A Day at the Beach!

Recently I was out on the east coast and had to drive up to New Jersey to pick up my new-to-me      

display cases.  Although this is not about my cases, I am so excited about them, I have to show you a picture anyway!  After being stranded with car problems for two days I wasn't quite ready to use them, but I had to bring a small one to my show yesterday, so here it is on the left, totally last minute and unprepared.

At my next show I will probably have all of them, and the display will be looking better than just throwing some stuff in there!  Jewelry display is sure a lot of work!

Anyway, when I picked up the cases we were only about three miles from the ocean, so we thought we really ought to see it while we were there.

I have seen the ocean in Florida, California and Hawaii, and even some more exotic locations like the Philippines, Thailand and China.  But I had never seen the ocean in the northeastern United States.  I have never seen the TV show Jersey Shore, and really have no desire to.  So I really didn't know what to expect, although I can say I didn't have high expectations.  I

boy playing on the beach

guess I pictured a beach with a bunch of trash floating around.

So I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.  The Jersey Shore actually had a very beautiful beach, although it had entirely too many people for my taste.  We ate at a nice place called Charlies Ocean Grill in Longbranch out on a deck with a view of the ocean.  We went down to the beach there, then drove up to the next town to the north where there were a bunch of homes with private beaches.  I think that's where they film the show, but my husband was actually interested in seeing damage from hurricane Sandy.

So anyway, that was the inspiration for my new Day At The Beach collection, featuring handmade jewelry from the JCUIN guild.  Here are just a few of the pieces, click on the picture for more information:

Ocean Jasper  Pendant by Diane's Dangles

This gorgeous stone is Ocean Jasper and it comes from Madagascar.  I'm guessing it gets it's name from it's looks, because it looks like ocean and sand.  You can imagine an ariel view of little tide pools on a sand beach.  Diane has added a sterling bezel and chain, which, as she says, is all it needed.

Larimar and Sterling Silver Ring by Lunar Skies

I don't think I have ever actually seen Larimar in person, but I just love the color of it!  It looks like the turquoise water off a Caribbean beach.  This stone is only found in the Dominican Republic, so now I want to go there and find some of this gorgeous stone.  This larimar and sterlling silver ring is handmade by Quentin of Lunar Skies.  I was so happy when he joined the JCUIN guild, because it meant I got to put his awesome jewelry in my collections!  His studio is full of more like this one!

Funky Fish Earrings by Shanghai Tai

Now time for a little shameless self-promotion.  These are my funky fish earrings.  What day at the beach would be complete without a fish in some kind of condition?  I'm not sure what condition these fish are in, but they are unusual.  I made them by hand from sterling silver using metal clay and then gave them some unique hand forged sterling ear wires.

Beach Pelican Fused Glass Pendant by M2BC

Here is a beautiful miniature work of art by M2BC, which stands for Meant To Be Cherished.  And someone will certainly cherish this pendant that features a pelican on a post in front of a pebble-y beach, white waves, blue sky and pink clouds!  Fused glass is always a little bit of a gamble, but this one turned out beautifully!

Stacked Stone Cairn Pendant by Jan E O Jewelry

I like this pendant because it is so unusual.  It is stacked beach stones.  I did not know what a "cairn" was, so I looked it up.  Turns out it's Gaelic for a "stack of stones".  Who knew?  Well, maybe you did.  These stones come from the Pacific northwest where the artist picks them up on the beach.  Sounds like a good idea, since I never find any sea glass!  She has put copper discs in between that are made from recycled copper.

Mother of Pearl Necklace by Shadow Dog Design

Last, but not least, what visit to the beach would be complete without some shells?  Here is a very pretty mother of pearl necklace by Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs.  I especially like the photography and how she staged the necklace in a heart shape.  With this necklace, even if you're not at the beach, you can take a little of the beach with you!








Well, I hope you enjoyed this little virtual jewelry trip.  When was the last time you went to the beach?