This individually handcrafted jewelry was created for your pleasure by Santa Barbara jewelry designer, Mar. Working in sterling silver, gold filled and nu-gold, Mar designs each piece in both her Mar and Serisawa collections to be unique and exciting as well as comfortable and easy to wear. Each design is then entirely made by hand in her Santa Barbara, California studio.

Margaret Ellis

The techniques we use require a great deal of time to execute. Every piece is made as a one-of-a-kind. The elements at work are first and foremost sculptural form, then surface texture, and, of course, the use of materials that are quite beautiful. We work in a variety of metals; 22kt yellow gold, 18kt rose gold, sterling silver and bronze. Twenty-two kt yellow gold is my favorite thing to wear. It is very yellow and very nice. It is also very addictive.

While there are many designs, there is ultimately one style that encompasses everything. Continuity is important because many women collect our jewelry. They want a certain feeling, but also something new. I design with these collectors in mind. The work is always about building a collection–both for me, the designer, and for the woman who ultimately wears the piece. Of course, the final and most important question I ask is, “Is it fun to wear?”

"I think my jewelry reflects both my love of art and my training in design. I am concerned with a sense of rightness in the way things are made - in the craftsmanship they reflect." 

"I also strive for meaning in the pieces and for a feeling of cultural connection. The forms and look cannot be random; they have to make sense in cultural terms, connecting us with the symbolic heritage of our ancient societies and indigenous people. Each piece is made to last and resonate the enduring values that inspire me."

Gerda and Nicolai Monies are an internationally-known design team from Denmark who create spectacular lines of jewelry.  Gerda and Nicolai met in design school in West Germany, and paired up personally and as designers- each working off and complimenting the other's strengths and perspectives.  Both are inspired by natural elements and prefer to allow the essence of the material to speak for itself and determine what will flow from it. 
 
The jewelry is made from nature's own materials including wood; water buffalo horn, and nail; bone; amber; and other semi-precious gems-as well as-fine man-made materials such as resins.  All materials used are certified in accordance with the International Wildlife Laws of the Washington Convention. 

Nature Bijoux® is a French concept.

Nature, not “in name only”: Nature Bijoux is an eco-friendly fashion line, featuring a wide range of designs, from contemporary to exotic, from trendy to dressy, all made with integrity, using 100% natural components, recycled, and worked in strict accordance with the Washington convention and the US Lacey Act. It is imported in the USA with a Fish and Wildlife license.

A serious expertise: Nature Bijoux is Jean Daniel Christin's concept. In addition to being an inspired designer, JD is a component expert: commissioned by some of the most successful European designers (Agatha, Taratata, Remiscence, Scooter Paris, Nereides, etc, with whom he collaborates on an ongoing basis), he travels the world to find the right bead, the perfect seed, the stone with unusual effect, a singular color. His network of suppliers is second to none: in 25 years, he has sourced and incorporated in his own collections more than 50,000 different natural components.

With JD, the creative work starts with the raw material. And it is the way he turns the natural components from a raw stage to a sophisticated and totally unique finish that is at the heart of Nature Bijoux. The Agates are weathered under heat, the Sibucao is skillfully pressed, the turquoise from Tibet and its unique bluish tone is carved under his supervision, and black horns are cleaned, polished, sculpted, burnt, and transformed.

The result is a rich collection in which you will find something fabulous for every woman, for every age, for every mood and for absolutely every budget.

PONO is Hawaiian for righteousness. Joan Goodman, creative director of Bobbi Trim LTD- a NY based button company, and head designer of the PONO accessory line lived in Hawaii back in the late seventies. PONO, as the line is called, was inspired by a close friend of the designer who epitomized the "Aloha Spirit."  Ironically the PONO accessory collection is manufactured at the same factory in Bergamo, Italy that the buttons are made in. Joan loves "the creativity, technology and environmental consciousness of Italy," and would never sacrifice the quality for a cheaper production market.

The Rosselini line is designed by Carola Hiersemann-Eckrodt and handmade in her Stuttgart, Germany workshop. That the collections have been made in Germany for the past 20 years, with no compromise about the quality of the craftsmanship, sets the tone of what Rosselini stands for, especially in today’s environment.

The apparently simplicity, the seemingly obvious crispness of the line, its colors, its texture…nothing is left to chance. Rosselini fuses clean designs, old-world craftsmanship, high technology and above all, the finest materials obtainable, to achieve its very distinctive look.

Carola uses Swarovski crystals exclusively for her own collections. It is not rare that she introduces new Swarovski® shapes for a limited time, before anyone else. The stainless steel and aluminum parts she favors as her metal of choice are expensively treated through eloxation and other high-tech methods, and thickly plated in silver, rhodium and 24-karat gold to last a lifetime. The acrylic parts she designs and special order through master artisans, add a rich dimension to her contemporary creative approach.

The result is a very upscale line designed for distinctive women who have a classic taste with an attitude.

A Lancaster artist who works with semi-precious beads.

Sibilia

Add a little Argentinian flair to every day with some new jewelry from Sibilia! This designer pairs a brass base metal with silver or gold (or, a gunmetal coloring) to create her wearable yet distinctly unique designs. We love that this jewelry is quite lightweight and can be worn with anything in your wardrobe! Bracelets, necklaces, and earrings are available.

When people first examine the lightweight, colorful jewelry from Singerman & Post the first question is always “What are they made of ?”. The colors have an unusual saturation and people swear they are made of metal, but the pieces are too lightweight to be titanium, the usual best guess. The jewelry is actually made by laminating together very thin layers of different types of brushed aluminum and gold finish plastic materials (films, mylar, vinyl). Patterned top layers, designed by Leni Singerman, are film photo transfers of her artwork: watercolors, collages, pastels, drawings and photographs. Individual pieces are hand cut, beaded and twisted in the studio to form sculptural shapes that are feather light and comfortable to wear.

The jewelry is produced using the unique electroforming process. Inelectroforming, a wax mold is created and inserted into a computerized 925sterling silver bath. The mold remains in the bath until several thicklayers of silver adhere; the result is a light and comfortable piece of jewelry. Finally, the piece is hand-polished to achieve a brilliant shine.

Using color combinations found in nature, Teresa creates accessories that work with the casual soft dressing of today.

A floral garden, to an ocean paradise,... a calming sunset, to the enchanted north woods: colors are layered and blended to make jewelry to complement not one piece of the wardrobe, but many. Teresa's stoneware beads in organic shapes and colors are individually hand sculptured from clay. The raw clay beads are dipped or painted with glaze and then fired in high temperature kiln. Her stoneware beads are known for the soft hues that are the fruition of this process.

Other beads are gathered from around the world. Czech, African, Indian, Indonesian, and Chinese glass and stones are imported for use in her jewelry. Carved bone beads come from India. The dusty hues of the bone beads are achieved by Teresa mixing colors and dying them in her studio.

Tselaine

Never taking herself too seriously, Elaine Tse is as known for her spunk and energy as she is for her exquisite jewelry. On the dare of a friend two years ago, Elaine left the world of actuaries to revisit her childhood creative passions of collecting colorful stones and beads. Within weeks she had created a collection of semi-precious jewelry full of fun, funky designs and beautiful, beguiling bridal pieces. Wearing her work on the streets and at exclusive parties, she sold several pieces “off her neck” and ears, and gained the momentum to launch Tselaine Jewelry.

Today, at the foot of the Queensboro Bridge overlooking the skyline of midtown Manhattan, these limited edition watches are designed. Inspired by the treasures he still finds walking along the railroad tracks of his backyard, his work includes large wall clocks and a series of "Pendulariums"- large oxidized boxes that hold as many as 20 pendulums and second hands.

Ms Scholten currently designs jewelry in a manner that underwrites the Bauhaus doctrine she studied back in Holland. Materials have form, size and texture which determine how they should be shaped into jewelry. This process and her preference for using contrasting materials determine the look of WillyWare. The jewelry is a mix of recycled technical materials from Silicon Valley, sterling silver, pearls and semiprecious stones. Like Rapunzel, Ms. Scholten is spinning silicon into silver, transforming recyclables into desired jewelry.

Yipes

This delightful line of polymer clay and mixed media pins and earrings in the forms of insects, dragonflies, butterflies, frogs and lizards is designed by the artist, Joyce Fritz, and produced in her studio with the aid of one or two assistants. Work is made of polymer clay, recycled wire, colored wire, glass beads, metallic leaf, and glitter. The artists incorporates the millefiori technique to create patterns, as well as varied surface treatments.

Joyce Fritz Artist Statement:
I've always been interested in the natural world; particularly in how the smallest elements relate to the big picture. Insects are a perfect example of that. Their endless variety of color, form and pattern inspire me. Plus, there are millions of species of insects on the planet, so I will never run out of inspiration.  The design process is an eternal discovery. I enjoy that my work makes people laugh and maybe even think!