New for Spring...

A new design for Spring in my signature Cascading Tendrils style, The Parisian Earrings feature faceted coins of black spinel (weighing approx. 20 carats each) have been crowned with cascading tendrils of solid sterling silver, black spinel and mystic topaz. Hung from hand-fabricated sterling silver french wires.
Created in a limited edition of 5 pair.

Wordless Wednesday...

The origins of the Modern Heirlooms collection...

I made a resolution in 2009 that my blog would be updated more frequently and that it would not only be a place for Passementerie news & sales, but more importantly, more interesting to read than it has been in the past! So to start the year off right, I have decided to write about the history of my Modern Heirlooms collection. These pieces are a signature of my collection and probably my most distinctive and recognized pieces. And most importantly, they are my absolute favorite pieces to make!



There are many women, like me, who have heirloom jewelry they cherish, but unfortunately because the piece may not fit with their personal style it is never worn and just sits in a jewelry box or drawer gathering dust. I had some pieces myself that I had inherited, a locket in particular was a favorite piece of mine, the locket belonged to my grandmother, who passed away before I was born, and was passed down to my mother, then to myself. I had always cherished that locket, but I prefer more ornate & artistic jewelry and a gold locket on a plain chain just wasn't something I would wear very often.



When I first decided to introduce solid gold pieces into my jewelry collection I needed a "sample" piece to show customers and store buyers so I could see if there was any interest. After sketching numerous designs for my first gold necklace I was unable to decide which would be the perfect sample piece, then I remembered my grandmother's antique locket. I decided to use her locket as the focal piece of a necklace in my signature style, something that could serve as the sample for my new collection of gold necklaces, and a design that would also enable me to wear my cherished heirloom locket everyday! I crafted that first Modern Heirlooms necklace in my signature style, from solid 18k gold with a long chain of clustered multi-color sapphire spaced with sparkling nuggets of blue topaz, and placed the antique 18k gold locket where I would normally have a larger focal gemstone.



The necklace, and the story behind it, were immediately a huge hit...and now, years later, I have crafted dozens of my Modern Heirloom pieces and they have become a signature of my jewelry collection! I always have a small selection of these pieces made using antique lockets and pendants I have collected over the years, but the majority have been custom orders using pieces of my customer's favorite heirloom jewelry...even one sapphire & gold bracelet, commissioned by a customer's boyfriend, that masqueraded as a normal valentine's day gift until the recipient opened the tiny locket attached to the clasp, which had been engraved "will you marry me" on the inside.

You can see some of my current Modern Heirlooms pieces here on my website: http://shoppassementerie.com/mohe.html ...and I am always available to create custom Modern Heirlooms!

A little bit about me...

My customers have often asked me how I got my start in jewelry design, what my inspirations and influences are, and when I am going to do an interview so they can learn more about the designer behind Passementerie. Well, I am pleased to say I have finally given an in depth interview answering those exact questions!

The interview is posted over on Smashing Darling, which is a fabulous online market featuring up & coming independent designers! To read the interview please visit Smashing Darling's blog by clicking here.


Pictured above...The Douro Necklace, a work in progress.

Staring in 2009 I will be posting more frequently to my blog, and rather than just product and sale announcements I will be including information about my influences, design process and my every day life as a young jewelry designer!

The BIG End-of-the-year Sale!!

My biggest sale of the year has begun!!



This year my end-of-the-year sale will be held exclusively on the new online marketplace 1000 Markets. This year's sale is my biggest yet, with 30+ pieces of jewelry marked at 25-60% off, including pieces in 18k gold and platinum!!! The sale starts today, December 26th, and runs through Saturday January 10th! Most of these pieces are one of a kind or limited edition, so once they are sold that will be the last time they are ever offered.

To shop the sale please click here!

Please note: 1000 Markets uses Amazon Payments to process orders. This means the order process is very similar to ordering from amazon.com, you can even use saved payment & shipping preferences from your amazon.com account! If you have any questions about the ordering process please feel free to contact me.

One last pair of earrings...

Here is one last pair of new earrings before the holidays...the Élie Earrings! Created in my signature style, these earrings feature plump, polished briolettes of swiss blue topaz (weighing approx. 20 carats each) which have been topped with cascading tendrils of solid sterling silver, bright pink tourmaline and sapphire in shades of blue, purple and silver.

Last Minute Holiday Additions...

I have two last minute additions to the website before the holidays! Both of the new pieces, the Athina and Noailles Earrings, have been created in my classic cascading tendrils style with solid sterling silver.

Also, please remember the last possible day for purchases with guaranteed holiday delivery is Monday, December 15th!! After that any orders that need to arrive before Christmas will require overnight UPS shipping.


Noailles Earrings...Large, eye-clean polished lemon quartz briolettes (weighing approx 25 carats each) have been topped with solid sterling silver and dozens of cascading tendrils of stunning sapphire in shades of blue, purple, green and pale silver. Finished with hand-fabricated sterling silver french wires.

Athina Earrings...Faceted rounds of smoky quartz (weighing approx. 18 carats each) have been topped by cascading tendrils of solid sterling silver and sapphire in shades of pink, orange and gold. Finished with hand-fabricated sterling silver french wires.

The Election Giveaway....

A winner has been chosen, using the technologically advanced method of writing everyone's name on a slip of paper and choosing one from a bowl...and the winner is...Black Purl, I hope you enjoy your new earrings!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway...I will have another one coming up at the end of the year, be sure to join the mailing list to be notified when the new giveaway starts!

This week, in honor of yesterday's historic election, I will be giving away a pair of my signature gemstone tendril earrings, The Leila Earrings! To enter simply leave a comment on this post letting me know what this election meant to you...everyone is free to enter, your comment can be as simple or as lengthy as you would like!

A winner will be chosen from the comments section at random on Wednesday, November 12th (one week from today).

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This election was, and always will be, memorable to me because, for the first time, I really saw people working together for the change we so desperately need. I truly hope this election is the first of many steps toward a more tolerant, aware & involved America.

Be the change you want to see in the world. - Mahatma Gandhi

The Fleur Collection...

This fall I will be introducing dozens of new versions of my best-selling petite cluster earrings! Each pair of earrings features the same high-quality craftsmanship & materials as my signature work, but because these pieces are crafted in limited editions from sterling silver they are all priced at $200 or less!

To make it easier to find these pieces on the website I have organized them into a collection, new designs will be added weekly and you can see the first 10 designs for Fall '08 here: The Fleur Collection.


Pictured: The Alis Earrings...a lush cluster of solid sterling silver, silver-grey keshi pearls, moss aquamarine, labradorite and mystic topaz. Finished with hand-fabricated sterling silver french wires.

New For Fall: The Couronne Collection...

I am happy to announce a brand new collection of earrings, Couronne!

The Couronne Collection of earrings is petite & very feminine, the pieces feature faceted gemstones which have been set with a single diamond and crowned with cascades of solid 18k gold and precious gemstone briolettes. These new earrings are in the same style as my best-selling Charlotte collection, and the first two pieces have debuted on the website today!



You can see both the Couronne Collection, and its inspiration the Charlotte Collection, on the website: http://shoppassementerie.com/coch.html

New designs for Fall...

I am stocking up for the holidays, so there will be dozens of new pieces added during the month of August. A number of new earrings have been added to the website already, here is a quick preview of the new pieces being added for fall...


The Chardon Earrings...
Plump faceted briolettes of eye-clean london blue topaz (weighing 26.5 carats each) have been topped with a lush cluster of solid 18k gold, bright pink tourmaline, silver-blue sapphire and spinel in pale shades of pink & purple. Finished with solid 18k gold french wires.


Locket No. 1...
This necklace is the first piece in a new collection for fall...

Featuring a hand-fabricated chain of solid 18k gold, white keshi & seed pearls, champagne diamonds and stunning white south sea pearls with rose & gold overtones. The focal point of this necklace is a turn-of-the-century (c. 1900) solid 15k gold english locket pendant set with white seed pearls, the locket is in excellent condition, with no missing pearls around the bezel and the original pearl-studded bail is intact as well! The locket is double sided and I have left the original mementos in place ( you can see the piece of purple silk/satin on the front) until the new owner replaces them.


The Rachilde Earrings...
Cascading tendrils of solid 18k gold and sapphire in shades of pink, orange and gold with a hint of blue-green, accented by freeform faceted champagne quartz,. Finished with hand-fabricated solid 18k gold french wires.


The Elizabeth Earrings...
Glowing, polished briolettes of flawless prasiolite (green amethyst), weighing 15 catas each, have been topped with cascading tendrils of solid sterling silver, pink tourmaline and sapphire in shades of gold, pink & orange. Hung from handfabricated sterling silver french wires.

The Caviare Collection...

The Caviare Collection is a collection I have been making for a little over 5 years now, though until today it was only available in stores and at trunk shows.

Each piece in the Caviare collection is entirely hand-fabricated, and each design is made to order in your choice of sterling silver, oxidized (blackened) sterling silver or 18k gold in a limited edition.

The original Caviare earrings are available in three lengths: 1.25" (pictured), 2.5" and 4"...


Cascading clusters of solid sterling silver "caviar" hung from hand-fabricated solid sterling silver french wires.

The Caviare collection is also available with fine gemstone briolettes, like the london blue topaz pair pictured below...


Faceted, eye-clean london blue topaz briolettes (weighing approx. 22 carats each) have been topped with cascading clusters of solid sterling silver "caviar". Finished with solid sterling silver french wires.

The 8th Anniversary Bracelet...

This June marks my 26th birthday as well as my 8th year in the jewelry biz :)

This bracelet design, a rope of clustered gems & pearls accented by a single asymmetrically placed stone, was one of my first designs and still remains one of my favorites to this day. To celebrate Passementerie's 8th "birthday" I have created a luxe version of this design, made to order in sterling silver or 18k gold, in a limited edition of 8 pieces.



This bracelet features clusters of silver keshi pearls and steel grey labradorite with lots of blue flash, accented by an asymmetrically placed polished nugget of london blue topaz set with a single diamond.

The (almost) Summer Sale...

Just visit www.shoppassementerie.com/summersale.html to save on over two dozen select pieces of sterling silver, 18k and platinum jewelry!

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.