Jasper & Love

April 03, 2017

I've been hanging onto these stones for months, so naturally am SO pleased that they found a home in this piece. You'll see the agate is rooted in a tiny moonstone, paired with sterling silver ear wire that fades into the background - a soft tone that doesn't distract from the central stone. Allie

You should have seen my face when I found the display of geometric metal shapes at one of my local vendors. Toddler at Christmas - overwhelmed, delighted, unsure what to pick first. Of course these squares... but also the gold tone squares, right? and the larger kind? and do I get the rectangles too? The cream quartz and aqua terra "jasper" (trade name for soft onyx marble, for your trivia stash) were born for each other. The larger cream quartz in a soft pale peach, and the jasper also translucent, near transparent, but in a slightly sturdier sage green. I'll come play with these colors again later... :) Charlotte

You've heard me rave about these stones before, I'm sure. The best purchase I've ever made, stone-wise? Let's see... top five for sure. I adore the asymmetrical cut, the smooth flow of the line, the painterly patterns that vary SO MUCH (see Sara below)... And of course they're jasper, my shop's namesake. Make them black and white I just melt into a puddle of be-still-my-heart. Maisie

Sara! The soft neutrality of these remind me of the book title Sarah Plain and Tall, which probably inspired the naming of these earrings. Subtle, yet not lacking in detail. Notice the striations as if illustrated with graphite. Notice the way the moonstones - tiny orange and larger grey - bring out the best in these larger jasper stones. I could go on and on about the elegance of shapes here, but I'll save that for another post about composition. Love these.

One of my best-selling pieces, Beach Vacation, made me realize that I don't have to Beyonce every piece (give a one word name) - I can use a non-name or phrase to evoke what I feel in making a piece. And thus, Tonight! These feel like a night out on the Lower East Side when your friend is in town from the UK and playing her new set and you need earrings that are just as ready as you are to stay out til the sun :)

Jasper & Love

March 26, 2017

Mmm, it's been too long! I'm making a pile of all the new stuff you haven't seen, and will post in the coming weeks. The lovelies above are called "Blue Moon" - I'll be honest, I've had the blue apatite for months and happy it finally has a home.

I call these "By the Lake" because they remind me of a hot summer afternoon at Lake Michigan. Don't worry - you'll see those oval curved aventurine stones more often in weeks and months to come!

I *adore* these carnelian earrings, framed by blackwood jasper (the name even tastes good, they're so beautiful) and fossil coral. I picture these with a camel wool pencil skirt, but obviously other options abound.

Nora... I'm sure you've noticed that I can't walk past a good asymmetrical stone without adding it to my tray (the carts of jewelry stores), and this was no exception. Maybe I paid too much for them. But just look at 'em, I mean, how could I walk on by?

In case you're like me, and can't get enough blackwood jasper, well, here's to you. *clink* These "Winter Woods" earrings make me want to wear navy and cuddle up by the fire :)

Conversational Design Layout: Squash

March 05, 2017

You can see influences from the mood board here - squash blossoms, vines and leaves, and squash skin patterns in the far background. Do you also see the squash silhouettes?

In a few weeks it will be easier to take it all in, once the color gouache is done.

Cheers!

Jasper & Love Earrings: http://etsy.me/2lgkqVSTop: http://bit.ly/2ltvh0XCardigan: http://bit.ly/2kI99vpJacket: http://bit.ly/2kHXIE2Scarf: http://bit.ly/2m5HR38Skirt: http://bit.ly/2lsytJSBelt: http://bit.ly/2lU2RxK… — Jasper & Love Earrings: http://etsy.me/2lgkqVS
Top: http://bit.ly/2ltvh0X
Cardigan: http://bit.ly/2kI99vp
Jacket: http://bit.ly/2kHXIE2
Scarf: http://bit.ly/2m5HR38
Skirt: http://bit.ly/2lsytJS
Belt: http://bit.ly/2lU2RxK
Clutch: http://bit.ly/2lsKe3c
Shoes: http://bit.ly/2kHRlRm

Launching Jasper & Love on Pinterest

February 17, 2017

As you may have noticed, I get a lot of joy from progress in life. Starting new projects, seeing results, learning new things, trying challenges, etc. To the point that it can be hard to take a break - if I'm not careful, I work all day then come home and keep plugging away at my constant to-do list. (I like lists, so it's not as bad as it sounds.) So it takes work to remind myself to do something else - follow a passion that isn't one of my Etsy shops, explore something new without looking for a way to implement it, just play.

So tonight started out that way - a little window shopping on Thredup. (Shameless plug: use my referral link! http://www.thredup.com/r/EY5DX4) They're an online resale store, which means they're a great way to save money on quality clothes while feeling eco-friendly. Woohoo! As I was browsing, I drifted into thinking about fashion and putting together color palettes and patterns... and decided to create some ideas of my own for pinterest.

Then - then I realized I could center these outfits around my online jewelry shop, Jasper & Love. (Ok, so it turned into a work-related activity - but give me a little credit, I started in an innocent place.)

So - I'm launching my new pinterest board today! Tell me what you think :)

Cheers,

Charity

Subway to Soup Bowls

January 28, 2017

One of my goals for this year is to become comfortable with both Photoshop and Illustrator, so I hope to have many more posts like this - with much improved technique - as the months roll by. I was struck by the LOVELY rust on the subway platform today, and snapped a pic about five seconds before my phone died. (Poor thing.) So I've spent some time playing with the palette and composition in Photoshop.

I think this is strong, but hard to digest in areas. Does your eye rest? Does it have a clear journey, or just bounce around? This is a good start, but it's not making a clear statement.

Ahhhh... Am I right? This is digestible, but not boring. The overlays give structure, without eliminating the textures we had before, which allows it to keep the depth. I would use this palette for housewares (soup bowls!) or as a pillow case design.

Jasper & Love

January 05, 2017

While I normally avoid dyed gemstones, these match my favorite lipstick and I couldn't say no. Plus 50% off, LBH. As a bonus, they're drilled in such a way that stones overlap each other ever so slightly when stacked. If I were remaking these, the only think I'd consider changing is switching to slightly thicker 23 or 22 ga gold headpin at 3", and adding another stone. Could only fit 4 with my 2" wire :)

Sun fire! This is my first of many explorations with carnelian gemstones - in this case, topped with aventurine. I adore the coloring on these stones (every one is different), so the only thing I'd change is switching to a marquise cut instead of oval. Or, if we're dreaming aloud here, an asymmetrical faceted cut, chunky but not so much that it becomes heavy.

Snails! Yep, those patterns you see are snail fossils from Wyoming. (Read more, it's really fascinating: http://geology.com/gemstones/turritella/) So how did I find a tiny bead to match as a topper - is that agate too? Nope. It's glass, actually, from a mixed set that I use WAY more than you would expect (Elyn, Eva, Beach Vacation, Sadie, Abode, Moxie, they're just surprisingly versatile beads. Check it out: jasperandlove.etsy.com) This particular pair is blue shot through with tanny golds and cooler indigo.

Since my first round of glass pendant earrings went over so well - Siara - I had to go see what other options were available. And I'm thrilled with these. The color, the simplicity, and that first photograph that is so perfectly abstracted. Look for more riffs on this theme soon.

These make me feel like New Year's Eve!

The equivalent of a reversible jacket, these Julia earrings can be worn two ways - with chain to the side, or chain split symmetrically to either side. Flip through the photos to see what I mean. If I were remaking, I might try two different types of gold chain to add another layer of texture. Or I might add a third, or see if I can find a less symmetrical shape than square, or see if I can stretch the square into another shape...

Enough about me - what about you? What do you want to see?

Wilderness

December 21, 2016

Jasper & Love

December 18, 2016

Well, hello then. It's been awhile. I feel like an elf, busy working away in preparation for the holidays!

These lovely asymmetrical earrings are jasper from head to toe - three different kinds.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/486425218/verra-earrings-jasper-earrings-grey

My very first lapis lazuli earrings! They seem like going-out earrings, but actually pair well with laidback sweatshirt weekends, too.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/499775995/xena-earrings-lapis-lazuli-earrings-long

Never bored of playing with this shape.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/486253922/kiara-earrings-pink-and-gold

You'll have to let me know if the concept is coming through on these. Do you see a flower at all? Is it working?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/499743609/flora-earrings-green-and-pink-dangle

Jasper & Love

November 27, 2016

Let's call this a "Making Of" or "Behind the Scenes" story. You know me, I don't like stuff. I like multi-purpose objects that store nicely, not bulky one-use-only things like studio lighting or elaborate photography props.

So how do I shoot my product photos for Jasper & Love, like this one?

Simple! First, use natural light ALWAYS. This is more difficult half the year when I'm only home during daylight on weekends.

Second, white reflects light. I keep a light source on one side and a piece of white paper on the other, to keep the shadow from getting too dark. As below, white paper below the set is also helpful.

Third, glass! I love glass backdrops, because the surface abstracts whatever is actually there. This will become more interesting in following images.

Once more with feeling! This time I'm shooting toward the window, instead of straight back into the white.

I adore this shot. The warm tones in the earrings pop because the background is so blue. It would be better if the background were more blurred - I'm working on that.

Using a low fstop blurs the background window, and using a glass vase abstracts it further while being visually less distracting than the black earring holder.

Here's the final shot. Now that you know it's there, you can see the window frame, right?

Similar setup, as seen from above. Instead of shooting into the window, this time I'm shooting perpendicular to the window, with glass-in-front-of-white-paper as the backdrop.

Here's the final shot. While I love the abstracted nature of the previous, you can see that a white backdrop is less distracting. And adding the glass makes it less boring and impersonal than a simple white sheet backdrop. (I tried that, it looked r… — Here's the final shot. While I love the abstracted nature of the previous, you can see that a white backdrop is less distracting. And adding the glass makes it less boring and impersonal than a simple white sheet backdrop. (I tried that, it looked robotic.

Happy shooting!

Cheers :)

Jasper and Love

November 19, 2016

This is what's next - glass and 100% semi-precious stones :) For now, I'm including glass shots in each shoot, but I want to get to 80% glass for all listings. Most of my work is both semi-precious stone and glass bead, but these are both complete semi-precious stones and gold. Love the texture that brings, and uniformity of sheen.

Glass

November 17, 2016

Sunset

November 16, 2016

Jasper & Love

November 13, 2016

Mmm, new photos! I really enjoy the glass backgrounds, and would like to (eventually) replace all the black earring stand shots with glass compositions.