IOILITE FACETED ROUNDELS WITH 14K GOLD BEADS

As a navigation tool, the stunning purple-blue gemstone, iolite, often saved the ancient Viking mariner from sure disaster on the high seas. When viewed through a lens crafted of iolite, the first low-tech polarizing filter, the sun's location could be pin-pointed with accuracy. The iolite stone, a variety of Cordierite, was often called a "Water Sapphire," for it's mystical blue appearance, but if you look hard enough, you will see that the blue is not uniform. The stone is a wonderful example of "pleochroism," or a slight variegation in the stone in which there are three different shades of blue that range from purple-blue to sapphire to a watery light blue-violet. Spiritually, the stone represents the Higher Self and was used by ancient shamans to dispel discord and to add an accuracy to their visions; the ancients also believe that iolite is a shield against victimization. Sounds like a real paladin stone. . .and, it's gorgeous. I took this rather unique strand of faceted roundels and paired the stones with corrugated 14k gold roundels. The contrast is rich and satisfying. The clasp on this 16-1/2" choker-length circlet, by the way, is very secure and has a built-in protective guard.

Retail Price: $1000.00

FACETED AMETRINE BRIOLETTES, COGNAC QUARTZ, 22K GOLD BEADS

Ametrine is a colorful and quite surprising stone. It can't decide if it wants to be citrine or amethyst, so it is both. These faceted square-ended Harlequin-carved briolettes meet and match up to create a series of unique nose-to-tail pairs, separated by roundels of 22k Thai gold. The 19" long necklace is strung with a briolette of cognac quartz affixed with two 22k Thai gold hexagon beads from the necklace for more visual interest. The clasp is a 14k gold barrel closure that is very secure.

Retail Price: $1375; Matching drop earrings hung from vermeil, lever-back closures are $85.00

COPPER-VEINED CHINESE TURQUOISE, GARNET ROUNDELS AND A TURQUOISE, GARNET AND DRUZY QUARTZ PENDANT

There are times when I'm designing a necklace, that the components speak to me in thehir own quiet way, and tell me with which other stones they'd like to spend eternity. Such was the case with this druzy quartz pendant with the turquoise and garnet accent stones. In this case, the contrast between the earthy turquoise and the Wicked Queen sophistication of the blood red garnet is stunning and works quite to the advantage of the druzy quartz, really showing it off. Druzy quartz, glittery and mysterious, looks like crushed deep blue topaz quartz gemstones mixed with crushed rubies; I love using it with smooth-textured beads like these copper-veined turquoise beads from China. Completing the fabulous fall of turquoise and glitz is a sensuous rectangular cabachon garnet clasp, garnet roundel accent beads and a single creamy white pearl right below the silver bail of the pendant. The necklace is 21-3/4" long.

Retail Price: $225.00

DYED CARNELIAN FACETED ROUNDS WITH 22K GOLD FIGURED ROUND BEADS

The carnelian beauty on the left is a KISS-KISS

necklace -- a pure example of Keep It Simple, Silly. When you find beads as luminous and as full of inner fire as these special rust-colored carnelians, you really want to show off the quality of the bead and not mess it up with a lot of frou-frou. I used teensy 22k gold pumpkin rounds to

separate a series of carnelians. I've never seen 4mm beads quite this detailed and almost old-fashioned in feeling. Again, these came out of the box of unique beads that my friend Karen sent me from Santa Fe. I am most reluctant to string these, because once they're gone, they're gone. But hey -- isn't that what unique, hand-made pieces are all about? A strand of beads to powerful and special, no one else will ever have them.

Retail Price: $180.00

FACETED LEMON QUARTZ ROUNDELS WITH 14K GOLD

A classic circlet of golden beads, faceted to catch the light, this lemon quartz necklace is beauty in simplicity. Lemon quartz is so special. It is pure light-golden yellow, the yellow of a baby's hair or a squeeze of bracing lemon juice. Combined with 14k gold corrugated roundels, this circlet is a study in textures that requres a second look to appreciate its subtle beauties. It is choker length -- about 17-1/2".

Retail Price: $475.00

VARIEGATED TOURMALINE LIFESAVER NECKLACE

Karen Riley's surprise gift of all those strands of spectacular gemstone beads turned up some fantastic treasures including a strand of variegated red-to-green tourmaline that looks almost like a roll of LifeSaver candies. Tourmaline is a most wonderful stone. One of my dearest friends had her wedding ring created from one of the most spectacular green tournalines I've ever seen in lieu of the traditional diamond. You can't quite pin down what a tourmaline is going to look like. It can be as pinky-red as a Burmese ruby; as green as an emerald; as black as obsidian or a golden as a citrine. I loved this strand because there is so much going on it it. It's like a party around the neck. Because the texture of the beads was so smooth, I felt it needed a little jazzing up with the gold I used. so there are corrugated roundels and filigree rounds of 14k gold, finished with a corrugated 14k golden ball clasp.

Retail Price: $1500.00

OPERA LENGTH FACETED COGNAC QUARTZ BRIOLETTES

Cognac quartz has a very special color. It
looks just like the deep gold of an very
old, vintage sauterne or cognac. These beads were given to me by my friend Karen Riley. They have quite a story behind them. They were in a treasure box she had given to her by her boss whose wife had bought these years ago from a very expensive New York dealer who dealt in very special, rare beads. The wife never strung them so they were among the various treasures Karen gifted me with. When you have beads as textured and luminous as these are, faceted in a harlequin pattern, less is absolutely more. Also in that treasure box were these 22k Thai gold (a deep, satisfying color, almost bronze) faceted beads. The two elements really wanted to live together. This is a very unique piece. I'm not sure I could ever find beads like these again. This particular necklace is opera length; is extends right into the decolettage and would look fabulous with a black or brown turtleneck sweater, a rust, gold, hunter green, scarlet, purple or burgundy taffeta dress for the holidays. A fabulous neutral, you can dress up or down in this gorgeous, one-of-a-kind gemstone piece.

Retail Price: $1750.00

NINE-STRAND GARNET BIB NECKLACE

The garnet is the January birthday stone. They can be as dark as blackberry juice or as red as burgundy beets. The garnet rounds in this spectacular nine-strand bib are closer to beet red than blackberry. This is a substantial necklace, strung on silver slide clasp set with peridot, amethyst and garnet. Nine strands of garnets have some heft and import. I'd call this a major-major piece of jewelry.

Retail Price: $700.00

NINE-STRAND GARNET BIB

Opera-Length Russian Green Amethyst with Coral and Cloisonne

One of my on-line discoveries is a dealer who has the most beautiful cloisonne beads. These have Persian-design arabesques of jade green, peach and gold swirls. I paired them with my little peach coral rounds, some vermeil and these gorgeous Russian green amethysts which are the color of very fine Chinese jade. They are opera-length which means that they hang down to cleavage level. The clasp is a filigree tear-drop of vermeil with a pearl-shaped faceted peridot.
Price: $315.00.

Cloisonne Butterfly, Vermeil and Amazonite Wrap

Yes, indeed, I really love this amazonite bead for its luster, its translucency and its versatility. So, I created a double long necklace that wraps nicely out of the amazonite accented with blush peach coral rounds, stunning vermeil beads and colorful gold-trimmed cloisonne butterflies dressed up in navy and aqua. The clasp is one of my mini-domes in vermeil from my adorable silver guy in Southern California. We finally got to meet at the recent GLDA show at the Mirage at the end of May. I wish I would have had hundreds of bux to spend. The guy has spectacular stuff. I'd been buying from him on-line for years and this was the first time that we met. I couldn't wait to get home and string something with his beautiful silver and vermeil goods. They all come equipped with built-in guards so you won't lose a piece made with them. Price: $425.00.

Chew on This! Turquoise Gumballs and Sterling Silver

For years, this fabulous sterling silver clasp stayed in my box of clasps and toggles. I had yet to find a bead stately and formidable enough to use it on. I thought I might use it for a multi-strand piece, maybe ten strands of mini-baroque pearls or something, but when I saw these massive Chinese turquoise "gumballs," something clicked. They are probably 22mm which ain't teensy, that's for sure. The bell-shaped ends of the clasp hugged the beads perfectly. I threw in some star-shaped Bali silver roundels -- nothing too distracting from the size, color and heft of these beautiful turquoise beads. And. . . just look at the price! $200.00.

Tibetan Jeweled Cross with Translucent Amazonite and Lapis Lazuli Roundels

The filigree jeweled cross, Tibetan silver in origin, is another eBay treasure. I didn't want to put it with turquoise, however, because I thought it would look too typically Wild West, so when I found this spectacularly clear, blue-green amazonite which is a perfect color match to the turquoise in the cross's floral shield, I thought it would be perfect. I added the bright blue lapis roundels, bought from the Afghani bead dealer who I always work for at the GLDA each spring and this unusual necklace was born. I completed it with a sterling silver mini-dome from one of my favorite silver dealers in California.
Price: $400.00.

Devil May Care Jade and Onyx

I'd been mousing around on eBay to see what kinds of interesting beads and pendants I could find when I came across this little beauty -- a sterling silver skull with a crown. It sat around on my work table for about three months when the red jade came in from Hong Kong. Perfecto! I strung the jade with the skull and livened it up with brushed silver daisy roundels , faceted black onyx and a beautiful silver-twist toggle. I know that the skull which was a real fashion icon for the past few years is probably past its prime as cutting edge fashion, but this weighty little silver guy is just too, too cute. Price: $300.00.

Baroque Beauties with Green Amethyst

At the end of May, 2008, I again worked the Gem and Lapidary Dealers Association show at the Mirage for four days. Across from Mr. Kameyab's booth was this young Chinese kid who had a table full of very sparkly, faceted beads. Nobody came to his station the first day. This was his first year and the booth was small and slightly off the beaten track. When there was a lull in sales, I went over to look at his merchandize and found these incredible pale, transparent green amethyst beads that were irregular, faceted and fascinating to look at. Strung, they were a jumble of reflective surfaces. I made one complete necklace out of the strand and had a few beads left over which I put with rhinestone roundels, gray iridescent Swarovski crystals and a mixture of stick, baroque and flat-sided pearls in a three-strand torsade or twist necklace. The result is this subtle necklace with surprising zots of flash. I strung it on one of my beautiful three-strand adobe-patterned silver slide clasps from my dealer in California. This is a real beauty and a bargain at $675.

Just Peachy -- Five Strands of Peach-Pink Coral to Twist or Not

An on-line purchase netted me with 20 strands of 6mm peach-pink coral beads. What to do with them? Multiple strands, of course. And what a perfect spring-summer color to play with. I made several things out of them including this five-strand necklace. I made each strand the same length so they could be twisted evenly into a narrow torsade. For accent, I threw in some light flesh-toned Swarovski crystals and finished it off with a filigree silver "buckle," a piece that I've had probably for three or four years but never had any inspiration to use. The result is a very versatile piece to wear twisted or not.

Three-Strand Blues -- Literally Lapis Lazuli

In the past few months, I have experimented with buying beads on eBay and so far, have rarely been disappointed. These lovely Lapis Lalzui beads came by way of China from an Aussie dealer and I am very happy with them. They made a classic necklace which I finished with gold-filled beads and clasp. Lapis is a mystic stone, conveying healing and serenity. This necklace is simple, uncomplicated and easy to wear.

Spring Green Aedelite, aka Prehnite

A rose by any other name. . . Aedelite is a very bright variation of a pale green stone called Prehnite only the vibrant color of new spring grass. I found this spectacularly matched and graduated, faceted strand on an Australian bead dealer's eBay store. The beads really do speak for themselves. They are not particularly small. The vermeil roundels I paired them with are 12mm and they seem very comfortable with the size of the center five beads which start at about 20mm. I'd never even heard of Aedelite and when I looked it up and the word "Prehnite" came up, I was surprised because traditional Prehnite is pale green without too much blue in it. These definitely are not pale.

Rose Quartz Statement Beads

Usually rose quartz beads are so "polite." Nicely polished, usually round or roundels, pale and lady-like. Not these huge-o chunks that frolic with good humor and obviousness. I loved these beads the moment I saw them and fantacized on how to string them before I got them home. Ultimately, I decided that they really do speak for themselves and need to be set off as simply as possible, so I put them with over-sized daisy-spacer vermeil discs and left it at that.

STARTLING BLUE TURQUOISE WITH SILVER ROUNDELS AND CORAL

Azure Sky Turquoise with Ocean Peach Coral, United by Silver

So. . . here's that beautiful circle of turquoise and coral, done up in an 18" necklace with the unique floral oval clasp. This turquoise is the exact shade of sky blue found in Bisbee turquoise with one difference -- the Bisbee mine in Arizona has been mined out for years and that turquoise has a spectacular copper matrixing. These beads are most likely color-assisted and perhaps reconstituted, found in China, which makes them very affordable. Whether they're "helped" or not, the color is what attracted me and it has created the perfect backdrop for the clasp that I've had for about a year and the sweet pale peach natural coral beads that I paired with it.

The Beginnings of a Beautiful Necklace

The antique carved coraline glass clasp was the inspiration for this turquoise, coral and silver necklace. I found the clasp through one of my favorite dealers and wish I had three more.

Citrine and Vermeil, Like Liquid Sunshine

Citrine is such a happy stone. Its mystical properties dispel anger and sadness and it is said to be a fertility stone (never really proven, however, but that's the lore). There are very few golden yellow stones in the pantheon of gems and citrine (named for its golden citrus color) is classified as a golden topas, known as a Maderia or Spanish topaz. It is a hard stone (Moh number of 7) and can stand some inadvertent knocking around. As a gem, it is glorious. It dances with reflections of sunlight and golden dreams and compliments any skintone. I found two incredible strands at the recent GLDA show at the Mirage in Las Vegas and grabbed them. For this one, I strung highly-polished faceted nuggets with rugged citrine roundels and interesting nubby vermeil beads for contrast and texture. It's been finished with a vermeil S-hook closure.

Black and White Balls, Really Fossilized Agate

Recently, the GLDA -- Gem and Lapidary Dealers Association -- Show came to the Mirage, and per usual, I worked the four days for Zahir Kameyab, the Afghani bead dealer who always has the most spectacular beads. These incredibly tactile black and white beads were front and center and they literally flew off the display table. I grabbed a couple of strands. They're fossilized agate and they're distinctively graphic. This particular strand is of 20mm beads, real gumballs and I put them with brushed silver beads that look like woven balls of yarn. These are perfect for summer time, tans, strapless white dresses, black jeans and white tanks. . . they're universally gorgeous for those whose style is , well, graphic. Price: $300.00.

. . .AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

There is a WOW! factor to this necklace which looks like someone had strung five different pieces on their neck. I saw something like this at Neiman Marcus by a jewelry company that specializes in mixtures of huge, wildly colored beads. Thought I'd make my own version and this is what I came up with. This thing has more stuff in it than the kitchen sink: Starting at the top -- peach jade and Sleeping Beauty turquoise; then lovely fat ovals of prehnite, followed by some sparkly man-made goldstone. The prehnite kites are really fabulous and I thought about making a single strand of them, but I like this better. Finally, finishing it all off, faceted coins of deep rust carnelian. The findings are sterling silver. While you don't necessarily have to be a big person to carry this off -- you'll probably need to come equipped with a soupcon of attitude!

THE SEASON FOR PEARLS -- CREAMY WHITE AND SHADES OF GRAY

Pearls are so appropriate, anywhere. You can wear a string of cultured pearls with jeans or a wedding dress. Nothing is too overdone or out of place. I love using a classic pearl necklace as the background for a lovely pendant. I found these pearls at my favorite bead store. They are huge baroques with a nice luster. complimenting them are brushed silver beads dotted with sparkly cubic zirconia. The pendant was found in a store on Grant Avenue in San Francisco. I kept it for a long time until I found those CZ-studded stardust beads and then knew exactly what I wanted to do with all of them. The pendant is made up cabachons in two different shades of gray. The round one is the deeper gray of the South Sea pearl; the bigger oval appears to be a Philippine pearl. Together, they are simple and sophisticated.

THE SIMPLE SOPHISTICATION OF PEARLS AND MARCASITE

One afternoon I was doodling my time away on the computer playing solitaire when Chuck said to me, "Why are you wasting so much time. You could be doing something else. . . like selling your stuff on eBay or something." He was right, but first I wanted to test the waters. I had drawers filled with black pouches, velvet jewelry boxes, creamy white gift boxes, filled with jewelry I'd bought or collected since the '70s. Vintage stuff. I trolled eBay for a while and saw a huge market for it and put most of it up for bids. I made a small potful, for sure. But, I fear, I spent it all of things I found on eBay that I could incorporated into my own designs. A prime example: the gorgeous marcasite heart that I've paired with freshwater pearl roundels and small marcasite spacer beads. I love this design. It's so classic and modern and yet the marcasite adds a touch of the old fashioned to it. The perfect accessory for black velvet or the creamy white of a wedding dress!

SECRETS OF THE CARIBBEAN LARIMAR AND SILVER NECKLACE

The first time I ever saw Larimar was when I worked for my bead dealer friend in Tucson back in 2005. I had never heard of the stone before and it looked so amazing to me -- the personfication of sand, sea and sky.

You can find Larimar only south of the Caribbean, specifically in the Dominican Republic. There is only one mine and it is controlled by the man who discovered the stone and then named it after his daughter. Caribbean blue-green paired with chalk white and then accented by black-gray-brown occlusion. It's a spectacular stone, highly-recognizable, and for me, an acquired taste.

There are those who would prefer more polite forms like the different shapes of highly-polished Larimar cabachons in cuff bracelets, earrings, pins, etc. that people create from them. Me. . . I was drawn to the unique oddity of these jagged slabs of Larimar, each of which could have made an interesting pendant. I chose to string them together with some brushed silver roundels and double-pointed beads, accented with faceted topaz blue Swarovski crystals. To finish the piece, i used a blue topaz and silver box clasp.

SOPHISTICATED SAND-BLASTED BLACK ONYX ROUNDELS WITH BALI SILVER

I found these beads hiding behind something at my favorite bead store. They reached out and spoke to me. There are those who would look at these matte-finished deep charcoal gray roundels and say, "what the heck are these?" And then there are people like me who appreciate the unique oddness of these huge, sensual beads. Yes, they do look like coal and yes, they do have a semi-smooth cat's tongue kind of feel. And yes, they will probably require a some attitude to wear. But this piece is very special.

I kept the beads around the studio until I found the Bali silver round beads to go with it. They're almost the same color as the onyx but they're highly textured, like a porcupine with shaved quills, but quite soft and tactile. To finish the piece, I had to use a really special and sturdy clasp, so I picked one of my "Only in Vegas" hand-of-cards box clasps which stabilizes the necklace and feels very comfortable on the neck.

Carved Light Green Chinese Jade with Cloissone

I wish I could have bought more of these beads. They're very flat, incized with a floral motif and they're lightweight and translucent. I separated them with green cloissone beads and gold-filled spacers and finished it off with a vermeil flower clasp. This is another one of those Asian-feeling pieces that remind me of kimonos and Chinese brocade. Price; $185.00.

The They Went That-a-Way Necklace

I love Western jewelry. I'm an absolute fool for the kind of things you buy at Indian trading posts in Sante Fe. This piece definitely has that same kind of Native American feeling but is stylish enough to pass for a classic piece of jewelry that will never go out of season. I used really dark dyed carnelian barrels, some very good American turquoise roundels, blinding white opal roundels and some nice Bali silver with a modern boxed swirl silver clasp from my friends at Pacific Silverworks. This piece is priced really well and is quite affordable. Price: $200.00.

MILKY AQUAMARINE SMOOTH BRIOLETTES, 14K GOLD CLASP

Aquamarine, traditionally the March (or even the December) birthstone, comes in all sorts of color and texture variations from the clearest, gem-quality to the roughest unpolished ore. These are milky, translucent rather than transparent. They are pear-shaped briolettes with no facets, but with natural shimmer and luster. I strung them with teensy Charlottes, 22k gold over silver vermeil spacers and finished them off with 14k gold beads and a 14k barrel clasp. The necklace is a true choker, 15" long. Price: $435.00.

DYED CORAL ROUNDELS, CLOISSONE AND VERMEIL FLYING SAUCER BEADS

I love this necklace! The color, the excitement, the Chinese brocade kimono-feel of it. These are 10mm dyed coral roundels interspersed with colorful 14mm cloissone beads separated by a trio of brushed vermeil "flying saucer" roundels. I used vermeil finishing beads and a round, brushed vermeil toggle for the clasp. The length of the piece is 18". This is wear-with-everything kind of jewelry. I'd love to see it with something white for summer or with blue denim or even on a black turtleneck sweater. Fabulous! Price: $265.00.

BLUE DENIM LAPIS LAZULI WITH HILL TRIBES SILVER BUTTERFLY PENDANT

Lapis is such a spiritual stone. These 10 mm beads have some color variation in them, maybe not technically enough light blue to be pure Blue Denim lapis, but certainly an interesting stone in and of itself. I paired them with this gorgeous filigree butterfly made by the Hill Tribes of Thailand. The clasp, a sterling silver flower, and the rest of the beads are Bali silver. Price: $235.00

CHINESE TURQUOISE WITH STERLING SILVER CONCHA ROUNDELS

This piece is very weighty -- both literally and figuratively. Turquoise is a powerful stone and these are striking because of the variation of color and texture in each of the roundels. They're Chinese turquoise, separated by five sterling silver concha-style roundels. The clasp is a massive sterling silver toggle. Probably 16" long, designed to rest on the clavicle, the necklace is rugged, but elegant. Price: $265.00.

Variations on a Turquoise Theme

Vivid green turquoise is a great variation on the turquoise theme. The vibrant spring-like color takes it out of the realm of Native American craft, especially when combined with something utterly unexpected like red/blue/green/gold cloisonne beads and elaborately filigreed vermeil spacers. I had one tiny green turquoise nugget left and used it as the centerpiece here in an uninterrupted strand of color and texture. I finished the piece with a vermeil toggle and ended up with a lovely, affordable necklace.
Price: $200.

HunkaHunka Glamour -- Nuggets of Fluorite with Aquamarine

Sometimes I end up with an odd number of beads that sit around until inspiration strikes. These fluorite beauties, just five of them, languished on the worktable until I made some pieces using opaque aquamarine and some brocade-like cloisonne beads left over. I played with different combinations for a while and came up with this semi-collar. Nothing is really matchy-matchy (something I personally have problems with) but it sort of all goes together anyway. The textures are in high contrast which makes the piece more than interesting. A glamour girl of a necklace. And affordable, too. Price: $225.00.

Celebrating the Southwest -- Turquoise and Tiger Eye

Occasionally, I will find a terrific component -- a fabulously odd bead, unusually-colored crystals or, in this case, an outrageously huge piece of turquoise made into a clasp. It took me quite a while to summon up the courage to string stuff to go on this clasp, but I did it. In a celebration of the American Southwest that looks like it was born in Texas or New Mexico, but is actually a variation of classic Native American jewelry, I combined two different shades of turquoise -- classic Western sky turquoise with earthy green, and contrasted it with the even earthier Tiger Eye with its desert tones. This is a pretty weighty piece -- major showcase stuff that can be worn where you'd imagine wearing a more traditional turquoise piece. Only this one has a high-fashion edge to it -- multiple strands, mixed textures, the subtle glint of decorative silver beads, designed to set off the fabulousness of the Chinese turquoise clasp. Price: $900.00.

Brocade Chinoise -- Aquamarine with Cloisonne

I love how inexpensive this gorgeous reinactment of a Chinese brocaded kimono is. I also love the contrast between the brightly enameled cloisonne beads traced with gold and the almost opaque aquamarine. I picked up the gold in the colored beads with some filigree vermeil spacers and finished it off with a leafy floral vermeil clasp. This is a classic single-strand necklace to wear with silk blouses or jewel neck sweaters. It is decidedly spring-summer in hue, a celebration of sun-drenched days. There are earrings with this piece also. Price: $275.00.

She's Blushing Lavender-Pink Facted Chalcedony Pears

Pink is such a delicious color, especially when it can masquerade as lavender with a glint of iridescence. These chalcedony faceted pears have a color variance that extend from a dainty virginal blush pink or the more intense and worldly lavender-rose. The piece definitely gives off a double-entendre vibe. I combined my gorgeous little pears in this sexy, but lady-like choker, with teensy "Charlotte" beads, 22k gold over sterling silver, and finished it with a round 14k gold bead clasp. Price: $800.00.

Les Graphiques, Multi-Pearl Torsade in Black, White and Gray

I love the whole idea of graphic black and white in jewelry. Black Tahitian pearls are so scarce, they're almost priceless and creamy white Japanese cultured pearls have been popular ever since Marie Antoinette wore a fabled strand, the one that Calvin Klein bought for his once-wife Kelly. That's a million dollar necklace. Well, Les Graphiques, is not all that expensive but it shares the same virtues of its more expensive sisters. This is a unique torsade. I've used five or six different kinds of black, gray and white pearls in all sorts of shapes, highlighted with crystal and silver roundels, but not in the colors you'd expect. There is some gray glitter (almost an oxymoron. Who ever thought gray glittered?) and some crystals the color of tanzanite, a furious blue-purple that seems to pick up the iridescent glint of the peacock pearls -- the deep gray-black ones. I made this necklace longer than the traditional 15-1/2 inch choker length to accommodate women who like longer pieces and larger women on whom 17-inches is choker length. The wearer can twist it to shorten it (hence the name "torsade" which means "twist") or let the individual strands fall where they may. Either way, when the light hits this beauty, it's all sparkle and class. Price: $600.00.

Peru Chalcedony Faceted Nuggets with Pearls

Variations of this little necklace is a very popular one. I've made it with pearls separating the slabs of faceted Peru chalcedony, a lovely, slightly milky aqua stone, with everything from pearls and crystals to contrasting stones of another color. This one has has luminour potato pearls, completed with a silver and blue topaz clasp. Whenever I see chalcedony in this form, I usually get it and make another version. Sorry, this one is SOLD.

Moonstone "Splendor" Pendant with Freshwater Pearls

I love this piece. The simplicity of the freshwater pearls, very large 10 mm baroques, sets off the elegant and slightly exotic moonstone pendant, called a "splendor." I finished this one off with a round twist of marcasite and some simple silver beads. Price: $300.

Five-Strand Coral with Carved Bone Clasp

When I was in San Francisco for a trunk show, an old friend named Sally Debenham, a majesetically tall woman who was once a fitting model for the late designer Bill Blass came by to see my things. she loved the coral tear necklace I was showing but it wasn't spectacular enough for her. So I made her this five-strand beauty. I found the perfect clasp -- a carved bone cameo -- and strung the beads with electric orange-red Swarovski bicone crystals. Needless to say, Ms. Debenham loved it and wears it with a luxurious turquoise duchess satin embroidered foor-length kimono by Oscar de la Renta. Stunning!

Creamy White Tailed Biwa Coins with Turquoise Tears

To a simple choker of creamy white tailed coin pearls, I added colorful turquoise tears and some crystalline Swarovskis for sparkle and finished it with a blue topaz clasp. Price: $150.00

Creating a New Piece