7/11/05 | Peggy Li Creations
Amazingly enough, you will often find me (a guy) looking at women’s magazines in order to get ideas for jewelry making and to see what’s currently in fashion. I’ve come across Peggy Li Creations in Audrey Magazine no less than three times so it’s about time that she’s being mentioned here!
On her website you’ll find a large array of beautiful handmade jewelry including earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. (She even has a little section for the guys, which is much appreciated even though I’ve never found the occasion to wear jewelry myself!) What I like about her style is that it is a bit more reserved and understated in the color usage department which allows room for these clean, artistic pieces to really shine through. What is most interesting to me is that her color scheme is often elegant blues and browns, with hints of orange and yellow only an occasional splash of red. Almost no pink, which is a bit different than a lot of other DIY jewelry places.
Like many jewelry designers, she started off in a completely different field (Chemical Engineering major at Berkley!) before really getting into jewelry design as a profession. Over these past four years, she’s made quite a name for herself, and has had her work cross over into the world of television. In particular, I note that Alyson Hannigan has worn a few of her pieces which is very cool since I’m a pretty big fan of hers!
Here are a few words ‘o wisdom from her website:
“I truly enjoy designing jewelry, making things that make women feel beautiful. When women feel beautiful, they feel powerful, and I love empowering people to achieve a new outlook on themselves and on life. I hope my passion is reflected in my designs and is passed on to the wearer.”
Some really cool inscribed metal jewelry can be found at Amy Peters’ Studio which is located in Avila Beach, California. Amy designs and inscribes both large and small metal charms and uses them in necklaces, bracelets, and even rings. She is no stranger to designing jewelry, having started at the ripe old age of 8 years old. Although she was always involved with beading and jewelry making and even went on to receive a degree in Metal Arts and Jewelry Design, she never thought about actually making jewelry design her main profession until moving back to the West Coast. Here’s a little bit about her philosophy on jewelry design from her website:
Bakelite is a favorite plastic for many collectors. Invented in 1907 by Leo Baekeland this extremely versatile plastic went on to be used in a multitude of products through the 1940s. Lately, they’ve experienced quite a resurgence in popularity. I’ve seen a bunch of antique bakelite things at various garage sales and swap meets, but usually the items offered are the actual old products (such as bangles, dishes, and even radios). 
I came across some fascinating DIY jewelry from Better Through Daisy the other day. (Interestingly, Better Through Daisy is not run by someone named Daisy but by someone named Colleen!) Based in Wilmington, NC, Colleen has come up with a really creative idea to reuse items that might otherwise sit unloved in someone’s basement junk box. 
The idea behind the necklaces is really unique. Basically, she takes porcelain pottery shards from antique vases up to 900 years old from China and sets the pieces in sterling silver. The vase shard pendants are then made into necklaces and earrings. 
From her studio in Venice, CA, Tiffini Dooris creates an array of elegant jewelry pieces including necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and other specialty pieces including bridal items. She started out as many jewelry designers do, designing the pieces for her friends until people began to take notice and asked about actually purchasing them. I notice use of lots of Peridot and Citrine in her earlier work, though her newest line features a lot of Turquoise.
I came across a site by an Oregon jewelry designer named Angeline who has a cool take on unusual jewelry. Enchantment By Angeline specializes in necklaces, bracelets and earrings that feature actual real flowers, herbs, leaves and other plants that have been cast in precious metal. She combines this with precious stones and gems to form beautiful and elegant jewelry. I believe each item is one of a kind, by default, since each real flower or plant is definitely going to be slightly different!
As the vibrant colors on her website suggest, Laurice Curran creates jewelry that utilizes striking colors from every corner of the rainbow but stops well short of appearing too gaudy. She makes earrings, bracelets, necklaces and rings using a wide variety of precious stones. Some of her more unusual pieces are her bracelets which employ materials such as chunky resin and vintage glass for a funky, fun look. Another unusual line is her “vine” earrings which feature an amazing array of wirewrapped tiny stones that cascade off of a long length of chain.
