Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Jewels in unexpected places


I am constantly on the lookout for new material to work with. I am attracted to anything new, unusual and colorful and I am always amazed at what I unearth on my travels. Recently I stumbled across the most amazing beetle wings. Their jewel toned color took my breath away and I find it hard to believe that something so spectacular exists like this is nature.

I am releasing a whole beetle wing series of earrings and will be expanding on this design theme over the next few months. I have been working on these wings in my studio; polishing them up and shaping them so I can use them in some of my earring designs. So far the feedback I've had from customers has been really positive.

Every time I look at these gorgeous wings I conjure up something new I'd like to do with them. I keep all my wings in a little golden treasure box on my desk until I'm ready to work with them. When an idea strikes I look for a matched pair and away I go!


These earrings (see image on left) are themed after Grenada's Grand Etang rainforest. They remind me of leaves, shimering in the sunlight after a rainstorm. I wire wrapped a citrine gemstone and positioned it so it's appears to be dripping off the tip of these wings, like a bead of water quivering on the end of a leaf. They're gorgeous in person and guaranteed to get you attention. These are featured on my etsy shop (www.MeghanT.etsy.com). I will be designing more beetle winged themed creations so keep checking back at my shop!