Pure silver 999 with Rock Crystal Clear Quartz necklace and earrings set. Handmade PMC fine silver jewelry by Arctida

The vacation is over, I had a really nice and long one this year and it is time to get back to work. I have tons of new projects in progress and in my sketchbook but I have not had the time to photograph any new pices yet. So instead I'm gonna show you the latest jewelry set that I've made for myself :)

The delicate free-formed focal was made by me using Fine Silver Precious Metal Clay (PMC) and decorated with Cubic Zirconia in the center. The chain has been hand-crafted using Rock Crystal Clear Quartz faceted round beads and Argentium sterling silver (High tarnish resistance). The matching earrings are simple high quality Rock Crystal Clear Quartz briolettes wire wrapped in Argentium sterling silver.

 

For more of my pmc fine silver jewelry click here

Odaia - Fine silver jewelry Keshi pearl earrings. Handmade artisan jewelry by Arctida

As I mentioned earlier, lately I've been working a lot with PMC (Precious Metal Clay). I love working with PMC, it is such a versatile medium, there no limits of what you can do with it :) and it is mainly composed of recycled silver particles so it feels good to make something Eco-friendly. I have tons of projects in my head and in my sketchbook so I’ll be posting more pieces in the near future.

So here is my latest creation - Fine silver earrings with Keshi pearls (Keishi pearls).

  

Oh and on this picture you get a glimpse on the working process, this is the fine silver ovals during *production* :)

 

Odaia - for sale in my Arctida and Etsy shop  

For more of my pmc fine silver jewelry click here

Deliah - Fine silver jewelry PMC Ruby pendant on leather cord. Handmade pagan style jewelry by Arctida

I've been working with the coolest new media in jewelry making - PMC (Precious Metal Clay) for the past couple of weeks and I'm finally starting to list pieces of jewelry that are made of it.

What is PMC? A unique form of pure silver (mainly composed of recycled silver particles) suspended in an organic binder. In this clay-like state it allows PMC artists to form and sculpt metal clay by hand. When fired at high temperatures by torch or in a jeweler's kiln, the binder burns off and the silver particles are fused together. The result is a one-of-a-kind pure silver piece (.999) purer than Sterling silver (.925).

So here is my latest piece, Deliah - fine silver pmc Ruby pendant on leather cord. This time I wanted to try attaching a stone with a wire, to get that *floating in the air* look, instead of *simply* setting it into the clay. I chose a genuine AA Ruby gemstone for better contrast with oxidized/non oxidized silver.

For more of my pmc fine silver jewelry click here

Chandelier earrings with Citrines, Garnets and Golden Rutilated Quartz wire wrapped in 14K gold filled. Handmade jewelry by Arctida

Just wanted to show you my latest custom order, a new variation of my older design - Domani. This time I've used my most favorite gemstone in the world - Golden Rutilated Quartz (Rutile Quartz). So here are my new pretties - chandelier earrings with Citrines, Garnets and Golden Rutilated Quartz wire wrapped in 14K gold filled.

 

Asha - Labradorite necklace in oxidized sterling silver. Handmade Labradorite jewelry by Arctida.

I've been playing with different sterling silver swirl designs for the last couple of months and this time I decided to make a pagan style necklace that would look like an ancient amulet or talisman. I chose oxidized sterling silver to make it look antique and different shaded Labradorites for the touch of mystery :) so here is my latest creation: Asha - Labradorite pendant wire wrapped in oxidized sterling silver.

and here is one of my latest custom orders, the customer wanted classic and clean look with Labradorites in sterling silver but no oxidation. So you might say this set gave me inspiration to make *Asha* as I was wondering if Labradorites will look different on black silver instead :)

Galene - Turquoise and Lapis lazuli necklace in sterling silver. Handmade gemstone jewelry by Arctida.

The spring is here and summer time is close enough to start dreaming of summer vacation :) So this time I've made a necklace inspired by turquoise blue waters of some exotic location like Jamaica, Fiji or maybe Maldives... The pendant is shaped like a wave and Turquoise and Lapis lazuli colors speak for them selves :)

So here is Galene - Turquoise and Lapis lazuli sterling silver pendant on a leather cord. Oh and psst, on the last picture the model is me :)

Owl necklace solid copper owl pendant on leather cord. Handmade pagan style jewelry by Arctida.

Here is my latest piece of jewelry made of metal clay. This time I decided to try copper clay and make a pretty owl pendant.

I textured, polished, fired and polished again the pendant by hand. To highlight the texture I selectively applied patina and as a finishing touch I sealed with Renaissance Wax, a jewelry grade wax to preserve the colors and protect the pendant against further oxidation.The pendant is threaded with black leather cord and fastens with a solid copper lobster clasp and extension chain.

What is Copper Metal Clay? A unique form of pure copper (mainly composed of recycled copper particles) suspended in an organic binder. In this clay-like state it allows metal clay artists to form and sculpt metal clay by hand. When fired at high temperatures by torch or in a jeweler's kiln, the binder burns off and the metal particles are fused together. The result is a one-of-a-kind pure copper piece (99.9%).

Enaja - PMC fine silver jewelry pure silver pendant with Cubic zirconia. Handmade pagan style jewelry by Arctida

Here is another piece made of PMC (Precious Metal Clay). This time I wanted to make something ethnic looking, inspired by tribal and pagan influences. I chose the shape of Venus of Willendorf for the pendant because I find it very intriguing and so different from a modern view of a *perfect* female figure. But I didn't want to do an exact replica so the embellishment and the rest of the details on the pendant is a product of my muse :)

What is PMC? A unique form of pure silver (mainly composed of recycled silver particles) suspended in an organic binder. In this clay-like state it allows PMC artists to form and sculpt metal clay by hand. When fired at high temperatures by torch or in a jeweler's kiln, the binder burns off and the silver particles are fused together. The result is a one-of-a-kind pure silver piece (.999) purer than Sterling silver (.925).

So here is Enaja - fine silver pendant with Cubic zirconia on a leather cord.

For more of my pmc fine silver jewelry click here

Chandelier earrings with Amethysts, Citrines and Garnets wire wrapped in 14K gold filled. Handmade jewelry by Arctida

The autumnal colors outside are so beautiful and bright it is hard not to get influenced by them. After all, I'm only human! :) So here is my latest creation, it is one om my best sellers, a design called - Domani. This time in purple violets, golden yellows and burgundy reds, just like the fall vineyard look like at this time of the year.

Domani - chandelier earrings with Amethysts, Citrines and Garnets wire wrapped in 14K gold filled.

Domani - for sale in my Arctida shop

Laura - Smoky Quartz jewelry. Smokey Topaz necklace in 14K gold filled. Handmade jewellery by Arctida

A couple of my customers ordered a matching necklace to the Smoky Quartz earrings that I've blogged about last year. So I've finally had a chance to photograph and listed it in my shops. So here is Smoky Quartz necklace (also known as Smokey Topaz) wire wrapped in 14K gold filled.

 

 

Laura - Smoky Quartz minimalist earrings in yellow 14K gold filled. Handmade wire wrapped jewellery by Arctida

Brrr...It's cold outside! I love real winter weather because it’s the best time for fire places, hot chocolate, and books :) That is actually how I came up with one of my latest designs! I was sitting and drinking cup of hot chocolate and the glossy rich auburn colored liquid reminded me of a beautiful Smokey Quartz (also known as Smoky Topaz) beads that I’ve had laying around. So here comes Laura - Smoky Quartz earrings wire wrapped in yellow 14K gold filled.

For sale in my Arctida, DaWanda and Etsy shop.

  A little info about Smoky Quartz...

Smoky or smokey quartz is a brown to black variety of quartz. Like other quartz gems, it is a silicon dioxide crystal. The smoky colour results from free silicon, formed from the silicon dioxide by natural irradiation.

Smokey Quartz stimulates the cooperation of multiple energies toward a common goal.  A wonderful stone for relationships, and for people in recovery who are part of a larger group, whether it be work, hobby, a home group, business group, or association. It is a gentle grounding stone that instills balance and harmony, and can help bring peace to you, enhancing quiet reflection during meditation without the interference of the thinking mind. This is not a quick energy stone, like Clear quartz crystal, but it has intense staying power to carry you over the long haul. Combine Smokey Quartz with Clear Quartz for lots of positive energy towards obtaining your dreams and goals, and to energize them into being a reality.




And speaking of warm and cozy… I found this wonderful chocolate brown Teddy Bear crochet pattern by Ira Rott! So cute and cuddly that you just want to hug it and never let it go :)


Oh and did you know that Chocolate can be used its medical property as well? Chocolate acts as an antiseptic, diuretic, parasiticide, and pilatory. It is used to treat burns, cough, listlessness, pregnancy, and snake bite. Cocoa has theobromine which has a similar effect to that of caffeine. It stimulates the muscles, heart, and kidneys. In fact, it can relieve congestion during colds by simply opening the bronchial passages in the lungs.

Arctida celebrates 200 sales on Etsy!

Woohoo! I've reached the 200 sales mark in my Etsy Store today! *picture me making a Happy Hippo dance here* :) Thank you so much to all of my awesome customers who allow me to do what I love and love what I do! I'm hoping 300 sales will come sooner than I think. Wish me luck!

The 200th sale was my Golden Rutilated Quartz wire wrapped in gold filled *Alina* earrings!

and here is the rest of my *Alina* series

Citrine and Gold filled

Pink Amethyst and oxidized sterling silver

Labradorite and oxidized sterling silver

Ruffled Gemstone Hoops earrings tutorial - DIY step by step wire wrapped jewelry instruction - My second tutorial!

My second tutorial is finally finished! It is now for sale in both of my Arctida shop!

With this tutorial you will learn how to make a pair of beautiful ruffled hoop earrings using wire and various gems and beads. The design can be adapted to include different size of ruffles, a mix of wire colors, beads and gemstones, making each one unique, yet if you need to make the same design over again, it can easily be done. In addition to earrings, you can use this technique to make bangles, pendants or brooches!

Here are a couple of variations of this design that I have already blogged about:

Electra - Labradorite and oxidized sterling silver hoops

Lenae - Peridot and copper hoops earrings

Nivi - Sterling Silver Hoops Earrings

Domani - Amethyst and Peridot coiled artisan earrings in 14K Gold Filled

This week EST challenge's theme was "Morocco" hosted by creationsbyeve.

For this challenge I decided to revamp one of my older designs - Domani. It looks very ethnic but not quiet what I was looking for! And so I improved it and made it more bling-bling, more exotic and spicy, more glittering and shiny, simply more Moroccan :) and here is my new Moroccan version of Domani with Amethysts, Peridots and Gold filled.

 

Arctida Celebrates 100 Sales on Etsy!

I was so excited to see that I reached the 100 sales mark in my Etsy Store yesterday! Yay! :) Thank you so much to all of my awesome customers who allow me to do what I love and love what I do! I'm hoping 200 sales will come sooner than I think. Wish me luck! :)

The 100th sale was my wire wrapped Tree of Life necklace in Copper and Peridot! 

and as it seems, my Tree of Life necklace becoming my best seller, I decided to introduce another variation in Sterling Silver and Peridot.. Ta Da! :)

My First Tutorial - Tree of Life Wire Wrapped Pendant Step by Step Jewelry Instruction

My first wire wrapped jewelry tutorial is finally finished! Yay! *Happy dance* I knew it’ll be hard to make something for the first time but this hard?! It took me for ever to finish it! Anyway it is done and I hope you guys will enjoy it! :)

*********************************************************************************
The concept of a many-branched tree symbolizes that all life on Earth is related and has been used in science, religion, philosophy, mythology and other areas. It could represent a mystical concept of the oneness in all things, a metaphor for common descent in the evolutionary sense, and a motif in various world theologies, mythologies and philosophies.

This is the first tutorial in my series of up and coming tutorials for the wire jewelry artists. With this tutorial you will learn how to make my version of classical Tree of Life pendant using wire and various gems and beads. No soldering required! Although it is described as an intermediate project, the tutorial contains so much detail that any level of enthusiast is able to make the piece.