Spring 2012 Color Inspiration

Hello Gemstone Lovers:

As I mentioned in my post about autumn colors, Pantone is a pretty good place to get some insight into new colors and trends.  So it was back to Pantone to check out their picks for Spring 2012.  Need a way to boost your mood?  Get a new outlook?  Update and look forward?  Then try adding a few of these hues into your accessories to up-date and change-up.  Naturally, I love the fact that one of the colors mentions a mineral by name, Sodalite Blue.  Might have to do a post on just that particular stone ...

I'm a little bummed that they didn't present the colors in that nice color-block format that they did for fall, since it was a nice, easy way to pick out some Lunar Blue items for our own color rainbow match.  So I made my own color blocks for matching! (This was harder than it looks.)

This palette has a lot in common with the autumn one, which is no surprise, since people don't want to have to buy all new clothes and completely repaint the interiors of their houses in order to feel "in sync" with the world.  The major difference seems to be that these are turned up a notch - a little brighter for the light colors, and a little darker for the contrasting colors.  It all seems to be more enriched compared to the cooler seasons behind us.  Again, not a surprise, since people want to add a little punch to their environment and dress this time of year. 

I particularly like the purples, pinks, and sage green colors in this group.  Certain hues of amethyst, rose quartz, peridot, and turquoise will match perfectly.  So will smoky quartz, picture jasper, yellow jade, and the deeper side of both lapis lazuli and sodalite.  A great selection of fun stones to work with!

The Ancient Lure of Shells

What to blog about today, ten years after 9/11/01?  I remember feeling that life would never be the same, and feeling totally ungrounded and out of touch.  So since then, I have tried to use this day for reflection and connection.  Wondering how I might bring that sensibility here to the blog, I chose to focus on a material that has a strong connection with life, and that has been a part of human culture for millennia - shells.

Shells have been used as jewelry and body adornment since before recorded times.  Shells are numerous, have a vast array of colors and textures, and often can be made suitable for wearing with little effort.  Mother of pearl, the inner lining of certain shells, remains ubiquitous in fashion, both in jewelry and in items like buttons.

My appreciation for shells has expanded very recently after visiting the Lyman Museum in Hilo, Hawaii.  I went primarily to see the mineral collection (more on that in a later post) and found myself enthralled by the amazing collection of shells from pacific marine life.  For some reason, I have always found it easy to forget that shells are a product of living processes.  Living organisms create shells.  They are an incredibly clever answer to a diverse set of evolutionary constraints found by many forms of ocean life.  And the diversity of the constraints and environments has led to an amazing diversity in the shells themselves.

The colors included orange, black, brown, pink, green, ivory, yellow, teal, rose, purple, and burgundy.  Textures were anywhere from smooth, nubbed, and rippled, to rough, sharp and spiked.  Some lovely fluted and scalloped shells were cephalopods, a group that includes squid and octopus.  Another group of shells, gastropods, shared a similar amazing coiled and spiral shape.  Many kinds of shells sport patterns that look like that of leopards and tigers, both in the patterns themselves and in the colors.

One of the more interesting animals was the Xenophora Pallidula.  In Latin this apparently means "bearer of foreigners."  This creature has an initial shell, and then finds other shells and attaches them to itself.  I couldn't help thinking that this was a kind of flattery - a shell using shells for adornment.  Of course, this behavior serves many purposes, and jewelry probably isn't one of them.  But some of the shells-with-shells were very symmetrical, with the additional shells 'glued' on in spiky ridges like a comb.  The beauty of it seemed almost purposeful.

There were thousands and thousands of different shells. It helps to underscore the vastness of the ocean, and the mass of life on Earth.  To me it is an appealing idea, and touching these shells - wearing them - seems like a small but real way to connect with the history of all living creatures on the planet.

Image Credit: wildxplorer, Le Grande CC 2.0, on flikr via Creative Commons

Adding to Autumn's Color Palette

As I mentioned in my previous post on color trends, people do get bored with the same thing year after year.  Yet in spite of that, they are cautious of change.  They are even more cautious of change in a tough economy.  So color leaders have their hands full creating new palettes.  They have to consider moods, current events, technology, lifestyles, culture, and more.  For the palette to be of use in fashion, it must contain a fraction of colors from previous years (so we can still wear some of what is in the closet), something new (so things feel fresh), and yet stay true to the season (so we remain grounded.)

There are more new palettes each season than you can shake a paintbrush at, so part of the fun is simply finding one that you like.  Pantone, being a leader in color, produces seasonal palettes for fashion and decor.  Naturally, their palettes, and all the other fall palettes, have to be out for the industry to use far in advance of the actual season.  Pantone had the Fall 2011 palette available in February of this year.  For women, it looks like this:

I enjoyed going through the Lunar Blue collection and producing our own version of the Autumn jewelry color palette.

One of the phenomena I noticed was that (of course) gemstones are often composed of many colors, or swirls of related colors.  Unakite, for example has both the 'emberglow' and 'cedar' hues in a single stone.  Wood jasper has a nice combination of both "coffee" and "nougat."  "Phlox" and "orchid" can be found in both shaded amethyst and flourite.  So with cleverly designed gemstone jewelry, you can accent any aspect of the color palette you desire.

Jennifer

So Why Color Trends, Anyway?

Olive pearls and citrine are a perfect
late summer combination, and they
serve to welcome Fall, too!

Seasonal colors can seem quite predictable.  We have all been through enough seasons to have an idea what colors generate what associations for the time of year (BTW, I happen to be in the northern hemisphere).  Autumn, for example, is usually characterized by rust, umber, brown, gold, amber, forest, and other colors you might find in falling leaves (even if you don't have any leaves in your neighborhood.)  These are the go-to colors that appeal to most people during Autumn, and people will wear them and place them in their environment more often during Fall than any other time of year.  So if each season has its typical colors for us to use, why do we still have "new" colors in fashion and decor all the time?

I will admit - before I began to study color more closely, I thought the idea of "trending" colors was not terribly important.  Fashion can seem frivolous in the face of tough economic times and hard scientific facts.  And certainly part of the fashion industry exists simply to promote its own existence.  But the other side of this picture is the one where "trends" keep people interested, focused, active, and even happy.

Color is a critical part of our environment.  We take in more information from visual input than any other sense.  Color is one of the most prominent visual factors.  For humans to be mentally engaged and interested, color needs to be present in the environment, and used in ways that get our minds working.

Color can dramatically effect our mood and outlook.  When times are tough, people look for ways to feel more up, and color is a big part of that.  Colors in clothes, jewelry, decor, and even cars is a critical tool for keeping us consumers upbeat and interested enough in new products to want to spend our hard earned money on them.  This in turn keeps our economy chugging along so we can keep our jobs that generate said money.  Ideally, anyway ...

Even with the cycle of colors from season to season, people get bored wearing the same colors in the same combinations year after year.  Our need for interesting visual input always keeps us looking for something new.  Consumers put demand on the fashion industry for variation, and the fashion industry does the same in reverse, creating demand by making old combinations outdated.  Thus we have the preferred fashionable color trends that come to us each season of each year.

So where do these colors come from?  They generally resemble or pair with the canonical colors for the season, but add a new spin or twist to keep things interesting.  I spotted a line on the Fidelis Art Prints site that puts it succinctly, "Colour trends are based on observations of the world around us, taking into consideration social issues, technology, lifestyles and the moods and aspirations of consumers. It is from this information that colour experts such as Pantone and Benjamin Moore, forecast colours palettes that will most appeal to the consumers during a time period."

Jennifer

The Color of Stones: Meanings, Uses, Psychology and Fashion

Color is powerful.  Colors are fraught with symbolism, tradition, and psychological influences, much of which we internalize only subconsciously.  Everyone has personal preferences, but none of us can escape the context of our own culture.  This context shapes how we perceive color, and how it fits in as an integral part of our lives.

Gemstones and glass have been chosen and created specifically for their colors for thousands of years.  All forms of personal adornment have included colorful stones, shells, and wood since prehistoric times.  Colors were chosen to convey status, mood, wealth, and other information.  Some stones were only to be used by the ruling class, or in places of worship, because their color was considered sacred.

Today the psychology of color is a major area of research, since it has direct applications in industry, politics, marketing, medicine, sports, education, and just about every other sector of society.  Color can change how we make purchases.  It can change how we cast our vote in elections.  It can make us feel energized, peaceful, or tired.  It can change how we perform in sports and on exams.

One of the primary aspects of gemstone jewelry creation is the use of color, in harmony, unity, or contrast.  Similarly, the buyer of gemstone jewelry makes their choice largely influenced by the color of the piece.  Again, we all have personal preferences, but are likely to move towards pieces that have appeal for a variety of reasons.  For example, white might not be one's favorite color in jewelry, but in western culture most brides choose white pearls for weddings, and sport white diamonds on their fingers.  The context and symbolism of a wedding greatly influences our choice of color.  And the reverse remains true - white gemstones bring up thoughts of weddings, new starts, cleanliness and purity.

So to delve deeper into color, I've been doing a bit of research, and will be posting a series on "The Color of Stones."  I'll be posting about some of the symbolism, studies into color, the nature of chakra points, and some of their interrelationships.  This will give consumers of gemstone jewelry some insight into their own minds - why they choose the colors they do, and conversely, how they can choose colors to enhance their own moods and possibly change the perceptions of those around them.

So stay tuned here for information on color you can use to improve your gemstone jewelry buying awareness!  Not to mention interest and fun ...

Jennifer

The Glories of Amber - Part Two: Finding and Using

Raw Amber

Gemstones are (for the most part) hidden treasures.  If they are not buried deep underground, then they are in hard to find, off-the-beaten-track places.  This isn't a surprise, since any easy to reach gemstones were found by humans long ago and carted off.  Amber is no exception.

Given that amber is a product of ancient trees, it is now found in the areas where large forests of those trees once existed.  While small amounts might be encountered globally, the largest deposits of amber, possibly 90% of the Earth's retrievable storehouse, can be found on the Baltic Sea.  Baltic amber has long held the position as the most dependable and desirable amber for gemstones (although this market is quite competitive).  Baltic amber is mined, but some amber can actually be found by "fishing."  Since amber is one of the very lightest stones, it will float in saltwater.  Storms in the Baltic Sea stir up the seafloor, and allow nodules of amber to float to the surface.

Cloisonne Necklace Highlighted With
Orange Amber (Ambroid) Beads

Amber burns when heated and gives off a scent like pine.  Because of this, it wasn't only used for jewelry, but for incense and in religious rituals.  Combined with other materials, it was also historically used in perfumes.  Its soft nature allows it to be carved easily, and so it was, and is, used to create pipes, urns, parts of musical instruments, pieces of light fixtures, and much more.  Today the most common use for the best pieces of amber is in high quality jewelry.  Lower quality amber or small pieces are pressed together to create stones that rival the best for beauty, but are considered lesser because they have been through a manufacturing process.  The very lowest quality amber is generally processed into oils and resins.

Finding and using amber is also a trick for the gemstone artist, since this material is expensive, exclusive, and easily imitated.  But more on that later!

Image Credit:
Raw Amber from www.wonderful-denmark.com
Cloisonne Necklace from our site, lunarbluedesigns.etsy.com, one of our unique designs!  This one includes vermeil gold (gold plated over sterling silver) accents, along with Swarovski crystal, amber (ambroid), and fresh water pearl.

The Glories of Amber - Part One: Origins

Amber is a lovely and highly desirable gemstone with a fascinating past.  Each piece has been witness to a metamorphosis from liquid plant matter to prized hardened natural plastic.  Then comes the creation of a chip, bead, or faceted stone, which is then included in a design with its own context and story.

Given the complex history of each nugget of amber, it is no surprise that trying to navigate through the use of amber and amber imitations in jewelry is equally complicated.  Especially since the amber "gemstone" isn't really a stone at all.

Amber begins as a liquid secretion from some trees.  It is not derived from the sap of the tree, but instead comes from the outer layers.  This is a natural hydrocarbon resin, and depending on the source, it can be used in creating lacquers, adhesives, and varnishes.  The use of this substance to the tree is not clear; it might be a way for the tree to rid itself of material it does not need.  Although in some cases it seems that this secretion may either repulse creatures that might eat the tree or attract beneficial insects. 

After secretion, the resin begins to harden, and becomes copal.  Copal can be as little as 1000 years old, and might even be collected right from the surface.  But true amber is an ancient material, tens of millions of years old.  In order to create amber naturally the resin must be buried, perhaps by sediment, and transformed by the high pressures and temperatures underground.  Eventually, enough of the volatile material is driven off that amber is finally formed.  Humans might then find it by searching areas cut into by water and erosion, or mining for it directly.

Depending on the part of the world the amber originates, it is probably 40-50 million years old.  The very oldest amber found *might* be as old as 130-140 million years.  Part of the appeal of this lovely "stone" is the knowledge that it comes from a close genetic relative - trees - and is the product of living processes.

Image Credit:  Insects in Baltic Amber, Wikimedia Commons, CC 3.0
Sterling Post Earrings with Green Amber (Ambroid), Swarovski Crystal, and Malachite - Lunar Blue Designs

Crystal in Handmade Jewlery - Part Four: The Shape of Things

Structure and composition aren't the only characteristics that help define the word "crystal" in common use.  For some people, the internal order and composition are not important, and what they mean when they say "crystal" is "has a regular geometric shape ending in a point."  In other words, the shape of the stone is the key factor.

This is a meaning often encountered in sites that deal with gemstones and their symbolic properties, such as healing.  This meaning might also be encountered on sites interested in selling materials for use in wicca, like wands for altars or pendulums for divination.  As noted in previous posts, this use of the word "crystal" is not incorrect - it is a reflection of history and culture.  There are many people who would be disappointed to purchase a "crystal" and find it isn't "crystal shaped."

Crystal points do make lovely jewelry, either drilled through as beads or wire wrapped as pendants.  The shape evokes a sense of mystery and magic.  Depending on the nature of the stone, they might range from delicate to sharp, and so might need to be treated with some care.  No two points are ever exactly the same unless they are mechanically cut or lab grown - gemstones all have natural variation.  Because of this pairing them for earrings or to use in sets takes some patience and design skill.

So to wrap up this four part series on crystal, the "point" again is know what you are using in your designs, and purchasing from your favorite sites.  One simple word like "crystal" does not mean the same thing to everyone, and so be sure to get specific details before you buy.  That way you can be certain you will love your jewelry when it arrives, and treasure it for years to come.

Image Credit: Quartz Crystal, Rob Lavinsky, CC 3.0, Wikimedia.org

Haiku and Jewelry - A Poetic Fit

To start this post - a quick reminder that everything green ships for free from our Etsy store through St. Patrick's Day!

Over on RioGrande's blog, The Studio, they are running a little contest that combines haiku and jewelry.  I couldn't resist the opportunity to try my hand - the act of designing and creating jewelry seems rather poetic as it is.  And you already know how I feel about the stories in the stones - there are tales to be told by the gemstones and jewels in our lives.

So here are my two little haiku offerings ...

gemstone bead demands
the company of sterling
wisdom bows and nods

these stones are silent
yet there are stories inside
design is language

That last line "design is language" really resonates for me.  Design is how we interpret the stories in the gemstones, and give those stories voice.  Might be corny, I know, and yet I still believe it.  :)

Image:  Gorgeous triple strands of peridot, crystal, and glass mingle with sterling silver in a celtic celebration. Available on our Etsy site.

Crystal In Handmade Jewelry - Part Two: Crystal versus Glass Structure

Our 11" Suncatcher Talisman showing
off a variety of crystalline solids, such
as a smoky quartz faceted crystal
teardrop.

In Part One of my series of posts on 'crystal' I talked about many of the different definitions and uses for this common word in handmade jewelry business.  As this series continues, I am going to focus on each of the various views of 'crystal' and hopefully dispel some of the ambiguity.

A common place to find confusion is in the use of 'crystal' versus 'glass' in the materials listed for a handmade piece.  To a geologist, these terms have a specific difference based on structure.  To a bead artist, these terms are more likely to be differentiated based on chemical content.  Let's talk about structure first ...

'Glass' is a solid substance where the structure of the atoms is irregular and amorphous (and which will turn into a liquid when enough heat is applied).  There is no large scale order to be found in 'glass'.  Conversely, the structure of a 'crystalline' solid is very regular.  The internal matrix of a crystal is repetitive and highly ordered.

It is possible to have a 'glassy' form of a material that has the exact chemical composition as a 'crystalline' form.  The most most well known crystal is quartz, made of silicon and oxygen, SiO2, in a nice repeating pattern.  But SiO2 is also the major constituent of 90% of the glass in our everyday lives.  A crystalline substance can be formed by cooling a liquid slowly, allowing the atoms to line up into a nice, repeating pattern as the stuff becomes solid.  A glassy substance can be formed by cooling a liquid very quickly.  The stuff becomes a solid before the atoms have time to line up.

This means that any 'crystal' in a necklace need only be made of a solid with a repeating structure to be referred to as 'crystal'.  A designer that uses quartz crystal in a necklace will call it crystal, and be absolutely correct.  Yet this can be misleading if you imagine all crystal means 'Swarovski.'

I'll post soon about crystal versus glass - composition!

Jennifer

Crystal in Handmade Jewelry - Part One: More Than One Definition

Quartz crystal point in back, propping
up a rhyolite gemstone flecked with
crystal inclusions

Hello Gemstone Fans:

'Crystal' is a common constituent of handmade jewelry, but the word is very often used in ways that are confusing.  Is the designer talking about the composition of the material, its shape, its clarity, or saying it is a single piece of rock, uncut?  When designers describe their jewelry, sometimes they do not provide enough information to let the buyer know exactly what they are getting.  Unscrupulous sellers may even allow misinterpretations to remain unaddressed, hoping the buyer will think they are getting something of higher quality than what is actually included in the piece.

So to start, I simply want to point out how problematic the word 'crystal' can be.  In the first image above, we see a nicely formed quartz crystal.  Some people would call it a crystal because of the regular geometric shape.  Others might think 'crystal' because it is made of solid quartz.   A geologist might call it a crystal because it is a uncut chunk of a mineral in its natural form, or because its atoms are in a nicely regular matrix, instead of scattered about amorphously.  A geologist would also use the word 'crystals' to describe the granules of different minerals found in the rhyolite.

Crystal martini glass displays a pair
of earrings, each with a crystal
bicone bead on top.

More examples of 'crystal' are in the second image.  For some, the only crystal they are familiar with on a daily basis are cut crystal glasses and bowls used for dining or serving.  For others, the word crystal always means bright, sparkly, glassy looking beads, like those found atop the shells in this pair of earrings.  It may be that the chemical content of the beads isn't at all what they are thinking of, simply their common shapes, colors, and flash.

So with all the different ideas for what a 'crystal' is, or what 'crystal' can mean, there is no surprise that confusion exists.  Stay tuned here for more information about how you can be more informed about what is in your jewelry, and how to make sure you are getting exactly what you want!

Jennifer

February Friendship and Romance in Glass and Stone

Hello Gemstone Fans:

The big event in February for many jewelry fans falls on the 14th, with the arrival of Valentine's Day.  It has become one of the most popular celebrations in the United States.  Everyone seems to be looking for a personal and special way to express affection to friends and loved ones.

We've added a new line of products to our offerings at Lunar Blue Designs - lanyard charms you can use to add personality and sparkle to almost anything, anywhere.  Slip the lanyard through zippers to create zipper pulls, use as charms for cell phones, or jazz up purses, belt loops, key rings, or whatever your imagination suggests. 

This is one of the first lanyard charms I created, celebrating Valentine's Day in my own way.  The charm centerpiece is an elegant, puffy Murano-style glass heart with embedded silver foil, topped with a pink bicone of Swarovski crystal, and highlighted with all sterling silver findings and spacers.  The length is about 3.75 inches.  This is one of those pieces that almost didn't make it out of the house.  Although I am partial to skulls and darker themes and icons, this charm has so much appeal.  It showcases so much of what makes glass an attractive material for beaded jewelry and accessories - shine, smoothness, glow, flash, and lovely color.

Jennifer

Image Credits:  Murano Glass Heart Charm posted in our Etsy store January 2011

Welcoming the New Year

One of our pieces sold this winter - my
favorite sterling and lapis necklace!
Thrilled to see it find a home.

Hello Gemstone Fans:

Happy New Year!  We're looking forward to 2011 - we have lots of plans and ideas, including attending international bead and gemstone shows, developing some new products, offering workshops, and as always, creating unique gemstone jewelry, devotional pieces and accessories.  It's what we do :)

The end of 2010 was busy, which was nice both from a sales perspective and because busy winter holidays mean fun, family, and friends.  One perk of having a partner (and sister) who makes devotional malas is the prospect of getting one for a gift - which I did.  I picked out the beads for it; a set of lovely blue lapis 8mm beads, as well as sterling silver markers and a filigree guru bead.  Amy hand knotted these into a traditional 108 bead mala and added a metallic blue handmade tassel which brings out the dark glints of pyrite in the lapis.  I love it.

We now have a presence on deviantArt, under my login name of DesignerMoon.  We've been highlighting the artistic aspect of our work there.  It seems a great place to get inspired by other great art, interact with more of the online beading community, and use the space to provide expanded descriptions and stories for the pieces.  Check out the journal there for updates and features unique to the dA environment.

Keep your eyes on the blog here for more updates, but especially for features about the interesting stories behind gemstones and the unique stuff we make from them!  Hope you have a beautiful New Year.

Cheers,
Jennifer

Goth Jewelry - Part 4: Putting It Together

Hello Design Fans:

Having looked at inspirations, symbols, colors, and materials, it's finally time to consider how to design something that is both fun to make, and empowering to wear. My inner goth enjoys designing in two different modes; the first creates elegant jewelry with a dark twist, and the second creates statement pieces - some of which are pretty over-the-top.

The first category includes jewelry that anyone might wear, depending on mood and event. It seems to be characterized by silver toned metals, gemstones of black, gray, red and purple, and more subtle symbolism. I particularly like red brecciated/poppy jasper for this look. It is a brick red stone swirled with gray and possibly flecked with black. It matches perfectly with both hematite and onyx

Moving towards statement pieces, I tend to include more glass and crystal, say something that might look like blood droplets. Pewter is a timeless and classic goth jewelry material. It has a attractive antiqued luster, and nicely cast pieces create wonderful jewelry that no one will miss. And yet, it is still generally tasteful and not campy.

And then when I'm feeling adventurous, I'll explore other ideas. I work with symbols like locks, skulls, and tribal markings. I'll use materials like thick metal chain, leather, fake barbed wire, and bone to create something dark and compelling. Consider what your inner goth would like to see, what would be the most fun to create, and then see what happens.

Great goth jewelry is hardly just for Halloween. It is a great way to express your inner goth any time of year, or at any event, that calls for a dramatic, romantic, elegant, and even quirky look.

Jennifer

Image Credit:
Red Brecciated Jasper Pendant - Red Jasper, leather cord, hematite and sterling silver necklace, bracelet, earrings. Lunar Blue Designs - Listed on our Etsy site in September.
Pewter bat - Pewter, crystal, glass, and silver necklace and earring set. Lunar Blue Designs - Listed on our Etsy site in October.

Goth Jewelry - Part 3: Materials

Hello Design Fans:

By far the thing I enjoy most about designing gothic jewelry is the fun of sorting through possible materials. Part of what makes traditional jewelry "traditional" is the use of familiar materials in expected ways. Gothic jewelry makes itself known not only through color and symbols, but by unusual use of regular materials (or by use of things that you otherwise wouldn't put in jewelry at all :)

You might find bone, leather, chain, dust, velvet, silk, coal, and liquids used in traditional jewelry, but these will generally be used in understated ways. For example: a gold chain for a bracelet, silk string for pearls, or glitter filled water in a small vial as a pendant. Similar materials in gothic jewelry will be used to make a stronger, edgier, more emotional statement. Examples include using several lengths of faceted anodized chain for a necklace, wide black silk to form a choker, or red 'blood' in a pendant flask.

I have a set of small flasks, and I enjoy finding interesting materials to fill them. Tame fillers, like glitter, don't seem to grab my interest. Ah, but unusual fillers get my attention.  Fake blood is already pretty overdone, so I look for the more unusual; crow feathers, watch parts, bizarre herbs, or whatever seems different.

Bone is almost always a good choice. Carved wood is appropriate, especially if you can hand paint it. All sorts of fabrics lend themselves to gothic jewelry, like lace, velvet, and silk. But keep your eyes out for other, more interesting stuff: volcanic glass, nylon mesh, recycled license plates, real fish net, and insects in amber or resin. If you can't find something strange enough to inspire you, maybe you can make it yourself - take the usual tour of the internet and see the ideas that are out there.

All of this hardly means you can't use typical gemstones to good effect. Garnet and black onyx are perfect, and marcasite has a wonderful feeling of mysterious, by-gone days. Even traditional standbys like bright blue topaz can be worked into a necklace that evokes a sense of dark winter nights. It is how these more typical stones are used in the context of the piece that is important. If your necklace is mostly blue topaz and bright silver, well, it probably has limited gothic appeal (unless the silver is in the form of a vampire bat and the topaz is in the eyes, say ...)

A word of caution - jewelry is for fun and fashion, and shouldn't be dangerous to make or wear. Do not get carried away in your desire to make your twisted jewelry creation. Check to be sure that no matter how sharp, tight, or painful your piece looks, that it isn't actually sharp, tight or painful. Gothic jewelry and fashion leans heavily on theater inspired props and the magic illusions of old. So keep it like the fake barbed wire, creepy but safe.

Jennifer

Image Credits:
Black Glass and Onyx Medallion - Lunar Blue Designs, listed in our Etsy store September 2010.  I found this dark silver metal and black glass medallion and wanted to pair it with an appropriate chain to make a gothic piece.  One chain alone would not work, so I matched up several lengths of different chain including antiqued nickel, faceted anodized steel, and black rolo.  The bail for the pendant is also chain, and the onyx drops complete the design.

Goth Jewelry - Part 2: Colors and Symbols

Hello Design Fans:

One might think the colors and icons appropriate for gothic fashion would be a short list (you know, black and crosses). But this certainly is not the case. I'll admit that for colors in my jewelry, I gravitate towards black and red, with an overall dark feeling. Yet it is clear that goth fashion includes any color at all, and can carry a kind of brightness. Hot pink, neon green, chalk white, and candy purple are hardly uncommon.

And of course symbols and icons might include crosses or fangs, but they also include iron nails, daggers, animals, and a great deal more. Some people prefer a sense of subtlety and maturity in their fashion that eschews standard symbols completely in favor of an overall impression.

Your choice of colors and symbols will be driven by the effect you want to achieve, of course; the meaning, mood, and overall statement. What does your inner goth say? For example, are you interested in something brooding, intense, and romantic? Or do you prefer something campy, energetic, and strange?

For the dark romantic mood, consider inspirations such as Victorian-era mourning culture, old silent horror films, and gothic cathedrals. Colors might include black, white, gray, silver tones, and deep or washed-out gem tones. Symbols might be crosses, bats, webs, ravens, chalices, and the Moon. The campy energetic mood might be inspired by icons from the 'Day of the Dead', voodoo, and the Mardi Gras-like afterlife in Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. Colors might be glowing reds and purples, murky yellows, goopy greens, and brilliant orange. Symbols might be skulls, poison, dice, bugs, ... well, you get the idea.
 

There are no rules, which is part of the point of goth to begin with. If it works for you, then it works, period.

Jennifer

Image Credit:
Goth People - MarcUndRegina, Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons CC 2.5
Pink Scarf Goth - 74/365, Constantinb on Flikr, Creative Commons CC 2.0
Spider Web Agate Necklace - Lunar Blue Designs, Listed in our Esty store with matching earrings, Sept 2010

Goth Jewelry - Part 1: Definitions and Vision

Greetings Design Fans:

October seems to be the perfect time to highlight the design of goth (gothic) jewelry. "Goth" is sometimes used (confusingly and often improperly) to denote a range of fashions adopted by many subcultures including: emo, victorian, punk, romantic, vampire, fantasy, biker, industrial, lolita, horror, steampunk, etc. If you are a part of any of these sub-cultures, you probably know the differences between them instantly and easily, and are perhaps affronted that anyone could mix them up. And more affronted when people try to mainstream your sub-culture, like what happened with steampunk. Disney, egads.

"Goth" was originally the word used to refer to those who preferred a certain type of music. However, in the late 80's and 90's "goth" came to mean those who followed a certain aesthetic, not just in music, but fashion, art, and much more. Still, as with any sensibility, there are as many motivations and variations as there are people who follow it. Part of the modern goth aesthetic is a wide tolerance for different fashions and music, with an emphasis on personal expression.

You can get an overview of the subject very rapidly by searching on 'gothic fashion' or 'alternative fashion' and browsing the images. There are blogs entirely dedicated to the subject of goth fashion and lifestyle. As usual with the internet, there is no lack of information or of inspiration, the trick, as always, is actually finding what you are looking for.

So when I started creating gothic jewelry and accessories, I looked for a focus to help me narrow in on the styles and specific variations that resonated with me; a way to pick through the inspirations and create something new, something actually different and unique. That focus turned out to be the advice of my own personal, internal goth.

My inner goth does not come out often, and is shy, but when she does speak, she has definite ideas about what quality goth jewelry looks like, feels like, and most importantly, what it represents. It is what the jewelry symbolizes, the message, the emotion, that makes up the core of my vision for gothic jewelry.

If you look inside yourself, you will probably find an "elder goth" or "baby bat" just waiting provide you your own unique fashion vision. Give that person some inspiration and images (to bite on) and see what catches your attention.

Jennifer

Image Credits:
Gothic Anachronism by Paul Stephenson, and Emilie Autumn by Murdoch666 via Creative Commons CC 2.0
Volcanic Glass Cross, Hand Gilded Silver Leaf - Lunar Blue Designs, posted in our Etsy Store September 2010