Wendy Brandes Jewelry Blog

Never Is the Next New Thing

Jewels of the Month for 2011

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I’m going to continue the lazy-ass theme from Tuesday and belatedly do another 2011 wrap-up post. (Actually,  I’m working on something for the Huffington Post, so I’m not being 100% lazy.) Here’s a look back at my Jewels of the Month for 2011.

I started off last year with a black-diamond Cleves swan ring in honor of the movie Black Swan.

January 2011. Click for original post.

Valentine’s Day calls for a heart ring.

February 2011. Emoticon heart ring. Click for original post.

Seventh-century Chinese ruler Empress Wu is one of my favorite royal ladies. This dragon ring was inspired by her. The Chinese year of the dragon starts this month, by the way! I’ll be wearing this ring a lot this year.

March 2011. The lapis lazuli globe spins. Click for original post.

The side diamonds in Heather’s custom engagement ring came from a pair of stud earrings she no longer wore. I like using old jewelry to make new designs.

April 2011. Heather's engagement ring. Click for original post.

I added amethysts to an old ring design in order to create something fresh for gorgeous customer Christine.

May 2011. Christine's custom ring. Click for original post.

I like to create matching sets, so I made winged earrings to complement the Cleves swan ring.

June 2011. Click for original post.

In the summer, I did a little something for Twitter fans.

July 2011. Follow me on Twitter at @WendyBrandes. Click for original post.

I melted down my sister’s old jewelry and made her a new ring for her birthday.

August 2011. Click for original post.

Another engagement ring, another redesign of old jewelry.

September 2011. Tracey's engagement ring. Click for original post.

Gorgeous customer Christine got a second custom ring. This one is a tiger done in a similar style to my Empress Wu dragon ring. I showed a lot of the design and manufacturing process in my post on this one.

October 2011. Click for original post.

I redesigned my own pearl pendant.

November 2011. Click for original post.

I ended the year with a pair of dragon earrings to match the Empress Wu ring. I used pearls from a pair of old earrings in the design. This is another post where I shared a lot of the process.

December 2011. Click for original post.

As you can see, one of my specialties is redesigning old jewelry, and that trend will continue this year. I already have several projects in the works. If you want to discuss a redesign, an engagement ring, or a redesigned engagement ring, holla at me at wbjewelry at hotmail dot com.

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Comments

  2. Too hard to choose a favorite. You just blow me away… concept, design, execution, workmanship… beyond any other. Impeccable.

  6. All of them are gorgeous but I feel drawn to the <3 ring. I should nudge my husband over here …

  7. I love your work. Your blog has been a real inspiration of fun and creativity. I am an architect with a love for fine design. You have got it! Saving my coin to buy something for my wife. cant wait.

  13. Absolutely love Heather’s engagement ring and the ring you made for your sister. I love how you retool old jewelry into great new pieces. Really nice job!