Follow Elena Adams on her jewelry adventures. www.elena-adams.com
Posted in Jewelry News on Jul 27th, 2010
Crisp, fresh green peridot is so pretty, which works beautifully with lots of other colors. It easily transitions from spring to fall palette and is the birthstone for August. Pronounced “peh-ree-doh”, it is widely mined throughout the world, including in USA, Australia, Brazil, China, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. It is a variety of Olivine, and [...]
Posted in Designing Jewelry, Jewelry & Design Events, Jewelry News on Jul 23rd, 2010
I have been working crazily the last few weeks getting ready to release a whole new collection in time for fall. I’m finding the slightly industrial look, combined with smokey grays and blacks really inspiring, and using fall favorite colors like deep purple and endive to brighten them up. Here’s a little peak at one [...]
Posted in Jewelry & Design Events, Jewelry News, Other Announcements on Jul 20th, 2010
It’s my birthday! I know, I can’t believe CNN didn’t cover it either. To help you get over that shocking failure of the mainstream media, get 25% off today only by using code: birthday Sale ends tonight, July 20th at midnight Pacific Time, so start shopping. You must enter the code to receive the discount. [...]
Posted in Jewelry News on Jul 16th, 2010
Grab your earplugs, boys and girls, because after an day of being bombarded with diamond ads while researching upcoming trends, I have a bone to pick with the world. It’s the height of wedding season, which means all the unwed ladies have stars in their eyes and are starting to leave engagement ring advertisements littered [...]
Posted in Jewelry News on Jul 13th, 2010
For those of you that don’t know it, Polyvore is a site for creating fashion-themed collages. Brands, designers and users can bookmark clothing, shoes and accessories from the internet, and then users can create little showcases for blogs and other media. I’ve used it a few times to show how to wear some of my [...]
Posted in Jewelry News, Marketing and Web Design on Jul 9th, 2010
Its crafting time! The time for my old jewelry photography light box to retire has come. Lined with paper to reflect light back on the jewelry it did a pretty good job, but the paper was looking sad, the cardboard a mess, and I found another blog with a great idea for getting good results. [...]
Posted in Designing Jewelry, Jewelry News on Jul 6th, 2010
If you’ve been keeping up with my chain maille videos, you will have seen the double helix chain instructions. It’s one of my favorites, and when you wind two strands together they form a thick rope. When I was teaching classes at The Bead Shop one of my popular sessions was hand-making small amounts of [...]
Posted in Designing Jewelry, Jewelry News on Jul 2nd, 2010
It seems that the better you know someone the more trouble you have finding just the right gift. I get into a ball of stress every year trying to find something meaningful for my sister, but every now and then I hit on an idea that works out beautifully, if I do say so myself. [...]
Posted in How To Make Jewelry Video, Jewelry News on Jun 29th, 2010
It’s time for a more challenging weave! Full Persian is a really tricky one to start – a higher aspect ratio leaves lots of room at first, making it harder to tell how to hold it and where to connect your rings. It’s a good idea to develop a collection of “starter sets” – keep [...]
Posted in Jewelry News on Jun 25th, 2010
I love that one of my all-time favorite gemstones is my birthstone! Ruby, the red version of blue sapphire, is one of the top precious stones, along with sapphire, diamond and emerald. An incredibly popular stone, beading-grade ruby is nearly always dyed, to produced a stunning, but opaque, finish. Natural rubies are commonly mined in [...]
Posted in Jewelry & Design Events, Jewelry News on Jun 21st, 2010
On Saturday I hit San Francisco for the Thread indie designer showcase. There was such a spectacular range of creators, super high energy, great music and even a central fashion show. I thought I’d post a handful of photos I snapped throughout the day. You know how addicted to chain I am, so of course [...]
Posted in Designing Jewelry, Jewelry News on Jun 18th, 2010
This long-strand necklace was really therapeutic to make. Normally making chain is a lot like knitting, in that I can just sit down and go for hours, but I always need to pay a little attention here and there, counting rings, checking symmetries and so on. This necklace formed very organically. Most jump ring lovers [...]
Posted in Designing Jewelry, Jewelry News on Jun 15th, 2010
I have a terrible memory. There’s a reason I write things down, because if I don’t and I see a moth, the thought is gone for good. After a bead show I come home with a truckload of things that caught my eye, and I spend a long time finding homes for all my new [...]
Posted in Jewelry News on Jun 11th, 2010
I’m going to try something here: every now and then I’ll post something random from around my apartment. Some of it will be fashion related, some will give me a platform to talk about myself, and some will just be an excuse to play with my camera. I’ve always loved glass jars. I’m not sure [...]
Posted in Jewelry News on Jun 8th, 2010
I am the proud owner of two new, gigantic handbags that I really didn’t need. How could I resist them, when this season has brought back jumbo bags with zippers, detailing and colors that would defeat even the most budget-conscious girl? The biggest downside of my new lovelies is that they don’t have a whole [...]
Posted in Jewelry News on Jun 4th, 2010
There, I said it. Half of you are probably already drafting hate mail, plenty of you either have no idea what that is or don’t care, but hopefully, just a few of you are agreeing with me. Let me explain. I’ve watched quite a lot of the show, including the first movie, so don’t barrage [...]
Posted in How To Make Jewelry Video, Jewelry News on May 28th, 2010
I find the easiest way to learn anything new is to figure out how it relates to something you already know and then learn the differences. It applies to a lot of things, but especially so to chain making. If you’ve had a chance to look at my Byzantine tutorial, you’re going to find Queen’s [...]
Posted in Jewelry News, Other Announcements on May 26th, 2010
May has just about come and gone, which means you only have a few days left to enter the jewelry giveaway. Get over there right now and leave your comment on why you want to enter. The prize is worth $270 so what are you waiting for?
Posted in Jewelry News on May 24th, 2010
I love moonstone. Silky white and gray, with occasional peach pieces are just wonderful. Moonstone is an element of the moon, as is silver, so they make the perfect pairing. It’s incredibly popular in pagan jewelry and this simple color suits anyone. Moonstone is a gem-quality feldspar (same family as labradorite), most commonly found in [...]
Posted in Jewelry News on May 21st, 2010
I thought, as part of my 5 year anniversary celebrations, I’d tell you a little more about me. As many of you know, I was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, and I moved to the US about six years ago so my husband could go to school at Stanford. We can’t get over what an [...]
