New March Designs - A Lover’s Eye Necklace, Forget-Me-Not Bracelet & Victorian Style Marcasite Necklace

Isabella Lover's Eye Necklace

On the Back - Two sweet little Toumaline hearts and a butterfly float in a sea of white topaz

A hauntingly beautiful hand-painted watercolor of a Lover’s Eye was recently commissioned to marry the charming folklore of it’s antique counterparts with a gorgeous antique Victorian 9k rose gold Repoussé double glazed locket.  This stunning locket, with deeply chased foliate design, is the perfect frame to showcase the very talented beauty of the eye art.  However, there is a very unique surprise on the other side - a diminutive butterfly in 24k gold vermeil, floating in a sea of 2.5 carats of white topaz and two sweet little pink tourmaline hearts.  From the back side, you can also see the artist’s signature and date.

The necklace is composed of sky blue topaz rondelles interspersed with delicate watermelon tourmaline slices stationed along the chain.  This one of a kind design - perfect for the Spring 2012 pastel revolution - is certain to be a conversation piece.

Leah Necklace

Hand-linked faceted pyrite rondelles are joined together with hand-coiled gold pyrite and laser cut Mother-of-Pearl buttons to compliment an antique style marcasite and Mother-of-Pearl pendant.  The combination of mixed metals in silver tones, blackened silver and gold allows the owner to wear this with any combination of other jewelry.  This layering necklace would also be gorgeous mixed with pearls to draw out the MOP buttons.

Dottie Bracelet

Four strands of hand-linked blue flash moonstone rondelles dotted with  every the popular Sleeping Beauty turquoise faceted oval nuggets are the perfect compliment for this antique Georgian Pinchbeck clasp.  The agate clasp features a lovely little turquoise floral design of a Forget-Me-Not flower.  Please note the exquisite Cannetille design that forms the outer ring of the clasp.

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The Tableau Collection - Keepsake Lockets

Too precious! How many of us kept a lock of hair from our children's first haircuts?

Once I get and idea in my head, I can become a little OCD.  Such has been the case this past summer and early fall in my quest to find antique lockets, brooches and clasps that can be used to create little “Tableaus” or pictures.  Historically, these lockets were used to house not only photos of family members and sweethearts, but a lock of their hair.  The hair was often plaited, woven or styled to create a “Prince of Wales” plume.  An interesting fact I discovered - when men/boys went off to fight during the Civil War, they often left behind a lock of hair for their wives and sweethearts in the event they did not come home.  Someone recently said to me, “That’s creepy!”.  Personally, I disagree - as humans we have been collecting hair from our children (first curl/haircut), family, sweethearts and pets as little mementos since the dawn of man.  

Many of these gorgeous lockets and brooches have not survived with the original hair intact, so I think it is only fair to try and preserve the unique workmanship of these gorgeous lockets by incorporating them into little “pictures”.  I have filled the recesses of these lockets with very small gemstones and sometimes, if there is room, a vermeil charm that can tell a story.

via Project Style

Ava Necklace - French Paste Reliquary Brooch with rubies and carved labradorite leaves.

The Ava Necklace was once a reliquary brooch.  The brooch was filled with little rubies, a carved labradorite leaf and a Byzantine cross.  Most antique brooches have a pin that extends outside the diameter of the brooch.  Rather than snip the pin, thus devaluing the piece - a small round bead has been added for comfort.

Palmer-Weiss

Morgaine Necklace - 14k gold Cannetille turquoise locket with 1ct. white topaz.  How cute is this French Napoleonic Bee?

The Morgaine Necklace has a delicate chain of the most minuscule turquoise is interspersed with beautiful blue kyanite faceted beads and flanked by smooth spring-green chrysoprase rondelles.  The dainty chain is the perfect accent to highlight the gorgeous and complex 14K gold cannetille and turquoise locket (ca.1830).  The tiny glass compartment of the locket has been filled with 1ct. of white topaz while a grouping of kyanite, chrysoprase and sleeping beauty turquoise briolette amulets acts as the background for a regal little vermeil Napoleonic bee.  The locket can be easily removed and worn as a brooch.

Katie Stassi

via Design Fabulous

Siren's Song Necklace - Step-faceted aquamarine nuggets & mermaid riding a seahorse on a frothy wave of aquamarine bubbles.

Keeping pace with the recent New York Fashion Week’s Spring 2012 haute couture influence of the mermaid silhouette, the exquisite Siren’s Song Necklace is certain to make a splash.  The gorgeous and highly desirable color-saturated aquamarine faceted nuggets, only serve to enhance the diaphanous antique French silver paste locket (ca. 1900) filled with a 24k gold vermeil mermaid riding a seahorse in a frothy wave of aquamarine bubbles.

Now for the truth - I still have several of these lockets waiting to be made up - it seems as though I can’t resist the gorgeous designs.  If you are interested in having one made up with keepsake elements that represent your life, leave me a little comment or email me at karensugarmanitr@aol.com.

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