I liked Shakespeare very much when we read it in school, and I liked the poems, or “sonnets” as they’re called. Sonnet number 18 is engraved indelibly in my memory for some reason. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date, Anyhow, I was thinking... 

OK so when you’re making jewellery it’s best to stick to a theme or a style or a certain discipline. But then when a spied these cute-as-a-button little beads I just had to abandon all that and use them! Funny thing is, I’m not a fan of junk food! But hey, it can’t do you any harm when worn like this. So if you’re a cupcake fiend then might I suggest you get your daily... 

Out with the old, as they say. Well, I was getting a bit bored with that very dark theme. It was originally to match my packagaing- lovely, fine corrugated black boxes, but I think that might be a bit like cart-before-horse, at least that how I feel about it now. So here we are with a spanky new theme, customised with a new logo which reflects that it’s me (Tree) who makes all the jewellery.... 

Amethyst Necklace “Laura”, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. Oh it’s lovely to see all the spring flowers and feel the warmth of spring coming… With that in mind I made a couple of pieces this morning with Light Amethyst. This is the necklace, it uses a large (20mm x 17mm) faceted pendant and little amethyst heishi beads. Because I used one of my gorgeous toggle clasps,... 

Platinum Pearl Earrings, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. Well my goodness it’s that time of year again! In case the weather wasn’t enough to tell you then TV certainy will. One of my favourite shows “Bones” just had their Christmas episode and the main character, Dr Temperance Brennan was wearing some lovely drop earrings. She wore them a few episodes ago so I set... 

Fuchsia & Black Bracelet, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. Ah the 80′s! Back in the 80′s fuchsia was one of those bold signature colours. This jewellery blends that shade of shocking pink with deep burgundy Garnet and black Onyx to bring it up to date and make it altogether subtler, but still on-trend. I kept it simple and just alternated a pink with black and used some of... 

Citrine Bracelet “Melina”, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. Most people associate Topaz with Novemebr, but Citrine is also a traditional gem for this month. This is probably because the two gems are very often mistaken for each other, but I’m just guessing. If you know someone who has a birthday this month then consider a Citrine gift- it’s a very pretty gem and ranges... 

Garnet Bracelet, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. Garnet is a gemstone that has been in use since ancient times, indeed it is among the stones mentioned in the surviving literature of all ancient languages. Properties of Garnet Garnet is actually the name given to a family of silicate minerals whose members are: Almandite Andradite Gossular Pyrope Spessartine Uvarovite Its hardness is rated... 

"Autumn" Lampwork Necklace, originally uploaded by www.virtudej.com. But then, autumn/fall colours are sooo pretty! The cool thing about left-overs in jewellery making is that after a little while you end up with a sizeable collection that you actually do something with and here’s an example. This one-off necklace features a variety of lampwork, gemstone and other assorted beads.... 

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