Featured Jewellery Design #46 – Aotearoa Aroha pendant

.beautiful .natural .unique contemporary jewellery by Deanna Gracie

I wrote a poem illustrating some of the thoughts behind my “Into the Blue Nowhere” jewellery series.

Aotearoa – Aroha Pendant #11 from this series is created from sterling silver, 9ct gold, monel and garnet. I collected the feather from the beach here in Southshore and incorporated it into the design of this pendant. Perhaps the gull I mentioned in the poem left it behind on his journey into the blue nowhere?

All my jewellery is proudly designed and created by myself here in Aotearoa – New Zealand. Made from my heart and with my hand, no two pieces of jewellery can ever be exactly the same.

Into the Blue Nowhere

It’s a red sky sunrise!

High above the beach

a gull glides,

then soars,

and slowly disappears.

Out of the blue nowhere

I hear a faint haunting call,

then nothing but silence.

Waves reach high,

they hover,

then tip forwards

and gently fold over.

One floats towards me

as if in welcome.

It recedes and merges,

and disappears,

just like the gull,

into the blue nowhere…

Deanna Gracie ©

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Featured jewellery design #45

A year ago a traveller called in to my exhibition at the Arts Centre and had a fantastic selection of beads to show me. Although beautiful I couldn’t really see anything I wanted, as I don’t really feature beads in any of my jewellery designs so I said thanks but no thanks. Then he showed me his selection of ancient glass beads from Afghanistan. I loved the subtle colour range, the imperfections, the matt finish and the ‘ancient’ feel of them. He said they had originally been used as anklets. I couldn’t resist them so bought some strands and since then I have held these beads in my hands, run my fingers over them and admired the colours many times over the last year but couldn’t think of a way to use them. I wanted the beauty of the beads to shine through and not be overpowered by anything else. I finally came up with a solution and here is the finished result. I have used sterling silver in between the beads and kept the silver matt and I’ve also oxidised (blackened) some pieces for contrast. I have created five strands all together and have called them “Earth and Sky”.

“Earth and Sky” by Deanna Gracie - hand made necklaces created with sterling silver and ancient beads ©

A while ago I promised to take an image of the sexy new perspex display props I  found – so here are a couple of images of the necklaces on the bust stands. The stands are two different sizes : – )

Thanks for visiting : – )

Featured jewellery design #44

I have just finished these cute little koru stud earrings. I chose to incorporate this gorgeous subtle texture into this design and as always they are hand made – in this case in very solid sterling silver. I love the beauty inherent in all things hand made – the tiny imperfections, the hint of tool marks…and isn’t it great to know your piece is the only one exactly like it in the world. I love being an artist – to choose which finish, texture, colour or metal to use in my designs. There are no mass produced castings to ever come out of my studio! Each piece of jewellery I create, I guarantee has been created with labour and love – both of these in equal quantities : – )

Koru stud Earrings by Deanna Gracie ©

Thanks for visiting : – )

Featured jewellery design #43 – Butterfly Pendant…

Golden korus …butterfly wings…pounamu stone … passion and love…worn with pride… a treasured taonga…..Deanna Gracie

My artist friend requested me to make a butterfly pendant for her as a commission. She paints beautiful butterflies and loves the symbolism behind them. So we got together, discussed some ideas and then she left it up to me to make something for her and this is the finished result. “Flying Free” pendant for Donna is inspired by nature and made by hand in sterling silver, 18ct gold and is embellished with a New Zealand pounamu greenstone. Donna loves the idea of butterflies symbolising freedom of flight.

“In life it is your choice to be whoever you want to be and you can if you take a chance to fly and live your life with passion!” Deanna Gracie

There are many other symbolisms associated with butterflies. For example in China, butterflies are deemed as symbols for beauty in old age when linked with plum blossoms. The Japanese regards butterflies as symbols of one’s soul, whereas two butterflies flying together are symbolic of a happy marriage. Ancient Aztecs believed butterflies to be the souls of warriors slain in battles, and that their fluttering wings were symbolic of energy and it is also no secret that from ancient days the butterfly has symbolized immortality.

You can check out Donna’s beautiful butterfly paintings here

http://donnasteel.co.nz/category/art-for-sale-birds-butterflies/

Thanks for visiting!

Deanna Gracie

Featured jewellery design #42

Featured jewellery design #42 is a bracelet cuff from my ‘Over Land and Sea’ series. This solid sterling cuff, inspired by nature and crafted by hand is imprinted with a beautiful feather design. The feather was collected from Southshore beach on one of my daily walks and the cuff is also embellished with a cluster of amethyst cabochons set in sterling and red gold :- )

Just like the migrating birds who inspired this piece and visit Southshore each year from the other side of the world – it will also soon be winging it’s way on a return journey across the world as a gift to my very dear friend: -)

Thanks for visiting! – Deanna Gracie

Featured jewellery design #41

with another ring to show you….. ; – )

I’m still making lots of wedding and engagement rings at the moment so love is definitely in the air and all around us…. This one though is a little different in that I don’t tend to use facetted stones much in any of the jewellery I create, as I feel my natural designs suit the more simple smoother gemstones called cabochons. So I must admit I was a little hesitant when I client asked me to make her one of my sterling silver and yellow gold koru rings as an engagement ring and set it with a diamond instead : – ) But the client was absolutely right with this one as the koru ring looks just gorgeous with the sparkly diamond and it really suited her beautifully manicured hands : – )

Thanks for visiting!

Deanna Gracie

Three rings – Featured Jewellery Design #40…

Ringstack with gemstones…. More ring images! I seem to be making lots of ring commissions at the moment – more than I ever have before. I think love is in the air…Anyway I’ve been working on these three rings (in between commissions) off and on for more than six months! Because I do everything myself from the original design itself to the end result – I often wonder where did the time go? Of course commissions or special requests always take top priority! These three semi-textured rings – inspired by the ocean are made from solid sterling silver, and 18ct gold. The gemstones are topaz (top ring) and tourmaline (bottom two rings). Thanks for visiting! – Deanna

I have some lovely rings on my website here at http://www.deanna.co.nz

Commissioned rings – Featured Jewellery Design #39

Instead of a featured jewellery design I thought I would show a selection of rings – so here are a few examples of special ring commissions I have made for clients over the past year. Some are wedding and engagement rings, some are commitment rings and some are birthday gifts – but all are tokens and expressions of love or friendship. These rings have all been hand made by me in precious metals and have been sent all over the world including France, America and England!

Thanks for visiting! – Deanna Gracie

Landscape Rings….Featured Jewellery Design #38

It was fantastic to get back into my studio after having to spend time in bed ill with the Winter flu! Although I did enjoy catching up on some reading once I started to feel a bit better – I always miss my time at the bench and it was like slipping into a comfy pair of slippers once I ventured out into my studio again : – )

I have now finished a textured landscape ring design I’ve been working on

(I should actually say rings as there are two of them).

The wide ring is one piece and the textured silver part is another ring – it is quite narrow! I thought it would be fun to have the option of wearing the ring one way or another with the narrow textured silver part or without! A bit of playfulness in a design can only be a good thing : – ) Textured Landscape Ring design (Two rings) is made from sterling silver and 9ct red and yellow gold. Made from my heart and with my hands – no two rings can ever be exactly the same : – )

Thanks for Visiting!

Deanna Gracie : – )

Three Landscape Bracelets (detail) by Deanna Gracie – Featured jewellery design #37

My favourite part of making jewellery is the end result! I love putting the finishing touches to each piece I make and it’s a fantastic feeling if I’m really happy with the outcome : – ) Hand made jewellery is very labour intensive and I can be working on some pieces for a long time. This has been the case with these three landscape bracelet designs. I’ve finally finished them and I’m really happy with the way they all turned out! On each bracelet, every component is cut out by hand and then using layering techniques, I solder different metals to create a different “scene” from nature to each one. Some “scenes” are quite representational and some more imagined. A Carpenters song inspires the smallest bracelet and I’ve named it “Extraordinary Interplanetary Bracelet”. It’s fun to imagine what textures and colours you’d see if you were floating far above the world…..

Thanks for visiting!