scheduled collection release.

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Apiary Rings

The first of two repeat designs for this collection release is the Apiary Rings. After Part I of this series, so many people contacted me about missing out on these. So I pulled every single ring-sized citrine I could find in my studio.

US Ring Sizes: 5.5, 5.75, 6.25, 6.5, 6.75, 7 (x3), 7.25 (x4), 7.5,
7.75 (x3), 8 (x6), 8.75, 9 (x2), 9.5 (x2), 9.75 (x2), 10.75

To make this batch, it took over a hundred hours of finger-numbing, wrist-aching work. These are not cast, so each band and every bee silhouette were shaped and sawn one by one.

And the result of all that work: a few dozen little cups of citrine honey with two little honeybee silhouettes in either side of each double-layer sloping band. This is the last batch I will be making of these rings for quite some time. I have spent so many hours in recent weeks with them, it is a little bittersweet tucking the design away. But, I have used up all my citrine, so there’s no turning back now!

They sit so well upon the hand, and I am convinced they can call the honeybees from their hives.

If you are planning to try to scoop one up, remember to look for a ring sized at least half a size up from your regular size. I list the rings as they measure on the mandrel, but since these have wide bands they will fit snug. For example, if you normally wear a size 7, look for a 7.5 or 7.75.

Queen Bee Necklaces

The other design repeated from Part I, the Queen Bee necklace. Let me explain how I ended up making five more.

I am a bit of a gemstone squirrel. I tend to sort stones into little carnival glass dishes and salt cellars scattered around the studio, which means that every now and again I will come across a stash of stones I didn’t know I had. And that is what happened with this surprise repeat design. I found a little orange dish with five perfect stones, and I knew I had to offer them up for you.

And so here they are, five more Queen Bee necklaces. The grandest design in the collection. These necklaces are comprised of freeform, round heated citrine druzy clusters set inside floral borders. The backs of the pendants feature the impression of a large honeybee, the only design in the collection with this detail.

Large and bold and crowned with a circlet of flowers, like the queen bee herself.

Tending Necklaces

For a long time I had been wanting to design a necklace that felt reminiscent of an old-fashioned cloak clasp. When ladies and gents of yesteryear would wear cloaks, they would put a pin on both edges of the cloak below the neck, and the pins were connected by a chain. This would keep the cloak on the shoulders.

And this is my necklace that echos that shape, the “Tending Necklace.” Each necklace features two swooping honeybees reminiscent of cloak pins, and a gradient of rough citrines to comprise the “chain.”

In my mind, I designed this for dedicated beekeepers and early spring gardeners, trudging through muck and detritus to check on sleeping bees or sprouting bulbs with a cloak over the shoulders, because not even the rain could keep them from that which needs tending.

Bee Bloom Earrings

So many people contacted me asking if I would be making any dangle earrings. And so I have!

I made just three pairs of earrings, and they are the sweet, tinkling kind for wearing in a breezy, sun-warmed garden. Droplets of citrine honey drip below hand-forged ruffly roses, carefully constructed petal by petal, with brass pollen centers.

Bee Bloom Rings

US Ring Sizes Include: 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 9, 10.25

For this collection release, I also picked you a handful of roses.

Carefully forged sterling silver flowers with brass pollen centers.

Rings for calling the bees.

Wild Hive Necklaces

A few months ago when I was telling you about my experiences with bee lining with my fella, and idea for a design struck me. While imaging all the wild honeybee hives tucked into craggy mountain cliffs and held by gnarled trees, I thought of this piece.

It features a sparkling faceted citrine like droplet of honey, set atop a honeycomb patterned base, all of which is being held by a hammered branch border. Like golden treasure hidden by bees, tucked away in the forest, encased in silver and oak.

My talisman for finding the quiet, secret places of the wild bees. Never to disturb, only to observe.

Solitary Bee Necklaces

A single, bright honeybee set above a smooth cupful of honey-colored citrine. In the backs I have sawn little hexagon windows to let the light through, like a little honeycomb cell full of glowy orange citrine.

Little worker bees gathering up the warmth of summer into a honeycomb cell’s worth of citrine. Perhaps the most lightweight, every-day designs in tomorrow’s release.

Simple and straightforward, a necklace meant for a bustling beekeeper who always wishes to keep a honeybee close by.

Midsummer Necklaces

Each of these Midsummer Necklaces has a unique gemstone focal surrounded by a swirl of summer.

Leaves with the patterning taken from once-living leaves, little brass pollen granules floating on the breeze, hand-forged ruffly roses blooming all at once, warm citrine gemstones heated to the color of orange blossom honey, and tiny honeybees on the back made of light and citrine.

The most detailed and work-intensive design in the entire collection, these necklaces are like little slices of summer you can wear about the neck.

And there you have it! Everything which will be in tomorrow afternoon’s collection release.

Everything will land in the Etsy shop at the same time at 3:00 p.m. EST.
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A few things to remember if you plan stopping by the collection release:

πŸ”Έ This is the last of these particular designs for a few years. I am actively using up the very last of my citrine/yellow amethyst for this offering and what few stones I have left are reserved for a few designs in progress. So if one of the designs I have shared has been calling to you, be sure to stop by tomorrow’s update because I won’t be able to make more.

πŸ”Έ Make sure you look at all the photos of the pieces you are looking to purchase, because I try to photograph these pieces from every angle, in my hand for size reference, and in natural light, so you can see exactly what you will receive. I want you to be sure you are purchasing the perfect pieces!

πŸ”Έ That being said, an item isn’t “yours” until you complete checkout. Meaning that other people can purchase items you are looking at, or that you even have in your cart. Unfortunately, this is an Etsy feature that I cannot change.

πŸ”Έ My advice is to decide which piece you want the most, complete checkout with that item first. And then go back for the other pieces you want. Checking out separately allows you to claim your pieces more quickly, and you have less of a chance of a piece being scooped out of your cart. I will refund any shipping overages in the following days!

I wish there was a less hectic way to do this. My number one priority is that it is fair for everyone, which is why I don’t take reserves, but it does make for a rather stressful shop update.

That being said, I hope you are able to claim any pieces that have been calling to you!

See you at tomorrow’s collection release, all you bee-charmers and garden-walkers!

Filed In: Uncategorized / Tagged: honeybee, honeybee jewelry, jewellery, Jewelry, mermaid jewelry, moonspinner, moonspinner jewelry, moonspinnershop

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Thank you to everyone who has reached out so far t Thank you to everyone who has reached out so far to reserve a spot for a commission of a piece of my past work! I am slowly working through the requests, pulling gemstones, checking silver stock. Thank you for your patience, if you sent a message, I am on my way! πŸ™ƒπŸƒπŸ»β€β™€οΈ

I have gotten a fair number of requests for the Darkling Sea Rings.

(Can I just say how much it makes my soul sing that there are so many other mermaid-hearts out there!?)

And so I have put the preorder listing back into the shop from the last time I made them, if you'd like to catch one. (I am absolutely determined that everyone who wants one of these rings is able to get one! πŸ™‡πŸ»β€β™€οΈ)
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#kyanite #kyanitering #kyanitejewelry #tealkyanite #oceanring #oceanjewelry #oceancore #gemstone #gemstonejewelry #handmadejewelry #handmadering #instajewelry #jewelrydesign #jewelrydesigner #jewelrygram #jewelrymaking #madewithlove #mainemade #moonspinner #natureinspired #natureinspiredjewelry #supportlocal #mermaidcore #mermaidjewelry
Okay, friends, the Presold Collection is finally a Okay, friends, the Presold Collection is finally a go!

✨ I am going to start by taking (24) commissions for past work, just to see how it goes. 
✨ If there is a design from my past that you'd like me to recreate for you, send me a message on Etsy and we can chat about whether it is possible or not, as I will have to see if I have the right gemstones, silver, etc.
✨ I won't be able to make modifications to the design, because custom work gets complicated quickly, so they will be the same as previously designed. 
✨ I wont be able to create designs from Mossflower, Honeybees, Nocturne, or Night Owls, as those will be coming back later this year. (Hurray!)
✨ I also wont be able to recreate designs from the collaborative collection I did with Maia Toll, as I promised those would be one of a kind pieces. 
✨ The turnaround time will be 8-10 weeks (sooner if I can manage it) between date of purchase and date of shipment. Production will be a bit slow as I am going to be working on these alongside other collections.
✨ I think it's easiest to pay in full up front, rather than figuring out invoices. That way I can pop your piece in the mail the moment its finished! And so once we've chatted over on Etsy about whether your request is possible, I will make you a custom listing to purchase. 
✨ Please be patient with my responses, as I am trying to do this will also pulling together two other collections for you. (A whole bunch of tanzanite rings, the very last of the stock I've had for years! As well as a big, beautify Hessonite garnet collection for February.)

And that's it! So if there's a past design that's been singing to you for years, send me a message and I will see if I can spin some magic for you. 
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#opthandmade #bohojewelry #instajewelry #jotd #shopsmall #handmadejewelry #bohemianjewelry #craftsposure #metalsmith #ladysmith #maker #artisanjewelry #artisan #freepeople #bohemian #livefolk #gypsystyle #bohostyle #dslooking #makersgonnamake #makersmovement #bohochic #gypsysoul #bohofashion #jewelrydesigner #festivalstyle #onthebench
✨ My endless gratitude, moving from Etsy to Shop ✨ My endless gratitude, moving from Etsy to Shopify, and a Presold Collection question for you! ✨ 
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Cozy friends, what can I say! Each Winter Berry Tea Ring was claimed within about 15 minutes. I like to imagine us all with our darkly brewed rings chatting an afternoon away. What a lucky gal I am! You are the sugar in my tea!
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Also, I know once again Etsy was a headache for some of you. Showing rings sometimes, and then disappearing again. Showing up if you sort by price, but not if you searched "Winter Berry." I couldn't even see any of the newly listed rings for almost 10 minutes... UGH. 

And so, with some computer work on my part, my next release (a batch of tanzanite rings) will be in a new Shopify shop. 

For the past week I have been setting up the new shop, figuring out Quickbooks integration, and getting through all the unfun parts. I am also learning how to make checkout fast so you can quickly catch your pieces. And I am loving the idea of early bird access for newsletter peeps. 

And best of all, no glitchy releases. (I hope! If you use Shopify and do timed releases, please let me know how they go for you.) 
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Also, I know some of you missed these rings. As well as many past designs. 

So! I am officially going to attempt my Presold Collection where you can request a past design. And if I have all the stones and silver necessary, I can then create a preorder listing for you and hit the bench running! 

There will be a few exceptions, like I wont be able to recreate any Mossflower, Honeybee, or Night Owl pieces, since those collections will be returning later this year!

I am likely only going to take on a few dozen commissions at first, just to see how things go. 

Production time will be a bit slow because I am going to be making the commissioned pieces alongside all my other collections (likely 8-10 weeks?). 

And so, if you are hoping to reserve a presold slot, let me know below what past design you are hoping for, so I can start peeking into my gemstone cabinet to see what's possible. 

And then in a few days, I will let you know more!
(Sold) All the Winter Berry Tea Rings are in the s (Sold) All the Winter Berry Tea Rings are in the shop! I hope you'll have a cuppa with me. β˜•οΈπŸ’•
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✨ Winter Berry Tea Ring Release: TONIGHT, January 22nd at 7:00 p.m. EST in the Etsy Shop ✨

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#artisanjewelry #birthstonejewelry #birthstonering #bookishjewelry #darkacademiaaesthetic #darkacademia #garnet #garnetring #gemstonejewelry #handmadejewelry #handmadering #instajewelry #januarybirthstone #januaryring #jewelrydesign #jewelrydesigner #jewelrygram #jewelrymaking #madewithlove #mainemade #moonspinner #natureinspired #natureinspiredjewelry #rhodolitegarnet #supportlocal
A love affair with rhodolite garnet on a snowy aft A love affair with rhodolite garnet on a snowy afternoon. πŸ’•
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✨ Winter Berry Tea Ring Release: TONIGHT, January 22nd at 7:00 p.m. EST in the Etsy Shop ✨

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#artisanjewelry #birthstonejewelry #birthstonering #bookishjewelry #darkacademiaaesthetic #darkacademia #garnet #garnetring #gemstonejewelry #handmadejewelry #handmadering #instajewelry #januarybirthstone #januaryring #jewelrydesign #jewelrydesigner #jewelrygram #jewelrymaking #madewithlove #mainemade #moonspinner #natureinspired #natureinspiredjewelry #rhodolitegarnet #supportlocal
Oh! I forgot to tell you, the blog preview of all Oh! I forgot to tell you, the blog preview of all the Winter Berry Tea Rings is up. There's a direct link to it in my profile, if you'd like to take a gander. πŸŒ¨πŸ§£πŸ«–βœ¨
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✨ Winter Berry Tea Ring Release: TONIGHT, January 22nd at 7:00 p.m. EST in the Etsy Shop ✨

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#artisanjewelry #birthstonejewelry #birthstonering #bookishjewelry #darkacademiaaesthetic #darkacademia #garnet #garnetring #gemstonejewelry #handmadejewelry #handmadering #instajewelry #januarybirthstone #januaryring #jewelrydesign #jewelrydesigner #jewelrygram #jewelrymaking #madewithlove #mainemade #moonspinner #natureinspired #natureinspiredjewelry #rhodolitegarnet #supportlocal
Tonight, tonight, cozy friends! I have brewed 48 l Tonight, tonight, cozy friends! I have brewed 48 little cups of garnet tea for you. I hope you'll join me! 

Also, thank you to everyone who pretended you were having a cuppa with me, and told me how you take your tea, what the weather is up to where you were, and what novels are on your nightstands. It was the loveliest tea time! 

It is bright and blue and cold here, and I am currently reading the manga "Rose of Versailles" as well as "Leviathan Wakes." Craving a classic these days though too. 

Any recommendations?
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✨ Winter Berry Tea Ring Release: TONIGHT, January 22nd at 7:00 p.m. EST in the Etsy Shop ✨

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#artisanjewelry #birthstonejewelry #birthstonering #bookishjewelry #darkacademiaaesthetic #darkacademia #garnet #garnetring #gemstonejewelry #handmadejewelry #handmadering #instajewelry #januarybirthstone #januaryring #jewelrydesign #jewelrydesigner #jewelrygram #jewelrymaking #madewithlove #mainemade #moonspinner #natureinspired #natureinspiredjewelry #rhodolitegarnet #supportlocal
πŸ«– Winter Berry Tea Rings🧣 I just love these πŸ«– Winter Berry Tea Rings🧣

I just love these rings. Spare and simple, but rich and comforting at the same time. 

Like a hot cup of berry tea on a  winter afternoon, shadows clinging to ever surface. 

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✨ Winter Berry Tea Ring Release: Sunday, January 22nd at 7:00 p.m. EST in the Etsy Shop ✨

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#artisanjewelry #birthstonejewelry #birthstonering #bookishjewelry #garnet #garnetring #gemstonejewelry #handmadejewelry #handmadering #instajewelry #januarybirthstone #januaryring #jewelrydesign #jewelrydesigner #jewelrygram #jewelrymaking #madewithlove #mainemade #moonspinner #natureinspired #natureinspiredjewelry #rhodolitegarnet #supportlocal
πŸ«– Winter Berry Tea Rings🧣 I like to imagine πŸ«– Winter Berry Tea Rings🧣

I like to imagine that each of these is a cup of tea I have made for you cozy souls. You would tell me whether you prefer yours sugared or no, and I would ask what novels you've been reading lately. 

We would drink our berry tea before it got cold while we watched the gannets meander down the river. And I would be watching the sky for snow.

β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”
✨ Winter Berry Tea Ring Release: Sunday, January 22nd at 7:00 p.m. EST in the Etsy Shop ✨

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#artisanjewelry #birthstonejewelry #birthstonering #bookishjewelry #garnet #garnetring #gemstonejewelry #handmadejewelry #handmadering #instajewelry #januarybirthstone #januaryring #jewelrydesign #jewelrydesigner #jewelrygram #jewelrymaking #madewithlove #mainemade #moonspinner #natureinspired #natureinspiredjewelry #rhodolitegarnet #supportlocal
A cup of winter berry tea while I photographed the A cup of winter berry tea while I photographed the Winter Berry Tea Rings. Each were equally comforting. πŸ§£πŸ«–βœ¨
πŸ«– Winter Berry Tea Rings🧣 Garnet is the per πŸ«– Winter Berry Tea Rings🧣

Garnet is the perfect stone for January. 

Like this dusky, restrained month, rhodolite garnet is often quite dark. That is especially so in a low-dome cut, such as in this batch of gemstones. The color is rich, but furtive. 

When encased in silver, rhodolite garnet darkens to a deeply shadowed purplish red. 

But then, like those shining, bluebird days that we sometimes catch during January, the right conditions give the most saturated colors, light reflecting and refracting off every facet. 

When you wear these rings, they will be dark with flashes of berry red in the right light. On the hand, they look like dusky cups of the strongest pomegranate tea you can imagine. 

But since I have sawn out the backs, the promise of light and color is there for you. 

If it be a dark day and you need the bright comfort of a cup of tea, you can take your ring off, hold it to the light, and let it sing the warmest song you've ever heard.

Whoever chose garnet as a birthstone for January, I see what you did there. 

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✨ Winter Berry Tea Ring Release: Sunday, January 22nd at 7:00 p.m. EST in the Etsy Shop ✨

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#artisanjewelry #birthstonejewelry #birthstonering #bookishjewelry #garnet #garnetring #gemstonejewelry #handmadejewelry #handmadering #instajewelry #januarybirthstone #januaryring #jewelrydesign #jewelrydesigner #jewelrygram #jewelrymaking #madewithlove #mainemade #moonspinner #natureinspired #natureinspiredjewelry #rhodolitegarnet #supportlocal
πŸ«– Winter Berry Tea Rings🧣 I have had a few πŸ«– Winter Berry Tea Rings🧣

I have had a few comments and messages asking if I will still be revisiting the garnet design from last year, and the answer is yes! 

These rhodolite garnets, which are cooler and pinker in hue, will be in a batch of a few dozen rings releasing this Sunday. 

The hessonite garnets, which are warmer and more orangey in hue, and will be in a smooth cut, will be coming next month! 

(Scroll back on my instagram to last year if you'd like to take a peek at what those pieces will look like.) 
β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”β€”
✨ Winter Berry Tea Ring Release: Sunday, January 22nd at 7:00 p.m. EST in the Etsy Shop ✨

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#artisanjewelry #birthstonejewelry #birthstonering #bookishjewelry #garnet #garnetring #gemstonejewelry #handmadejewelry #handmadering #instajewelry #januarybirthstone #januaryring #jewelrydesign #jewelrydesigner #jewelrygram #jewelrymaking #madewithlove #mainemade #moonspinner #natureinspired #natureinspiredjewelry #rhodolitegarnet #supportlocal
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