Iris Inspiration
Purple and White Bearded Iris 'Batik'
If you hadn't yet guessed, iris is my favorite flower. And like the gorgeous iris photographed above, I have several different varieties planted in my backyard garden.
People have been cultivating the iris for thousands of years. The beautiful showy flowers are available in every color of the rainbow. In fact their name comes from the Greek word for rainbow. The flowers have three upward facing petals as well as three downward sepals. Usually the iris' blooms last for a short three days.
In past cultures, symbolism was assigned to many things and each flower had a meaning. Though it is not something we think of nowadays it is still a lovely thought. The iris symbolized eloquence. And each color had its own meaning with purple irises symbolizing wisdom, white symbolizing purity, yellow symbolizing passion, and the blue iris symbolizing faith and hope.
I designed these iris seed beaded earrings and bracelet based on the purple iris that grows in my backyard:
Iris Elm Jewelry Newest Additions: June 11 - 17
Another week of June has gone quickly by here in Minnesota, and with it the three newest additions to the shop:
Intricately beaded with cobalt blue, light blue, black, and white glass seed beads, this woven cuff makes an original boho accessory. The work-in-progress of it was shown on my April 28 blog post.
Agate is one of my favorite gemstones. I remember as a kid when I went camping at my family's land up north, finding striped Lake Superior agate rocks in the dirt road that ran along our property. Once back home, I would use my mom's lapidary rock polisher that she had once used for her own jewelry business, to smooth away the roughness and bring out their hidden beauty. I still have these treasures, displayed along with the rest of my mineral collection.
These agate earrings were handwoven with beautiful small brown agate beads as well as the tiniest glass seed beads into a triangular beadwork design.
These small boho earrings with handcrafted sterling silver ear wires are perfect for everyday wear. Handwoven with silver and gunmetal grey glass seed beads, they are so lightweight you might forget you are even wearing earrings. The double triangle design is modern and minimalist.
Iris Elm Jewelry Newest Additions: May 28 - June 3
June is here! And to me that is always the true start of summer. Amidst the planting of my vegetable garden, (mostly tomatoes and zucchinis) I added three new pieces to my shop this week:
I love pieces that can work for multiple occasions, and this intricately handwoven bracelet is elegant enough for special events but can also be dressed down for an everyday casual boho look. The blue glass beads have a beautiful translucent sparkle while the edges are trimmed with contrasting tiny golden seed beads.
These genuine stone earrings are actually a design I have re-added to the shop. Handwoven with vibrant orange faceted carnelian gemstones, the pretty gem beadwork is suspended from 14k gold-filled wire work. These earrings are small, lightweight, and truly unique.
Above are the bohemian hoop earrings that were featured as a work in progress on my May 20 blog post, and they are now officially finished and available for purchase! Handwoven with glass seed beads and tiny dark grey hematite Czech fire-polished glass beads, they make an eye-catching accessory.