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Artisan Jewelry by Michaela Batstone

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Be My Valentine

January 13, 2021 · 4 Comments

As I mentioned in a few other places, I am hoping to do semi-frequent surprise collections throughout this year to offset the fluster of my scheduled and long-anticipated collection releases. These surprise collections will allow for serendipity to carry my pieces to their intended owners.

For some of the collections, I will give a slight heads-up here on the blog, since I know social media algorithms can be really problematic. I will put up a blog post announcing the date and time when the previewed collection will be released. Other collections will be true surprises, and I will announce on social media the moment they land in my shop.

And here, the first of my (sort of) secret collections, the Valentine Rings!

When I first created the Valentine Collection a few years ago, I was inspired by Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130, which balks at unrealistic love and honors the beauty that can be found in flawed love. For the pieces inspired by that sonnet, I used freeform garnets with irregular shapes and faceting, full of inclusions and swirls. That choice of stones was my homage to the splendor of imperfection.

And here is this year’s iteration of the Valentine Collection. Sweet, romantic rings featuring natural, faceted hessonite garnets. The January birthstone, and a wonderful representation of love, I think. Aren’t they beautiful? They range in hue from deep cherry to magenta to brick red.

Though these are not freeform stones as with the first iteration, many have beautiful flecking, feathery inclusions, and color shifts within the stones. Each of the stones is lovely and unique, especially for their flaws.

And in this way, these stones reflect Sonnet 130. Love is unique in all instances, each with its own exquisiteness and hardship. I could have chosen eye-clear garnets with uniform hues, I have a handful in my gemstone cabinet. But these Valentine Rings are about perfect love in imperfection, and so… I chose these ones.

Those first Valentine pieces featured polished sterling silver set against freeform garnets. For this version, garnets are set in ornate inverted heart bezels with beaded circlets to accent them, romantic and regal.

But this version of the Valentine Rings is oxidized, because antiquing makes the rings feel aged and weathered, beauty in imperfection. It also really sets off the glow of the garnets.

They are set atop half-round hands for comfort and fit true to size.
The sizes available will be 6, 6.75, 6.75, 7, 7, 7.5, 8, 8, 8.5, 9, 10.5, 11.

They will land in the Etsy shop on Saturday, January 16th at 1:00 p.m. EST. I will send out a little announcement at the same time on Instagram. As always it will be first come first served, but you will have a bit of a headstart having seen this preview!

If you like this idea of surprise collections, please let me know! Or if you have any suggestions or questions, don’t hesitate to send me a note.

Cheers!
M

   

Filed In: Jewelry / Tagged: art, artisan, Artisan Jewelry, artist, artists, birthstone, garnet, january, moonspinner, moonspinner jewelry, moonspinnershop, ring, valentines

Comments

  1. Sabrina Ricks says

    January 14, 2021 at 10:20 am

    These are lovely, it would be sweet to make some little earrings reminiscent of the tending earrings. Nice little surprise collections will be great but I don’t like the idea of foregoing the vlog post and going straight to IG. It will be too easy to miss them that way. Kudos on another lovely design. Love you in all your imperfections!

    Reply
    • Moonspinner says

      January 15, 2021 at 9:38 am

      Drat! I should have made some earrings, you’re right. I have the loveliest little garnet briolettes too. Hmm… next time. Much love to you, Sabrina! (And imperfections are what make the world interesting. I have always sort of wanted to create a collection around wabi-sabi, maybe I will have to start designing one!)

      Reply
  2. Tracey Martin says

    January 14, 2021 at 10:49 am

    Love this idea of surprise collections, with the blog post a day in advance as Instagram never notifies me on time… 😊💗

    Reply
    • Moonspinner says

      January 15, 2021 at 9:36 am

      I am really loving this idea too! It feels so… clandestine. Like we are in a club or something! Just something special for a few of us to share. 🙂

      Reply

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💜 I kept a pair of these for myself, and it fee 💜 I kept a pair of these for myself, and it feels perfectly right that they wanted to wait until it was a bit more summery. 

☀️ They drink the sunshine and brush bare shoulders, perfect for long summer days. 

🌸 Keep an eye out for more of these and one other amethyst earring design! I couldn't finish them in time for the amethyst release, but they are finished now and begging to be plucked. As soon as we are settled, I promise! 
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#uniquejewelry #artisanjewelry #heytheremaker #makersvillage  #ardentfinds 
#handmadejewelry #bespokejewelry #persuepretty  #modernmaker #justmyart  #jewelrywithintention  #everydayjewelry #craftsposure #mainemade #thatsdarling #meetthemaker  #shopsmall #seekinspirecreate #inherstudio #handmaderings #femalemade #womenwhocreate #standwithsmall #cottagecoreaesthetic
🌿 The shop is officially shuttered and the sign 🌿 The shop is officially shuttered and the sign on the door reads "Back in 5" while we move house. 

🌲 Three days from now we will be tucked in a cabin up north, and I will be dreaming up new designs for you.

💌 All orders placed during the sale will ship over the next day or two. Thank you, my sweet friends, for keeping food in my kitties bowls and the lights on here at Moonspinner Headquarters. You are just the peachiest!
🌟 Sale ends tonight, sweet friends! 🌟 - - - 🌟 Sale ends tonight, sweet friends! 🌟

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#uniquejewelry #artisanjewelry #heytheremaker #makersvillage  #ardentfinds 
#handmadejewelry #bespokejewelry #persuepretty  #modernmaker #justmyart  #jewelrywithintention  #everydayjewelry #craftsposure #mainemade #thatsdarling #meetthemaker  #shopsmall #seekinspirecreate #inherstudio #handmaderings #femalemade #womenwhocreate #standwithsmall #cottagecoreaesthetic
D R Y A D L E A F E A R J A C K E T S 💫 Per D R Y A D  L E A F  E A R  J A C K E T S

💫 Perhaps my very favorite design I have ever created. 

🌟 Leaves sung into silver and prehnite gemstones made of the first spring leaves. 

✨ Made for dryads stepping out of ancient oaks.

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#uniquejewelry #artisanjewelry #heytheremaker #makersvillage  #ardentfinds 
#handmadejewelry #bespokejewelry #persuepretty  #modernmaker #justmyart  #jewelrywithintention  #everydayjewelry #craftsposure #mainemade #thatsdarling #meetthemaker  #shopsmall #seekinspirecreate #inherstudio #handmaderings #femalemade #womenwhocreate #standwithsmall #cottagecoreaesthetic
🌟 Heads up! My Spring Cleaning 25% Off sale end 🌟 Heads up! My Spring Cleaning 25% Off sale ends Thursday. 💫

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#uniquejewelry #artisanjewelry #heytheremaker #makersvillage  #ardentfinds 
#handmadejewelry #bespokejewelry #persuepretty  #modernmaker #justmyart  #jewelrywithintention  #everydayjewelry #craftsposure #mainemade #thatsdarling #meetthemaker  #shopsmall #seekinspirecreate #inherstudio #handmaderings #femalemade #womenwhocreate #standwithsmall #cottagecoreaesthetic
🌟 Just a reminder that the 25% sale will end in 🌟 Just a reminder that the 25% sale will end in a few days, and then I will be buttoning up my shop so we can settle into our summer place!

🌟 Cheers to everyone who has stopped by the sale so far! I am so pleased that so many of you have been able to pluck some pieces you’ve had your eye on for a while.

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#amethystjewelry#amethyst#amethystring#amethystcrystal#crystaljewelry#crystals#handmadejewelry#handcraftedjewelry#witchyjewelry#witchy#witchyvibes#witchythings#handmadering#sterlingsilverjewelry#jewelrymaking#bohojewelry#instasmithy#seekinspirecreate#femalemade#womenwhocreate#cottagecoreaesthetic#everydayjewelry#jewelrywithintention
🌟 Cheers to everyone who has caught my spring c 🌟 Cheers to everyone who has caught my spring cleaning sale so far! 🌟

It is such a joy seeing past designs being plucked, like they were waiting for their intendeds all this time. And soon all of those claimed pieces will find their people: owls will fly off to the post, tiny icicles will form below ears, lucky feathers will settle around necks, and last year's violets will bloom atop hands. 

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#amethyst#springfashion#handmadering#sterlingsilverjewelry#jewelrymaking#bohojewelry#instasmithy#seekinspirecreate#femalemade#womenwhocreate#cottagecoreaesthetic#jewelrywithintention#everydayjewelry#amethystjewelry#amethystcrystal#springtime#springjewelry
✨🌟 S P R I NG S A L E 🌟✨
 As we pack ✨🌟 S P R I NG  S A L E 🌟✨

As we pack up our home and take endless trips to the summer cabin and our storage unit, I thought “what better time to have a spring cleaning sale?” 

I don’t often do sales, but I am so appreciative of your patronage, and relish the thought of making space for new work on the shelves. And then I can also purchase some yummy gemstones I have been eying for a summer collection for you! (I spent one single morning with my sketchbook, and now this summer is looking quite foxy.) 

🌟 The sale includes all my older designs, as well as pieces from Part I of the Violet Linings Collection from last summer. 

🌟 No need for a code! Everything that is included in the sale is already marked down. 

🌟 My shop will be open for a few days, and then I will put it on pause while we get settled. When it reopens, the sale will be finished and we will be back to our regularly scheduled programming. 

Cheers!
🌟 Life Update 🌟 We are in the process of mo 🌟 Life Update 🌟

We are in the process of moving house, so life is rather akilter at the moment! 

Our 9-month lease ends this month and doesn’t pick back up until September, so we decided to spend the summer at a cabin in northern Maine. My fella is taking a much deserved summer off to spend his days hiking, making wood-fired pizzas, fishing, reading on a sunshiny deck, mountain biking, all the best woodsy things. I am bringing my studio with me, so I will be spinning silver for you all summer!

I will be taking things a bit slower than usual, days spent reading my back-log, and sipping coffee, and napping with the cats, and taking pictures of funny mushrooms, all the usual things. 

The shop will stay open for as long as I can tuck orders in the mail, I will give you a heads up if I have to put it on pause. 

I still have two lilting earrings designs to share with you that are just about finished, so keep an eye out for that!

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Packing up your orders is always such a lovely tim Packing up your orders is always such a lovely time for me. 

I get to greet familiar names, and many new ones. Often I can remember what pieces from past collections these familiar names had caught. I can imagine their growing collections of my work, the specific-to-them pieces that called to them from my studio. 

I imagine personalities based around the pieces claimed. “I bet she puts her hand on the bark of every tree she passes.” “They would totally have a pet crow named Copernicus.” “She probably wears all my pieces at once, like beautiful, feminine armor.” 

You, my sweet friends, are the best.
Our sweet, little, dorky menace, Finn. ✨ Our sweet, little, dorky menace, Finn. ✨
Everything is in the mail, sweet friends! If you p Everything is in the mail, sweet friends! If you placed an order, your violet should be winging its way to you as we speak! ✨💜
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