Labradorite necklace and earrings set oxidized sterling silver. Handmade Labradorite jewelry by Arctida.

I enjoy working with Labradorites and especially with polished Labradorites stones. I love the way their buttery surface catch the light with tons of sparkle and lots of color-play. And in my opinion the best way to frame the turquoise blue Labradorites is using oxidized sterling silver to achieve that mysterious and antique look. Like in this Labradorite necklace and earrings set.

 To see more of my Labradorite jewelry click here 

 

 

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

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 :)

 To see more of my Labradorite jewelry click here 

 

 

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

Chronos - Chainmaille mens bracelet oxidized blackened solid Sterling Silver. Handmade chainmail jewellery for Men by Arctida

Father’s day is approaching fast which gave me a chance to extend my men’s jewelry collection. I’m continuing to explore Chainmaille and I cannot stop :) There so many waves and possibilities to connect those rings! And the result looks so differently with each wave! Also once the bracelet is oxidized and polished it gets that typical *male* look but while it is still pure silver it looks more feminine (IMHO).

So here are my latest two waves that I tried, the bracelets have been oxidized to give them a more masculine look. These are substantial, weighty and masculine pieces of jewelry for everyday apparel or a special occasion. They create a statement yet they are more flexible than a solid metal bangle.

Chain maille is an ancient art of weaving together individual rings to create simple and elegant jewelry. Each sterling silver ring is hand coiled, hand cut, and polished smooth by me before weaving the bracelet, heavily oxidizing and again polishing to a high shine. It’s finished with a simple lobster clasp for easy, secure fastening.

To see more of my mens jewelry collection click here

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? :)

Mona - contemporary sculpted sterling silver pendant with green Agate, Quartz and Peridot. Handmade Jewelry by Arctida

A friend of mine saw my Harmonia necklace and totally fell in love with the central stone (Emerald green Quartz). So she decided that she wanted to have a pendant with the same focal except not as girly and formal in style but more contemporary and modern. So after a very long time playing around with designs here is what I came up with: Mona- contemporary sculpted sterling silver pendant with green Agate, emerald green Quartz and Peridot.

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! :)

Ancient Spiral Coiled pendant with Sterling Silver and Pearls - "My Home Town" challenge

This week challenge theme was - “My Home Town….Anything that inspires you thinking back to the old days. Good memories or even bad memories…melancholy or pure bliss…”, picked by Mirthquake.

I tried to think about something that brings my thoughts to my home town and I came up with, the old stone labyrinths, so called ”Troy Towns”! This type of labyrinth, marked by large boulders can be found through out whole Scandinavia. From Iceland to within Russia there are more than 600 of them; many are several hundreds and some times even thousands of years old.

So here is my entry - Ninevia pendant. The name Ninevia is originated from “Nineveh”, the name that has been used by some locals for the “Troy cities”.