Capolino

I had a relatively queit day yesterday so I managed to get some pieces done - I love it when something just clicks together - from the moment I purchased these beads I just "knew" what to do with them!!

The beads are a blue with amythest and sky blue glass and mixed with Karen Hill Tribe they are just delicious!!

I know I didn't want to mention the weather AGAIN but trully there isn't much else to talk about - there are flood everywhere and the poor people whose homes have been invaded by the smelly water must be beside themselves. It really does break my heart to see them on the tv news.

Although here in Cornwall the weather has been atrocious we haven't see that many floods - can you believe its nearly July - WE NEED SOME SUN!!!! Come on everyone do a sun dance - Ohhhh great name for my next piece!!!!

© Gemheaven 2007

Indian Summer

Well those of us in the UK are hoping for one anyway!!

The weather is horrendous here (am I repeating myself lol) with gales and rain so heavy and continuously falling it has flooded many parts of the country. Instead of the heatwave of last year we are in coats, carrying umbrellas and its more welly boots then flip flops!

Anyway this is the name of my latest piece which will be on the website from July 1st - the silk ribbon colour is fabulous - the deepest fuschia pink -- delicious :) Mary Parker of Flamingo Beads created these fabulous boro beads - the colours are fantastic and I wish my photography picked it up better!

Don't forget to submitt for my newsletter on the website for the chance to win some earrings ;)

© Gemheaven 2007

How depressing!

The weather here in the UK stinks - its wet and windy and more like March than June and everybody you speak to seems to be depressed or low because of it - where is the sun???

Tomorrow I was supposed to be having my hair cut but friends from Spain (My old boss when I worked in a photographers) are here for a week and they asked to see me - I can't wait I haven't seen them for 4 yrs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (scary thought I probably weigh a lot more since I last saw them )

I have been busy making I still have commissions coming out of my ears (I finish one and get more - not that I'm complaining its definately keeping me busy!!)

This one is called Bali Butterfly made with 10mm turquoise and Bali silver with a fabulous Bali silver butterfly clasp

The earrings are called Bali Babe

© Gemheaven 2007

Atlantis set

I worked on this netting set for many hours, but it was well worth it. It looks so regal both against the well tanned and the fair skin.
In creating this set, I used Japanese Toho beads, the most even beads to work with, which give this set a very delicate and classy look.

For interest in this set, or the single items, please send me an email at marika dot charalambous at gmail dot com.

In the Pink...Drusies, Too!

I"ve still been busy, but have stayed at the studio late to make a few things so that the website doesn't start to look bare! I forced myself to use the marvelous lampwork beads above, created by Lynn Nurge, although I was enjoying having them where I could look at them everyday. They are one of my favorite glass colours, a pink opal. The almost teal green center of the flower and swirl on the swirl beads is lovely, too. I mixed the lampwork with green apatite beads that have a touch of teal in them and with rose quartz. The bracelet is made so that the flower should be on top of the wrist, almost like a wrist corsage and can be seen on our lampwork bracelets page as can another new lampwork bracelet with soft shell-like opal lampwork, too. I've also been fortunate enough to find some good drusy beads, so I have been trying to use some of them, also. I love to mix them with dendrite opal as you can see here above and below in the earrings and bracelet. The translucent greyish-looking rondelles in the bracelet are actually ocean jasper. The huge focal is a drusy, of course, and so are the biggest beads near the toggle clasp. These can be seen on our Drusy Jewelry page.

The bracelet below is made of dark pink opals and lampwork beads mixed with sterling silver. The pink opals are really a bit darker in real life than the picture actually indicates, and the lampwork beads are luscious. I chose opals with dark inclusions because they were also those that were the darkest pink, and I wanted them to match the wonderful lampwork beads.

Finally, the bottom earrings are made with the "bumpy" lampwork beads that went with the set of lampwork from the first flower bracelet above. They are on our Lampwork Earrings page.

Meanwhile, the pool looks very inviting and I need to work on my tan (yes, I tan, but I don't burn), but it seems that there is always something else to do. In about 2 weeks, we are having a large part of our downstairs carpeting ripped up and wood floors put down; we're putting tile and a new shower in our bathroom and a Jacuzzi tub upstairs.
What a mess it will be! But at least it will give me an excuse to go early to the office/studio and come home late.


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Musings on how people affect us without realising

I was reading the other day a thread on a jewelry forum about 'how did you first get into making jewelry?'.
I started thinking back and then I realised that it all happened thanks to a particular somebody, quite by coincidence.

In my previous job I had a colleague living in South Africa and once when she came to the Cyprus office, she brought a couple of girls some 'native' gifts. She brought me a (loomed, later I figured out) bracelet that I quite liked and had it on for a while. The beading was so nice even on the bracelet, and I became quite curious as to how it was done. I started researching on Google, and the rest is history...

I'm sure she doesn't even know that I have to thank her the many hundreds of dollars that I spent on beads, threads, books, magazines, findings, and on the countless hours I spent making jewelry piece after piece... all thanks to her giving me that bracelet which she must have completely forgot about in the meantime...

Another example of one of those major synchronicities that change the course of our lives, while at the time it happened, it seemed ah so innocent :-)

I'm still here!!!

I've had this hayfever thing which is driving me potty - well I think it is - cold, headaches , lethargy so there's something up and this has been going on for 3 weeks now :'(

Anyway the website has changed a little I've changed the sections - Sea gems, Earth Gems, Glass gems which seems to go more with Gemheaven - comments are much appreciated ;)

I have made something for the Sea gems section - this is where everything which is inspired by the sea and beaches around me here in Cornwall.

This one is Rashleigh Pebbles - named after the local village of Charlestown where there is a fabulous pebbley beach - great history here too which I will try and write a bit for the website ...later

© Gemheaven 2007

Potawatomi weave

I started working with these ugly colored beads a few days ago and I kept ripping apart everything as I didn't like the colors at all. Finally this morning while browsing through an older Bead&Button magazine, I found the weave for a choker, called Potawatomi weave, and it just all clicked. I started it in the morning, then I went with hubby to the beach, and in the afternoon when I came home, I finished it. Now that it's done, I don't find the yellow-petrol color so ugy, it actually starts to grow on me, lol.
And with this, one more done for my challenge! I used the weave from Bead&Button Feb.03

Spring roll

I started this bracelet months ago and I eventually got bored of it. Spirals do tend to get boring after a while, as they progress so slowly...Today I decided I will finally finish it, so here is the result. Easy spring/summer colors, going nicely with a tan (which I hope to get tomorrow as it will be my first day at the beach this year!).

Two days to go

I've been busy tryying to finish a few things off today ready to start my inventory for Saturday - I have to go into my dh's work again tomorrow and finish what I should have finished today if it wasn't for the VAT return so I have to get on with it tonight - busy busy!!
Here's my first necklace called Over the Rainbow lampwork by Red Hot Sal and mixed with swaovski crystals and silver - on a chain ( Of course its sterling ;0) ) !

I love this bracelet called Trio a mixture of Kyanite, fw pearls and Labrodite - see the blue flashes - gorgeous!!!!! With a simple sliding clasp.

© Gemheaven 2007

On synchronicity again

At the recommendation of a friend, I ordered a book called Life Lessons by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.
I started reading it this afternoon and I am already halfway through it. It is a wonderful book, full of insights about life, love, death, all there is. It is not something new for me, as I have read several other great books basically telling the same things, by Wayne Dyer, Dick Sutphen, Rosemary Altea, or the wonderful Conversations with God by Neil Donald Walsch, of which I actually finished the first in the series of three yesterday. If there is anyone who has not read yet Elisabeth Kubler-Ross or Neil Donald Walsch's books, I highly recommend that you pick them up. In there you will find the greatest truths about life that you already knew but you didn't know you knew them.

But why did I pick this subject for my blog entry?
Today something - I could say - funny happened at work. The secretary was away for two weeks on holiday, so all the external calls were transfered to my phone. Today she was back, but the IT guys forgot to transfer the main line back to her, so I got a phone call from a woman with a funny accent. She was sort of confused, and didn't even know whom she was calling. Had no idea how she got our company's number, but there she was. She apologized profoundly for the call and asked if I knew a Hungarian musician in Cyprus (pianist I think).
I was totally surprised of her inquiry because there she was, a Hungarian calling the last minute I was still able to pick up the main line - me a Hungarian as well.
I told her I don't know any Hungarian musician in Cyprus, but funny enough, I am Hungarian myself. Now in Cyprus Hungarians are quite rare, it's not like you walk on the street and every third person is Hungarian. Anyway we got into talking and at some point the line got cut. I thought that was it, but then after a few minutes she called again and we continued talking. Even after she understood I could not help her, she called me back to talk with me more in Hungarian. We really connected for a few minutes. This encounter make a rather dull morning at work become something special.
I was totally puzzled by this particular occurance and as I know there are no coincidences in this life, I was wondering what was its meaning. Then I shrugged it off and went about my business as usual.
This afternoon, at home, while I was reading the Life Lessons book, I came upon a particular paragraph which I will cite here below:

"There's no such thing as an insignificant or accidental relationship. Every meeting, encounter, or exchange, with everyone from a spouse to an anonymous telephone operator, no matter how brief or profound, how positive, neutral, or painful, is meaningful. And in the grand scheme of things every relationship is potentially important, for even the most trivial encounter with a passing stranger can teach us a great deal about ourselves. Every person we encounter holds the possibility of sending us to happiness, to a loving place in the mind[...]."

I'd like to hope that those few minutes on the phone brought the woman just as much joy and few careless and loving minutes as they brought me today.

When these kinds of synchronicities are happening to me or around me - and lately they have slowly but surely increased in number - I believe that I am on my right path, and God or the universe or whatever you want to call it, is telling me to go on, on this path, that I am exactly where I am supposed to be in my spiritual journey and in my life.

My first book review for June

Here is my review for June's Bookmooch TBR club. Just fnished the book and it was great!
To give you a glimpse of what the book is about...

Sherry Moore is blind, beautiful and has a gift. She can see the deceased's last 18 seconds by touching their hand. And she uses this gift to help police solve various crimes...

Read the rest in my review.

Coral, Coral, and a New Computer!

Ahhh....I have a new computer! Hooray for me! The last computer basically melted down; we even had to reinstall Windows XP on it to get it to work! But a new computer also means more work because there are many bits of data that I want to organize differently and more efficiently on my new computer. So I've been busy, but I have had a bit of time to list some jewelry.

I love coral for summer! From the top bracelet, the simple pearl and peachy coral, to the bottom red coral necklace, I love almost every piece of coral jewelry that I make - and want to wear it

Coral is also a great mixer - another reason that I love it. It mixes well with all kinds and colours of gemstone beads as well as lampwork glass. It looks great with gold and with silver.

My favorite bracelet has to be the blue coral bracelet (the second bracelet from the top) that is mixed with sterling silver dendrite opal and a sparkling drusy! Little charms (sea themed, naturally) dangle from various places on the bracelet. I've also added some ocean jasper that is almost translucent and little keishe pearls in a dark silver.

I finally used some of the most gorgeous, big, etched lampwork beads in coral and a frost that I've ever had. I've been waiting for the right colour of coral and finally got it. Again, the sea themed sterling charms just for fun!

This bracelet is all 14 karat gold fill mixed with lampwork boro beads, ocean jasper, lapis, coral, turquoise, and smokey quartz. I would never have mixed those particular gemstone beads, but I was playing with designs for a commision and the customer requested these gemstones. She decided to go with the sterling, but by then, I decided to go ahead and make the bracelet since I liked it a lot.

Finally, lapis and lampwork once again with long branches of twiggy red coral in this coral necklace. The lampwork beads are from James Derrick Reeves (and you know how much I love his truly excellent beads).

Did I mention that one of the reasons I like coral is because it looks wonderful against summer skin - that is, bare skin, lightly tanned to dark. So very, very sexy with something strapless!

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