Merry Christmas

Just a quick line to wish everybody out there a Merry Christmas!

Snow day

It´s almost Christmas and it´s been very cold in the past few days. 

 What a beautiful surprise to wake up and see all the roofs, the streets 

and the gardens covered with snow! I didn´t let the freezing temperatures scare me, instead I decided to go to the park and capture the  beauty of a Melancholic snowy day.

 

Inspirational Poem

I came across a beautiful poem which is believed to have been written by the poet C W Longenecker but has also been attributed to other authors. I'm not sure who wrote it but it's certainly beautiful and  I want to share it with you, because sometimes when things get tough we forget for various reasons that we have to keep fighting. Enjoy ....

You Can If You Think You Can!

If you think you are beaten, you are,

If you think you dare not, you don't.

If you like to win, but you think you can't,

It is almost certain you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost,

For out in the world we find,

Success begins with a fellow's will.

It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,

You've got to think high to rise,

You've got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go

To the stronger or faster man.

But soon or late the man who wins,

Is the man who thinks he can.

Favourite Gemstone

Each month I tend to select a stone as my favourite of the month, and this month I have selected one of my all times favourite stones, Tiger eye, reason being that it's amazing golden-brown colour reminds me of the warm shades of Autumn.

Tiger eye is part of the Quartz group and it resemble the eye of the tiger hence its name.  This gemstone has beautiful earthy colours - golden, yellow, red and brown - and it has a changeable silk lust.

Tiger eye is usually associated with Strength, Confidence Protection and Harmony and 

I am enchanted with Tiger eye because this wonderful gemstone  makes beautiful jewellery

Autumn

If you had to describe Autumn in 4 words what words would you select ? Mine would be Change....Transition.... Melancholy..... Inspiration.

Trees are colourfully and warmly decorated in yellowish, reddish and brownish shades, there's thousands of leaves on the ground and an afternoon stroll in the park turns out to be very inspiring....

Cloisonne Fascination

Today I want to talk a little bit about cloisonne enamelling beads because I absolutely adore them.

Cloisonne beads are full of detail, usually flowers, stars, butterflies or leaves and each bead is a true piece of art. As you can see in the pictures I took of some cloisonne beads and a cloisonne pendant I purchased.

Cloisonne enamelling is a very ancient and complex technique used in jewellery and also in variety of items like jewellery boxes, plates,vases to mention just a few. Cloisonne is very popular in China and the most well know cloisonne beads are from China or Russia, however,  its origin dates back to the Byzantine Empire.

Watch this very interesting video I found on Youtube about the Cloisonne enamelling process

I also found a link with very detailed description, including pictures, of the enamelling process which is worth 

http://www.allaboutgemstones.com/jewelry_making_cloisonne.html

Last  but not least if you want to learn more about cloisonne I suggest you read  the following book

Cloisonne Enamelling and Jewellery making by Felicia Liban and Louise Mitchell

Open air Art

Something great has been going on in town for a while........ lots of beautiful elephants are scattered all over London ......... It's impossible to ignore them because they are everywhere...in the streets,parks, shops, tourist attactions and so on. They are absolutely pleasant to watch.

This beautiful Exhibition of more than 250 elephants organised by the Elephant Family Charity make London spots more interesting and lively. Each elephant is unique, some are simple, others are very colourful...they are incredible ... and the amazing thing is that they are up for sale. Whenever I see one I can't stop wondering where the next one is and I really wish I had one.


So, I decided to share part of this beautiful event with you. Here are some of the pictures I took.

Beautiful quote

I came across this quote and want to share it with you all

" Life is a train of moods like a string of beads; and as we pass through them they prove to be many colored lenses, which paint the world their own hue, and each shows us only what lies in its own focus" Ralph Waldo Emerson

I haven't blogged for so long

It's been a long time since my last post. Busy couple of weeks. but.......my friend got married and she wore the pearl jewellery set I made for her. She had in mind one word.....Simple...No place for disappointment..... end of the day it was her special day. That's what she got, a simple yet stylish and beautiful set made with cream pearls and clear Swarovski crystals . It suited her completely. She looked absolutely stunning.

I have named these cute earrings "Romance" , I guess they are appropriate as it's Valentine's day.

While making them I found myself thinking about Valentine's day. Everywhere you go, everywhere you look there's chocolates, cards, flowers, presents, ideas and lots of stuff related to Valentine's. It's too much in your face. Don't get me wrong, I am not against it. Just think that it has become too commercial. Can you really prove your love by buying a nice present or making a reservation in an expensive restaurant?

I like to see Valentine's day as I guilty pleasure, it's worth making the effort if you gonna have a better day. So, if you are in the Valentine's spirit, enjoy the day. If you are single and have no plans, make sure you do something you love and also enjoy the day and for those who have a broken heart, I leave you with a quote from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes " A heart can be broken, but it keeps beating just the same"

Happy Valentine's everybody

It's a Pearl world

How exciting, one of my friends is getting married and I have a very important task. Need to create some beautiful jewellery for her special day. The girl wants pearls and pearls she should have.

When I think of pearls I think of class, chic,trendy, glamour, style, glow and beauty. And when I look at pictures of beautiful women who have worn pearls throughout the years one more word comes to my mind......... Timeless that's what they are.

It's been a very productive weekend. Made few new items for Jayla jewellery website and still managed to do few things.

Christmas is over and is back to usual....work work and work. Inspiration has visited Jayla Jewellery and things are busy busy busy. Soon I will be adding new items in the website. xxx