Many Faceted

My First Jewelry Sales Adventure

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Pendants and strung necklaces by Many Faceted, Mt. Shasta 4th of July street fair, July 2 & 3, 2012Well, it’s official: I’ve sold my first jewelry pieces!

On July 2nd and 3rd, I had a booth at the Mt. Shasta 4th of July street fair (the Mt. Shasta Boulevard booths come down prior to the 4th, to clear the way for the fun run/walk, and the parade.) Although I have experience working and cashiering for someone else, this was the first sales booth I ran myself, with my own goods featured. It’s a lot of work! (Captain Obvious, at your service.)

Resin pendants, beaded necklaces and earrings by Many Faceted

It took a while to set up, mostly because I had a lot of things to display and arrange. I could swear my inventory grew overnight; I don’t recall there being as many when I put the tags on! (The pictures you see are from the first day; I didn’t have time to take any the second day.) I got a lot of compliments on the colors and decorations at my booth, and some great feedback on my jewelry.

Resin pendants, strung beaded necklace and wirework earrings by Many Faceted Bracelets, necklaces, pendants and earrings by Many Faceted

That said, because the 4th fell mid-week, attendance was low, and I made only a few sales. (My little sister would like everyone to know that she made one of those sales, while I made a lunch run.) However, I now have a lot of inventory to try on consignment locally, and on my Etsy store, now open for business! (NOTE: Only some items pictured here will go on Etsy; if you see something you like, let me know and I’ll gladly put it aside for you!)

Many Faceted at the Mt. Shasta 4th of July street fair Resin pendants and wirework earrings by Many Faceted

Fortunately, I earned enough from my sales to order more equipment for my gemology studies, and my posts will be swinging back in that direction for a while. Next up: a horribly belated account of my unexpected trip to San Francisco to hear a double lecture by one of the world’s great jewelry historians, Dr. Jack Ogden.

Resin pendants by Many Faceted

Launching My Jewelry Business (Part 1)

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Resin pendants by Many Faceted/Danielle RoseIf you’ve been wondering what I’ve been up to, this past month, well…. [points to post title] I will be selling my jewelry (for the very first time!) at the Mt. Shasta 4th of July street fair, July 2nd and 3rd, from 10 am to 7 pm. If you’re in the area, come find my booth on Mt. Shasta Boulevard! I’ll be somewhere between Castle Street and Alma Street. (Bonus points if you bring me a latte.)

In this post, let me show you the resin pendants I’ve made, using washi, postage stamps, and things snipped from magazines and calendars. At the heart of each piece is an image or paper/pattern, creatively cropped. I sometimes layer multiple images, or embed Swarovski crystal rhinestones, watch parts, beads and charms in the resin.

Resin pendants by Many Faceted/Danielle Rose

I fell in love with resin last fall; there’s always more to learn, but I think I’ve got a pretty good process going. One more batch to finish, and I’ll have almost 100 pieces to sell!

Resin pendants by Many Faceted/Danielle Rose

When I mentioned all this on Twitter, Fusion Beads asked to see my work (I buy my bezel pendants from them), so I tweeted some of the pictures shown here. Their response makes me giddy:

I hope my work is as well-received when I get out there and sell! I’m pretty nervous, but excited too. Once the 4th is over, I’ll get started on Etsy, and see how it goes.

Next post, I’ll show you the beaded and wire jewelry I’ll have to offer. Stay tuned!

Inspiration Book: Belperron, Ippolita

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Jewels from the Personal Collection of Suzanne Belperron: Chalcedony and Sapphire Ring, circa 1935
Chalcedony and Sapphire Ring, circa 1935

In addition to my hoard of gemstone photos found on the internet (I have gobs, I tell you… GOBS OF PHOTOS), I collect photos of jewelry I find inspiring. If I like the materials, the stones, the settings, or the style, I file it away for later oggling. (I oggle a lot. I think oggling is sorta standard, in the gem and jewelry industry.)

Earlier this week, Sotheby’s auctioned off jewelry from the personal collection of Suzanne Belperron, a French designer who never signed her work (her style was her signature, she said.) A lot of things about her work appeal to me. It looks approachable, wearable; she mixes fine gems with common ones (a diamond set in a solid rock crystal ring, for instance, or the ring shown here, a sapphire set in blue chalcedony.) There’s something very clean, deceptively simple about her designs. I can dig it. (And I want this book on her work.)

Jewels from the Personal Collection of Suzanne Belperron: Gem Set and Diamond Bracelet, circa 1935
Gem Set and Diamond Bracelet, circa 1935

I love this piece because it reminds me of my favorite strung bracelet, chock full of gems — my gems are certainly not as nice as these, but still! It looks like a happy bracelet, very fun to wear. And check out what’s on it:

Set with polished beads such as amethyst, pink tourmaline, citrine, emerald, sapphire and ruby, to an annular clasp partly decorated with rose diamonds, length approximately 185mm.

I love it, and if I were the winning bidder of this piece, I’d wear it every day! (Sadly, I’m not.)

Finally, this Ippolita Starry Night collection from late 2011 hits all my buttons: labradorite – faceted! Why faceted? There’s no reason to facet labradorite, but I love it! Also the crystal and geometric shapes, the celestial colors… and yeah, the name helps. What can I say? I’d happily wear the whole stack of bangles pictured below.

Starry Night collection by Ippolita

Céleste, Comète

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Chanel Céleste brooch in white gold, diamonds, and pearls.
Chanel Céleste brooch in white gold, diamonds, and pearls. One of a kind.

Why am I so excited, you ask? Because Chanel created a line of celestial jewelry JUST FOR ME. (Okay, not just for me. But it is a jewelry line after my own heart.)

Chanel Comète Ring in 18K white gold, sapphires, diamonds, and sapphire crystal.
Chanel Comète Ring in 18K white gold, sapphires, diamonds, and sapphire crystal. "Price upon request."

Launching the Comète line are some amazing one-off pieces, in celebration of the 80th anniversary of Gabrielle Chanel’s 1932 Exhibition de Bijoux en Diamants. These pieces will tour the world in a traveling exhibition — this article has more photos.

Of the one-of-a-kind pieces I’ve seen, my favorite is the Céleste brooch above. The soft colors, the combination of glowing pearls and sparkling diamonds, and the design elements (stars! rings! planets!) are hitting me in all my vulnerable spots. This piece has me palpitating.

From the Comète line, I adore the sapphire and diamond Comète ring (available, but “price upon request.” Eep.) I can’t fathom how something like that is created, but I LIKE IT. I LIKE IT A LOT.

In conclusion, all the starry things are gorgeous. I hope you agree!