New Tri-Color Braid Chains

I've been itching to get busy in my studio, but for the past few weeks the arthritis in my hand has been making it impossible. This week Mr. LuckyGirl had lapband surgery, so I've been a little busy as a one-armed nurse. Between the two of us I'm not sure that we equal a single able-bodied person right now, so life's a bit extra challenging. Mr. LuckyGirl is adjusting nicely, and I've got a thumb-joint replacement in the schedule, so things should be humming along here soon.

The good news is that I've been sorting through a huge shipment of sterling silver chains. I love this tri-color braid chain! It's sterling silver, with one strand left shiny silver, one plated in rose gold, and the third strand plated in yellow gold. It's a flat braid, about 5mm wide, and I have them in 16-, 18-, and 20-inch lengths. They look fabulous alone and with a large-bailed pendant, and coordinate beautifully with most other jewelry.

Weekend Gem and Jewelry Show

Mr. LuckyGirl and I drove to northern Virginia this past weekend to shop at a huge jewelry and gem show. There were hundreds of booths, thousands of shoppers, the prices were high, and surprisingly the majority of sellers were less than friendly. I learned a lot about how not to treat your customers, both in the wholesale and the retail sections of the show.

We came home with some blue topaz cabs, a few pretty pink tourmaline cabs, some things I've already forgotten, but my favorite find was the cabs in the photo. We met a couple who cut gemstones and they had an amazing collection of cabachons in their booth. They called these cabs Wedgwood agate. I've never seen stones quite like these before, and they're really lovely! Don't know what we'll do with everything yet, but it will be fun designing with them.

I Made a Smiley Face Plate

I had so much fun making this plate! I smiled the entire time I was working on it, and now that it's finished I can't help but smile every time I see it. It's about 4.5" square, with a gentle slope, the perfect thing for anyone who needs a bit of good cheer! Just listed this one in my etsy shop, and have more planned in a few weeks. I can't wait!

I'm Closing Lucky Girl Trading on eBay

I've been trying to work out a better system of juggling things, and closing my eBay store is one of the first things I've decided to do. I want to spend more time in my studio making stuff, not selling things that were made by someone else. The store will be open until next week, and in the meantime everything has a negotiable price. If you see something you like just send me a message and I'll give you the lowest price I can, so for the next few days you can shop and save big!