I’ve found an edgy new artist that has a ‘Bad to the Bone’ collection of jewelry fit for pirates or bikers!  Watch for new pieces to be uploaded soon, just in time for early holiday shopping. 

Shown here is a ‘Pirate’ bracelet with Gaspeite and 14k gold on a sterling cuff, engraved inside with H-D flames and the inscription ‘Bad to the Bone”

My own newest design for the season, 3 strands of serpentine heishiwith a jade-like quality, dotted with a trail of cultured pearls.  Years ago I fell in love and began collecting the fine jewelry from the Santo Domingo Pueblo Indians. This is a design with that inspiration

I just read a blog that came through about a woman that said she had just found a “Cheap Alternative to Trollbeads!!! I found this website that sells trollbead dupes! They are so pretty and cheap“.  Having been a reputable Trollbeads dealer for well over a year, I had to check it out!  The line she spoke of wasn’t even a good imitation of  the authentic Trollbeads line we have come to know and love.  So Beware of the competition for you will never get investment value back for your cheap product, it will never be guaranteed, it probably will not last a lifetime, and they are cheap because they scimp on quality and look like cheap costume jewelry!  There must be hundreds of artists that can do lampwork glass, yet rarely have I seen such a vast selection of gorgeous styles and designs as what Trollbeads offers.  Trollbeads  has been in business since 1976, and they have earned their reputation.  North America has never seen seen a line of this kind.  Detail, design, and originality are what truly sets Trollbeads apart from the competition.  PS.  Those cheap imitations  will never have the ability to sell for over $200 after being retired as so  many of the highly coveted Trollbeads do!

There is no time like now to begin collecting trollbeads.  With the economy in the state it is, Lund Trading, the US distributor for Trollbeads has seen phenomenal growth this last year!  We all know how highly collectible the retired Trollbeads can be.   All of these were once in the line and sold for $21 to $35.  I’ve seen retired Trollbeads hit auction sites and sell from$50 to ove $400!  It has been over a year since any beads were retired and a new retirement list could come out at anytime.  Customers ask what they should buy and I always can offer just this advice:  Buy what you love and what you can afford.  All the retired beads go up in value.  The ones with the most demand seem to be the most hard to find and the most desirable.  Food for thought from the Trollbeads Trail.

Santa Fe Trail Jewelry has been showcasing the designs of Richard Lindsay for over 6 years.  I have made it my mission each year to buy his featured earrings from his spring shows.  This year he designed the “Mountain Chime” earrings which I just had to have and I have added to my gallery.  I hope to add some of his other styles as I get to it but these are just a preview of his best, most outstanding work available.  Each element is hand made, so the wait can be several months.  I have these and 4 other pairs of fabulous Richard Lindsay originals available.   Watch for them to be added soon! 

Richard says “A hallmark is the registered signature of a master gold and silversmith.  I have chosen as part of my hallmark a triangle, the universal symbol of change.  It represents the three main sources of my artistic inspiration:  my love of nature, wildlife and the outdoors, my roots in the American West and the stories and symbols of American peoples past and present.  This hallmark signifies an authentic Richard Lindsay creation and guarantees enjoyment and inspiration.”

The breathtaking shards of glass Angie Olami uses in her jewelry date from 100 BCE to 300 CE. They were unearthed in Israel by archaeologists sifting through the fallen pillars and once magnificent cities of the Roman Empire.

And how do the colors form? The layers of iridescent colors have evolved gradually over the centuries as part of the glass’s chemical reaction to the sun, the water and the mineral rich earth in which it was buried. There has been glass found in England and Northern Europe dating back at least 1700 yrs, but it lacks the opalescence associated with Roman Glass because the natural phenomenon could not occur in their cold, damp climates. Angie Olami’s suppliers of Roman Glass are all licensed by the Israeli Government Antiquities Authority. Whole vessels are carted off to the museums and archaeologists keep whatever they need for research, the fragments are used in the jewelry design - useless rubble to some but magnificent gems to us!

Angie Olami jewelry is made from the hand blown fragments of ancient perfume pots, juglets, lamps, flasks, vases, cups and bowls. Each fragment varies in thickness, age and composition. Each piece underwent its own unique transformation as it became weathered with layers of patina. If a shard doesn’t sit exactly straight in its bezel, remember it is someone’s ancient wineglass you are wanting to wear as a pendant or as earrings.

Santa Fe Trail Jewelry has been proud to offer the versatile designs of Rebecca McNerney for over 6 years.  Rebecca’s designs combine sterling silver beads & clasps with freshwater pearls.  She also makes sterling silver slides, stackable sterling silver rings, sterling silver charms and hand made sterling chains.  The sterling silver elements are all designed by Rebecca using the lost wax casting technique.  “My work focuses on the textural differences between the silver & the pearls & gemstones that I use.  I like to combine smooth pearls & round stones with textured & oxidized metal.  all of my designs are very simple, and focus on the intrinsic beauty of the materials.”  Rebecca McNerney’s designs are a perfect choice  for gifts.

May 2009 brought a new artist to the store.  I am always hunting for new and inspiring work for my customers.  I invited Shelly to come in and show me her collection titled “Stone” and I had no trouble picking 30 one-of-a-kind pieces.  I sold 6 pieces in the first few days! 

She has designed and created jewelry since she was a young child.  Her first jewelry gallery show was at the age of 18.  She is a recent honors graduate of Laguna College of Art and Design.  When Shelly’s not traveling around the world, she spends her time in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
 

The sterling silver jewelry incorporates stones she hand selected, or in some cases had custom carved for her, on her journey.  Today Shelly buys many of her stones directly from the miners in Colorado and enjoys cutting, polishing and doing the lapidary work herself.
 

Shelly travels to the tropical island of Bali, in Indonesia, several times a year where she works side-by-side with many talented metal smiths and their families in remote villages to produce her one-of-a-kind pieces. A purchase of Stone jewelry helps boost  the economy and well being of the recently hard-hit Balinese people.

Darlene Armstrong is a self taught metalsmith with most of her informal training coming out of Adult Education Beginning and Intermediate Jewelry classes she attended in 1988  and 1989, as well as a semester of casting and other metal-smithing skills at Front Range Community College, Denver, Colorado in 1998.

She has spent 20 years diligently working, experimenting and honing her many skills in her own jewelry studio. She continues taking jewelry related classes and workshops in order to enhance her design options to supply to her galleries with fresh and appealing jewelry designs.

“I believe “true artists” are those who are compelled to create works of art, whether or not they choose to sell the work.  Artists create works of beauty for the “Soul” purpose of pursuing their heart’s desire and I believe, are actually conduits for God’s Spirit to bring into existence, through the artist’s hands, wonderful gifts to enhance the world.  When an artist is in love with the medium he/she works in, that love translates into a tangible energy that gets infused into the work and that energy can be felt by the person handling or viewing the piece.  I believe when any object of art (whatever medium) is suffused with the happiness and love of the artist, the piece FEELS exciting and desirable.  The response is visual and emotional. The skill, intention, devotion and love of the creative process is what I believe ultimately sells the work of an artist. “

Sharon Schaffner has been designing jewelry for 30 years and has  been recognized in local, national and international shows and galleries.  Her current work is titled “Faces” and reveals her fascination with different cultures and unique stones.

She has traveled extensively, has worked with other cultures and is a teacher in metal and jewelry design.

Beautiful in its simplicity and showing character through its richness and warmth, this type of jewelry can be worn  to any type of outing and makes a wonderful gift, even if it is for yourself!

Sharon’s current work reveals her fascination with different cultures.  Originally inspired by the Northwest Coast Indian primitive sculptures, the designs exhibit influences from numerous cultures and many travels.

Sharon Schaffner works directly in the metal, allowing the material an expression of its own and achieving  greater spontaneity of form.  Contrast of textures and shapes, and the use of unique stones both precious and non-precious enhance the total design.