Rose Quartz "Love the Beach" Necklace, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. Today was an unusually hot day. It’s October and here in the north of Spain October is usually lovely but today felt just like summer, so after coming back from the beach where I found some frosty beach glass, I made this long length necklace. It uses frosted glass and smooth, watery rose quartz. I... 

Most recently I have been working on setting up a Spanish version of my site- well I live in Spain so it kind of makes sense! I was originally going to just add one of the WordPress plugins to translate but it felt like a lot of work and in the end it seemed easier just to start from scratch, so tada! Here’s the Spanish version: www.VirtudeJoyeria.com.  Read More →

I was shopping in Barcelona recently, and these days that means completely ignoring the clothes shops and opting for those narrow little streets in the Gothic Quarter and old Jewish quarter which are a treasure trove of gem stores and jewellery-making supplies. Although it’s possible to beat the prices they have (by buying online), it’s still kind of nice to handle the gems and pick... 

While I was in London I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum and wandered the great halls of fine objects, but principally I was there for the jewellery exhibition in the William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery which boasts 3,500 pieces making it one of the finest and most comprehensive in the world. Much of it is European jewellery from the last 800 years. On show are jewels that reflect... 

Diamonds are for…girls born in April! Yes well, diamonds come with a pretty steep price tag and as someone who was born in April, I can tell you that the only piece of jewellery anyone has ever bought me was my engagement ring! Perhaps this is due to the popular notion that diamonds look vulgar on younger women? Actually I find all these popular notions or “traditions” fascinating-... 

I’m off to see family and friends in the UK so I’ll be gone for a week, and since my sister has just moved and is at the moment- shock horror!- without internet, that means I’ll be really gone! When I get back I’ll show you what I made for my mum, it’s Mother’s Day in the UK this Sunday and I’d better not post until after as it may ruin the surprise. How about... 

March Birthstone It’s March and the Birthstone for this month is Aquamarine, Bloodstone, Jasper or Jade- depending on which tradition you’re using. Personally I don’t stick to just one tradition for birthstone jewellery, I use whichever stone best suits the wearer and my pocket! In March we have the following options: Month Traditional Birthstones Modern Birthstones Mystical... 

Amethyst Jewellery Oh I’m just loving amethyst! I recently made a new set of jewellery with this fabulous gemstone and combined with with labradorite. I think they go very well together, even given labradorite’s dual personality i.e. one minute a predictable, grey gemstone but then when the light catches it, it gives off those exciting flashes of electric blue… Plain and simple... 

Mother’s Day Date In the UK and Ireland it’s linked to Easter (4th Sunday in lent) so it changes every year. In 2009 this will be March 22. I live in Spain and it’s al little easier to predict here, being the1st Sunday in May- in 2009 it will be on May 3. The US, along with dozens of other countries are just a week later with the 2nd Sunday of May so Mother’s Day will be... 

Leather Cord Necklace Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself. Wise words indeed by Mary Schmich, and in the case of my jewellery I feel a bit like that right now. It took me almost forever to get into the whole purple thing last year, but I’m getting ahead of the curve on leather! I made a few necklaces...