What a gorgeous day it is here in south Louisiana! We have had a TON of rain this week....I think here in Baton Rouge we had something close to 18 inches of rain. Lots of flooding of roads, homes and businesses. Not us, thankfully. Our home is in a very old neighborhood in Baton Rouge so it relatively "high" for this area! 

These are brand new earrings made in the "jacks" style but I added this beautiful faceted blue opal "quartz". Some people call it quartz but I think it's more likely manmade. Whatever it is, it's really wonderful. It reflects whatever color you are wearing, sometimes blue, sometimes pink or another color!

These silver and quartz drop earrings are really hard to photograph, I think because of the crystal clear quartz. I love quartz - it has always been a favorite of mine. I was born and raised in Arkansas, which is where a lot of quartz occurs. So, I grew up with quartz all around me - it's one of the reasons I like rocks of all sorts - I guess rocks remind me of home! (Here in Louisiana, few to no rocks anywhere!)

More from the brand new (and still developing) National Parks Collection! These silver earrings were inspired by the National Parks of the U.S., especially Arches National Park in Utah! Freshwater pearls or clear quartz crystals! 
Arches are one of the most important architectural discoveries in human history and they can be seen in any city in the world!

Missing being able to travel! National Parks are kind of a passion for us and we have not had our "fix" of parks in over a year. With that in mind, these earrings were designed as a tribute to those fabulous archways that occur in so many National Parks in the western U.S. 

​If you want to see others in this collection, click here and here!

Part of my new collection, inspired by National Parks of the US. I have missed (and still miss) traveling so much over the past year and a half. One of the things we love to do is visit national parks in the western US. 

One of the natural features you see in many of the parks is the archway. Eye candy! 

Plus, two of my favorite "gems" - freshwater pearls and "opals" (in all honesty, these are called "opalized quartz but, between you & me, I think they are glass but, who cares, really. They are amazingly beautiful!!).

Want to shop the look? Click here!

See those little silver balls at the ends of these fish drop earrings? I LOVE those little balls and they can only be made successfully with a specific types of sterling silver wire. Oh, I guess it's possible with traditional sterling silver but my success varied so much that I went with argentium sterling silver. Argentium is legit sterling silver with just a dash of something called "germanium" which, besides allowing these lovely smooth silver balls to happen, also makes the jewelry tarnish resistent! WIN!! 

            Click here or on the button below to shop these fun "fishy" earrings!

Valentine's Day is here so I wanted to show these hearts that I made alongside this new silver bracelet. As much as I try, I can't stick with just one "thing". I have made jewelry for a long time and I love it. When the lockdown came (almost a year ago now) and the simultaneous canceling of every art show I was planning to attend, I found myself with more time on my hands. 

First I turned to knitting (wonderfully addictive, calming and just plain fun) then to an old love of mine, sewing. When I came across an idea for these little patchwork hearts, I just could not resist. I think I made about 10 of them. Aren't they the cutest?? 

Happy Valentine's Day, y'all!

These sterling silver earrings with pearls are the best! I know, they don't like like sterling silver right?? That's because I oxidized the silver using a multi-step process that causes the silver to turn black (or kind of a very dark charcoal color). There is just something about that black with the creaminess of the freshwater pearl that I love!

Do you remember those carefree days of childhood, when we felt a sense of joy around the simple things we did for entertainment - like making necklaces from clover or daisy flowers? Those are the days I was thinking about when I designed this jewelry collection - I wanted to put that feeling of joy into jewelry that you could wear everyday and be reminded of another place and time as you go about your day!

​                            Click here to shop the entire collection of daisy chain
                                             (aka clover chain) jewelry!

YES, this is the most wonderful cloth for polishing silver! In fact, guess what? It also polishes: 
mirrors
brass
bronze
glass
gold (yes, gold!!)
and so many other things! Use it til it's black then replace. Don't wash it - that will get rid of all the good stuff that does the polishing! 

Need one? Sign up for my email list & I'll be sure to let you know when they are back on the website! (Or, you know, do a quick google search & find one right now!)

That bracelet? It's in my online store - click here to shop!

I have been reading up on akoya vs. freshwater pearls because I LOVE pearls and I wanted to find out about all these different types of pearls. Bottom line? Akoyas are saltwater and are grown in Japan. Freshwater pearls are from China and are grown in fresh water! Oh, yes, one more thing, freshwater pearls are WAY more affordable than akoyas and, besides that, they are beautiful! For my money? It's freshwater pearls, all the way! Read more about freshwater pearls here.

There are so many different types of bracelets! I'll talk about 2 types here with more to follow on another day.

​Would you like to know more about the history of Mother's Day? Go HERE to see!

Circles are such an important universal symbol and jewelry that incorporates this ancient symbol makes a statement for the wearer. The circle has long been a symbol of wholeness, infinity and unity among people. I am so excited to share with you some new additions to La Luna Collection - jewelry that uses the simple circle as it's core. If you want to read more about the circle as a symbol, go HERE to do that. 

You will be happy to know that the sterling silver heart jewelry is back on the website! These handmade Valentine's Day earrings, rings and necklaces are only available in February and there is limited stock available! 

Need a gift for Valentine's Day? (YES, it's ok to buy a Valentine's Day gift for yourself!) Check out these handmade heart earrings! 

When Mother's Day rolls around every year, I think about my mom and feel gratitude for the mom figures I still have in my life. If your mom is gone, I'll bet you do the same.

I always send a little something to the moms in my life: maybe just a card, maybe a piece of my own handmade silver jewelry, maybe a phone call where I can relax and enjoy sharing remembrances with someone who has some of the same memories I do.

If you are among the many people who send gifts to a mom in your life, I have put together a fun Mother's Day offer for you - a gift for her & a gift for you! Here are the details: for the first 20 people who order $50.00 or more of my jewelry between May 1st and May 14th, I will include a pair of FREE handmade pearl earrings. That's a win-win! (In south Louisiana, this little something extra is called "lagniappe"!)

Another favorite piece are these earrings that I wear all the time! I call them earrings for the "Yoga Mom" because they are simple enough not to get in the way of anything life throws at her but also unusual enough to be fun to wear. To see all the gemstone possibilities available with these earrings, go here.

Go here to shop the complete collection of jewelry!

Go here if you want to see the complete Gift Guide for Mother's Day

As always, thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you in person at one of my shows soon! Oh, and, Happy Mother's Day!
​Laura

Mother's Day is coming up in just a few weeks and, like many of you, my mom is no longer around. I miss her everyday but especially on Mother's Day. My mother was a generous, loving person and my best friend, even though we didn't live in the same city or even the same state. She would just hate that I posted those three photos of her here but, it's my blog and it feels good to me to honor her in this way. She was not afraid to look and act silly, as you can see in the first photo. She was completely in love with the ocean and island life and traveled to be near the sea as often as she could - yearly when we were kids, more often when we were grown & she and my dad were retired. 

I wrote another blog post about Mother's Day awhile back; if you would like to read it, you can go here to learn all about the history of Mother's Day. Oh, yes, I almost forgot - I put together a Mother's Day gift guide. Check it out  if you are lucky enough to still have your mom in your life or someone else you would like to honor on her special day!

I was reading online today that there are apparently many different types of moms. In fact, there are several quizzes that you can take (one from Oprah) to identify which type of mom you are, which type of mom you have or even which type of mom you will or would be. Whew.

So, in the spirit of identifying various "mom styles", I put together a Mother's Day Gift Guide. I identified the following types of mom that seem to cover all the most important mom groups:

1. The working mom (no nonsense - she wants to make no decisions in the morning regarding which jewelry to wear so mixed metal jewelry fits her needs perfectly)

2. The elegant mom (she always looks polished and ready for whatever the day brings - from a large charity event, to lunch with friends or dinner with her husband.)

3. The yoga mom (simple jewelry is always her "go to" but still with a little flair, such as the tiny little amethyst drops below.)

4.  The best friend mom (she is your best friend and your mom; or she is your best friend who also happens to be a mom and you want to honor her and her fabulous self on her special day. The classic byzantine silver bracelet is a perfect choice.)

5.  The active mom (no time to sit still for long; this mom is always on the go and needs a straight forward, no nonsense bracelet to wear day after day, with a design that is always perfect for any occasion.)

6. The sweet mom (this mom is always ready to listen to you and offer encouraging words - these little sterling silver heart earrings are a perfect compliment to her personality.)

Want to read more information about the history of Mother's Day? Go here.