Bicolor Ametrine Quartz Green Yellow ball earrings in oxidized sterling silver

Something simple yet pretty Bi-Color Ametrine Quartz Green Yellow ball earrings in oxidized sterling silver. I've made these earrings several years ago but forgot all about them and only recently found them in my treasure chest for finished pieces that I haven't photographed yet :) 

 For more of my gemstone jewelry click here 

 

Handmade Pearl necklace and earrings set in sterling silver

Pearl jewelry can last a lifetime and is always in fashion. So I thought I'll share with you my simplest Pearl necklace and earrings set that I have in my shop. They are made of genuine white fresh water pearls and sterling silver and an ideal gift for a pearl lover or a simple and elegant set for a bride-to-be.

 For more of my bridal jewelry click here

Eliza - Ruby necklace wire wrapped in 14K gold filled. Handmade gemstone jewelry by Arctida.

The July is here and because Ruby is a July birthstone I thought an addition to my Ruby jewelry collection can be a nice idea :) So here comes my latest Ruby necklace wire wrapped in 14K gold filled. It is also happened to be a matching necklace to my Ruby earrings what have been one of my bestselling earrings.

Alanna - Emerald jewelry. Emerald and Golden Rutilated Quartz earrings wire wrapped in 14K gold filled. Handmade jewelry by Arctida

As I mentioned in one of my latest post, the cold and Autumnal colors are dominating now outside, after all I do live in Northern Europe :) So in order to remember the warmth of the summer and the pretty greens, here is another pair of pretty jewelry in bright emerald green and golden yellows. And this time I used genuine Emerald rondelles and sparkling Golden Rutilated Quartz briolettes. I love how tiny needles of gold inside of the Quartz glitters when hit by light, it surely reminds me of sun, heat and summer :)

Oh! and apparently this is my 100th post on this blog. I guess I should celebrate or something... :)

Esmeralda - Emerald green Agate necklace wire wrapped in 14K gold filled. Handmade jewelry by Arctida

The Autumn is already here and gorgeous fall colors are starting to erase the greens. So I decided to make a simple necklace in bright green color to keep a piece of summer to remember :) So here is my Esmeralda - Emerald green Agate necklace wire wrapped in 14K gold filled.

Mint necklace, Chalcedony in sterling silver. Handmade mint jewelry by Arctida

This spring, the mint color burst into the world of fashion and immediately took the lead. It is hard to ignore the minty madness when the shops, streets and magazines are invaded by this fresh and airy color. So I couldn’t let this latest trend just slide by since I looove all kind of mint shades :) So here are the first simple necklaces in aqua blue mint and sea foam mint green.

I'm planning to make more luxurious gemstone jewelry in mint shades later during this autumn. So stay tuned :)

Leia - Bridal jewelry, white Keshi pearls necklace in sterling silver. Handmade wedding jewellery by Arctida

It took me a while again but the vacation is here and I finally have some spare time to post my latest pretties :) The first one up is a part of my bridal jewelry collection Keshi pearl necklace wire wrapped in Sterling silver. 

 

 and the necklace has a pair of perfectly matched earrings off course 

 For more of my bridal jewelry click here

Ruby - the July Birthstone

A Ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, and it is one of the most expensive gemstones. It is a variety of the mineral corundum (Aluminium Oxide), ranked third in hardness after diamond and moissanite. The presence of the element chromium is what mainly causing the red color in Rubies. Any other color than red in gem-quality corundum classifies it as sapphire.

Large rubies are extremely rare and more expensive than diamonds. So in recent years it has become more and more popular with artificial lab grown Rubies (corundum), which in contrast to natural gemstones are perfectly transparent, have solid color, large size, absence of cracks and foreign inclusions. In Rubies the most important feature is the color, the transparency (unlike diamonds) is only of secondary importance and inclusions are usually considered as a proof of its authenticity and natural origin. Ruby changes color every 1000 years and reaches its full perfection only after 7000 years!

Ruby has been the most popular gemstone for thousands of years. It symbolizes love and passion, and believed to promote friendship. Ruby is a stone of power, strength and vibrant energy force. Genuine Ruby protects against evil spells, chases away depression and warns its owner of impending danger by changing hues. This is a magical gemstone that is associated with the mysteries of the World Beyond.

My jewelry pieces with Rubies that are currently for sale:

 

 

Leia - Bridal white Keshi pearls earrings in Argentium sterling silver. Handmade wedding jewelry by Arctida

For not so long ago I’ve made a pair of earrings for a friend’s wedding. She wanted to have simple, sophisticated, modern pearl earrings different from classic design of bridal pearls. She thought that they should be easy to wear, discreet and match almost everything so that she can use them more then just on her wedding day.

So I came up with these... Getting jewellery that matches the dress, the hair and the flowers can be difficult, and like in this case, it shouldn’t take to much attention. A pair of bridal earrings should give the bride a hint of her own *flavor*, describe her personality, the earrings should be an ingredient that spices things up! (IMHO) These earrings are for the bride that wants a bit more, not just a simple design. Nothing on the human body is symmetrical, just like these Keshi pearls. That’s why they give that interesting and eye catching look, but are still subtle and not too outstanding. Perfect for a wedding, where bride wants all eyes on her, not just the dress, the jewelry, the flowers or the arrangement. Because after all the bride is the main attraction, don't you agree :)

 

 For more of my bridal jewelry click here

Alina - Golden Rutilated Quartz necklace wire wrapped 14K gold filled. Handmade bohemian chic style jewellery by Arctida.

A new bling bling in my shops!

I already have earrings with Rutile Quartz for sale and thought why not make it a set, so here comes my new Golden Rutilated Quartz necklace wire wrapped 14K gold filled.

 

 

Sterling Silver Chainmaille Bracelet. Handmade unisex minimalism jewellery by Arctida.

Last week EST challenge's theme was "Simplicity" hosted by Kirschbits.

I love to explore new techniques and styles in jewelry making and then mixing them together. Recently I have started making chainmaille jewelry. Chain maille is an ancient art of weaving together individual rings to create simple and elegant jewelry. I love how diverse each wave looks just because I connected the rings slightly different!  Anyway for this challenge I decided to try one of the simplest waves and make a minimalistic bracelet. No gemstones, no fancy clasps, no oxidation… just shiny silver rings connected to each over. Simplicity at its best don´t ya think? :)

Nivi - Contemporary style sculpted handforged Sterling Silver Hoops Earrings. Organic Jewelry by Arctida

This week EST challenge's theme is "Antarctida" hosted by LAccentNou.

Being “Arctida” off course I had to participate! We are talking about “my” twin sister here :) I decided to make something simple, cold yet beautiful, just like all that ice and snow in Antarctica… So here come my "Nivi"- silver hoops earrings with ruffled look which remind me the way icebergs, glaciers and snow-covered mountains reflect in the cold icy water.

Do you want to make a pair of hoops like this your self? Here is my tutorial for Ruffled Hoops earrings!

This beautiful shot by Rita Willaert was one of the inspiration sources for this challenge.


The Latin word “Nivi” has its origin in the word “Nix” meaning snow. I thought it would be perfect for these earrings :)

Juno - Mystic Peacock Quartz contemporary style organic hand forged pendant in Sterling Silver

Ooopsie! Haven’t written here for a while I see :) anyway, here is my latest piece of jewelry which is an entry in EST weekly challenge. The theme was "Winding" and was chosen by my teammate Nancy van den Boom. I checked out the definition and thought it would be perfect to try to manipulate thick wire into some kind of cool shape and accent it with gems. So here is my new baby: Mystic Quartz organic contemporary style hand-forged pendant in Sterling Silver.

The Mystic Quartz reminded me of a peacock which is a symbol of the ancient Greek/Roman goddess Hera/Juno, hence the name of the pendant :)

Wire Wrapped and Handforged Rings - My first attempt in Copper and Gold Filled

I have finally bought ring mandrel! Yay :) So here are my first attempts at making wire wrapped rings. The first one is classical spiral ring in Gold Filled.


The second one is an improvisation of the spiral ring. I tried to make a Rose in copper :)


The third one is a very simple adjustable triple band men's ring in Gold Filled. The ring has been hammered for texture.


I've also made a couple of rings that are more complicated and have Gemstones incorporated in them. I'll be posting pictures here very soon :) So stay tuned...

Pele - Modern Handforged Sterling Silver Leaf Hooks earrings with Genuine Black Lava Cubes

Here is another try of the new materials for my Tribal collection.

~Pele~
Tempestuous Pele is the goddess of the Volcano, with all its power and capriciousness. In ancient Hawaiian chants, she was described as “She-who-shapes-the-sacred-land” and her temper was known to be both as abundant and dangerous as the lava.

Iredale - Modern Handforged Asymmetric Sterling Silver earrings with genuine Cowry sea shells

I’m continuing to explore different materials and here is the latest creation in more of the primitive, organic and ethnic looking style for my Tribal collection.

Beautiful Genuine Cowry Sea Shells are attached to leverbacks earwires. The total length including earwires is approximately 1.5 inches long (~ 40 mm). The shells measure ~ 22x12 mm.

The name of the earrings is originated from the Latin name of these beautiful Cowry seashell - Cypraea hesitate Iredale

My Coiled Jewelry - Wire Wrapped and Handforged Sterling Silver, Copper and Gold Filled Jewelry with high quality Gemstones

Another mosaic made with Flickr toys :) This selection incorporates some of my coiled jewelry.


Most of them can be found in my Arctida shop

Minimalism collection - Wire Wrapped and Handforged Sterling Silver and Gold Filled Jewelry with high quality Gemstones

I love Flickr toys! It makes collaging of ones work so much easier and most important so much Fun! So here is a little summery of my Minimalism collection made with Flickr toys Mosaic Maker :)

New collection - Modern Handforged Sterling Silver Leaf Hooks earrings with high quality Gemstones

Sometimes all you need is a simple piece of jewelry with a touch of sparkle to make you look gorgeous. My new collection is just about that! Simple, elegant, organic design with striking gemstones that you can wear anywhere!

The earrings are made of sparkling beauties with superb clarity and gorgeous faceting which catch the light with tons of sparkle. The gems hang on hand forged, lightly hammered and polished sterling silver ear wires formed as leaves, made by yours truly of course :)

Kyra - Swiss Blue Topaz Faceted Nuggets and Sterling silver

Kyra - Mystic Golden Citrine Faceted Cubes and Sterling silver

Kyra - Pink Amethyst Nuggets and Sterling silver