Peacock Dancing

The morning sky is grey, the breeze is cold. My garden is in its winter phase, all color is muted. Into this dullsville mood comes a request for a necklace to match a sari....a 40 year old, vintage, peacock motif sari.

Through the fog I can see the bright green and pale yellow flowers of my dahlia.
Green and gold with shades of blue tinted by the mist.....just like the facets of colors on a peacock's throat and tail feathers.

In my bead box are these vintage glass beads.I just love the way this bead seems to change color with the quality of the light...a little green, a little gold and just a touch of blue.


And thus is born this necklace, an ode to the dancing peacocks.






Turquoise beads are linked on gold wire with vintage glass beads providing spots of brilliant, glossy color.

Almost wants to make one feel like dancing....without singing the blues!

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Diwali Sparkler

Fall is officially here, the days are getting shorter and colder, the nights longer and the festive season is right around the corner.

Diwali is for me the official start to the fall festivities. It means family, fun, food and the sparks of color that rain down in the night from all the fireworks. Not to mention the rustle and crinkle of brand new "pattu saris" draped so elegantly.

For this Diwali, I wanted to capture that shimmer and shine in a piece of jewelry, so that even when the skies are grey, I can have my own spot of cheery color.
This necklace has been fashioned keeping in mind the glints and glimmer of color in a sari when light catches it from different angles.




Nothing can quite capture sparkles like Swarovski crystals. Simply strung on a gold chain with star shaped bead caps, this necklace is sure to make your Diwali a little bit more colorful and cheerful.

Sparkles

Its been a while since my last posting. When you are responsible for designing, creating, photographing, posting and selling, things get a little hectic at times. But never fear, more posts are here !

Goldstone and Silver Necklace

This is a necklace I created a while back but haven't found the time to showcase online.

I have always loved goldstone...something about the tiny flecks of sparkles embedded inside makes it special.

Goldstone usually calls for gold or brown tone accents, but for a different look I went with silver for this necklace.

It does not detract from the shine of the beads, but adds a certain something,  je ne sais quoi !

Jewelry Party !

Last week, Whole Gifts had a jewelry party for a baby shower. It was great fun.
All those who attended could choose one jewelry item that was custom created for them, on the spot, as door prizes. Talk about instant gratification !

Black & Silver Necklace

Obviously because of time constraints, elaborate designs could not be created on the spot, like this necklace for the mom to be.


This necklace is made with black onyx beads intersperced with sterling silver roundel beads.


The pendant is a beautiful resin cast set in a silver bezel (Whole Gifts is working on a whole new set of resin pendants for spring, more on that soon) !

Blue-Green wire ring

One lovely lady chose this wire wrapped ring as her take home prize.
This is made with a translucent blue-green glass bead wrapped in anti tarnish silver wire.










And of course, all the little kids who were in attendance received colorful, beautiful bracelets to wear home. All baby bracelets at Whole Gifts are always created with 100% sterling silver or 14KT gold components.....because nothing but the best will do for the precious gems in our lives !



White Cats' Eye beads with Gold TOHO Spacers



Multi-Color Agate



Black Bicone Crystal with White TOHO spacers

Blue-Green Coin Cut Glass with Clear TOHO Spacers

Pink Bamboo Coral with Gold Spacers

Needless to say the party was a huge success and everyone went home happy.
If you want to do something different for your next party, do plese contact Whole Gifts...we have a wide variety of packages to suit all your requirments. As always...."we strive for perfection" !

A Special Birthday Necklace

Red Fish Necklace

Today is the birthday of a very special  girl.

She might be small but has a large personality and loves things that are bold. No wonder she chose a red frock for her birthday !

This necklace matches both her dress and attitude perfectly.



Fire polished glass beads in red are strung together with TOHO bead spacers, also in red.

The lovely sterling silver and red enamel fish pendant adds a touch of playfulness.


This necklace is bold and effervescent.
It made the little diva happy....thus making the Mama happy !












Whole Gifts has many such lovely ideas for the little (BIG) persons in your life. Do drop us a line and we will be sure to oblige !

Elegant Sophestication

Last week, I was commissioned to create a jewelry set to match a dress. The wearer of the dress was going to a special dinner and wanted something simple yet stunning to wear.

The dress is brown with just a touch of gold in the neckline and sleeves. The material is silk so it changed shades depending on how the light caught it.

Brown is not an easy color palette to work with. It can appear dull and lifeless if not treated well. What...oh what can I do...??





Then inspiration struck....mother of pearl beads in a brown shade to match the opaline glow of the dress and instead of using gold beads as accents, how about gold wire to loop the beads together.


Here is the complete set.......

Mother of Pearl Necklace and Earrings



 Hooray....it worked. ! This brown is definitely not dull.
The soft shine of the beads is offset beautifully by the gold wire.
 Mother of pearl complements all skin tones and creates a magical glow making it perfect for evening wear.

Needless to say, it made for one special night out !











Rainy Day Cheer

Its been raining here in the bay area for the past few days. Its gloomy and foggy and cold.
 Something had to be done to made the mood lighter and here we have the results.....cheery and colorful necklaces to dispel the weather blues !


 

Vivacity Carnelian Necklace

This necklace is made with carnelian beads.

Traditionally carnelian is believed to enhance energy and remove bad vibrations and I can tell you that I did feel a renewed burst of energy after I finished string this necklace together !

The roundel shape of the beads has been enhanced by stringing two of them together, end to end.

The spacers are antique style sterling silver beads from India.

Look carefully and you can see the center spacer is flower shaped, a little reminder that spring is on its way and very soon the flowers will explode in a riot of color and cheer.

The gleam of the silver, the bright color of the beads say "gloom and fog go away ".








All Things Good necklace

Need more help in dispersing  the blues...never fear, more help is here !

This necklace is not only pretty and colorful, but it has all the positive energies of the gemstones working for you too.

It has orange carnelian for energy, rose quartz for love, amethyst for protection and crystal quartz to enhance the qualities of all the other stones.

Here too, the spacers are shaped like little silver flowers promising of good things that are right around the corner.

Alexander Pope said, "Hope springs eternal in the human breast ;"

Let us adorn ourselves with some good cheer and ride out the blues.

Purple Passions

Amethyst is the birth stone for February. It ranges in color from a light lilac shade to a dark purple.

Throughout history, amethyst is believed to make the wearer gentle and amiable. Its other powers include dreams, love, peace, healing and protection.
The ancient Greeks believed amethyst protected against drunkeness...how is that for a reason to get some amethyst jewelery ?

If you are a february born gal or know someone who is, here are some great choices.

Amethyst Cabochon Necklace

For a bold statement, try this necklace.

Deep, dark purple beads are intersperced with antique style silver spacers. The pendant is an amethyst cabochon set in a silver bezel.

Wear it to your next party and feel your spirits uplift !

Lilac Amethyst necklace

For the sweet, gentle and charming part of you, here is a necklace made of lilac colored amethyst beads.


The beads are faceted and catch the light and glint. The silver spacers add even more sparkle.

What a beautiful way to to inspire some love and feel enveloped in peace.










Whether you feel bold and courageous or sweet and lovely, amethyst is sure to suit your mood. Give or get some today !

Midnight Jasmine

Midnight Jasmine

The New Year is here...time for resolutions, renewals and rejuvenation.
What can be more energizing and exhilarating than the fragrance of fresh jasmine !



In Madras (now called Chennai) where I'm from, this is the dance and music season. Women dress up in their best silk saris and wear jasmine flowers in their hair while attending concerts.
The waft of jasmine perfuming the night air is one of my fondest memory of the Dec- Jan season.
This set is an homage to that.






Red flower glass beads and creamy, textured glass pearls come together beautifully in this jewelry set, perfect for creating memories of your own.

Ear rings

Wire Wrapped Ring

...and a partridge in a pear tree.

With Christmas right around the corner and carols forming the backdrop to every mall outing and gift shopping, inspiration struck for this sparkly, shiny necklace.

Antique bronze tree branch link forms the perfect foil for pear shaped swarovski pendant strung on czech glass beads....all in shades of topaz, brown and gold to match the festive season.