Under the spreading chestnut tree...

Jeremy Hess Photographers/JH

Jude, our village smith (gold and silver) will be forging bracelets on her anvil in front of our shop for the 300  Block Festival here on the 300 block of North Queen St. 11-5 p.m Sunday June 6.  She's a lot of fun to watch!

Executive assistant wanna-be

Roxie has taken to climbing up on the chair by herself. We're waiting for her to tell us about her career goals.

Why is this still here (vol. 3)?

Jude does very interesting things with a piece of silver wire.  In this case, she formed it into a cuff, cut out recessed areas and inlaid 18k yellow gold.  The polished gold shines out from the matte finish on the silver.  A flush-set diamond completes the piece.  It's elegant, but looks great with jeans, too.

Why are these still here (vol. 2)?

These 18k gold rings by Suzy Landa just make us happy.  They can be worn singly or stacked with other rings.  The center semi-precious stone (the blue stone is blue zircon, the red rubellite, and the green peridot) is surrounded by small diamonds.

Gail Vollrath featured artist for April First Friday

We're hosting an opening reception 6-9 p.m. Friday April 2 for Gail Vollrath, a Washington, D.C. based artist.  Her abstract paintings and mixed media work represent the day, current affairs, conversations and events.  Vollgrath uses media such as china marker, oil bar and oil-based paint pens along with oil paint on canvas, paper and board, to create complex, two-dimensional surfaces.  To see more of her work and background, go to www.gvollrath.com.

Andrea models Maruca's green bags

Andrea made us laugh when she decked herself out in green Maruca bags in honor of St. Patrick's Day.  These fun and practical bags are made in Boulder, CO.  The fabric is designed by Maruca and woven in New York

Why is this still here (vol. 1)?

When you're taking jewelry out of the safe every morning and putting it back every night, you get to know each piece intimately.  With some pieces, you wonder, "What was I thinking when I ordered this?"  Other pieces just grow on you - you admire the finish, the weight, and the design.  Sometimes the latter sell quickly, but sometimes they don't - hence the title of this post.

One such piece is a sterling silver necklace made by Cynthia Lammers.  The donut-like discs with their matte finish are pleasingly chubby and the overall proportions are just right.