New Designs in Platinum...

I do quite a bit of custom work in platinum, but not very many pieces ever make it online. This past fall I had so many requests for platinum that I decided to make a few pair of earrings available for the holidays in a limited edition of 5 of each pair, this mini-collection was very popular, so popular in fact there is only 1 of each pair remaining! So for Spring I have created an expanded platinum collection of earrings & necklaces, including the earrings in progress that are pictured below...


Faceted rounds of bi-color quartz (weighing 20.5 carats each) topped with a lush cluster of solid .900 Platinum, london & swiss blue topaz, champagne quartz, apatite and andalusite.

I will post posting these pieces over the next couple weeks on my website, http://www.shoppassementerie.com and this time each & every platinum piece will be one-of-a-kind!

A house is not a home...

...until the first issue of Vogue Paris arrives in the mail.

The mars issue arrived in Savannah...I was so excited when I saw this sticking out of my mailbox yesterday! Plus, it is addressed to Mlle. Courtney...how chic is that!?

I have been addicted to this magazine since high school. It gave me the desire to want to study fashion design (which turned in to a desire to design jewelry) and it is still one of the biggest sources of inspiration for my collections to this day.

In The Studio...

Sadly, most of my studio "stuff" (equipment, tools, etc.) is still packaged and being stored until I find the perfect studio space...but the one piece I couldn't bear to pack away was my big work bench...an antique mahogany library table (the photo here is of the carved detail on its curved legs)...so now it sits in my bedroom, serving as combination mini-jewelry-studio, computer desk and vanity until the rest of my furniture arrives and it moves to its new home in my Savannah studio.



Over the years I have always welcomed customers in to my studio so they could see where I work, look at all the beautiful gems *before* they are made into jewelry, and sometimes just to have a glass of wine and enjoy my mini-library of jewelry design & gemstone books. I have also had many requests from out-of-town customers to view my studio online...and once my new studio space is set up I plan to do just that! Starting in April I am introducing an "In the studio" series of posts on my blog...stay tuned for details

Apatite...

Apatite used to be one of my favorite stones to work with, especially in the beautiful Caribbean blue-green shade seen here...but it is brittle, prone to breaking making it difficult to work with, and often filled with cracks & inclusions. Recently, my love for apatite was renewed when I came across a few strands of the finest apatite briolettes I had ever seen (shown below in the Cote d’Azur Earrings).



This apatite is AMAZING!

Nearly every gem on the strand is eye clean with beautiful even color...and because this apatite has virtually no cracks or inclusions, so far there has been no breakage! I acquired every strand I could find of this stunning stone, and I have a feeling its not going to last very long...this apatite will make an appearance in many, many of my pieces this spring & summer.

Savannah...

As many of you know, I have spent the last few months packing my studio & all my worldly possessions and moving everything down to Savannah, GA. This is the time of year, when I am generally busiest - developing new collections, creating new pieces or traveling to source the beautiful gems that I use in each piece. Because of this, I haven't had many opportunities to explore my new city. But, recently, I have been fortunate enough to set aside a little bit of time for myself...



...and I have re-discovered the beauty of Savannah that sparked my original desire to move here. Each block I have walked, is steeped in history & southern charm, beautiful colors & unique architectural details abound. Already, I have taken so many photos for inspiration, that I could literally fill an entire wall in my studio. That joyous excess has resulted in the creation of a new collection for summer comprised of one of a kind pieces inspired by my lovely new hometown! The very first piece in this collection is available for preview online, the Moss earrings, inspired by the enchanting Spanish moss draped on trees throughout the city...



Plump faceted prasiolite (green amethyst) briolettes are topped with a cluster of faceted London blue topaz, blue-grey sapphire, mystic topaz and a single white akoya pearl, all on handcrafted solid 18k gold pins. Finished with solid 18k gold french wires.

The entire Savannah Collection will be available online this Summer, but be sure to check back soon as I will be posting exclusive previews on my blog as the pieces in this new collection are created.

The Bespoke Collection...

Bespoke is a new collection of completely custom, made-to-order jewelry. Passementerie's signature gem encrusted chains can now be ordered in any length and combination of metals & gemstones desired. Each Bespoke piece will feature our signature embellishment which is exclusive to the Bespoke pieces, a single diamond briolette asymmetrically placed along the chain.

Soon Passementerie's website will feature an interactive order form and more examples of Bespoke pieces that have been created for our clients, like the 36" chain of solid 18k gold and white keshi & seed pearls pictured above.

The Douro Necklace, a Work in Progress...

The Douro Necklace is a work in progress, and promises to be one of my favorite new pieces for 2008! This necklace has been a labor of love...in the works for over a year because it took me so long to source so many of the gems, especially the larger stones for the triple strand part of this necklace, which is almost 800 carats of flawless polished green amethyst (prasiolite)!

The project was put on hold for a little due to my move, and I am just now able to begin creating the chains of gemstones and the long, cascading pendant...once this necklace is finished it is going to be VERY difficult to part with!

A new year...a new city...a new beginning...

Its a new year, my first new post of the year is coming a little later than anticipated, but I have a good excuse...or at least a fairly decent excuse for this belated post...I am moving!

I have spent the past few weeks moving myself and the Passementerie studio to Savannah, and now I am in the middle of setting up the new studio space. From the move to Savannah to new packaging designs, a new collection called Patisserie and hopefully a new retail studio/shop, 2008 will be a year of many exciting changes!



There is a small preview of my Spring|Summer 2008 collection available on the website (including one of my favorites, the La Mer Earrings pictured above) and the rest of the new collection & a preview of the Patisserie collection will be online soon, so stay tuned for the new designs & more exciting news!

Happy 2008 everyone!
Courtney

New Platinum Designs Just in Time for The Holidays...

By popular demand I have brought back some earrings in Platinum, just in time for the holidays! The first two pieces are available online now, and a few more pieces will be added in the next few days...and don't forget, I can always create a custom piece in Platinum just for you!

These earrings feature plump flawless lemon topaz onions (weighing approx. 15 carats each) hand-wired with solid platinum and topped with faceted sapphire briolettes in shades of orange & yellow on handcrafted 18k yellow gold pins. Finished with solid platinum earwires accented with 18k gold.

The first two pieces...

• Jodhpur Earrings


• Taj Earrings

Passementerie Goes to Hollywood...

Some exciting news...Passementerie jewelry has been selected for inclusion in an upcoming feature film! There will be more news to come in the next few months about the film itself & when you will be able to see Passementerie in a theater near you :) but for now the following pieces are available for "pre-order" only because they will be on the movie set for the next few months...

• The Savannah Necklace


• The Annelise Necklace


• The Montparnasse Necklace


• The Douro Earrings


• The Burch Earrings


• The Irina Earrings


• The Mathilde Earrings

Modern Heirlooms...

This fall I will be bringing back my "Modern Heirlooms" collection!



Modern Heirlooms is a collection of fine antique & vintage jewelry that has been re-worked and combined with precious metals & gemstones to create modern day heirloom quality jewelry. Some of the pieces for this collection that are in the works now include a vintage sterling silver & onyx locket (pictured); an Art Nouveau 18k gold, lavender enamel & diamond locket; a 14k white gold & black enamel watch with domed crystal c. 1918 (pictured) and a platinum & blue sapphire Art Deco ladies pocket watch.

This collection will debut in November of 2007, if you would like to be notified when pieces are available online please join my mailing list (the sign-up box is to the right ->).