Known for its natural calming effect, the color blue is strongly associated with feelings of tranquility. And that might be reason enough to design a collection around all kinds of blue stones. Yet I’m drawn to the blue theme because there is a huge variety of stones available to inspire and fuel my creativity.

When designing a color-themed collection, I typically bypass the sketchbook and start with the stones themselves. The beautiful hues and tones delight my imagination and inspire my work. Blue represents wisdom and confidence so I feel sure-footed as I pull out my trays of all the stones I have that fit the blue theme. Turquoise blue, teal, periwinkle, greenish blue, bluish purple, stones that flash blue. And so it begins…

First, I consider the stones, and they quite possibly consider me as well. I decide how many pieces I would like to create, including statement pieces, smaller pieces, necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings. Not all of these pieces will be completed, and some of the stones will go back into their trays. It wasn’t their time.

I do have popular styles and I recreate those compositions in many of my pieces, but I always push myself to develop new design elements and construction methods. Using a variety of stones including: blue opal, boulder opal, chalcedony, tourmaline, blue moonstone, turquoise, tanzanite, aquamarine, sapphire, pearl, lapis and kyanite, a collection is born! And the making begins.

As I write this blog post, the Blue on Blue collection is nearing completion and will be ready to launch on October 9th. I’m excited to show you how it’s all coming together!

Want to jump to the front of the line and be among the first collectors to view the collection the day before it launches? Be sure to join my exclusive VIP list to preview the collection before everyone else, and before it goes live!

If you’re in the DC area, you can see the collection in person at the Smithsonian Craft2Wear show the first weekend of October.