Its one of those days.. ( out of the studio 6-28 to 7/5)

I took a walk this afternoon, after working super hard these last three days I feel exhausted. I have been trying to get caught up with all of my orders before I have to leave. I needed to breathe fresh air and feel the sun for just a moment. On Thursday morning, I received a phone call from my father stating my mom was hospitalized ..and possibly she may have had a stroke. Although it looks like she did not..there is still something wrong, as she can not walk right now and is feeling very sick still. So, I am taking the kids and we are going to visit with her for a week.


It's really hard right now wondering what's ahead with my mother ..my parents. I know we all go through this but I have a really hard time thinking about not being able to have my parents around. It really scares the "shit" out of me..sorry for my lingo..but it just does. I really love both my parents so very much.

I guess for now I can at least be happy our weather for summer seems to have finally come. Oh my gosh, it literally was 56 degrees here just over a week ago. Today we hit 80 degrees..thats summer here. For six months literally we have had nothing but cloudy, cold gloomy days. There have been very sporadic moments of sunny spring days but not really much at all this year. We supposedly get 300 days of sunshine here in a years average, but this year we have had half that amount or less it will seem. This is my little Sophia, wading in this seriously cold river. Only children born and raised here can do this I tell ya! All of this water is melted snow run off from the mountains near by.

I will be out of the studio all of next week from June 28th to July 5th. I hope all of you have a great 4th of July! I will be with my folks and kids, while my husband tends to our animals and the homestead. It will be good..I am hoping it will.

A few new adds to the shop!

Madagascar Aquamarine Gemstone

I found this plump juicy aquamarine gemstone and I could not wait to get into a setting..oh my gosh. I think it has to be one of the most prettiest rings ever. It sure makes a beauty cocktail ring. It measures 14 X 10mm. It blows my mind that this is a natural stone..meaning no enhancement at all. Wow..most stones need a little help from man, but I am truly amazed with this one.

It was quite fun making this ring. Lately, I have wanted to do something more different. I have been taking some private lessons from a professional metal smith named Jim Dailing here in Bend. He actually was a professor in Portland as he reports a "Masters" degree in metal smithing.

Okay, so I am not wanting to put pressure on myself, but I certainly want to expand my horizons..so be on the look out!

Sterling Silver Stacking Rings

Stacking rings are still my favorites. They are versatile and wear comfortably. They make every day just fun. I am accumulating a lot of scrap and I am trying to find ways to recycle my silver scraps here and there. I am going to be sending my scraps in eventually at some point.

With patterned ring bands, I am still challenged as how to solder them without much of a seam. These thinner ones, I can sort of get away with it..but the wider ones are much more tricky. Any advice anyone? Sure would appreciate it.

10mm Rose Cut Citrine Gemstone Sterling Silver Ring

So a very nice lady back East ask me to please fabricate this gorgeous ring for her..as this was going to be her wedding ring! Wedding ring? Oh my ..I felt so honored so, I thought how in God's name was I going to really do this? She wanted an earthy ring and liked the feel of my style and really wanted a simple rose cut ring with a large citrine stone.

My big concern is ..now I know why for all of these years they never cut clearish stones into cabs. Well, when you set them you have one problem...that is. They can allow the viewer the visibility of the back of the bezel and yes it can be a problem.

So with this ring, I implemented a piece of gold filled sheet metal on inside of the bezel. This allows a more "yellow" reflection and basically enhances the stones coloring. Although..it was really fine by itself, gold was a better option then silver. Sure would be neat if someone could invent some colorful metals for enhancement purposes. Anyone?

Nevertheless, the ring came out looking incredible and so I felt lucky to pull this off. I explained to her the risk of a see through cab..she did not seem to mind a bit. Hey, I am happy too. I get to look at this photo for a awhile.

My work is rather simple lately. I know this. I really wanted to perfect the bezel making thing which I feel better about these days. My hope is to start setting faceted pointy stones in tapered bezels..I can't wait!

Any tips, or comments is always appreciated. Have a great day everyone!

Hello from Helenes Dreams! Happy Summer!

Summer Stacking Ring
Whiskey Quartz, Peridot and Oregon Sunstone on Sterling Silver

The month of May has been hectic! Well, in a good way. I truly can't complain, but it has been a very busy month. First, there was Mother's day, then I hit a milestone birthday..I can't tell which one! And then, Memorial Weekend brought many friends and family around..as well as the birthday party did too! So yes, between working a day job, being a mom and making my jewels..I have been so very busy.

Earthy Organic 14kt Goldfilled Stacking Ring
Moonstone and Sterling Silver

Although, living up here in the mountains can be beautiful it does have its downfalls too. Well, at least for this last 6 months it has. Our weather has been so cold and gloomy. We rarely can shake our clouds. Getting a good photo is tough with our lighting situation. The photo below is a sunny day ..the way it should be. But, it has not been this sunny. I would rather look at this instead of the May grey we are having...blah! I am seriously cherishing this photo right now. I swear the weather has been so weird this year. We typically have 70 degree weather around this time with lots of sun..but this year we are averaging 58 to 65 degrees ...on the chilly side....with no sun!

A Nice Day in Central Oregon- May Picture

But, we did have one very nice weekend in May which allowed us to go on a quick camping outing with our new RV on a last minute basis. The weather can change daily here, but we were lucky to find a spot that was open that weekend. 20 minutes away!

Our new travel trailer. Its about time we go camping around here!

My scruffy honey has always wanted one of these, and NOW is the time to buy one. He says this is my birthday present. But, I think it's a real present for him.. really! We have lived in the Central Oregon area for over ten years and we do not camp out as much as we would like. It's way too much work, but hopefully we will now. I guess it doesn't help that our son played serious soccer all over the place every summer for the last ten years as well! We are excited. I have to admit, this is our first real big toy. We had to save up for a very long time to get this..I hate being in debt!

We also inherited a new puppy..his name is "Hops"..Hopson Barley that is. My husband loves beer! But, the name "Hops" suits this dog..because he is very acrobatic and literally can hop or jump very high. My daughter is enjoying her new friend..and we are enjoying him. He is a mini Australian Shepard. He is a red merle with blue eyes, super smart and intelligent as well! Our other adorable Shitzu is still hangin around..it is hard to see her age. My children are ten years apart, and so are the dogs!

Well, thanks for letting me catch up with you all a bit. Believe me ..I could tell you more. I don't want to bore you with my life! Ha Ha!

But, I hope you are all enjoying your warmer weather. We are praying for some here, but it feels like it's not going to come here for a while. I will check back in when I get a chance. Being so busy keeps blogging on the lag lately..but I try my best!

Have a great summer season my friends! Cheers! hugs, Helene

101 Best Beads. Etsy - Sterling Silver Photo Pendants are Back!

Sterling Silver Square Photo Pendant

The sterling silver photo pendants are back in stock! They no longer have the open slots in the bottom. They are closed pendants. They are very high quality sterling silver pendants. They are not thin and light. These have some thickness and weight to them. Above is the 16mm square sterling silver photo pendant.

Sterling Silver Oval Photo Pendant

These sterling silver oval photo pendants measure 16 x19mm. Most crafters who make photo jewelry use a clear resin material to preserve the quality of the photos in their jewelry projects.
They are priced to sell at $7.00 on 101BestBeads which is very reasonable with today's silver prices. They are thick high quality pendants.

Sterling Silver Square Photo Pendant

Photo jewelry make some of the best custom personalized gifts. They have a tendancy to sell out before Christmas. So get them while you can now. My supplier takes nearly two months to have them made, so I may not order anymore for this year. Just a reminder that these are now closed sloted pendants. They no longer have the open slot on the bottom of the pendant. I had a few customers request closed pendants. Check out 101BestBeads for more great deals!