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.