That Winsome Girl on Facebook

Did you know that you can find That Winsome Girl on Facebook? Click on the link on the right of the blog to visit the That Winsome Girl fan page. I will be filling up the Etsy shop in the upcoming weeks, and once things are full I am planning on offering regular sales and specials, some of which will only be available through and to the Facebook fans. Facebook is a great way to hear about what I've been up to in the studio, view photos of new designs and find out about upcoming events. And since nearly everyone is on Facebook these days, it's an easy way to stay up to date on That Winsome Girl news!

Dark Romance Necklace

So, I've been working on this line of one-of-a-kind luxe necklaces featuring vintage brooches and gemstones. This is the newest addition to the collection. I call it the Dark Romance Necklace. I love the mix of feminine and edgy. I usually don't design anything remotely edgy, but I love how this turned out! I am huge on asymmetry and I just love how every component in this piece seems to sparkle.

The necklace features a vintage Trifari brooch with marcastie accents, a huge black spinel briolette, two smaller black spinel rondelles, bright sterling silver chain and three lengths of oxidized sterling silver chain.

There are so many components of visual interest in this necklace, but (I think) they all harmonize perfectly. I think this would be fabulous paired with a little black dress or a ruffled top and a fitted black pencil skirt. It's girly, dark and mysterious.

I love how fierce the design looks from every angle. This would be sure to bring tons of attention and compliments.

I am smitten. Totally.

Edwardian-inspired Collar

I just finished designing this Edwardian-inspired pearl collar for a dear friend's wedding. She approached me last summer with the idea and, with the wedding quickly approaching, it has finally been brought to life. The necklace features a large genuine amber cabochon focal set into a gold plated setting. Four strands of hand knotted golden freshwater pearls complete the look, with all remaining findings in 14k gold-fill.

This is by far the most elaborate design I have completed to date. From start to finish, the design took over 12 hours. This was my first time knotting pearls and I was a bit overwhelmed by the one-chance nature of it all. If each and every knot isn't perfectly tight, the entire strand must be sacrificed. You cannot simply redo a single knot as you could a link with a wire-wrapped design. I found this incredibly overwhelming and I made sure to take my time with each and every knot. Thankfully I had the aid of some teeny tiny tweezers intended for use with knotting.

I will also be designing a very simple pair of matching earrings to be worn by the bride along with the necklace on her upcoming wedding day. Being my first time with the new technique, I am quite pleased with the result. I hope the bride loves the necklace and cherishes it for years to come!