Jewelry Collectibles

Invasive Vine

2011-09-28T14:37:00.000-04:00

More New Work

2011-08-20T19:58:00.000-04:00

New Work

2011-07-31T21:10:00.004-04:00

This is one of my new Butterfly Wing Pins. Right now it's in Deer Isle, Maine, at Turtle Gallery

Here is a view of the color change.

Songbird Earrings

2010-09-27T15:51:00.001-04:00

Nancy Pearl's summer book podcast mentioned Jonathan Franzen's NEW YORKER article about people in Europe eating songbirds as a treat, several for a meal or appetizer, and why I made the Songbird Earrings in the beginning of the summer.

Here are the sweet songbirds as earrings to sing music in your ears, now available in my Etsy shop.

Earrings

2010-07-29T10:43:00.000-04:00

Pear Pin

2010-07-08T19:25:00.005-04:00

Soon after posting the Pear Pin on Etsy, it got put into a Treasury. A Etsy Treasury is a specially curated collection of pieces by an Etsy seller or member. Here's the link for this pin's Etsy page and here's the Treasury page.

Rectangle Earrings

2010-06-17T21:11:00.000-04:00

My latest listing on Etsy are the Wheels Earrings. I have two other sculptural pairs there, too, and will be adding another one soon. These earrings are dynamic, full of life and movement.

Pan Fish Earrings

2010-06-15T08:13:00.001-04:00

My earring order is finished and can get mailed today. Last night I listed this pair of different earrings. They are small fry pans, each holding a fish. First photo shows the earrings on my bench.

Bench Time

2010-06-13T14:38:00.001-04:00

I've been spending the past few days at my bench working on a wholesale earring order for a long-time customer whom I met in 1974. I hope to get this order out soon and get on with making other pieces.

In Vino Veritas Pin

2010-06-10T08:59:00.009-04:00

The phrase In Vino Veritas (In wine, there is truth) is attributed to Pliny the Elder (Latin) and Alcaeus the Poet (Greek). Similar is the Babylonian Talmud passage In came wine, out went a secret.

In Vino Veritas is a slogan for a New Orleans parade group, an essay by Kierkegaard and more. For you, it can be another fun piece of jewelry by Peggy Johnson, a precious pin and perfect to wear to a wine tasting.

Here is a special bonus for Etsy customers: http://www.etsy.com/listing/48950204/in-vino-veritas-pin

Before photos

2010-06-08T15:17:00.002-04:00

These three insects became pieces of jewelry in my Etsy shop. First they are fabricated from sterling silver sheet and wire with different forming. Next they are polished and darkened to highlight the stamped areas. Sometimes semi precious stones are added. Current background shows honeycomb block on my benchtop. This allows the heat to dissipate so soldering can occur.

Left to right is Housefly http://www.etsy.com/listing/47353515/housefly-bracelet-with-green-beads then Cicada http://www.etsy.com/listing/47886443/cicada-bracelet and finally Garden Beetle http://www.etsy.com/listing/48398599/garden-beetle-with-spade-pin

Organization

2010-06-08T09:51:00.000-04:00

Keeping track of small pieces and parts of all my jewelry needs organization. I've found these plastic drawers the best help, and have several generations of drawers. This group is stacked two sections high and sits handily to my left while at the bench. Drawers within sections are removable, and according to their relevance with what I'm making, they can be located close at hand. Labels are important.

2010-03-07T18:34:00.000-05:00

The Rocket Fish Earrings sold today!

2010-03-02T19:22:00.000-05:00

Rocket Fish Earrings are getting lots of view and heart on my Etsy shop.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39567711

New Etsy shop

2010-02-18T15:47:00.000-05:00

Take a look.

I have some jewelry listed on http://www.etsy.com/shop/jewelrycollectibles

Here's one of the pieces, Tea For Two Bracelet. It's made of sterling silver with additions of red coral bead and a special heart shaped in red coral. It measures 7-5/8" long and fits around most wrists.

Holiday Sale in Portland, Maine, this Weekend

2009-11-30T13:46:00.000-05:00

You are invited!

The Insect's Christmas

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls2WtJakgo0

Freehand Gallery Postcard

2009-04-28T20:07:00.000-04:00

Here's the postcard for the Freehand Gallery show, opening May 2, 2009. That's my Square Toaster Pin.

New Pins

2009-04-21T20:47:00.001-04:00

Mother Beetle Love Pin

Fly Family Fun Day Pin

New Earrings

2009-04-21T20:42:00.000-04:00

New Bracelets

2009-04-21T16:02:00.000-04:00

I'm in a jewelry show at Freehand Gallery in LA starting May 2. Here are the bracelets. Top to bottom they are Eat Your Vegetables Bracelet, Tea Party Bracelet, Breakfast in Bed Bracelet.

February 15, 2009

2009-02-15T13:47:00.001-05:00

I found this from going through old slides. It was a commission in the 70s or 80s. The central heart is enameled. Aside from two coral beads, the rest is sterling silver.

December 17, 2008

2008-12-17T21:39:00.000-05:00

Here are the group of snow globe pins I was selling at the craft show. Green was most popular and none of them are left. I still have a few left. Pins are about 1-3/4 inches in diameter, have a pinback and with a little ingenuity can also be hung on a tree or a wall. There are tiny glass balls inside that look like snow. Polymer clay tree sits in the middle.

December 9, 2008

2008-12-09T09:32:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I was at a craft show selling my jewelry. It was an easy show with lots of energy and fine sales, the return of past customers and the addition of new ones.

September 16, 2008

2008-09-16T21:01:00.000-04:00

Not insect jewelry but an insect tattoo, a temporary tattoo. And I got it at the public library. It was in a basket on the checkout counter along with some plastic bugs. There might not be a real insect like this one, none that I've seen. I put it on my lower leg.

August 29, 2008

2008-08-29T22:48:00.000-04:00

Here's something I made last week, the Cicada Bracelet. It's all sterling silver with a carnelian stone and turquoise beads.

2008-08-23T15:48:00.001-04:00

August 23, 2008

Here are some pieces I've been making for the Maine galleries open in this summer. Now we are having beautiful Maine weather. The pin on the left is about 3 inches high and 1-3/4 inches wide, all sterling silver, it has a round turquoise set above and black onyx cab below.

On the right side is a sterling silver beetle holding up a flower, 2-7/8 inches high and wide. The stone is a citrine.

May 28, 2008

2008-05-28T18:19:00.000-04:00

I made some new bird pins and sent them off to the two Maine galleries I sell to in the summer months. They are Deer Isle's Turtle Gallery and Alone Moose Fine Crafts in Bar Harbor. The images are small on the blog page but click on the image and see a larger image. All are made of sterling silver and have a semi precious stone set below. Largest size is about 3 inches. Prices are $70. to $90.

April 23, 2008

2008-04-23T22:07:00.001-04:00

April already and then it's close to the end of the month. I'm making bird pins for Maine galleries opening soon for the summer, and am getting ready for a studio tour in my neighborhood at the end of next month. Here in Maine it was a sunny day today. Just 66º but that is warm and it felt like summer, or the January thaw when it was 65º but now all the snow has melted. Then the temps went up to 76º. Time now to shed a few layers of clothing. Daffodils are blooming and maybe we'll see the tulips soon. Time for gardening. Miniature garden tools at left, the handles are made from chopsticks.

March 10, 2008

2008-03-10T17:04:00.000-04:00

Not just insect jewelry, how about this Pear Pin? The pear shape is embossed in sterling silver and has a textured background. The copper frame is also embossed and surrounds the pear from the front and back. Measurements: 1 inch wide by 1-1/2 inch high.

February 24, 2008

2008-02-24T12:20:00.000-05:00

Think about it...a special order. Here's one I made for someone in L.A. which combines the Love Bug and a sweet flower. This Love Bug Pin has green onyx eyes, and is made of sterling silver.

We keep having winter weather. Snow yesterday, but it is melting fast. Maine has had more snow this year than in a long time. Good for the ski resorts, hard on the back for shovelers. This will make the spring more wonderful. I love how Maine is so white and stark in the winter and so green and lush in the summer. Such opposites in one place.

February 2, 2008

2008-02-02T12:04:00.000-05:00

The Love Bug Pin is ready to help declare love to someone you adore.

January 29, 2008

2008-01-29T19:55:00.000-05:00

After they were found in the wild, I brought the bugs home with me. I added a semi precious stone to the back of several, and some received jeweled eyes. Then I made each insect a home. Here they are climbing over their new condos. Sizes: insects are within 2 inches long; their boxes are slightly larger.

Insects are made of sterling silver and boxes are wood with metal screens.

January 23, 2008

2008-01-23T00:29:00.000-05:00

Even though we are still in the dead of winter, I felt a shift yesterday that spring is close. Then we had a little snow passing through today. It freshened up what is on the ground.

Across the street from me, a house was torn down and a new one is going up. There were all kinds of giant diggers, scoops, cranes, big trucks to remove and then bring in some dirt. Now the foundation of the house is covered over. Guys were working in this freezing weather. Recently it's been quiet. What's next?

Back to the bugs. I've added an early photo of the insect pins. They were roving around, and a photo was snapped. I made a new fly bracelet for the galleries this time.

January 10, 2008

2008-01-10T19:45:00.001-05:00

Another new year, a fresh start, and my first blog. I make jewelry that tells a story. What's a former English major to do? I like the 3rd dimension of objects. I'll tell you about new pieces I'm making and link viewers to my website. My jewelry career began in 1970. It's been so much fun, I can't stop. I continue with the insect jewelry which I've been making for over 10 years. There are and have been other forms, and you can see them on my website. I work directly in the metal and use many tools and techniques. Figuring things out is a good challenge.

Maybe a little talk about the weather? Maine had lots of snow in December, broke a few snowfall records, and now it's melting. From a day of 9º to a few days later and 65º, what a switch. They call it the January thaw.