etching

Sketching, Designing and Creating Jewelry

artisan jewelry, Custom, etching, gemstone, gold, handmade jewelry, ocean, On The Bench, sterling silver

Sketching and Designing Jewelry

For me, designing one of a kind jewelry is an intuitive process. I have ideas, sketch out variations, and start creating. What often occurs are finished pieces that differ from my original visions. Going with this flow is the process of listening to my head, my heart, and what unfolds before me, which often can be interesting, delightful and frustrating all at once! Below is a peek into what’s going on in the studio right now.

These are recent drawings that are currently being etched to become new jewelry.drawings for etchings

The process involves creating the etching and designing the piece. In this image I was exploring which stone to use, Amazonite or Turquoise, what shape to make the pendant, and how it might hang.

process

I often design as I go along, starting with a vision and allowing the piece to evolve. Below is a mermaid necklace in progress. Sterling silver, Amazonite, Amethyst, Moonstone, Tourmaline… decisions, decisions.

sketches

Sketches for Coral Reef Earrings to go with the Coral Reef Necklace and Ring.

drawings for etchings

Becoming earrings: sterling silver, Moonstones and gold bezels.

Becoming Coral Reef Earrings

 

Dress Up Your Jeans

I just completed this necklace last week. Playing with etchings from my artwork has been so much fun! Then final decision for the center stone is a beautiful Sleeping Beauty Turquoise.

Sleeping Beauty is a mine in Globe, AZ, where these stones are from, and is named after the mountain range where it is located. Known for its unique color that ranges from ‘robin’s egg’ blue to deep-blue, the Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is one of the most sought after gemstones in the Turquoise world. According to research, the darker it is, the rarer it is. (source: Turquoise Moose)

The necklace is strung on porcelain and silver beads from Africa, with a sterling silver swivel clasp. This piece is not yet up on my website but will be soon.

Dress up your jeans

If you are interested in purchasing this necklace before it goes up on my site, please feel free to contact me at meeshka@meeshka.net.

Custom orders are also always welcome.

Carole Peace

Save The Planet. Save Ourselves.

artisan jewelry, Coral Reef, Custom, Dead & Company, gemstone, gold, Grateful Dead, handmade jewelry, honu, sterling silver, sugar skull, sun, Tell Me A Story, turtle

Once upon a time… there was an anti-nuke rally at San Onofre around 1979 with about 15,000 people in attendance. We sang and danced as we hoped for a better future. Fast forward to now. We had no idea what lay ahead, and we still don’t know, but it is becoming abundantly clear that we have to do something to save the planet if we are to save ourselves.

Coral Reef Necklace with AmethystA few months ago I created these “Coral Reef Necklaces” never imagining I’d be reading this headline. “Record breaking hot ocean temperatures in the Florida Keys (100°) related to climate change have led to bleaching and a massive die-off of the coral reef.”  Marine scientists are scrambling to preserve samples of rare species of coral before, possibly, they’re gone forever.
Coral Reef Necklace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On another note… July 16 was my birthday and I celebrated with  dear friends and family. The highlight of the week was the last Dead and Company tour concert at Oracle Park that night. (Check out the drone show in the link!) Laur and I have seen so many shows together and this one brought many memories rushing in. Once again we danced, sang and felt hopeful (yes, Laur was with me at San Onofre) being surrounded by the loving people of our “tribe” as we were transformed by the music. Ahhh, the power of music.

To honor the birthday concert celebration I made us necklaces. Turtle backHand drawn and etched sterling silver turtles with keum-boo 24k gold lightening bolts.

Turtle front

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Grateful Dead Inspired Jewelry

Sterling silver skull and citrine with fishies necklaceSterling silver skull and citrine with fishies necklace

 

Sterling silver turtle and peridot necklaceSterling silver turtle with peridot necklace


Sterling silver sun and labradoriteSterling silver sun and labradorite necklace

 

Sterling silver heart necklaceSterling silver heart necklace

 

Birthday

Happy birthday to ME!

Save the planet. Save ourselves. And please, be kind.
Peace and Love,
meeshka

Happy Accidents

artisan jewelry, Cuff, Custom, Doodle, gemstone, gold, handmade jewelry, jewelry, On The Bench, Ring, sterling silver

Sometimes things don’t go quite as planned in the studio.
Lately I’ve been concentrating more on creating and less on marketing, and on having more fun in general! I have a lot of ideas and inspiration in my head and in sketchbooks, but sometimes the outcome is another story altogether. After a frustrating day of melting gold bezels for a stone on a cuff I decided to go pyromaniac (which all jewelers secretly are), blast my torch, and melt some sterling silver on purpose.

This ring is the happy outcome of recklessly melting sterling silver. The stone was supposed to be a beautiful tourmaline, but that broke (another heartache), so I set the sterling cabochon from another melting episode that just so happened to fit. End of story, the cuff never got a stone.

This is the etched cuff without a turquoise gemstone and gold bezel.

And Speaking Of Flames
Isn’t this flaming bezel too cool?!?

Rough cut Amethyst and sterling silver earrings

On to the next creations! 

Sterling silver braided ring with keum boo gold accents.

These started out as a ring then devolved into sterling silver, gold keum boo and a square rough cut diamond pair of earrings.

And when all else fails, bake your dog a cake!
Peace & Love,
~meeshka

2023 or 1953?

artisan jewelry, bronze, Cuff, Custom, handmade jewelry, Peace, Tell Me A Story

My intention is to always stay positive. These are trying times.
Warning: brief rant ahead.
Scroll down to THROWBACK SALE if you want to bypass the rant.

What year is this? I wish I could stop reading the news. The headlines are a throwback to a different time and I wonder to myself, WTF is going on?!

• Abortion is illegal in 13 states as of this writing. (10 more to surely follow.)
• There have been 38 mass shootings so far this year (3 months).
• Banks have failed. Recession? Inflation? Depression? Pick a financial crisis.
• People in Israel are protesting to save their democracy.
• The rhetorical threats of nuclear war are dangled before us as if it’s no big deal.
• Bigotry, racism, hatred and intolerance are being normalized and on the rise.

And this is just to name a few!!!
I’m sorry if this is all just too much, but this is my point! It totally is!

What’s an artist hippy chick to do?
I keep creating, meditating, and manifesting to try to tip the scales towards a critical mass of positivity, love, and light. Is it futile? Am I crazy? Please tell me I’m not. Ok, maybe I’m a little bit crazy but I’m okay with that. I think you are, too.
Peace Sign NecklacePeace

THROWBACK SALE!
Here is the silver lining to my disbelief at the state of the world. In order to remain positive I want to spread a little sunshine your way. In honor of a throw back to what seemed to me like simpler times I’m having a FLASH SALE from April 18 to 20. Enter THROWBACK40 at check out and receive 40% OFF your entire order.

(And don’t forget, Mother’s Day is coming May 14th. Call your Mom!)

Shop Meeshka’s Throwback Sale

On Another Note… The Rain
One nice thing about all the rain we’ve been having, besides reducing fire danger and making everything super green, is the cozy time I get to spend in my studio. Here’s a sneak peek at a couple of things I’m working on… etching and improvising.

Collaborate with Meeshka on a custom jewelry design.

The breathtaking beauty of Sonoma after the rain.
Love,
~meeshka

Looking Back ~ Looking Forward

artisan jewelry, Custom, gemstone, handmade jewelry, Love, painting, Peace, sterling silver, sun, turtle, UFO, watercolor

January is always a time of hibernation for me. In the midst of all the rain we are having, it’s a good time to get cozy and reflect.

2022 brought another year of dealing with Covid, and the way people and our government, deal or not deal, with it. As an artist working from home I don’t mind the isolation all that much and it’s been a long time since I’ve felt FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). But I’m so tired of constantly thinking about what activities are worth the risk of infection and how to navigate them, if at all. I am grateful I always have my art to keep me amused.

I sure hope 2023 finally brings Covid to the real endemic stage that we have all been waiting for. In the meantime I will continue to make art, take lovely walks, bake and cook, read and nap, and dance around my house and studio. I will probably mask forever to keep others safe, as well as myself.

Happy New Year from my studio in Sonoma, California! and thank you for being on this journey with me. I appreciate you!

Note: The above photo is not my studio. Just a groovy barn on the road to and from my studio.

January/February 2022
This year I focused on Pinterest, growing my following and traffic there, as well as on my website. SUCCESS! It worked! I also became a Verified Merchant on Pinterest.

2022 monthly visits to meeshka.net

2022 annual Pinterest activity

 


March/April 2022
With Spring in the air along with longer days, there is plenty of time for brainstorming, sketching ideas and purchasing new gemstones for future creations.

This is a custom sterling silver piece I created for a clients’ daughter. Cows and obsidian are meaningful to her and we worked together to create this pendant.

 

May/June 2022
In May I lost a dear lifelong sister-friend, Carole, who will forever be in my heart and by my side. I have a wonderful group of lifelong friends, including my Mom, and we chat daily in “LoveFest”. Together we try to keep each other sane and laughing. Carole was part of that group and is missed every day.

 

Below is the pendant-necklace I created for my dear MamaLuv. Sterling silver and carnelian with a peek-a-boo heart on the back the allows the stone to glow, like my Mama. We are so so so fortunate to live close and be able to spend time together. This is the sweetness of life.

July/August 2022
We sure had some hot days this past summer, but no fires here and that was fantastic! These creations reflect my longing for the tradewinds and ocean swimming on Kauai. Sterling silver with faceted labradorite and peridot.

                         

September/October 2022
Ahhh cooler weather and a rainbow outside my studio… what could be more delicious? Oh wait! A Swiss roll!

Below is a small plein air watercolor painting of “The Cherry Tree” juice stand, long closed but still standing. I love seeing it every time I drive along the country road I use to go visit my MamaLuv.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November/December 2022
The holidays can be challenging. Life has changed so much. I don’t go in for the madness of holiday shopping and it’s supposed to be a busy time for jewelers to market and sell. That is always awkward for me as I don’t like to be pushy so I try to keep it mellow. At the same time I start to feel the pull of hibernation and slowing down, which usually wins. I love that!

Here are two more 2022 creations. On the left a UFO pendant-necklace of sterling silver with tiny shells and beach glass collected on Kauai, encased in a vintage watch crystal. The other is a sterling silver heart strung on vintage “white hearts” (glass beads with white porcelain center) from Africa and Hill Tribe Thai silver.

 

 

2023
Looking ahead at what I imagine for this year is the work of every January’s hibernation. As I become more clear I plan on sharing that journey with you. Once again, thank you for coming along for the ride. I hope I can bring a little beauty to your world, some light, and always a lot of laughter.

 

Happy New Year!
With Love, Grace & Gratitude,
meeshka

 

Work In Progress… Interrupted

Custom, gemstone, Love, On The Bench, UFO

Work In Progress

It seems like lately I’ve been preparing to make new jewelry, starting something, then moving on to something else. This isn’t my typical process so I’m a little befuddled.

Usually I have an image of what I want to create in my mind, I do a quick sketch, and then let the piece evolve on the bench as I go. It’s fun exploring “happy accidents” and  exciting to see the creation unfold.

I have managed to finish a couple of pieces recently, though. Here are a few pics.

Mother’s Day Necklace: sterling silver, calcydony, pearl, and oxidation

Mother’s Day Necklace: back of pendant with peek-a-boo heart cut out

UFO Pendant With Gemstones: sterling silver, rubies, tanzanites, sapphires, amethyst, pearls, peridot, aquamarine, and other gemstones

Circle Earrings: sterling silver and cubic zirconia

More new pieces coming soon!
Much Love,
Meeshka

On The Bench ~ A Custom Ring

Custom, On The Bench, Ring, sterling silver

Approached to recreate a precious ring that was lost.
Sterling silver and faceted quartz crystal. Size 3. That’s TINY!