Massive silver ring, tree bark textured wide band. Jewelry design by Arctida.

New bling bling for the boys in my shop! This time it is a hand carved massive silver ring with tree bark texture for men or for the ladies who like wide bands. Its made of fine silver 999 and I can make it in any size or as wide/small as one might desire :)

 

 To see more of my mens jewelry collection click here

For more of my pmc fine silver jewelry click here

Frost Ring - Tree Bark Ring handcarved textured sterling silver 960 and Cubic zirconia. Handmade metal clay jewelry by Arctida.

It is winter already in Northern Sweden, so its not surprisingly that my latest inspiration comes from frost covered tree branches. This time I've chosen to add a bit of bling bling, a round brilliant-cut Cubic zirconia that sparkles the same way frost does when the light hits it just right :) The ring is hand-carved from Precious Metal Clay Sterling 960.

  

For more of my pmc fine silver jewelry click here

Cocktail Ring Paisley patterned fine silver 999 and Crystal Clear Quartz. Handmade metal clay jewelry by Arctida.

The holiday season is approaching and this time I wanted to make a statement ring that can be worn at the cocktail party. So here it is, the new addition to my ring collection. A Cocktail Ring with Paisley patterns, made of fine silver 999 (Precious Metal Clay) and faceted Crystal Clear Quartz.

For more of my pmc fine silver jewelry click here

Deira - Personalized jewelry Birthstone necklace Statement necklace. Handmade gemstone jewelry by Arctida

Back in 2008 I've made a long statement necklace with combination of 7 different gemstones for myself (Deira). In the beginning I wasn't planning to have this design for sale but I started to have custom request from friends and coworkers who've seen it and wanted their own version. Usually people would choose the Birthstones that would have a connection to their family-members or gemstones from some special event/place in their life. So I thought I'll show you some of those that I've had a chance to photograph :)

 

If you wish to order your own Personalized Birthstone necklace, you can order it my Arctida webshop.

Vintage Skeleton Key Steampunk chocker necklace leather and sterling silver. Steampunk jewelry by Arctida.

I love making Steampunk jewelry. Not because it is such a difference in making *regular* jewelry and Steampunk-themed one but because me and sis get to cosplay for the model shot. It is always so much fun to pick out the clothes, put on the make up and making the shots for Steampunk! So here is my latest one :)

I'm the photographer, jewelry designer, make up and etc and my little sister is the model. The ensemble was assembled by me and most of the parts are vintage clothing (except of the corset). The top hat being the oldest and dating back to 18th century Paris!

a little bit about the necklace - the focal part of this Steampunk choker is beautiful vintage Skeleton Key with a wonderful age patina and character that you just won't get from a reproduction key. I handcrafted the choker part from leather cord and sterling silver wire. The necklace fastens with a lobster clasp and extension chain.
 

Aurora - Gemstone necklace with Citrine, Cognac Quartz, Garnet, golden Rutilated Quartz and Mystic Rose Quartz. Handmade jewelry by Arctida

I love all seasons of the year. I usually try to ignore the bad parts and concentrate on the positive sides because each of them has its own charm. For instance even thought its getting really cold and wet outside, the colors of Autumn continue to amaze and inspire me. So here is yet another gemstone necklace inspired by autumnal color palette. Only best, premium grade and hard to find gemstones were used in creating this decadent statement necklace. Rich shades of berry red, cognac, yellow and dusky pink mix exquisitely with the gold of the wirework and will make any girl feel like a real live Goddess every time she wears it :)

Aurora - Statement necklace wire wrapped 14K Gold filled pendant with gemstones - Citrine, Cognac Quartz, Garnet, golden Rutilated Quartz and Mystic Rose Quartz.

 

 

Désirée - Vampire jewelry red necklace Ruby Garnet red Spinel in oxidized sterling silver. Handmade gothic costume cosplay jewellery by Arctida

Seems like today’s youth is obsessed with vampires; the movies, the TV-shows and the books! Anywhere you look there are VAMPIRES flashing their fangs at you :) And off course the premiere of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, which makes me so excited because I’m a huge fan of vampires too!

So I decided to combine my two biggest interests - Jewelry design and Digital Art. A jewelry peace fitting for a hot and sexy vamp girl and off course a real vampire model :) So here is what I ended up with:

 

I had that classical vampire in mind when I made this: pale skin, red, blood-thirsty eyes, porcelain-white teeth, dark, red lips and a gothic feel in all. I used a model shot on a white background, and the rest is Photoshop. This is my first time making a photo-manipulation with a real model, so I hope you like it :)

The necklace symbolizes drops of blood running down the neck, right after being bitten by a vampire... Guess my model is going to turn into a night child now ;)

 

Morticia - Black feathers earrings in Sterling Silver. Handmade gothic jewelry costume cosplay jewellery by Arctida

Halloween!
Soon lots of witches, ghost, zombies and famous characters from movies will gather all around town, go trick or treating, scaring each other and compete in costume contests! Once a year you get to see your friends in a whole different way, funny or scary, either way you have lots of fun! and seeing all the kids dressed as Frankenstein’s monster, tiny ghosts and princesses, is such a cute sight!

My sister told me about a book, where the girl makes her own costume for Halloween, by making wings out of faux feathers and painting them black. With a black dress and her wings she became something of a ”crow-queen”. That story inspired me to make a pair of crow feather-earrings (well my earrings are made out of black rooster feathers, but you get the idea!) perfect for any respectable witch on Halloween :)

Just like my previous feather design (Diana - Guinea Hen feathers earrings) I had to make them big and bold in order to be seen underneath that pointy hat that any respectable witch have to wear :) I chose different lengths, sizes and shapes of black feathers, combined them into a 3D shape and wrapped with sterling silver wire. Afterwords I attached my feather clusters to sterling silver lever-backs to make them more comfortable to wear. and ta-da my second design for feather earrings is born :)

Diana - Guinea Hen fowl feathers earrings in Sterling Silver. Handmade ethnic tribal design jewelry by Arctida

You know those big Native American headdresses? With long feathers, giving that majestic and wise look?

Most of the time the feathers came from eagles, but crow and hawk feathers were also used. But the eagle was the most significant source of feathers, and the warriors of many tribes had eagle feathers in their headdresses, symbolizing the accomplishments in battle.

The feathers were not only used to show status among the people in the tribes, they were also used as ornaments in clothes and plain decoration, like the dream catcher (The dream catcher were originally made to protect the sleeping children of nightmares; the bad dreams would get caught in the web of the dream catcher and be gone by the morning.). They were also used for ceremonial and religious causes, and what kind and how many feathers a person wore could tell a lot about him. The Indian chief always had more feathers in his headdress than anyone else had in the tribe.

Today people still use feathers, like decorations, hair-extensions, necklaces and earrings in many lengths and colors. Perhaps they don’t have any religious meaning and won’t point out an important individual, but they are still an important accent of one’s style.

and how can one not get inspired by all those different textures, colors and patterns that feathers have?! That exactly what happened to me :) When I saw the pretty polka dot Guinea Hen feathers for the first time I just had to make something! In order to show all the beauty of Guinea Hen feathers it had to be big, statement-like piece of jewelry.While working with the feathers I realized that they have two different kind of patterns. Big and bold white dotted feathers and feathers with smaller dots and lighter background. I decided to mix them both to get a sort of balance, the way they look in the nature. I chose several different lengths of the feathers, combined them into 3D shape and wire wrapped them with sterling silver wire. Afterwords I attached my feather clusters to sterling silver lever-backs to make them more comfortable to wear.

So here come my first design with feathers, I think they came out very pretty, don't you guys? :)

Key to my Heart asymmetric necklace - Vintage Retro Ornate Skeleton Key and Labradorite wire wrapped in oxidized blackened sterling silver - Steampunk Gothic Victorian chic style jewellery by Arctida

As many of you know, I’m a scientist at my day job which makes me a nerd or a geek whatever you prefer :) One of the hottest trends right now in geek culture is something known as steampunk. (Think of the works of H.G. Wells, Jules Verne and more recently, books like The Difference Engine.)

Steampunk fashion romanticizes the Victorian age. The books tend to gloss over the low points of the last century and focus on the fun aspects (dirigibles, items made of shiny brass, goggles, explorer’s and top hats, skeleton keys, Egyptology and steam-driven machines).

Being a hand-maker and an amateur photographer I couldn’t stay away from Steampunk and just had to try making something myself :) So here is the result: Key to my Heart asymmetric necklace featuring a genuine vintage skeleton key attached to a handcrafted chain made of oxidized sterling silver and Labradorite rondelles.

 

My biggest accomplishment however is not the necklace but the costume shot of my model (my little sister) above. The ensemble was assembled by me and most of the parts are vintage clothing (except of the corset). The top hat being the oldest and dating back to 18th century Paris!

So the next step would be is gathering my courage and maybe attend the actual Steampunk convention! Who knows, right :)

Deira - Artisan necklace Amethyst, Crystal Clear Quartz, Peridot, Ruby, blue Sapphire, Smoky Quartz and sky blue Topaz wire wrapped in 14K Gold Filled

~Deira ~
Handmade contemporary coiled gemstone necklace wire wrapped in Gold filled with multi gemstones - Amethyst, Crystal Clear Quartz, Peridot, Ruby, blue Sapphire, Smoky Quartz and sky blue Topaz.

This necklace was originally made for my own private collection back in 2008. But after getting a request for the same model from two co-workers and a neighbour, I thought that maybe this design wasn’t as boring as I thought from beginning and decided to list it in my shops :)

I can also make a Personalized Birthstone necklace with gemstones of your choice, just contact me so that we can discuss your custom design

National Day of Sweden

Today, June 6th is National Day of Sweden or as it also called - Swedish Flag Day! Since it s a holiday I had some time over and I have finally finished a new pair of coiled earrings. Here is "Neda" - bridal ornate oxidized sterling silver earrings with Rock Crystal Clear Quartz and Pearls.

For more of my bridal jewelry click here