This inspiring terrarium book is full of pretty pictures of moss terrariums made up to look like mini-landscapes! Unfortunately, there are only a few pages of Tiny World Terrariums that are actually about how to make your own, but this little book is worth the read if only for all the beautiful pics of little terrarium scenes :D Ballroom dancing, cattle round-up, toxic waste remediation… Michelle Inciarrano and Katy Maslow get really creative with their moss-scapes! The book could have been two or three times as big, with even more DIY on how they make up such clever little figurines and terrarium accessories, but it would still be a fun gift for anyone who’s wild about terrariums! A great coffee-table book :)

Here's the ballroom dancing moss terrarium! So cute :D

Yes! There's even a page about rocks and minerals to add to your terrarium!

p.s. (I wrote a moss terrarium DIY if you’re interested! All you need are some empty containers, rocks, sphagnum moss from the garden center, a bit of charcoal from the pet store and some free moss from your yard/woodlot/wherever!)

Well, I’m just about ready for the Beloit Art Walk this Friday, and it’s all thanks to an inspiring photograph of Popko’s craft booth. She makes real butterfly jewelry which is just lovely! Her display is rustic, organized, simple, effective! I came across this picture of her craft booth on Pinterest and it was just the inspiration I needed to get mine into working order.

Source: thatstoday.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Check out Popko's awesome real butterfly jewelry here on her Etsy!

Craft show display in my garden. (Not much room out there, either!)

There's an empty space on the table to the right of this set-up where another wooden necklace rack will go! (That was the construction project!!)

Here's the quick sign I made (and that's me in the mirror!)

If you know anyone in the Southern Wisconsin/Northern Illinois area, encourage them to come down and see my natural stone jewelry this weekend at the Beloit Art Walk! (If you think my new craft show display shows some promise, just wait ’till you see it full of rock necklaces and pebble earrings!)

(Today I'm getting a whole bunch of new river rock bracelets ready for the show!)

Anyway, if you’re looking for some outdoor, beach wedding inspiration (or even some beach party inspiration!), check out this Nautical Wedding Pinterest board :D It’s delicious!

Vital Statistics:

• Measures 23″ (58.5 cm) long as shown (length can be easily changed)
• Pendant is handcrafted of 100% natural stone (collected and hand-drilled by a friendly Idaho crafter) None of these stones are colored or dyed in any way!
• Chain is gunmetal plated.
• Gunmetal-plated lobster clasp.

Natural stone jewelry has a special appeal to me. I’ve always been the sort to pick up interesting stones and carry them home with me, so much so that I minored in Geology in college! I do drill some of my own Wisconsin stones, but these naturally colorful river rocks were collected and hand-drilled by a fellow Etsy crafter who lives in Idaho, a girl after my own heart. I think you’ll agree that they have some beautiful rocks in Idaho! I’ve bought stones from other crafters on Etsy, but none have been as colorful as these! (Every natural stone rainbow is unique and they may be few and far between. Some of these colors are hard to come by!) I threaded these natural stones onto gunmetal coated wire, and then wrapped it into an eye at both ends and securely attached to a gunmetal-plated chain with a lobster clasp to create a piece of absolutely one-of-a-kind and unique natural stone jewelry. This natural rainbow necklace is like the adult version of a rock collection, with all the stones carefully chosen and placed by hand!

Vital Statistics:
* Measures 23″ (58.5 cm) long as shown (length can be easily changed)
* Pendant is handcrafted of 100% natural stone (collected and hand-drilled by a friendly Idaho crafter) None of these stones are colored or dyed in any way!
* Chain is gunmetal plated.
* Gunmetal-plated lobster clasp.

Natural stone jewelry has a special appeal to me. I’ve always been the sort to pick up interesting stones and carry them home with me, so much so that I minored in Geology in college! I do drill some of my own Wisconsin stones, but these naturally colorful river rocks were collected and hand-drilled by a fellow Etsy crafter who lives in Idaho, a girl after my own heart. I think you’ll agree that they have some beautiful rocks in Idaho! I’ve bought stones from other crafters on Etsy, but none have been as colorful as these! (Every natural stone rainbow is unique and they may be few and far between. Some of these colors are hard to come by!) I threaded these natural stones onto gunmetal coated wire, and then wrapped it into an eye at both ends and securely attached to a gunmetal-plated chain with a lobster clasp to create a piece of absolutely one-of-a-kind and unique natural stone jewelry. This natural rainbow necklace is like the adult version of a rock collection, with all the stones carefully chosen and placed by hand!

No two true artists produce exactly the same work!

You may be thinking “Yeah, but you can’t just ignore that there are copy-cat crafters out there on Etsy.” And you’re right! But, that doesn’t mean we need to be afraid of them :D Which is why I say that no two TRUE artists will create exactly the same work even if they’re using the same materials and techniques. Take these examples:

I create (some of my) river rock jewelry with exactly the same stones as Rhonda of Stone Studios, because I buy them from her! And, yet, our jewelry is really different :)

AuthenticStone by Jenny Hoople on Etsy

StoneStudios by Rhonda on Etsy

Also, take Jennifer of Quercus Designs and Romina of Miles Of Light. They both photograph collections of found nature objects, but their work is so different (and so awesome!)

Quercus Designs by Jennifer on Etsy

Miles of Light by Romina on Etsy

When a person is a true copycat who is exactly copying your handmade designs and even using your own pictures to sell them (terrible, but I’ve seen it happen!) then you should go ahead and rat them out, but don’t live in fear of them in the meantime! Why not? Let me tell you!

You’re a creative soul!

As a creative soul, you’re constantly coming up with new designs and ideas, they just bubble right out of you because you can’t help it. You encourage the flow of creativity because when your work is constantly fresh and new, your customers get excited and buy more! Now this creativity that comes naturally to you is what means you don’t have to be afraid of copycat artisans. The people who are true copycats will never be able to come up with new ideas on their own. They have no creativity or else they wouldn’t be stealing designs and pictures, they’d come up with their own! You, on the other hand, are filled with creative energy, so you’ll always be ahead of the curve. You define the curve!

You need to empty your cup in order to fill it!

It’s a universal truth that the more open and giving you are, the more will come back to you in unexpected ways. That’s why I tell everyone who wants to know (and even people who don’t!) how to drill their own beach stones. That’s also why I freely share my source for the naturally colorful, pre-drilled stones that I use in some of my river rock jewelry. That’s why I love helping other people set up Etsy shops and start selling their own work. Not because I expect something in return for these favors, but because I feel free and open and happier when I give them, and because I’ve found that it’s really true that the more you let go of grasping, the more is given to you. (And I don’t just mean that in a philosophical way, I really have found that the more I let go, the more tangible, real-life rewards come back to me!)

I hope this little article has set your mind at ease from worrying about copycat artisans. I bet some of you will disagree with me, and I’d love to chat with you about it down in the comments! (Heck, we can chat in the comments if you agree, too!) In any case, many warm and fuzzy hugs of creativity to all of you! We make amazing art and the world’s a better place for it!!

I’m really excited to announce that one of my most popular items, a Rainbow River Rock Necklace, is going to be auctioned off in the big Mother’s Day auction of Handmade goods over on Tophatter! The auction itself will take place THIS Saturday, May 5 at 5pm PT (Which is 8pm EST)!! Starting bid for my Rainbow Rocks necklace is just $5, so this is gonna be really fun :D

So, you’d better head on over to Tophatter now and click the blue square to reserve your place in the auction (and research how Tophatter works if you’ve never done an auction there before, this is my first one!)

There are a lot of other handmade goods being auctioned off this Friday, 40 in all! They’ll be added throughout the day today, you can see what else is in the Mother’s Day Handmade Auction here on Tophatter. Don’t forget to click the blue button to reserve your place in the auction so you’ll be able to bid for my Rainbow River Rock Necklace, the perfect Mother’s Day Gift for that beach-combing, rock-collecting Mom!

In that spirit, I wanted to share with all of you some nature craft ideas from four of my favorite, nature-collecting Etsy artists! I love picking up lichens and rocks and shells from my nature walks, but I bow down to these masters of nature display for their ability to do something super extra extraordinarily beautiful with their beach-combing finds. I hope they inspire all of you, too!

A round-up of my favorite nature-collecting Etsy artists!

Clockwise from top-left: Rocks & Twigs N6 by MilesOfLight; Beachcombing series No.34 by QuercusDesign; Seaside Glass Bottle Terrariums by DoodleBirdie; Hieroglyphic Shell Wall Piece by XenasDad.

Specifications:

• 20″ long
• Made with 8mm smoky quartz and coconut shell (a sustainable alternative to hardwoods!)
• Silver-plated barrel clasp (easier for big fingers!)
• Strung on 30lb test fishing line for durability!
• Photos are stock photos.
• Ready to ship!

I started to make men’s jewelry when I noticed how relatively few interesting choices there were out there. Just because guys don’t want their necklaces to be flamboyant and luxurious doesn’t mean they don’t deserve good design! It was challenging for me to come up with a line of men’s jewelry (since I’m not one!) but with some helpful suggestions from my guy friends and a willing husband as a test model I started to get the hang of what worked. I really enjoy playing with different bead patterns and stumbling upon unusual materials combinations

Specifications:

• 20″ long
• Made with black coconut shell, natural greywood and handmade, sandcast glass beads.
• Silver-plated barrel clasp (easier for big fingers!)
• Strung on 30lb test fishing line for durability and water resistance!
• Photos are stock photos.
• Ready to ship!

I started to make men’s jewelry when I noticed how relatively few interesting choices there were out there. Just because guys don’t want their necklaces to be flamboyant and luxurious doesn’t mean they don’t deserve good design! It was challenging for me to come up with a line of men’s jewelry (since I’m not one!) but with some helpful suggestions from my guy friends and a willing husband as a test model I started to get the hang of what worked. I really enjoy playing with different bead patterns and stumbling upon unusual materials combinations!

Specifications:

• 20″ long
• Made with mabolo wood and sustainable coconut shell.
• Silver-plated barrel clasp (easier for manly fingers!)
• Strung on thick, 30lb fishing line. (tough wearing and waterproof!)
• Photos are stock photos.
• Ready to ship!

I started to make jewelry for men when I noticed how relatively few interesting choices there were out there. Just because guys don’t want their necklaces to be flamboyant and luxurious doesn’t mean they don’t deserve good design! So I started making surfer necklaces. It was challenging for me to come up with a line of men’s jewelry (since I’m not one!) but with some helpful suggestions from my guy friends and a willing husband as a test model I started to get the hang of what worked and what guys were looking for in their neckwear. I really enjoy playing with different bead patterns and stumbling upon unusual materials combinations.

The most important key to making a successful trade on Etsy is that you need to have something that’s worth trading for!!

Serra takes second-hand shirts and screen-prints them with cool quotes!

When I say “something worth trading for”, I don’t just mean that you have to have a good product! I mean you need to have a shop full of amazing, well-photographed work that has interesting, informative descriptions, a profile page that rocks and a completely filled out Policies section!! Successful trading is a lot like successful selling. One time, I had a person contact me to ask for a trade and she only had about 20 items in her shop, the photographs weren’t that good and she sold jewelry that wasn’t my style at all. No, thanks.

Recently, I had this lovely person write to me asking about a trade and while she didn’t have a lot to choose from, she had great photographs and in all her listings she states that she loves to do custom orders. So I thought about it for a few days and then offered to trade her a $40-$50 necklace for 2 of the shirts she had in her shop and one custom shirt. She was overjoyed and I was overjoyed. Throughout the process, she practiced exellent customer service with quick and attentive emails, another sign of a good business person! When I got my shirts in the mail, I was even more overjoyed because she addressed the package to “The Awesome Jenny Hoople” and even included a free bar of her boyfriend’s homemade soap. A free bar of awesome-smelling soap! Now that’s what I call a good trade.

So the moral of the story is that you should treat trading with the same care and professionalism and excellence that you would treat a transaction with a paying customer. Perfect one and you perfect the other! And don’t be afraid to approach people on Etsy for a trade, the worst that could happen is they could say that they aren’t interested! But, if you make sure you have an amazing product first, your chances for success are gonna go way up!!

Vital Statistics:

• Measures 20″ long as shown. (Chain available at any custom length, simply leave me a message at checkout with your preferred length!)
• Stone pendant measures 1″ long and .5″ wide.
• Made with natural, undyed stones one from Idaho.
• Gunmetal-plated chain and lobster clasp.
• Necklace pictured is EXACTLY the one you’ll receive
• Ready to ship!

I do gather and drill some of my own Wisconsin stones, but the naturally colorful rocks in this zen stone necklace were gathered and drilled by a fellow handmade artisan who lives in Idaho! Carefully paired by me according to their colors, shapes, patterns and sizes to create a miniature rock collection especially for you. This natural stone necklace is absolutely one-of-a-kind (OOAK) due to the nature of these fabulously unique stones.

The fact that this Zen stone necklace is handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes this natural stone jewelry so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this river rock necklace is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

Vital Statistics:

• Chain measures 20″ long as shown. (Chain available at any custom length, simply leave me a message at checkout with your preferred length!)
• Pendant is 2″ long and 1″ wide.
• Made with natural stones I collected from the shores of Lake Michigan and drilled myself!
• Antiqued copper-plated chain and lobster clasp.
• The necklace pictured is EXACTLY the necklace you’ll receive
• Ready to ship!

I gathered these intricately layered stones on the shores of Lake Michigan near Kenosha, Wisconsin! (You can read about that beach combing adventure here!) When I got the stones home, I drilled holes in them and arranged and rearranged them until I found the perfect combination of shapes! This natural stone necklace is absolutely one-of-a-kind (OOAK) due to the nature of these fabulously unique stones.

Want to see the visual journey of how a beach became this piece of natural stone jewelry?

Vital Statistics:

• Measures 7.25″ (19 cm) long.
• Made with natural, undyed stones from Idaho
• Copper-plated brass chain and lobster clasp.
• Bracelet pictured is EXACTLY the one you’ll receive.
• Ready to ship!

Handmade natural stone jewelry has a special appeal to me. I’ve always been the sort to pick up interesting rocks and carry them home with me, so much so that I minored in Geology in college! I do buy some of my stones from other handmade artisans, but the natural stones in this beach stone bracelet are ones that I gathered and drilled myself! After picking these stones up from the shores of Lake Michican, I brought them home and arranged them according to their colors, shapes, patterns and sizes to create a miniature rock collection especially for you. This natural stone bracelet is absolutely one-of-a-kind (OOAK) due to the nature of these fabulously unique rocks.

The fact that this natural stone jewelry is handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes this natural stone bracelet so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this rustic bracelet is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

Sardonyx is a type of agate that has been dyed to accentuate the delicate banding. Very special and subtle. A great Father’s Day gift for any dad who’s man enough to wear a necklace! (Looks very striking when paired with dark hair!!) Heck, yeah, it’s waterproof!

Vital Statistics:

• Necklace shown at 20″ long. I’m happy to make it any custom length on request!
• Made with 8mm sardonyx beads and black pen shell chips.
• Silver-plated barrel clasp (easier for big fingers!)
• Strung on 30 lb test fishing line. (for strength and water resistance!)
• Photos are stock pictures.
• Ready to ship!

Vital Statistics:

• Chain measures 22″ (52 cm) long as shown (length can be easily changed)
• Longest dangle is 3″ (5cm) long
• River rock dangles are 100% natural stone (collected and drilled by a friendly Idaho crafter)
• Chain is gunmetal plated brass.
• Necklace in the first 3 pictures is EXACTLY the one you’ll receive.
• Ready to ship!

Handmade natural stone jewelry has a special appeal to me. I’ve always been the sort to pick up interesting stones and carry them home with me, so much so that I minored in Geology in college! I do gather and drill some of my native Wisconsin stones, but the one of a kind collection of faux bois (woodgrain) pebbles in this handcrafted necklace were collected and drilled by a fellow Etsy artisan who lives in Idaho (the stones are a natural color and shape!) I think you’ll agree that they have some beautiful rocks in Idaho! I’ve bought stones from other crafters on Etsy, but none have been as smooth and colorful as these! These naturally colorful stones have been securely attached by jump rings to a gunmetal-plated chain with a lobster clasp to create a piece of absolutely one-of-a-kind and unique natural stone jewelry. This river rock necklace is like the adult version of a rock collection, with all the stones carefully chosen and placed by hand!

The fact that this natural stone necklace is handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes this natural history necklace so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this long chain necklace is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

I took a lot of time with the detail of where the pendants connect to the main chain in this necklace. The way the 3 chain lengths join in varying sizes of sturdy jump rings at the pendant connections is my favorite part of this one of a kind piece of river rock jewelry!

Vital Statistics:

• Measures 20″ long as shown. (Chain available at any custom length!)
• Made with natural, undyed stones from Idaho
• Gunmetal-plated chain and lobster clasp.

I do gather and drill some of my own Wisconsin stones, but the river rocks in this piece of natural stone jewelry were gathered and drilled by a fellow handmade artisan who lives in Idaho! Carefully chosen by me according to their colors, shapes, patterns and sizes to create a miniature rock collection especially for you. This natural stone necklace is absolutely one-of-a-kind (OOAK) due to the nature of these fabulously unique stones.

The fact that this river rock necklace is handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes this natural stone jewelry so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this river rock necklace is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

Dandelion Clinging to Hope

Finding interesting, photo worthy nature moments is more about the state of mind you bring to nature than about what’s out there waiting for you! I’ve found that the optimal state of mind for nature photography is the same one I cultivate when looking for rocks for my natural jewelry or when looking for clothes at the secondhand store. And it’s a state of mind that’s enhanced by “spiritual practice”, which I’ll explain what I mean further down the post!

The best state of mind for nature photography depends on 1) having an idea of what you’re looking for, 2) remaining open to unexpected opportunity and 3) letting your eyes drift unfocused and trust that they’ll find what you need! (As I said, it’s the same for finding special nature moments as for looking for the perfect rocks on a beach full of rocks as for finding the right clothes at the secondhand store and it’s even the same for weeding a garden! You’ll go stark raving mad if you try to look at the weeds too closely, it’s easier if you let your eyes unfocus and your mind drift a little.) (As my Aunt said when I posted about this on my Facebook Fan Page, “It’s a new religion!”)

Now, what’s the best way to cultivate this state of mind? Up above, I said the best way is through “spiritual practice”, but that’s different for me than it would be for a lot of people. I spend a lot of my time using that state of mind for picking out the right combinations of stones for my river rock jewelry, and I consider that creative time “spiritual practice”. But, I find that the more I do things like yoga, meditation, sketching, journaling, etc, the easier it is to slip into that unfocused but alert state of mind when I need it. Spending more and more time in nature helps, too, because your eyes get trained to see the jumble of the natural world as a pattern and those things that jump out from the pattern are what you photograph!

Here are some of the moments that I’ve been seeing on my walks, lately! (Right here in town, too!!)

Pearly White Everlasting in the Cemetery

An eroding pile of sand in our driveway!

Lone Tulip in the Cemetery

All of these pictures were taken within the same mile-long route that I always take around the neighborhood and through the cemetery. There are times when I go out and nothing grabs my eye and other times when I can’t hardly walk for having to stop and take pictures the whole time! The only difference is my state of mind while I’m walking. (Of course, sometimes the walk is the “spiritual practice” when I’m distracted and confused and need to get my mind back into that calm state of mind, not a lot of pictures come out of those walks!) So, if you want to get more interesting nature pics, do a little Sun Salutation and then get out there and start clicking!!

Vital Statistics

• Earrings are 1.25″ long from top of earwires to bottom of stones. The stones themselves measure about .75″x.75″
• Made with natural, undyed lake stones, and gunmetal plated brass.
• Lobster clasp.

The natural, undyed stones in these handmade river rock earrings were gathered and drilled by a fellow handmade artisan who lives in Idaho! Carefully chosen and combined by me according to their colors, shapes and sizes to form a rare pair of river rocks earrings.

The fact that these tan brown, natural earrings are handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes them so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of these one of a kind river rock earrings is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

Vital Statistics:

• Chain measures 21″ (56 cm) long as shown. (Chain available at any custom length, simply leave me a message at checkout with your preferred length!)
• Pendant is 2.5″ (9cm) long.
• Pendant is handcrafted of 100% natural stone (collected and hand-drilled by a friendly Idaho crafter) None of these stones are colored or dyed in any way!
• Gunmetal-plated chain and lobster clasp.
• The necklace pictured is EXACTLY the necklace you’ll receive.
• Ready to ship!

River rock jewelry has a special appeal to me. I’ve always been the sort to pick up interesting stones and carry them home with me, so much so that I minored in Geology in college! I do collect and drill some of my own native stones, but the colorful, one of a kind stones in this natural rock necklace were collected and hand-drilled by a fellow Etsy crafter who lives in Idaho, a girl after my own heart. I think you’ll agree that they have some beautiful rocks in Idaho! I’ve purchased stones from other crafters on Etsy, but none have been as colorful as these!

Vital Statistics:

• Chain measures 22″ long as shown. (Chain available at any custom length, simply leave me a message at checkout with your preferred length!)
• Pendant is 2.5″ long and 1″ wide.
• Made with natural stones I collected from the shores of Lake Michigan and drilled myself!
• Antiqued copper-plated chain and lobster clasp.
• The necklace pictured is EXACTLY the necklace you’ll receive :)
• Ready to ship!

I gathered these intricately layered stones on the shores of Lake Michigan near Kenosha, Wisconsin! (You can read about that beach combing adventure here!) When I got the stones home, I drilled holes in them and arranged them into a little river rock necklace especially for you. This natural stone necklace is absolutely one-of-a-kind (OOAK) due to the nature of these fabulously unique stones. (I just love how the natural layers in these stones look like topo maps! Must be the Geology nerd in me!)

Vital Statistics:

• Chain measures 20″ long as shown. (Chain available at any custom length, simply leave me a message at checkout with your preferred length!)
• Pendant stones measure ~1.5″x1″
• Made with natural stones I collected and drilled myself!
• Black leather cord and silver-plated findings.
• The necklace in the first 3 photos is EXACTLY the necklace you’ll receive :)
• Ready to ship!

I gathered these one of a kind stones on the shores of Lake Michigan near Kenosha, Wisconsin! (You can see photos from that beach combing adventure here on my blog! http://jennyhoople.com/blog/how-does-a-beach-become-jewelry) When I got the stones home, I drilled holes in them and picked out the coolest, chunky, funky, most masculine stones for the Rock Tag necklaces. Each one is absolutely one of a kind!

The fact that this men’s fossil necklace is handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes this natural stone jewelry so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this natural jewelry is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

Vital Statistics:

• Measure 1.5″ from the top of the earwires to the bottom of the stone. The pebbles themselves measure about .75″ long and .5″ wide.
• Earrings are handcrafted of 100% natural stone (collected and hand-drilled by a friendly Idaho crafter)
• Earwires are gunmetal-plated brass.

All natural stone jewelry has a special appeal to me. I’ve always been the sort to pick up interesting stones and carry them home with me, so much so that I minored in Geology in college! I do drill some of my own native stones, but the natural stones in these earrings were gathered and drilled by a fellow Etsy artisan who lives in Idaho! (Not only do they have amazing rocks in Idaho, I really love getting to support a fellow crafter! Her name is Rhonda!!

Vital Statistics:

• Measures 20″ long as shown. (Chain available at any custom length, simply leave me a message at checkout with your preferred length!)
• Made with natural, undyed stones one from Idaho, one from Wisconsin
• Gunmetal-plated chain and lobster clasp.

The top rust-colored stone I gathered and drilled myself! The bottom green stone was gathered and drilled by a fellow handmade artisan who lives in Idaho! Carefully paired by me according to their colors, shapes, patterns and sizes to create a miniature rock collection especially for you. This natural stone necklace is absolutely one-of-a-kind (OOAK) due to the nature of these fabulously unique stones.

The fact that this river stone necklace is handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes this natural stone jewelry so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this river rock necklace is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

Vital Statistics:

• Measures 7″ (19 cm) long.
• Made with natural, undyed stones from Idaho
• Copper-plated brass chain and lobster clasp.
• Bracelet pictured is EXACTLY the one you’ll receive.
• Ready to ship!

Handmade natural stone jewelry has a special appeal to me. I’ve always been the sort to pick up interesting rocks and carry them home with me, so much so that I minored in Geology in college! I do drill some of my own native stones, but the natural stones in this river rock bracelet were gathered and drilled by a fellow Etsy artisan who lives in Idaho! (Not only do they have amazing rocks in Idaho, I really love getting to support a fellow crafter! Her name is Rhonda!!) Carefully chosen by me according to their colors, shapes, patterns and sizes to create a miniature rock collection especially for you. This natural stone bracelet is absolutely one-of-a-kind (OOAK) due to the nature of these fabulously unique rocks.

The fact that this natural stone jewelry is handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes this natural stone bracelet so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this rustic bracelet is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

This Zen stone necklace would be the perfect geology gift for that nature lover. You know her! She’s always picking up rocks and shells at the beach and leaving them on your coffee table. And she brings back sticks covered in interesting lichens from her hike and puts them on top of your TV. Well here’s a wearable gift of nature that she can take with her wherever she goes!!

Vital Statistics:

• Chain measures 20″ (51 cm) long as shown. (Chain available at any custom length, simply leave me a message at checkout with your preferred length!)
• Pendant is 2.25″ long and .5″ wide
• Pendant is handcrafted of 100% natural sedimentary rock (that I gathered and drilled myself!)
• Gunmetal-plated chain and lobster clasp.
• The necklace in the first 4 pictures is EXACTLY the necklace you’ll receive.
• Ready to ship!

Natural stone jewelry has a special appeal to me. I’ve always been the sort to pick up interesting stones and carry them home with me, so much so that I minored in Geology in college! I do buy some of the stones I use in my jewelry from other handmade artisans, but the beach stones in this fossil necklace are ones that I gathered on the shores of Lake Michigan and drilled myself!

The fact that this natural stone necklace is handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes this natural stone jewelry so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this nature jewelry is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

This natural stone jewelry is made from real, undyed river rocks! Rustic earrings for rustic ladies :)

Vital Statistics:

• Measure 1.25″ from the top of the earwires to the bottom of the stone. The pebbles themselves measure about .75″ long and .75″ wide.
• Earrings are handcrafted of 100% natural stone (collected and hand-drilled by a friendly Idaho crafter)
• Earwires are gunmetal-plated brass.

All natural stone jewelry has a special appeal to me. I’ve always been the sort to pick up interesting stones and carry them home with me, so much so that I minored in Geology in college! I do drill some of my own native stones, but the natural stones in these earrings were gathered and drilled by a fellow Etsy artisan who lives in Idaho! (Not only do they have amazing rocks in Idaho, I really love getting to support a fellow crafter! Her name is Rhonda!!

Vital Statistics:

• Chain measures 21″ (52 cm) long as shown (length can be easily changed)
• Longest dangle is 3″ (5cm) long
• River rock dangles are 100% natural stone (collected and drilled by a friendly Idaho crafter)
• Chain is gunmetal plated brass.
• Necklace pictured is EXACTLY the one you’ll receive.
• Ready to ship!

Handmade natural stone jewelry has a special appeal to me. I’ve always been the sort to pick up interesting stones and carry them home with me, so much so that I minored in Geology in college! I do gather and drill some of my native Wisconsin stones, but the one of a kind collection of faux bois (woodgrain) pebbles in this handcrafted necklace were collected and drilled by a fellow Etsy artisan who lives in Idaho (the stones are a natural color and shape!) I think you’ll agree that they have some beautiful rocks in Idaho! I’ve bought stones from other crafters on Etsy, but none have been as smooth and colorful as these! These naturally colorful stones have been securely attached by jump rings to a gunmetal-plated chain with a lobster clasp to create a piece of absolutely one-of-a-kind and unique natural stone jewelry. This river rock necklace is like the adult version of a rock collection, with all the stones carefully chosen and placed by hand!

The fact that this natural stone necklace is handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes this natural history necklace so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this long chain necklace is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

I took a lot of time with the detail of where the pendants connect to the main chain in this necklace. The way the 3 chain lengths join in varying sizes of sturdy jump rings at the pendant connections is my favorite part of this one of a kind piece of river rock jewelry!

Falling Rocks Necklace, Red to Purple

First, I want to say that a price increase for my natural jewelry is not something that I take lightly. Second, the short answer to the price change is that a small business expert whom I trust implicitly gave me some great advice and I took it. (The long answer is the rest of this post!) Lastly, I want to assure you loyal friends that you can still get any piece of my natural jewelry for the original price through the end of April (my birthday month!)

here on jennyhoople.com,
in my Etsy shop for natural stone jewelry
or in my Etsy shop for men’s surfer jewelry!

Now who is this small biz expert and what did she tell me? Tara Gentile is a business blogger I’ve been following for a while and she recently published a blog post claiming that “88.2% of Business Owners Should Double Their Prices”. I knew that she’d been consulting one on one with Etsy sellers at the Etsy Success Symposium the other day, so I read the post (knowing it would probably apply to my handmade jewelry business.)

I left a comment with my pricing formula and asked her if it was enough. She answered right away and we commented back and forth a few times! The good news was that I was pretty close with my prices, I wasn’t going to have to double them, and I hadn’t been giving away my unique natural jewelry for peanuts! But, I hadn’t really been accounting for all the time I spend photographing and marketing (about half of my time!) and I hadn’t been adding in a little profit margin to grow my business with.

Tara suggested paying myself more per hour and using the pricing formula that Megan Auman (another awesome business blogger!) uses:

(Materials + Labor + Overhead + Profit = Wholesale) X 2 = Retail

(Notice that the “labor” is calculated as the actual time it takes to make a piece of jewelry, which is why she had me raise the hourly wage from $16/hr to $25/hr. to account for the other half of my time that I’m spending photographing and blogging and etc!) When I sat down and calculated it out, I was relieved that I didn’t need to double my prices, but

I was convinced that I needed to increase them by 30%

to get me into the ballpark of running a sustainable business.

So here we are! I really believe in transparency and truth and trust, so I wanted to lay the price increase right out on the table. It was scary and felt like fingernails on a chalkboard to do it, but now I feel really good about having done it! For any handmade sellers out there, do yourself a favor by checking out Tara’s post on pricing – and don’t just read it, follow her advice! Do it. Press the button and take the first step toward a sustainable future for your business. A future filled with hard, meaningful work and getting paid fairly for it! You’re worth it!!

I love science books that read like fiction books!
This one, The Forest Unseen, was written by a biologist, David George Haskell, on his experiences watching a “mandala” circle of old growth, Tennessee forest for a whole year. Each chapter centers around something that he sees happening in the mandala on a certain day and then branches out through millenia of evolutionary history that’s sprinkled with fascinating facts, clever metaphors and thought-provoking social commentary. This is one of the few non-fiction books that both looks interesting AND can stand up to the test and really hold my attention.

Quick example of why I think this book is so awesome:
The chapter that happened on February 2nd starts out with some simple, nibbled branch tips and white-tailed deer tracks. Then it branches out into a discussion of the cellulose-digesting micro-organisms in deer’s rumens (like a pre-stomach stomach) that make it possible for them to digest woody branch tips. That’s when it happens. That’s when he wakes me up with a clever metaphor that brings all those interesting facts into focus for me: “Protists have a special fondness for starch grains, perhaps regarding them as potatoes to accompany their meal of bacterial sausages.” Just when I was drifting off and getting lost, he woke me right back up! I seriously laughed out loud, then went back and read the whole paragraph again! He goes on to explain how the rumen’s microbes form a mini-ecosystem, saying that if you change a deer’s diet too abrubtly (say feeding them greens in winter when they’ve been subsisting on branch tips) the ecosystem of microbes won’t be balanced for the new diet and the deer could even bloat up and die. Which is when he slips in a little social commentary, noting that this is why it’s a problem for us to take grass-munching cows and put them into feedlots to eat only corn for the final months of their lives. He doesn’t go into that part very deeply, rather he leaves the reader to extrapolate what they’ve heard about feeding corn to cows or to investigate it for themselves. Every chapter of The Forest Unseen is this cool, and most chapters are only 4 pages long!

I’m seriously surprised at how many interesting things I’m learning from this book! I’m finding that’s it’s the perfect time of year to start reading this book, too. The author is in Tennessee, so only the first few chapters are what seem like winter weather to me, which means that I’m getting to read about spring happenings in nature as spring is happening all around me! A bit like reading The Secret Garden if it was a true story!

I highly recommend checking out The Forest Unseen if you’re interested in nature and science!
:D

A rocky beach on Lake Michigan near Kenosha, Wisconsin. Last weekend.

Water rushes in.

Water rushes out.

We pick up rocks and get all tuckered out by the wind and sun and surf crashing.

Then we bring the rocks home and I start to play with them!

Sorting rocks on my dining room table (note the Smurf glass!)

Arranging subtle stone spectrums :D

Drilling rocks on the porch with the onion seedlings!

(You can learn to drill your own River Rocks here!)

From last weekend to today, a natural beach is reincarnated as natural stone jewelry. A brief epilogue to the geologic millenia that created these unique stones. I wonder if it seems too cheesy to say that I’m honored to be a part of this cycle, this geologic process? Hah! Too late, I already said it, and it’s true anyway, so there!

Vital Statistics:

• Measure 1.25″ from the top of the earwires to the bottom of the stone. The pebbles themselves measure about .75″ long and .5″ wide.
• Earrings are handcrafted of 100% natural stone (collected and hand-drilled by a friendly Idaho crafter)
• Earwires are gunmetal-plated brass.

All natural stone jewelry has a special appeal to me. I’ve always been the sort to pick up interesting stones and carry them home with me, so much so that I minored in Geology in college! I do drill some of my own native stones, but the natural stones in these earrings were gathered and drilled by a fellow Etsy artisan who lives in Idaho! (Not only do they have amazing rocks in Idaho, I really love getting to support a fellow crafter! Her name is Rhonda!!)

Please delete the old blog feed and add this one to your feed readers instead http://feeds2.feedburner.com/AuthenticArts

Sorry for all the craziness :)
But it’s all worth it :D I’ll be announcing the Grand Opening Sale later this week!

Thanks for sticking with me here :D
~Jenny

Specifications:

• Measures 8.5″ long, can be made longer or shorter on request at no charge!
• Made with coconut shell (a sustainable alternative to hardwoods!) and turquoise.
• Silver-plated lobster clasp.
• Strung on thick, 30lb fishing line. (tough wearing!)
• Photos are stock photos.
• Ready to ship!

Like bright turquoise blue slivers of sky glimpsed through forest shadows, this natural piece of men’s jewelry was handmade in Beloit, Wisconsin, near Madison by yours truly! Tribal men’s jewelry for any guy who’s man enough to wear a bracelet!

I started to make jewelry for men when I noticed how relatively few interesting choices there were out there. Just because guys don’t want their bracelets to be flamboyant and luxurious doesn’t mean they don’t deserve good design! It was challenging for me to come up with a line of men’s jewelry (since I’m not one!) but with some helpful suggestions from my guy friends and a willing husband as a test model I started to get the hang of what worked and what guys were looking for. I really enjoy playing with different bead patterns and stumbling upon unusual materials combinations. I know I’ve found the right combo when it starts to give off this hum of awesomeness!

Vital Statistics:
* Adjustable from 16-18″ (40-45 cm) around the neck. (Custom chain lengths available at no extra charge, leave me a message at checkout and I’ll take care of it!)
* The longest dangle measures 3.5″ (9 cm) long.
* Made with natural, undyed stones from Idaho
* Gunmetal-plated brass chain and lobster clasp.
* The necklace pictured is EXACTLY the one you’ll receive. (Please note that the necklace pictured on the model is a black and white version, available here.)
* Ready to ship!

Natural river rock jewelry has a special appeal to me. I’ve always been the sort to pick up interesting stones and carry them home with me, so much so that I minored in Geology in college! I do drill some of my own native stones, but the beach stones in this statement necklace were gathered and drilled by a fellow Etsy artisan who lives in Idaho! (Not only do they have amazing rocks in Idaho, I really love getting to support a fellow crafter! Her name is Rhonda!!) This natural stone necklace is an absolutely one-of-a-kind (OOAK) gift of nature!

The fact that this natural jewelry is handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes this river rock statement necklace so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this rustic necklace is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

Vital Statistics:

• Measures 7.5″ (19 cm) long.
• Made with natural, undyed stones from Idaho
• Gunmetal-plated brass chain and lobster clasp.
• Bracelet pictured is EXACTLY the one you’ll receive.
• Ready to ship!

Unique natural stone jewelry has a special appeal to me. I’ve always been the sort to pick up interesting stones and carry them home with me, so much so that I minored in Geology in college! I do drill some of my own native stones, but the natural stones in this river rock bracelet were gathered and drilled by a fellow Etsy artisan who lives in Idaho! (Not only do they have amazing rocks in Idaho, I really love getting to support a fellow crafter! Her name is Rhonda!!) Carefully chosen by me according to their colors, shapes, patterns and sizes to create a miniature rock collection especially for you. This natural stone bracelet is absolutely one-of-a-kind (OOAK) due to the nature of these fabulously unique rocks.

The fact that this natural stone jewelry is handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes this natural stone bracelet so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this rustic bracelet is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

• Earrings are 1.25″ long from top of earwires to bottom of stones. The stones themselves measure about .75″x.5″
• Made with natural, undyed lake stones, and gunmetal plated brass.
• Lobster clasp.
• The natural, undyed stones in these handmade natural stone earrings were gathered and hand drilled by a fellow handmade artisan who lives in Idaho! Carefully chosen and combined by me according to their colors, shapes and sizes to form a rare pair of river rocks earrings.

The fact that these natural stone earrings are handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes them so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of these one of a kind pebble earrings is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

• Earrings are 1.25″ long from top of earwires to bottom of stones. The stones themselves measure about .75″x.75″
• Made with natural, undyed lake stones, and gunmetal plated brass.
• Lobster clasp.
• The natural, undyed stones in these handmade natural stone earrings were gathered and hand drilled by a fellow handmade artisan who lives in Idaho! Carefully chosen and combined by me according to their colors, shapes and sizes to form a rare pair of river rocks earrings.

The fact that these natural stone earrings are handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes them so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this river rocks jewelry is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

Vital Statistics

• Earrings are 1.25″ long from top of earwires to bottom of stones. The stones themselves measure about .75″x.75″
• Made with natural, undyed lake stones, and copper plated brass.
• Lobster clasp.
• The natural, undyed stones in these handmade stone earrings were gathered and drilled by a fellow handmade artisan who lives in Idaho! Carefully chosen and combined by me according to their colors, shapes and sizes to form a rare pair of river rocks earrings.

The fact that these mustard yellow, natural stone earrings are handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes them so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of these one of a kind pebble earrings is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

My sketchbook!

I’ve been thinking of the line as “Earth Magic”. I’ll be combining the river rocks that I already use in my natural stone jewelry with raw crystals, agate slices, ammonite fossils and more! I’ll be making most of the pieces with sterling silver (oxidized and not) because I think that since the natural materials I’m using are precious and more expensive than the river rocks, the best way to honor them is with a metal that will be long wearing. I want this line to be heirloom quality!

For Ammonite Earrings!

Stones from Moldova with Citrine Crystals

Wisconsin River Rocks with a Brazillian Agate Slice

I’m really drawn to include some of these precious materials in my work because they’re the ultimate “found an interesting rock in nature and brought it home to sit on my mantel” objects. (Obviously, I’m not walking around picking up ammonites and amethyst crystals, but the impulse to collect little pieces of nature and gather them around me is the same impulse that makes these raw, precious earth materials so attractive!) I’m not as attracted to the cut gem exhibits in natural history museums as I am to the raw minerals, crystals and geodes. Cut gems are pretty, but raw stones, crystals and fossils are breathtaking and awe-inspiring!

This will be a statement necklace: Ammonite, Wisconsin River Rock and Awesome Agate!

Another statement necklace: Fossil Ammonite, Wisconsin River Rocks!

Simple Ammonite and River Rock Pendant

This new Earth Magic jewelry project is all very much in the “playing around” stage and I’d love to know what you think about it: dark, oxidized sterling silver or polished sterling silver or both? (I like the dark, oxidized silver because it’s long wearing AND maintenance free, no plated finish to wear off and no polishing needed! It’s a dark grey, gunmetal finish.)

Do the pieces grab your imagination like they grab mine? Do you like them but feel like they’re something you probably wouldn’t wear? Are the terms “Earth Magic” and “Earth Gifts” too cheesy, too new age?? Help an inspired artisan out, leave me a comment below!

These crystal points are smoky quartz and all natural, straight from the ground!

Earth Magic forming on my Work Table

Vital Statistics:

• Measures 23″ (58.5 cm) long as shown (length can be easily changed)
• Pendant is handcrafted of 100% natural stone (collected and hand-drilled by a friendly Idaho crafter) None of these stones are colored or dyed in any way!
• Chain is gunmetal plated.
• Gunmetal-plated lobster clasp.

I do drill some of my own Wisconsin stones, but these naturally colorful river rocks were collected and hand-drilled by a fellow Etsy crafter who lives in Idaho, a girl after my own heart. I think you’ll agree that they have some beautiful rocks in Idaho! I’ve bought stones from other crafters on Etsy, but none have been as colorful as these! (Every natural stone rainbow is unique and they may be few and far between. Some of these colors are hard to come by!)

I’m amazed at how well these stone pendant necklaces lay without tilting to one side or the other as they’re worn throughout the day. I was afraid, when I made the first necklace in this series, that the long collection of stones in these pieces of natural stone jewelry would be too heavy on one side or the other and would be finicky to wear. Turns out they require less adjustment than most pendant necklaces whose clasp is always working it’s way around to the front!

The fact that this natural rainbow necklace is handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes this piece of unique natural stone jewelry so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this long chain necklace is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

Vital Statistics:

• Measures 23″ (58.5 cm) long as shown (length can be easily changed)
• Pendant is handcrafted of 100% natural stone (collected and hand-drilled by a friendly Idaho crafter) None of these stones are colored or dyed in any way!
• Chain is gunmetal plated.
• Gunmetal-plated lobster clasp.

Unique natural stone jewelry has a special appeal to me. I’ve always been the sort to pick up interesting stones and carry them home with me, so much so that I minored in Geology in college! I do drill some of my own Wisconsin stones, but these naturally colorful river rocks were collected and hand-drilled by a fellow Etsy crafter who lives in Idaho, a girl after my own heart. I think you’ll agree that they have some beautiful rocks in Idaho! I’ve bought stones from other crafters on Etsy, but none have been as colorful as these! (Every natural stone rainbow is unique and they may be few and far between. Some of these colors are hard to come by!) I threaded these natural stones onto gunmetal coated wire, and then wrapped it into an eye at both ends and securely attached to a gunmetal-plated chain with a lobster clasp to create a piece of absolutely one-of-a-kind and unique natural stone jewelry. This natural rainbow necklace is like the adult version of a rock collection, with all the stones carefully chosen and placed by hand!

I’m amazed at how well these stone pendant necklaces lay without tilting to one side or the other as they’re worn throughout the day. I was afraid, when I made the first necklace in this series, that the long collection of stones in these pieces of natural stone jewelry would be too heavy on one side or the other and would be finicky to wear. Turns out they require less adjustment than most pendant necklaces whose clasp is always working it’s way around to the front!

The fact that this natural rainbow necklace is handcrafted and absolutely one-of-a-kind is what makes this piece of unique natural stone jewelry so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this long chain necklace is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)

Vital Statistics:

• 20″ long
• Made with dark brown coconut shell (a sustainable alternative to hardwoods!) and carved bone.
• Silver-plated barrel clasp (easier for big fingers!)
• Strung on thick, 30lb, fishing line. (waterproof and tough wearing!)

A hunting trophy of the most grotesque kind, the miniature skulls in this wood necklace for men will keep strangers at a comfortable distance! This skull necklace is lightweight and smooth against the skin.

I started to make men’s jewelry when I noticed how relatively few interesting choices there were out there. Just because guys don’t want their necklaces to be flamboyant and luxurious doesn’t mean they don’t deserve good design! It was challenging for me to come up with a line of men’s jewelry (since I’m not one!) but with some helpful suggestions from my guy friends and a willing husband as a test model I started to get the hang of what worked. I really enjoy playing with different bead patterns and stumbling upon unusual materials combinations that hum with awesomeness!

Specifications:

• Measures 20″ long around the neck, can be made longer or shorter on request at no charge!
• Made with coconut shell (a sustainable alternative to hardwoods!) and hematite.
• Silver-plated barrel clasp (easier for big fingers!)
• Strung on thick, 30lb fishing line. (tough wearing!)
• Photos are stock photos.
• Ready to ship!

I started to make men’s jewelry when I noticed how relatively few interesting choices there were out there. Just because guys don’t want their necklaces to be flamboyant and luxurious doesn’t mean they don’t deserve good design! It was challenging for me to come up with a line of men’s jewelry (since I’m not one!) but with some helpful suggestions from my guy friends and a willing husband as a test model I started to get the hang of what worked. I really enjoy playing with different bead patterns and stumbling upon unusual materials combinations that hum with awesomeness!

Specifications:

• 20″ long
• Made with natural abalone shell chips and nuggets.
• Silver-plated barrel clasp (easier for big fingers!)
• Strung on 30lb test fishing line for durability and water resistance!
• Photos are stock photos.
• Ready to ship!

Like a rainbow shimmering through ocean waves, this men’s abalone shell necklace seems to be a neutral beige at first, but surprises with it’s complex iridescent flashes of color.

I started to make men’s jewelry when I noticed how relatively few interesting choices there were out there. Just because guys don’t want their necklaces to be flamboyant and luxurious doesn’t mean they don’t deserve good design! It was challenging for me to come up with a line of men’s jewelry (since I’m not one!) but with some helpful suggestions from my guy friends and a willing husband as a test model I started to get the hang of what worked. I really enjoy playing with different bead patterns and stumbling upon unusual materials combinations that hum with awesomeness!

Specifications:

• Shown at 20″ long
• Made with turquoise, coconut shell (a sustainable alternative to hardwoods!)
• Silver-plated barrel clasp (easier for manly fingers!)
• Strung on thick, 30lb fishing line. (tough wearing!)
• Photos are stock photos.
• Ready to ship!

Like bright turquoise blue slivers of sky glimpsed through forest shadows, I handcrafted this piece of beaded men’s jewelry right here in Beloit, Wisconsin! Tribal men’s jewelry for any guy who’s man enough to wear a necklace!

I started to make men’s jewelry when I noticed how relatively few interesting choices there were out there. Just because guys don’t want their necklaces to be flamboyant and luxurious doesn’t mean they don’t deserve good design! It was challenging for me to come up with a line of men’s jewelry (since I’m not one!) but with some helpful suggestions from my guy friends and a willing husband as a test model I started to get the hang of what worked. I really enjoy playing with different bead patterns and stumbling upon unusual materials combinations that hum with awesomeness!

Specifications:

• 28″ long
• Made with about 100 home grown job’s tears seeds!
• Metal free
• Strung on grey silk

The coolest thing about this home grown, beaded necklace is that I grew the grey job’s tears seeds in my garden! Job’s tears are the seeds of a grain plant that grow all ready with a shiny grey coating and a hole through the middle! I saw them in the Seed Saver’s Exchange catalog and couldn’t resist trying to grow them. This ancient plant has been used for rosaries and African shaker gourds for centuries! They’re what started this whole beaded jewelry business in the first place! :)

The fact that this homegrown job’s tears necklace is handcrafted is what makes it so much more special than mass-produced, big box gifts. The care that I put into the creation of this metal free beaded necklace is the care that you put into the choosing of your gift is the love that the gift symbolizes (even if it’s a gift to yourself!)