Roman Glass Mania

Roman Glass Stacked Earrings

The aged look of Roman glass, with its scaling and irregular shapes, is attractive to me and I have used it often the past year in my earring designs. The aqua and yellow green you see in these earrings are among the most common colors, but every once in awhile I get ahold of some cobalt blue that is more unusual. Much of the Roman glass available for jewelry making is found in excavations along the "Silk Road" trading route through Afghanistan and Pakistan. Another major source of Roman glass is Israel, along the Mediterranean shore and in the Judean desert.

My earring design is a simple stack and wrap with tubes of Roman Glass in aqua and yellow green, separated by copper spacers and rusty orange Czech glass accents. I thought they would be more interesting with the colors reversed from one another, so that part was intentional and not a result of my lack of sleep. The wonderful ancient looking ribbed copper metal clay drops that I have wrapped at the bottom are from Kristi Bowman. My handmade oxidized copper ear wires finish off the design.

Images of Roman women always looked so serene. Hard to imagine their survival often depended on their ability to manipulate the people around them. Politics behind the scenes, probably not so different then than it is now?




Gloria Ewing

Chrysalis Too on Etsy
Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire

Earth Maiden

Woodstock Earrings

A bit of a flashback to the late 60s, these fringe earrings would have fit right in at Woodstock or Monterrey. Earth Maiden is just my idea of a potential Earth Mother figure, who is still being groomed for the position, sort of an apprentice type situation. You can almost smell the green meadow where dancers twirl about in a carefree frenzy, until the next morning when they wake up dehydrated, sunburned and covered with insect bites. Earth Mother and Earth Maiden will be there to nurture the wayward souls.

These earrings started out with the turquoise deerskin lace and the darkened copper ring and grew from there. I added nylon cord in blue and green, and the seed beads in chartreuse and turquoise with accents of African red orange seed beads, resulting in a tribal Bohemian fringe design. I make the ear wires from 19 gauge copper wire and oxidize them for that primitive look that is characteristic of my work.



Gloria Ewing
Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire
Chrysalis Too on Etsy

Mohican Legacy

Mohican Earrings

It is possible to find inspiration in some very strange places. One of my favorite movies is "Last of the Mohicans" based on the book by James Fennimore Cooper. At the very end of the movie, the vengeful and sadistic Huron enemy, Magwa, is undone by Chingachgook with a battle axe type weapon. What does this have to do with earrings, you may be asking yourself? It is the fascinating shape of the weapon that has been stuck in my mind, wondering how I might be able to incorporate that shape into a design.

When I saw these chrysocolla wings, I knew the time had finally come to design earrings inspired by this beautiful native weapon. I added rusty red and brown Greek ceramic spacers and African copper rounds to the chrysocolla for contrast, and wrapped them in a heavier gauge oxidized copper wire to maintain their primitive character.

We find inspiration in the things we are drawn to, and I have always been a great admirer of native American culture. Even the native weapons had artistic lines and artful embellishments.



Gloria Ewing
Chrysalis Too on Etsy
Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire

Pyrotechnics

As the celebration of our country's birthday approaches, our thoughts go to a long holiday weekend with barbeques and beaches. Time for fun with friends and family at the height of summer! The highlight of the 4th of July holiday, of course, are the many fireworks displays that will be topping off the evening all across America. And being America with its competitive spirit, each town or city strives to outdo their neighbor with more extravagant displays.

In the spirit of the 4th of July, I channeled my inner pyromania into these rustic copper earrings with glowing red English cut Czech glass beads. To mimic the burst of lights, I wire wrapped small English cut Czech beads to my hammered copper connectors in a varied color pattern. They are listed in my Etsy shop.

Gloria Ewing
Chrysalis Too on Etsy
Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire

Boho Southwestern

Boho Southwestern Earrings

I enjoy overlapping design styles, boho, southwestern, tribal, rustic, primitive and ethnic. This crossover in styles seems natural and makes the designs more interesting to me. After all, these styles all have many common qualities.

In this pair of earrings, I have a mix of styles that always works well together for me. Smallish orange lampwork beads from Yvonne Johnson are capped with crusty looking pieces of eucalyptus in a dark blue green color. The rectangular copper drops have stamping and hammered edges in keeping with the rustic southwestern theme. Verdigris patina adds to the aged look and contrasts well with the lampwork glass.

What I wouldn't give to be able to wear a dress like this again! and look good in it. The dress is sort of tribal and minimalist, but still fits into the Bohemian realm.

This wonderful bag is definitely not minimal, but has elements of both tribal and primitive styles.






Gloria Ewing

Chrysalis Too on Etsy
Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire

Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree Earrings

The desert southwest is one of my favorite places to visit. To me, the desert is both relentlessly harsh and remarkably fragile and beautiful at the same time. This dichotomy is intriguing and forces one to appreciate the history of this place and those people who are brave enough to remain there. Surprising green growth around the cool springs, and bright flowers sprouting from a cruel looking cactus plants make an indelible impression. On this trip, we covered large areas of Nevada, Arizona and California and I wish we could have stayed longer as I always do when I have to leave this part of the country.

I chose the name Joshua Tree for these earrings as the beginning of a new collection of pieces using the subtle colors of the desert, punctuated with bright accents. In my earring design, I try to capture some of the rugged feeling of the desert plants and their flowers. I cut freeform shapes from wavy textured copper and punched a hole pattern into each of the copper pieces. I applied a verdigris patina in a shade of faded green, not unlike the desert plants. The oval connectors have been wire wrapped with darkened copper wire and small beads of stone and glass.


Gloria Ewing
Chrysalis Too on Etsy
Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire

The Beach at Tulum

Kyanite and Crystal Earrings

The old and the new, the rough and the polished; I am intrigued by this contrast. This particular design reminds me of a past trip to Mexico, specifically the Mayan ruins at Tulum. How dramatically the craggy rocks and the old structures stood out next to the brilliant blue green Caribbean in the background! I used rough kyanite nuggets wrapped in darkened copper wire, and attached faceted Swarovski crystal cosmic shaped beads in indicolite. Greek cast spiral drops contribute to the ancient character of these rustic dangling earrings.

2007
Tulum, Mexico















Gloria Ewing
Chrysalis Too on Etsy
Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire

Ocean Blue Moth Wings

Blue Moth Wing Earrings

I have had so many diversions recently that I was beginning to miss my workbench. Time to get back on there and hammer some metal! So the top portion of these hammered copper earrings is simple with a darkening patina, and the three long dangling copper drops on each earring have had an ocean blue patina added to them. Sometimes, I will apply a more consistent coating of the patina and then add a generous layer of lacquer for added sheen. And sometimes I allow it to blister just a bit, as long as I am comfortable that it won't peel off I will leave it that way. I still apply the lacquer for protection, but in a much lighter coat. Ocean blue patina from Shannon German of Missficklemedia.

The long blue "moth wings" were inspired by nature photos I had seen on Pinterest. You know the ones? So I added some more color to the earrings with dangling African turquoise, and Czech glass beads. They are raw and rustic with color, like moths that aspire to be butterflies.

Gloria Ewing
Chrysalis Too on Etsy
Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire





Check out my 60% Off Sale Today Only!!! April Fool :) Couldn't help myself.

Echos of Nefertiti

Lapis Luzuli Earrings on Etsy

Lapis lazuli always makes me think of Egypt, even if it came from somewhere else. The regal color was probably worn by Egyptian queens.

I have lots of plans for these lapis triangles, but the first thing I had to try was a pair of earrings. I combine them with African turquoise stick beads and copper in a stacked and wrapped arrangement. Both the lapis lazuli and the African turquoise are recent acquisitions from Dakota Stones, always amazing quality stones if you haven't tried them.

Cross Culture Arches

Cross Culture Arches

A blend of cultural influences in these new earrings with their beaded arches and tribal copper crescent focals. I have strung yellow orange Indonesian beads and teal Czech farfalles on nylon thread to form the contrasting colored arches. The copper clay focal components are from Kristi Bowman; I think of her as my co conspirator. From the copper crescents, I have hung carved bone discs in black and white to complete the tribal theme. I see these earrings as ethnic, but I'm not sure which one (ethnicity), thus the name.

Bias Scarves by Elizabeth Brassard (left)

Aboriginal Women's Ceremony by Debra Young (right)








Gloria Ewing
Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire
Chrysalis Too on Etsy

Orange Julius

Orange Julius Earrings

Years ago, one of my favorite treats when I went to a shopping mall was an Orange Julius. My other favorite was frozen yogurt, but I haven't made those earrings yet. :) These gorgeous orange polymer clay donuts (I must be hungry because I'm starting to see a theme here) were made by Kristi Bowman. I have added a cascade of brightly colored ceramic and glass with little bits of copper in this whimsical design.

Orange Julius by bohobeader featuring flat sandals

More whimsical earrings by Gloria Ewing on Etsy and Artfire.

Developing Your Own Style

Pewter Turtle Earrings

 

Some women develop their style very early; they just know what looks good on them and what they feel comfortable wearing. Others spend a good part of their adult life trying to identify their individual style. I worked with a woman once who wore the same jewelry every day, a gold serpentine chain and diamond stud earrings. Her goal was to look professional and conservative and she achieved it. 

 

Toward the other end of the spectrum, you can find women who express their unique personality by their wardrobe and accessory choices in a less conservative way. Whether the style is traditional, contemporary, bohemian, tribal, or even steampunk, it can be done tastefully. The key, of course, is not to overdo it by wearing too much.

 

Gloria Ewing

 

Jigsaw Trapeze Sweater - $125 johnlewis.com, Lily and Lionel Rossi Silk Scarf - $225 the-dressingroom.com, Gerard Darel Oxford Leather Shoulder Bag - $585 forzieri.com, Current/Elliott Straight Leg Jean - $178 amrag.com, Wrap-it-up Hooded Sweater - $159 titlenine.com, John Fluevog Luna Boots - $349 fluevog.com

Blog: Chrysalis For The Curious
Artfire Studio: Chrysalis Jewelry on Artfire
Etsy Shop: Chrysalis Too on Etsy