Working with wire....

So my latest venture for jewelry has been wire....copper wire and sterling silver wire.  I have tried swirls, hoops, loops earwires and clasps.  It is a lot tougher than I thought it would be.  My biggest issue is getting the loops to be the same size and height.  There has got to be a trick on how to do this.  Does anyone know?  Please comment and let me me in on the secret!!

Anyway, here are some of my designs.  Which is your favorite?  Let me know.




Handmade loops
20 gauge Sterling Silver with Black Swarovski Crystal - Retail: $16





Handmade hoops
20 gauge Copper hoops with pink dyed jade - Retail: $12




Handmade earwires and swirls
20 gauge copper swirl with small turquoise beads - Retail: $12



Handmade earwires
20 gauge Sterling silver with purple Crazy Lace - Retail: $16

My latest creation....

On Tuesday, my order from Seadrops on Etsy came in.  It was a beautiful Sterling silver necklace with a starfish, aqua briolette and pearl drop.  Love, love, love it.  You have to check out the page....http://www.etsy.com/listing/48942501/starfish-and-co-aqua-sterling-silver.  Her work is beautiful.  Check out my shop while you are there too!!  : )

Anyway, I just had to wear the necklace as soon as I got it, but one problem....I needed a pair of earrings that would match but not take away from the beautiful necklace itself.  So, I decided to create something.  Check out my design and let me know what you think....

Something Blue...

I do not know what it is, but there is something about these earrings that I just love.  I am pretty sure it is the small touch of blue....I just love a pop of color.  I think that comes from watching alot of What Not to Wear.  I love that show!
Funny story about these earrings....they started as a necklace.  I was thinking of creating a super simple pearl necklace but when I was making it, I thought that the pearl got lost on a sea of chain.  Not wanting the wire to go to waste, I redesigned it into earrings and I could not be more pleased with the result.  Since I have made them, I contemplate taking them out of my inventory and keeping them for myself on a daily basis.  They just seem like they would be the perfect compliment to everything I wear.  Do you agree?  Let me know what you think of them.

Here comes the bride....Jewelry for your perfect day

You have the dress, now you are looking for the perfect jewelry.  Or maybe you are looking for the perfect gift for your bridesmaids.  Well look no further....have pieces designed specifically for your special day.  I will work with you to determine your wedding colors and what you envision and make something that will make you and your bridesmaids shine.  That is exactly what I did for my friend Dianne.

One day at work, Dianne, who was getting married, asked my opinion about some jewelry she was looking at from David's bridal.  To be honest with you, for the price, I did not like any of it.  She said she wanted sparkle and bling....and these pieces were not doing it.  I wanted her to have something perfect, so I decided to put some ideas together for her.  Knowing the color of her bridesmaid dresses and her flower colors, we created several different designs for her to choose from including earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.  Not knowing if she would think I was crazy or not, the next day I brought them into work for her to look at.  She took one look at the pieces and started to tear up, touched by what I had done.  She ordered 6 sets on the spot.  It was awesome.   She had exactly what she was looking for and I had my first wedding jewelry sale.  I was excited.  Check out the pictures to see the results.

I was so pleased by how the jewelry turned out that I decided to create pieces for my own special day.  Let me know what you think.  I would love to create something for you too....

 

Accessorizing for Summer

I am not sure about you, but I live for the summer time.  There is nothing better than being outside with the warm sun shining on your face.  Not to mention, I get to wear all of my cute sundresses and sandles which I love to do.  I definitely had summer in mind when I created these next pieces. 

Made with sterling silver, Swarovski crystal, white hollowite, and turquoise swirl beads, the necklace is light and fun.  It was designed as a single strand necklace that hangs at 19 1/2 inches from your neck, however it can be doubled.  The bracelet and earrings compliment the necklace perfectly.  The bracelet is made with elastic material so it is so easy to just throw this one and go. 

Set retails for $40   (Individual pieces:  Earrings: $15, Bracelet: $15, Necklace: $20)

I wanted to create something that was easy to throw on and go yet at the same time was light and airy and did not weigh your look down.  Do you think I did this with these pieces?  Comment and let me know what you think.

Simple elegance

Are you looking for a great pair of earrings to wear to that wedding you have coming up?  Or maybe you want to dress up your favorite pair of jeans for a night out on the town.  These earrings were designed just for that purpose.  I wanted to create something that would make you feel great in whatever you were wearing.  Something simple, yet elegant.

I did this by combining white Swarovski pearls with a Swarovski crystal rondelle to give it a little bling.  Next I added a small pink Swarovski crystal accent for a little bit of color.  Together with the sterling silver findings, they make up a simply elegant design that will have you feeling like a million bucks. 

Would you wear these to a wedding or for everyday?  Comment and let me know.

Retail: $16

Great for kids!

Every now and again, I love to reconnect with my girlfriends from high school.  Getting together gets harder and harder now that everyone is married with kids.  But just recently, we had one of these get togethers and I brought a sampling of my jewelry to get their much valued opinions.  When my girlfriend Kerri's girls saw the earrings, they wanted a pair of their own.  Of course, I was thrilled at the opportunity to make these two little girls something beautiful.  I could never say no.  I asked them what colors they were their favorite and  promised them something they would love. 

As soon as I left, I started thinking about what I would make for them. I wanted something girlie and something that would be delicate enough for a little girl.  I decided to make them each a bracelet with matching earrings, each featuring Swarovski crystal butterflies, pink for Hannah and purple for Layla. When the girls received their present in the mail, Kerri said they became wide eyed and insisted on wearing the bracelets right away, wearing them to school and eve to bed that night.  These two beautiful girls inspired me to start a new children's line. 

I could not wait to see the girls in the jewelry, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw the bracelets being modeled in the latest photo shoot by Kerri Murphy Photography called "Spring Fever" .  Check out the full photo shoot on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002062215924&ref=ts or visit her website at  http://www.kerrimurphy.smugmug.com/ .  You do not want to miss the chance to check out her beautiful work.

Post comments to let me know what you think...

Simple and Chic

Don't you just love earrings that you can throw on with any outfit?  I certainly do which is why I created these ultra versatile earrings.  The neutral colors makes it so it can be worn with virtually anything, making it the perfect "go to" earring.  Made with copper, the swirl detail at the bottom provides visual interest to a truly simple and chic design.  Perfect as a gift for someone special or even to treat yourself. 

This piece retails for $12. 

Getting Started...

Hi everyone-
My name is Andrea Duchnowski, creator and designer for Duch-ess Designs.  I wanted to just take a minute to tell you a little bit about myself and how I got my start.

A little over a year ago I started designing jewelry, mainly to help my mom get ready for her first jewelry show.  She was stressing a bit about having enough items to showcase so I started coming over once a week to help her build her inventory and to spend some quality time with her.  I loved every moment we spent together.  Hours would pass like it was minutes.  We played off each others ideas and created some of the most beautiful pieces together, including the jewelry my bridesmaids and I wore at my wedding.  I truly cherish all those times we had together.

When I got married in September of last year, I went from being 10 minutes away from my mother to over 4 hours away, so I could no longer pop over after work to make some jewelry.  I missed it....ALOT!  So, I decided to purchase some supplies of my own.  And now, here I am designing my own pieces.  It has seriously become a passion of mine.  I spend hours sitting at my dining room table designing pieces for me, for friends, for gifts, and now for you. 

I welcome you all to check out my work at Etsy...http://www.etsy.com/people/acalabro18 or Facebook...https://www.facebook.com/duchessdesignsbyandrea .If you like my work, please like me on Facebook.

I also make custom pieces so if you don't see what you are looking for, let me know and I can design something especially for you.  I also am available to make jewelry for bridal parties, mother of the bride/groom, or the bride herself.  I will work with you to come up with a color scheme and a design that is perfect fit for you. 

Thank you for taking the time to visit my page.  I hope to see you in my jewelry really soon.