I've been obsessed with Jamie Joseph's designs for about four years now. I can remember seeing her jewelry for the first time on www.twistonline.com and being blown away. Her trademark is rings with huge, somehow juicy-looking stones; stones like mint green topaz, peruvian opal, rose quartz, carnelian, london blue topaz and every color of chalcedony you can imagine. Being a self-professed ring maniac, I felt like I had found the holy grail.
Ms. Joseph not only creates rings, she also creates earrings, bracelets and necklaces. She's an all-around artist, who's been designing since college:
"Her (JJ's) affinity for unusual stones later led her to enroll in jewelry design classes at the University of Kansas. In 1999, she attended the New York Jewelry Institute to gain a more intense understanding of technical metalsmithing. In 2004, she personally developed a signature texturing technique called glaciering to give a new element of depth to her designs. Today, she continually hones her skills through repetition, experimentation and regular critiques from Master Jewelers and peer designers. " (http://www.jamiejoseph.com/bio.html)
She's definitely one of my favorite designers, and if you'd like to check out some of her work, here are a few websites that carry her line:
And, finally, here's a picture of my very own Jamie Joseph creation! I waited four years for this, baby! It's a rose-cut, mint green quartz surrounded in 14k gold and on a sterling silver "bark band," which means the top and bottom of the band looks like a branch. LOVE IT! Wear it every day! P.S., it's really hard to take a good picture of jewelry. This picture does my ring no justice!
Thanks for reading.
These are my weekend finds! The first one is a locket ($8), although the man at the antique store said it also may have been used to hold powder and a puff. The second one is a wicked cool lion pendant carved out of tortoise shell on a 12k gold-fill chain. The flip-side of the pendant is opposite in colors, so it's much lighter with dark accents. I got it at a school's yard sale ($3). And, lastly, is my German candy necklace. My sister bought me this one after I ogled it for a while. It's so springy and sparkly. It has a chunky yellow clasp that has "Made in Germany" stamped on it ($10? Not sure, she wouldn't tell me how much it was!).
