Opening Night on Broadway - A Performance in Black and White

A journey blending opposing colors in an elegant jewelry design! 

Black & White

Yin & Yang

Darkness & Light

Off & On

As she sashays down the winding staircase, her heels click, click, click on the marble.  Her hand glides down the bannister and at last, she appears.  The woman of the night is here.  All heads turn, the room gets quiet.  Her sheer presence commands respect.

She's a vision adorned in black lace.  Pearls dangle from her ears and drape softly around her neck.  And on her wrist, she models an exclusive work of art.  Custom crafted beadwork all in black.  Accents in Swarovski crystal and pearls.  Women whisper, "I wonder where she got it?"  "I've never seen something so unique."  "That's so perfect for her!" 

The men smile ever so slightly, they know they'll be commissioning one-of-a-kind art for their wives too.  Maybe for a birthday, maybe for an anniversary.  A romantic dinner, flowers and the gift of jewelry will surprise her on a Tuesday night.  One thing is certain, you can win her heart with love and jewelry.

I want to thank Sally Russick for inspiring a group of creative souls to design in Black & White for this amazing challenge.  You can visit Sally and see the other incredible creations for this Black & White Challenge.

Druzy Jewelry for A Special Day of "I Do's"

Creating custom jewelry is an absolute passion of mine.  When I meet a client and get to know the woman, I can incorporate her personality, her tastes and her style into a one-of-a-kind piece of wearable art.  The process with which I get to know my clients is really special.  It's like dating... and it's ALL flowers and chocolates.  It's all about the mush love stuff and none of the awkward silence!

Why?  Because each piece of jewelry I design is exclusively custom made for a really special woman!

When I'm creating a unique design, I'm thinking about how the piece will be worn.  Is it for a special occasion, does it represent a family lineage, is it reflecting the personality of the woman I'm creating for?  Many times, I'm creating a piece of jewelry to accessorize a specific outfit.  The best way to design the piece is to see the outfit on my client!  With the help of Skype we can actually visit, you can show me how the outfit fits and I'll get a better feel for the piece of jewelry that would best compliment it.

Recently I was privileged to create jewelry for a very dear friend of mine.  Her daughter was getting married and she had an amazing dress as the Mother of the Bride.  It was spectacular, vibrant and truly showcased her sparkly personality to a 'T'!  I knew the jewelry had to compliment the dress AND absolutely had to show off her sparkly personality! 

The dress was a vibrant fuchsia pink with a vibrant paisley print in purples, yellows and whites.  I found the perfect paisley shape druzy focal with the most magnificent sparkle!  It became the jumping off point for a total rockstar cuff!  Because the dress was sleeveless, the cuff was a necessary focal piece.  I created complimenting earrings inspired by a tutorial in Beadwork magazine.  I pulled in all the hues in the print of the dress and made jewelry that can be worn with SO many outfits!
Druzy + Swarovski + Pearls = Art for your Wrist

In trying to capture the sparkle of this cuff, there was just no way to show you just how much it glistened in the sun.  I was so excited when I saw my good friend Kathy recorded a video of the cuff so you can see how the sunlight dances with the crystals and frolics on the druzy!  It's a whole bunch of happiness all packed into a one-of-a-kind custom cuff!  Thank you Kathy for recording this!

Custom Jewelry Inspired by the Peacock - and my sister

"Hey Dawn, I know it's short notice and I was going to wear that set you made me last year to go with my grey dress, but it really didn't go, so I was wondering if there's any way possible that you can make me something to go with this dress I bought for a wedding."  *Yes, this was spoken as all one sentence for those of us that are grammar conscience.*

"Sure, how "short" is short notice?" 

"Oh, a week from Saturday..."

Yes, the things we do for family are priceless.  This was an actual conversation had between my baby sister and I last Tuesday... and after she emailed me a picture of her wearing the new dress she had purchased, I knew exactly what I was going to make her for the wedding she's going to this weekend.

Short notice and custom made aren't often used in the same sentence, but when inspiration is ready to cooperate (and I can hand-deliver the pieces eliminating shipping time) then once in a while magic can happen!

Peacock Amore... that's the inspiration behind this custom beaded set.  I made a necklace and bracelet using the teal that is the color of her dress with black and cobalt blue accents.  It'll give the pieces even more options to wear again and again.  This set is going to be a staple in my baby sister's wardrobe.

When I delivered it to her yesterday, her response was priceless... "How do you DO that?"

My response:  I pointed my very high-energy niece (4) and nephew (3) whom I love more than words and responded "How do YOU do THAT?" :)  

Brenda will be the belle of the ball, second to the bride herself and true royal beauty in the eyes of her husband! 

Custom Beaded Jewelry for the Southern Hemisphere

Most of the beaded jewelry we see is for the "Northern" Hemisphere (area above the waist,) however, I recently finished a custom piece for a woman needing "Southern" hemisphere jewelry.

Before you get all crazy saying "What?"  "She wanted what WHERE?"  Don't worry, this is G-Rated!

We were talking about designing a special piece of jewelry for her ankle.  She has an event coming up where she'll be presenting on stage to a room full of women.  In the past, when she is a speaker, she starts out with good intentions and has cute shoes... however about 5 minutes into the presentation the shoes lay on the side of the stage and she's barefoot. 

I can understand that completely as I feel much more rooted when I'm barefoot.  So until Jimmy Choo makes beaded adornments for barefoot lovers like myself, I set out with my client to create something really sparkly that would still accessorize her feet.

What I created was this super sparkly ankle cuff.  It wraps around the ankle in roman fashion.  it's embellished with sequins in the color scheme of her business logo!  How cool is that, bringing a little more bling to her brand.  I added a thin chain in a scalloped fashion at the bottom of the cuff for a little more frills and to create movement in the piece.  The cuff is finished with two lobster claws and chain to allow for the piece to be work at a varied length. 

Love the finished look and style of this piece.  The ankle cuff is something I'd definitely wear in the summer in particular as sundresses, shorts and capris are all just asking for more bling!  Seeing as it's -25 windchill where I live in Lake Geneva, WI today... I'll gladly dream about summer, bare legs and warmer temperatures.

Hope your day is full of inspiration!
{Hugs!}
Dawn

I specialize in custom orders.  To connect with me, visit my Facebook page:  www.Facebook.com/DesignsbyDawnMarie and send me a message.  I'm happy to discuss what you're looking for and create something one-of-a-kind that makes you smile every time you wear it!