Three Too Many...

In my twenties my co-worker, Debra, was diagnosed with breast cancer.  In my thirties my neighbourhood friend, Allison, was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Now in my forties my friend, Debbie, is diagnosed with breast cancer.  One for each decade and I am just one person ... that's three too many.  How many do you know?  How many do we not know?

For the second year in a row, I have created a small jewelry set in support of Breast Cancer Research.  I have created a simple necklace with a pink swarovski crystal pendant and three fine silver beads at the side to represent the three survivors that I know.  I have made a beaded bracelet in a pink jade semi-precious stone with a pewter breast cancer symbol.  I have brought back my fine silver link & pink swarovski crystal channel charm earrings.  The necklace & bracelet are $65 each & the earrings are $45.  Twenty percent of the sale of these pieces will be donated to the breast cancer organization and will be sold exclusively through my website www.orangeavocado.ca and through the lovely store "mbellish" in Sherwood Park.

I hate cancer; I love my friends.

Art Deco Movement: Fall/Winter Collection

I love the transition from my sketches to the actual production of my jewelry. This year my sketches have been inspired by the Art Deco movement of the 1920’s and 30’s. I have taken the stylistically simplistic forms of geometric shapes and deconstructed them into pieces of jewelry art.  The Art Deco era was also representative of the German Bauhaus movement in architecture; think modular shapes and clean lines that flow from one piece of furniture to another. I can’t get enough of the flow of the basic geometric shapes; when combined in the most creative of ways produces strong yet beautiful pieces of jewelry.  So here it is Art Deco relived ... with an Orange Avocado Jewelry spin!

Dear Hadar Jacobson: It was an honour

Dear Hadar Jacobson:

It was an honour to learn over the course of 4 days the art of metal clay through the eyes of an artist.  You have opened my eyes and taught me skills in mixing patterns of different metals to a higher level.  The art of Mokume Gane came alive with your techniques and inspired all of us to create outside of our boxes.  You are a woman of exceptional talent; I am humbled by your humility and unlimited knowledge. Over 4 days I was inspired by my fellow artisans who all came from different backgrounds of metalworking, glass working and jewelry making.  I am a speck in a sea of endless talent and beautiful women (and one token male) who want to learn, share knowledge and just do what they love to do...make some jewelry one piece at a time.  What a refreshing outlook on artisan made jewelry in a world of mass production.  

Thank you ladies

Thank you Hadar

Versatility - Orange Avocado Jewelry Pendant Clips

Versatility to your Life: Pendant Clips

I love to mix and match my jewelry with what I am wearing. Sometimes I like to wear a short necklace and sometimes I like to wear a long one but with the same pendant. My Orange Avocado Jewelry Pendant Clips solve that problem! I love my convertible long and short necklace with I can wear at short at 17” by putting the sterling silver toggle through a link, or long with my tanks and t-shirts by opening up the chain. Depending on my mood, I may choose my simple rose bronze heart pendant, or for a little more impact I wear my Three Bronze Pendant Clip with the necklace. I own a few of those name necklaces and add a Bronze Double Cloud link to it to add a mix of metals to my jewelry. The combinations are endless and unpredictable...just like my Orange Avocado Jewelry!

Enjoy!

Something Old...Something New...ETSY!!

Selling ONLINE...

As if I wasn't busy enough ... I decided to officially sell my Orange Avocado Jewelry Line on ETSY. I discovered ETSY in 2008, an online market for handcrafted goods, but I never really gave it a chance. I felt that I was busy enough with making and selling my jewelry at a multitude of trade shows throughout the year and in all of my fantastic stores in Canada. I loved meeting all of my customers, creating one of kind pieces for some, and representing the essence of my jewelry to my customers. That also meant a lot of time away from my family at these shows. My kids are getting older, but they need me even more after school hours. So in an effort to reduce the number of shows that I do a year (still doing my spring and Christmas shows!!) and spend more time with my family I decided to give ETSY a go. So here is the link to my shop online.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/orangeavocado

Give it try because I am!!

Rose Bronze: A Romantic Interlude ... Spring and Summer Collection Part II

We turn to colour to add life and spirit to our day. Shades of red have always been associated with passion, love, and sweetness. We are all passionate about something; sometimes we know what it is, sometimes it is is something to be discovered.

My Rose Bronze Collection is about passion, love and all that is sweet. The soft shades of my handcrafted rose bronze pieces is a perfect complement to my handcrafted sterling & fine silver pieces and Hill Tribe rose gold. A match made in heaven.

Enjoy xoxo

Caste Away - Spring/Summer Collection - Part 1

This past summer was filled with honing my silversmithing skills. I knew that I wanted to caste bits of nature; something that I love to be around all of the time. These branches were collected while watching my kids in their cross country running races in Gold Bar Park in Edmonton. I had bundles of branches in my hands waving and cheering my kids on in their races. I will look at these casted silver branches and they will remind me when my kids were in grade 7 and 9 ...running their hearts out.

It is mesmerizing watching your silver turn into molten silver and carefully pouring it into your caste. This traditional process, although centuries old, remains the same in its steps. And with a little help of modern technology each piece turns out unique, but perfect in composition. These branches are made out of sterling and fine silver (99.9% silver) and are simple, stunning and airy pieces of jewelry.

Holiday Collection 2011

I am thankful for many things in my life: my family, my friends and good health. I have been blessed with many choices in my life. One of those choices is the ability to do what I love to do: watch my kids grow up, share special moments with my husband, and reach for the stars. One of those stars is the ability to create jewelry that is an expression of me. My Orange Avocado Jewelry Christmas 2011 line reflects the choices that we have: keys to open doors to places and experiences that life has to offer us.

These elegant necklaces have been composed of genuine Swarovski Crystals with my handcrafted fine silver (99.9% silver) links and Karen Hill Tribe fine silver vintage keys and fine silver faceted nuggets. They are 34" in length with the ability to wear it long or doubled as a shorter necklace. The faceted fine silver nugget necklace is a stunning pure silver necklace with entwined fine silver handcrafted links and a stunning Swarovski Crystal pendant. The matching bracelet represents the love that I feel for family and friends. Wishing all a beautiful holiday season. Enjoy.

Fall and Winter Collection: Cloud Links

Nature inspires most of my creations. My Cloud Link Collection represents really what Orange Avocado Jewelry is all about. It is the element of irregularity, the unusual and alittle bit of edge to my jewelry that makes it different from the rest. My Cloud links have been individually made and entwined with one or more links to create a cascading flow of bronze...perfect for fall and the Christmas season. Mixing it up with black and silver agate semi-precious stones, smokey quartz and charcoal swarovski pearls makes a perfect complement to any outfit. Each piece has been handcrafted by me, fired in my kiln for 5 hours and then composed into little works of art for your wrist and neck. Little clouds of jewels; so light and airy, so perfect for you. Enjoy!

Distracted ... Warm winter cowl necks!

Before I made jewelry, I used to knit. I used to knit ALOT. I loved working with many colors at one time. I would sketch an image on graph paper and transpose those drawings to my sweaters. I would knit everywhere: in the car, in bed, at the movie theatre (crazy I know!). I have dug up my old knitting needles and have started to knit again. My daughter commented to my husband, "mom's knitting again"... as if this were another addiction (well sort of!!).

I am very excited to present to you "Orange Avocado" Accessories. These first pieces are handknit by only me so the quantities will be very limited. I have created beautiful, luxurious and warm winter cowl neck pieces. I have carefully chosen a chunky wool/acrylic blend yarn; wool for warmth and acrylic for body and strength. The yarn is characterized by multiple textures and the pieces are machine washable. The colors are punctuated with little surprise hues and huge funky buttons:

• "Citron yellow" mixed with mustards and pinks,
• "Maui Blues" with autumn oranges,
• "Mocha" with aqua blues, and my favorite
• "Mulberry" with coral and lavender hues.

These are not your typical color combinations, but they go beautifully together and "Orange Avocado" is anything by typical.

Stay warm this winter!!

Bring on the Summer!

I love the natural feel and look of wood. It can take on so many hues and forms. Tiger Ebony Wood is a favorite of mine with its exotic striations; each bead is unique from the next. There is an elegance of this wood that is the new tone of brown for this summer. Alternately, the soft sun-bleached tint of my natural wood jewelry contrasts beautifully against the dark brown of the Tiger Ebony Wood. I wear these pieces with my favorite tank tops and summertime t-shirts. Layer the bracelets; mix the woods. Bring on summer!

Thank you; My friends and My Family

I like to think that my Orange Avocado Jewelry business is a one man show. I design the jewelry, I make the jewelry, and I market the jewelry. However, after each one of my Spring and Christmas shows, I realize that it is far from that. If it weren't for my friends (Sandra), my family (Debbie, Rayna, Roma, Kim (my mom who couldn't make it this year), and my wonderful daughter (Erin) I wouldn't be able to do it. I ask each time for their help and no one hesitates to leave their very busy lives and help me for a day. And it is a very long day. I'm running on adrenaline; they are running on friendship. So thank you.

My Orange Avocado Jewelry Spring was another great success and I welcome each year old and new faces to my show. Thank you to my loyal fans of Orange Avocado Jewelry. You make it fun for me to do this each day and night!

Silver on the Rise...Feeling It

I learned my craft of silversmithing from a talented silver and goldsmith about 6 years ago. I took private lessons and slowly learned how to make art out of sheets of sterling silver, bundles of silver wire, and made molten silver out of my silver scraps. That was then; this is now. I just met my teacher a few months ago and she nolonger sells her jewelry actively because she cannot afford the silver at the prices that it is now. She thankfully teaches her craft to others, but she cannot keep up with the rising silver costs. Now that is a shame.

Silver, once at $18.00 an ounce when I began silversmithing, closed at over $46 an ounce yesterday. Although I feel that I have priced my jewelry to reflect the materials plus the labour that I put into the pieces, I must now increase the price of my jewelry to reflect the increase in silver prices. Despite all of this, my prices will only rise approximately %10 to %15 and I will continue to absorb alot of these rising costs. Prices will only increase AFTER my Orange Avocado Spring Show on April 27th, Wednesday. So hopefully this is a temporary phase and silver will become affordable to all that love the art of silversmithing.

Giving Back...

Glori Meldrum, Founder of the Little Warriors charity organization contacted me back in November 2010 to arrange a meeting with me. I was asked to design a jewelry line for her charity organization. Ideas flew around the room for the next 2 hours as we talked about the organization: education and prevention of child sexual abuse. We talked about Glori: founder of g-squared and trafik interactive. We talked about what I could create: something unique and special to Little Warriors.

So here it is.

I am proud of it. I am proud to be associated with Little Warriors.

I am honored to be connected with Glori Meldrum.

The entire jewelry line can be found on Facebook under "Little Warriors" and soon to be on their website http://www.littlewarriors.ca/ Fifty percent of all sales of this jewelry line will be donated to the organization.

Spring & Summer Collection 2011: Vintage Found Objects

When I watch my kids at times, I want time to stand still. I wish that I had a snapshot of each special moment. Then the next day happens and we forget. But we do carry momentos: a first doll, an amazing drawing, or just a pair of old glasses.

I have come upon so many beautiful vintage keys, watch faces, keyhole openings: all found objects. I have combed through many vintage shops and gathered a treasure trove of collectible findings. These objects once had a home in a historic printing office, a bank, or a jeweler's bench. Each find is one of a kind and unique.

And now it is time to relive these found objects in beautiful pieces of jewelry combined with my handcrafted pure bronze and fine silver pieces. I largely composed my Spring 2011 Collection around beholding a piece of time gone by in a piece of jewelry. Each piece geniunely unique; each piece representing a little bit of history.

Here is a sneak peek of my Spring & Summer 2011 Collection.

Enjoy.

Fall and Winter Collection: The River Valley

Running and biking in the Edmonton river valley brings me daily to the ever changing hues of fall: leaves turn a golden yellow and fall upon the different shapes of rocks. Each day the scenery is different; each day the colors are different. It is ever-changing and always evolving.

My current jewelry line highlights how sometimes the most elementary shapes of circles, squares and rectangles complement each other. My fall and winter collection highlights a free flow of layer upon layer, color upon color; always changing. The elegance of Swarovski crystal pearls and crystals highlight the matte glow of each piece of precious metal that I use. Each piece of silver, bronze, gold, and copper element is handcrafted by me. Sometimes imperfect in its solitude, but perfect in their unity.

Enjoy.

Family Necklaces and Bracelets: What's in a Name

Names of our children, a name of a loved one, names of friends and names of endearment; they hold so much meaning and uniqueness to each one of us. They represent an era and a moment in your own history. For each family name necklace or bracelet I make for someone, they tell a story. Sometimes that story is told to me, sometimes it is held secret to one's heart. I have made necklaces for first time moms, grandmothers and daughters. I have made necklaces for four girls graduating from highschool, each possessing a square pendant with the four names of friends that may come and go, but are here now. Each has their own story, each story special and unforgettable.

2010 Collection - Inspired by Kailua, Hawaii

Every time I travel to see my sister in Hawaii, I revisit many new-found traditions. Mornings begin with runs with my son along roads lined with palm trees, blooming plumeria and birds of paradise. I am collecting shells off the beaches of the North Shore with my daughter. We drive along the mountains shaped by the vertical lava forms of years gone by. It is all that is natural, raw and untouched.

I share my 2010 collection with you sprinkled with finds from Kailua, Hawaii: shiva shells, lava rocks, pyrite…shaped by the sea, sand and by hand. My pure bronze and silver handcrafted elements and my love of semi-precious stones complete many of my pieces of jewelry.
Each piece is natural, raw and unique.
Enjoy.

Kids Up Front: One Heart Bead at a Time

Childhood memories stand the test of time. Childhood experiences shape the person that he or she is to become. For the last 3 years I have been involved with the Kids Up Front organization and have had the privilege of sharing what I know of jewelry making to a group of children who otherwise do not have opportunities like I did as a child. We call the event "One Heart Bead at a Time". I have been so lucky to share what I know with children from the "Big Sisters, Little Sisters" organization and the "Yellowhead Youth Centre" just to name a couple. The Kids Up Front organization is a non-profit society that collects unused tickets and monetary donations to have children experience things that we take for granted: a hockey game, horse back riding lessons, trips to the zoo...an afternoon of jewelry making. It is only a small thing that I can give back to a world that has given so much to me and my own children. Thank you to Karla & Christine for organizing this each year, and Gail & Diane for sharing this experience with the kids. More information about how you can donate tickets or money can be found at www.kidsupfrontedmonton.com Thank you.

Bronze: The Other Gold

My discovery of bronze clay has been my inspiration for this last year. Only a few pieces can be kiln fired at a time for 5 hours, which makes this process a time-honored labour of love and excitement. I love burnishing away the first layer of sintered bronze to reveal a beautiful warm golden piece of bronze. But it is what you do with your piece of art that makes it worth it all. Alone it is stunning, alongside fine silver it is beautiful. This piece is just a peek of my upcoming 2010 Spring and Summer Collection. Enjoy.