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Artisan Jewelry by Michaela Batstone

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North Wind Collection, Part II (Third Preview)

May 14, 2021 ·

The third preview for Part II of the North Wind Collection,
brought to you by the sweetest little Eastern Bluebird!
(He was too beautiful not to share, even though this picture is terribly dim!)


December Flight Necklaces

There will be 30 of these necklaces available.
Price: $110 per necklace
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Pendant measures about 1″ (25mm) across.
Comes suspended from an oxidized sterling silver chain,

adjustable between 14 – 17″.

When I finished the December Flight Necklaces, I decided to include at least a few of each gemstone. Marquise-cut teal green kyanites, shimmering gray moonstone teardrops, and rutilated quartzes with the tiniest, most sparkly micro-facets.

There will mostly be teal kyanites, but for those who fell in love with either the gray moonstone or rutilated quartz, there will be a few special owls that will feature those!

Goodness, I love these simple necklaces. An owl in flight, clutching a sparkling winter gemstone.

Each of these is hand-forged from solid sterling silver. They feature tiny flying owls silhouetted against a black background, like an owl in the night sky.

Below each owl is a faceted gemstone to sway gently like a last leaf in the breeze. And the back of the pendants have been textured on granite to resemble a winter stone.

I have made them on shortish chains to sit just below the clavicle. (Though each will have about 3” off adjustable chain so you can get the perfect length.) Sweet familiars to carry through the day.


Glimmer Ice Rings

There will be 30 of these necklaces available.
Price: $90 – $120 per ring, dependent on the stone
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Sizes available:
4.5 | 5 |5 | 5.25 | 5.5 |5.5 | 5.75 | 5.75 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6.25 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.75 | 6.75 | 6.75 | 6.75 | 6.75 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7.25 | 7.25 | 7.25 | 7.25 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.75 | 8 | 8 | 8.25 | 8.25 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.75 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9.25 | 9.25 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 10 | 10 | 10.75 | 11 | 11 | 11

I designed these rings after the type of ice we see in late winter/early spring. When the ice on lakes and pools begins to groan and crack, and spring is beginning to lace its fingers around the vestiges of winter, on some mornings you can find bits of glimmer ice. The technical definition is the delicate ice that forms in the cracks of or on top of old ice. Glimmer ice appears when old ice has begun to melt and pools of water are collecting, and then a cold night and the North wind lays down a new thin layer of ice.

When I came across that late-winter term, I knew I had to catch it in a ring and save it for late winter. I chose the lightest blue aquamarines I had. Small and glowing, like little frozen puddles. Soft and gentle, like late winter.

I set them simply, but decided to give them a polished finish to give them a glimmer. I don’t often polish my pieces, I love the earthiness of matte and the shadows of oxidization. And sometimes polishing feels too easy, because polished pieces always looks beautiful! (Learning to create a perfect antique patina without odd colors, flaking, or going too far in the removal took a fair while to get right!) But after finishing these pieces, I think I might have fallen in love with a polished finish.

Some of these aquamarines are the impossible blue of a summer day, others are a watery blue with flecks of algae floating through. And others are this unreal, misty grey-blue. I can’t even decide what those stones remind me of!

Some are faceted to catch and throw the light, others are smooth like a still pool. And they are cut in all different shapes. Many of the stones have feathery inclusions and crackles running through the stones.

A few of the stones have surface crackles, where you can feel the tiny fissures beneath your fingernail.

I considered not using any of these stones, tucking them into my box of stones needing resurfacing. But some of them were just TOO beautiful. So I used them anyway! They will of course be marked down a bit and I will let you know in the titles of each which rings they are. I ended up keeping one of the rings with surface crackles, it was just too beautiful to part with.


There is one more preview coming up, including a design I haven’t shared yet. Stay tuned!
North Wind Collection Release, Part II: Sunday, May 16th at 7PM EST in the Etsy shop

Filed In: Jewelry / Tagged: aquamarine, forest, forest jewelry, ice, kyanite, moonspinner, moonspinner jewelry, moonspinnershop, moonstone, north wind, owl, owl jewelry, rings, winter, winter jewelry

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A place for stories behind jewelry pieces, glimpses into the process, and musings on inspiration.

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Recent Posts

  • Violet Linings Collection
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Unless otherwise noted, all images, designs, and writing is property of Michaela Batstone. All rights reserved.

Newsletter

Sign up below for exclusive previews of new collections, glimpses behind the scenes, and words on the inspiration behind the work.

Thank you to everyone who raised their hands on my Thank you to everyone who raised their hands on my call for how many of these necklaces to make. It is such a help! 

If you have a preference, do you prefer oval necklaces, or teardrop shaped ones? It's now time for me to choose from my gemstone collection. 

I think I will be able to make juuuust enough necklaces, though as always, everything will be first come first served.

Stay tuned for more previews!
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🌲 North Woods Collection: Date TBA 🌲

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#agate #mossagate #terrarium #forestcore #handmadejewelry #mainemade #madeinmaine #forestjewelry #gemstonejewelry #maineartist #artisanmade #artisanjewelry #mossagatenecklace #madewithlove
🌲 A call for ring sizes for the first design of 🌲 A call for ring sizes for the first design of my North Woods Collection! 🌲

Generous slices of moss agate, each unique and holding tiny forest-like worlds. Set atop an undulating bark edge base, textured and sawn to look like a tree slice. 

These also have a secret message inside the band.

I have about a dozen more of these in the making, all with wonderfully different gemstones. 

If this ring calls to you, let me know your ring size! They will still be first come first served, but I will try to make the most requested sizes. 
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#moss #mossterrarium #mossagate #agate #agatejewelry #gemstonejewelry #gemstones #terrarium #terrariumjewelry #mosslove #mainemade #madeinmaine #maineartist #forestcore #forestlovers
🌲🏔 We have begun hiking (in most cases “re 🌲🏔 We have begun hiking (in most cases “rehiking”) the Maine 4,000-fters with the goal of consciously ticking them off starting now. 

What a gift it is living in this area for the summer. Towering granite cliffs and each road a tiny corridor through endless green. 

It seems every moment my fella is dashing out the door to mountain bike or hike part of the AT or fly fish his favorite river or go running on the trails.

And I have been gathering up the entire valley in my arms, the one our cabin is nestled in, to spin it into a bold, rugged collection for you.

We been relishing all the clearwater, bluebird-sky moment of these north woods. (Despite those early summer black-flies.)

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#livefolk #staywild #quietinthewild  #countryliving  #theartofslowliving #folkgood #optoutside  #earthspirit #appalachiantrail #getoutside #forestlife #wearewildness #naturelove #intothewoods #seekthesimplicity  #wildandfree #natureisbeautiful #naturesbeauty #beautyinnature #mainelife
I am gathering up the forests of northern Maine an I am gathering up the forests of northern Maine and translating them into a big, earthy collection for you. I hope you will love it!🌲💫
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#moss #mossterrarium #mossagate #agate #agatejewelry #gemstonejewelry #gemstones #terrarium #terrariumjewelry #mosslove #mainemade #madeinmaine #maineartist
🌲 I have been soaking up so much chlorophyl, I 🌲 I have been soaking up so much chlorophyl, I must be nearly drunk on it by now! 

Being in this cabin near the Bigelow Preserve has been like a tremendous exhale. The first thing we did when we got here was to turn off the alarm clocks on our phones, and now summer stretches out like a yawn. I feel like I am 8 years old again with a summer vacation just beginning.

#moss #mossagate #naturelover #wildflowerseason #getoutsidemore #mosslove #mainelife #naturegram #beadedlily #lilygarden
My endless thanks to those of you who plucked some My endless thanks to those of you who plucked some amethyst earrings! About three dozen pairs were claimed, and are waiting to be packaged up. 💫
💫 Everything is in the Etsy shop, sweet friends 💫 Everything is in the Etsy shop, sweet friends! 💫

The easiest way to see everything, is to click the * Violet Linings section on the left in the Etsy shop! 

(Direct link to the shop is on my profile.)
Goodness how these earrings glow! For these summer Goodness how these earrings glow! For these summery earrings, I sawed a tiny window from the back of the sterling silver base so that the light comes pouring through while being worn. I hope you love them as much as I do!
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🔮 Violet Linings Earrings: TONIGHT at 7pm EST in the Etsy Shop 🔮
💜 👾 Amethyst Vines and Stranger Things 👾💜
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Goodness how I love these earrings, I am wearing my pair as I write this. 

Light and long, they twirl with the wind and make the gentlest susurrus. These will all bloom in the shop in two days!

Until then I will be eating vegan peanut butter cookies and rewatching Stranger Things (currently on Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer) before we hop onto Season 4. Have you watched it yet? (No spoilers, please!) 

Also, I rather enjoy giving my posts chapter titles, a la Stranger Things.
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🔮 Violet Linings Earrings: Sunday, June 5th at 7pm EST in the Etsy Shop 🔮
“Morning Glories” by Mary Oliver Blue and dar “Morning Glories” by Mary Oliver

Blue and dark-blue
rose and deepest rose
white and pink they 

are everywhere in the diligent 
cornfield rising and swaying 
in their reliable

finery in the little
fling of their bodies their 
gear and tackle 

all caught up in the cornstalks. 
The reaper's story is the story 
of endless work of 

work careful and heavy but the 
reaper cannot 
separate them out there they 

are in the story of his life 
bright random useless
year after year 

taken with the serious tons 
weeds without value 
humorous beautiful weeds. 

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🔮 Violet Linings Earrings: Sunday, June 5th at 7pm EST in the Etsy Shop 🔮
We are fully ensconced in a cabin for the summer, We are fully ensconced in a cabin for the summer, tucked against the Bigelow preserve in northwestern Maine. 

Long verdant days tinged with birdsong, and crisp nights, full of stars and mountain wind. 

And coffee has never tasted so good.
I wish I could string every tree with amethyst blo I wish I could string every tree with amethyst blooms and sterling leaves. 
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🔮 Violet Linings Earrings: Sunday, June 5th at 7pm EST in the Etsy Shop 🔮
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