Christa bel Jewellery

Silver and Turquoise Bracelet

2009-03-04T08:42:00.001-08:00

This is the type of jewellery I started out making, mainly using wire. I started using silver-coloured copper wire, and now my favourite type of wire is sterling silver. Although it is expensive and does tarnish over time, I haven't found anything that compares to the luster of silver. For one of my next projects, I am thinking about breaking out the art clay. This "clay" is made with tiny bits of silver and an organic binding and when fired it comes out 99.9% pure silver. I worked with art clay a few year ago but I stopped because it is very expensive and hard to work with, the clay dry out very fast. On the plus side, it gives you all the design creativity of clay with a result in silver. With the right idea (and over the years I've though of and recorded a few) hopefully I can made some real original stunning pieces. I'll keep you posted!

Pretty in Pink

2009-03-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

Here's another necklace I made for the Jewellery Extravaganza on March 12th in support of Breast cancer research. This is rose quartz, one of the few crystals with pinkish tones that I use. It has a nice soft feminine quality.

Serpentine Long Necklace

2009-03-02T09:12:00.000-08:00

I made this the other day because I couldn't find anything to go with my new sweater. Its made with Serpentine gemstones. I love the olive/yellow colours in this stone. I was a big fan of green before green was fashionable, but I am very finicky about my greens. I'm not a hunter green fan, but olive green has to be my favourite. Go green!

Jewellery Extravaganza

2009-03-01T06:14:00.000-08:00

There will be wine & cheese and original handcrafted jewellery. 15 % of jewellery sales will go to the Breast Cancer Society.

Date: Thursday, March 12th

Time: 7pm - 9pm

Location: Java Soul, 78 Hurontario Street, Collingwood, ON

Phone: 705-445-1881

email: info@java-soul.com

Accessory to the Pink Ribbon

2009-02-27T11:34:00.000-08:00

I created these two pieces for an upcoming event at Java Soul. There will be wine, cheese and door prizes and part of the proceeds from jewellery sales will go towards Breast Cancer research. I will be there as well as other local artisans. The event will be held the evening of March 12th. I will post more details later, stay tuned.

Shades of the Far East

2009-02-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

My bench block quest has now been successful. This necklace was made using a bench block and a hammer to flatten the wire. I've made several pairs of earrings using this technique but they have all sold before I had a chance to post pix! I plan on making more though. The nice thing about this technique is that it opens up a whole bunch of design possibilities for me. I can't wait to continue exploring...

Turquoise Earrings

2009-02-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

I made these earrings using turquoise nuggets and sterling silver wire. Although they are long, they are quite comfortable. These earrings are fast becoming a favourite of mine!

New Website

2009-01-28T22:38:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a new website - it should be up soon. Then I can get up to date and post some of my new stuff.

Java Soul

2008-05-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

If you're going downtown Collingwood this week-end, check out Java Soul, 78 Hurontario St. You'll be able to find a wide selection of Christa bel Jewellery there.

New Necklace

2008-05-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

I love this shell and silver necklace. It seems both exotic and elegant to me. It kind of reminds me of an immunity idol on Survivor ... kind of tribal.

Adding to the Natural Collection

2008-05-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

I made this necklace with the Natural Collection in mind. This wood and shell necklace is one of my favorites!

Agate Earrings

2008-05-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

I love these agate beads... each one looks different. I think they work well with the silver. I made the spirals by bending wire.

New Pearl and Quartz Set

2008-05-09T09:23:00.001-07:00

I've been busy making new jewellery for an upcoming jewellery party. This necklace looks great on, very delicate and natural looking.

ChristaBel Jewellery is now in stores! ...(well one store)

2008-04-18T08:14:00.000-07:00

Java Soul in Collingwood, Ontario now has ChristaBel Jewellery available for sale. Now you can see ChristaBel Jewellery in person! The store, located at 78 Hurontario Street, has a variety of handcrafted items from all over the world. The owners, Melanie and Anton, also worked on cruise ships before starting their business in Collingwood. Anton is from Indonesia, which is where many of the items in the store are from.

The piece to the right is an African Jade pendant with sterling silver and is now available at Java Soul.

Topaz Swarovski Crystal Earrings

2008-04-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

I made up this style of earring when I was experimenting one day. I love the way they fall. These one are finished with Swarovski crystal beads. These are the only man-made crystals I use because I love the way they catch the light. After making so many of this style of earring I have now perfected my technique and this pair is my most perfect! I'm very proud of them.

Spring is here!

2008-04-04T14:55:00.000-07:00

Spring is here, let's celebrate! I originally made these four necklaces for kids but they look nice on adults as well, for a fun, youthful look. Great for the spring and summer.

Red Agate and Silver Necklace

2008-04-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Another new necklace. This one uses Red Agate beads and silver wire to link then and make the spirals. Red Agate is one of my favourite gemstones because of the different colours and patterns in each bead and how they look different in different lighting.

Two New Necklaces

2008-03-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to make two new necklaces today, a formal Black Agate necklace with earrings and a Turquoise casual necklace with earrings as well.

New Earrings

2008-03-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

When my new jewellery cards arrived I got busy making some new earrings to show them off. Several of the cards describe the gemstone used in the piece. This time I went for simple funky designs, stuff you can wear every day. I've already gotten some great comments about the earrings I made for myself in this style.

Swarovski Crystal Necklace

2008-03-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

This was one of my first big projects. It took me three months to make but I was delighted with the result.

How I Got Started

2008-03-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

This is my first post of my first blog. Let me tell you a little about myself. I started making jewellery about 5 years ago as a way to expend some creative energy (my job as a cruise ship photographer was very uncreative at the time) and also to learn some patience. Making jewellery was great for both of those things. It took quite a while before I managed to make anything noteworthy. Once I started wearing my unusual pieces around the cruise ship where I was working, I got lots of comments from my fellow crew members and it wasn't long before the orders were coming in. Since then I have moved on land, back to my hometown of Collingwood. I have had a chance to try peddling my wares at festivals and art shows, but mostly I just make jewellery for the joy of it.