Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Cryztalvisions

Beth Alexander, the proprietor of Cryztalvisions says, "I have been fascinated by crystals and stones for as long as I can remember. I had some wonderful teachers during my childhood who passed on their passion for nature, geology, crystals and gemstones. " Beth is from a very artistic family, a father who was grounded in the arts and crafts and taught art in the public school system and a great-grandmother who was a painter, not only of oils, but also enjoyed china painting as well. Beth herself has been creating jewelry now for close to 20 years. She says, "I delight in creating these pieces! Each one is unique, with its own energy that I feel as I work with the materials. They transport me to a place of deep knowing, relaxation and happiness as I work. " It's the most wonderful thing: knowing you were made for a purpose and being able to fulfill that purpose and being in that creative space where time has no bearing.
This pair of earrings was created by entirely by hand. The hoops are lovingly made from sterling silver, and the tiny green peridot beads were wire-wrapped securely to the hoops to hold them in place.
Says Beth, "I offer pieces in traditional silver fabrication techniques, ancient wire wrapping techniques, handcrafted wire knit jewelry, silver wire weaving, beautiful beaded creations. Designs are a blend of these conventional methods infused with a contemporary twist. All pieces are exclusive, one-of-a-kind designs or limited editions. I specialize in unique and hard to find gemstones and crystals. You are sure to find one that speaks to your heart."
"The Ojo de Dios, or God's Eye is thought to have originated with the Huichol Indians of Jalisco, Mexico. The Huichol call their God's eyes Sikuli, which means 'the power to see and understand things unknown.' The four points of the basic Ojo pattern represent the four elements earth, fire, water, and air. When a child is born, the central eye is woven by the father, then one eye is added for every year of the child's life until the child reaches the age of five. "

The God's Eye is especially meaningful to her, in that Beth's father made them and taught her how to make them before he passed away.


Beth makes every effort to be an original jewelry designer, doing one of a kind designs, and uses materials from suppliers who are ethically conscious and do not buy from strip mines - ones who are interested in maintaining a business over a long time period. She specializes in hard-to-find gemstones, and she also does custom orders.

"This darling Silver heart necklace features a 3/4" x 5/8" heart cut by hand with a jeweler's saw from 24 gauge *Argentium Sterling Silver sheet. I then drilled the holes and smoothed the edges with my jeweler's files. Next I created a high shine finish by taking the heart through a series of hand sanding with progressively finer grits of sandpaper. A tiny red garnet bead dangles from the handcrafted bail."

To see more of Beth's fine jewelry, please visit her shop, website and blog at:

http://cryztalvisions.etsy.com/

http://www.cryztalvisions.com/

http://cryztalvisions.typepad.com/


1 comment:

Beth Alexander said...

thank you for the lovely feature!

My Workspace

My Workspace
On The Pier At St. Simons Island

New Art, New Techniques, Hints, Thoughts, Photos and More

Stay tuned! For purchase information about any of the artwork, check out my Etsy store -- DreamON or send me email (conversation) by pressing the contact button at http://DreamON.Etsy.com.