Just so you know...

So wear a beautiful pair of earrings!

gracie jewellery

Pink Saturday - June 4

Happy Pink Saturday!

The day all lovers of Pink meet at Miss Beverly's How Sweet the Sound

This week I am showing off a bit. I recently started doing hand stamped jewellery and I love it. Something so satisfying about using a hammer in a forceful way :>)

Being the girlie girl I am I just had to do something with pearls and pink swarovski crystal

And I only use sterling silver

And I know every girl, big or small would love her own tiara

I've added a new page Say it in Silver and I will be adding a lot of fun pieces in the next couple days.

And just a note - last weekend I visited everyone for our Pink Saturday Birthday celebrations. Unfortunately Blogger muted me! I would click the Post a Comment line and nothing happened. So frustrating! Did anyone else experience this?

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for visiting.

Countdown to the Royal Wedding - The Royal Regalia

Welcome to the Gracie Jewellery countdown to the Royal Wedding- Part 11

4 Days to go



The items that comprise the Crown Regalia are not just decorative objects but the visible proof of royalty; they are symbols of the power and authority handed down from generation to generation. The Crown Regalia belongs to the State and is displayed to the public in the Jewel House of the Tower of London-attracting nearly two million visitors a year.

The King George IV State Diadem
In 1821 King George IV was busy acting as stage manager for his won Coronation and designed a completely new crown for the ceremony. He wanted his crown to have a floral design, but the Privy Council ruled that this would be improper, at the Coronation crown had always had fleur-de-lys motifs, even prior to Edward the Confessor. Instead he used the floral emblems for his diadem and but a last minute change of mind he never wore it. In 1838 the diadem was reset with pearls and diamonds from the royal collection and worn for the first time by Queen Victoria at her Cornonation. For the next thirty years she wore it constantly: at her children's christenings and weddings; at State banquets; even at a dinner at Cambridge University. She is pictured wearing it on the world's first postage stamp issued in 1840.

The completely circular diadem has four crosses pattee set with diamonds, repesenting St. George, the front one with a rare honey-coloured diamond in the centre; and four diamond bouquets incorporating roses, thistles and shamrocks, the emblems of the United Kingdom. The diamond scrollwork band, remounted for Queen Alexandra in 1902, is framed between two rows of pearls-eighty one in the upper row and eighty eight in the lower row.

The Queen inherited the diadem in 1952 on the death of her father. Because the Queen wears the diadem to and from the State Opening of Parliament each year, and is pictured with it on all United Kingdom postage stamps, the diadem is seen by more millions of people than any other item of royal jewellery.

The Imperial State Crown is a copy of the one made for King George IV's Coronation in 1821 and has an open work frame thickly encrusted with diamonds. The frame is gold, the settings of the stones are silver. The circumference is 23¼", the height 12 3/8" and it weighs 2 lbs 13 oz. It is set with 2,873 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 5 rubies. The circlet base has alternate emeralds and sapphires surrounded by diamonds. In the centre front is the 317.4 carat Cullinan II, the Second Star of Africa set in the crown by King George V in 1911. Above is a band of 109 pearls invisibly strung as a necklace, and below is another string of 128 pearls. Mounted on the circlet are upright fleurs-de-lys and crosses pattee covered in diamonds with emeralds and rubies set alternately as the centre stones of each motif. Just above the Cullinan II in a jewelled Maltese cross, is a giant irregularly shaped ruby spinel known as the "Black Prince's ruby". The crown's four oak leaf covered arches are set with rose-cut diamonds and oriental pearl acorns. At the apex, below the diamond set globe, hang four large pear shaped pearl drops. Atop all is the diamond cross pattee with the most ancient gem in all the Regalia. This is a square sapphire, ½" across, that was said to have been set in the 1043 Coronation Ring of King Edward the Confessor, the last of the Saxon line. When the Cullinan diamond was set in the crown for the 1911 Coronation for King George V, it replaced a very large oblong partly pierced sapphire, 1 3/4 by 1 1/16 inches and one inch thick, which was then moved to a similar position at the back of the browband.

Queen Victoria wore this crown for her Coronation. At the State banquet that night, Lord Melbourne complained that he had found the Sword of State very heavy to carry, the Queen told him: "So was the Crown. It hurt me a good deal."

When King George V wore the crown for the 1924 State Opening he wrote: My speech was, I think, the longest on record and took 20 minutes to read. The crown gave me an awful headache. I could not have borne it much longer."

Queen Elizabeth on her Coronation Day june 2, 1953. Her Majesty is wearing the purple Cornonation Robe trimmed with ermine, gold Garter Collar and dress of white satin with coloured beaded embroidery of the flower emblems of Great Britain and the Dominions, among them the English Tudor rose, Scottish thistle, Irish shamrock, Welsh leek, Canadian maple leaf, Australian wattle and Indian lotus flower. Photographer Cecil Beaton was waiting to take the official photographs and later wrote in his diary: 'The Queen looked extremely minute under her robes and Crown, her nose and hands chilled and her eyes tired. "Yes", in reply to my question, "the Crown does get rather heavy." She had been wearing it for nearly three hours.'

Next time - The Royal Family Orders

from the book - The Queen's Jewels by Leslie Fielding

Pink Saturday - Christmas 2010

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

My favourite Christmas song-done by IL DIVO. For me, this is what Christmas is all about.

We'll be having a quiet day, enjoying each others company. I am so lucky, my husband does the turkey! So yummy!

Merry Christmas everyone.

Special thank you to Beverley from How Sweet the Sound for hosting our Pink Saturday meetings.

A PS for Pink Saturday - Boxing week sale starts December 23 at Gracie Jewellery. Just use the coupon code BoxingWeek20 at checkout and receive 20% off your purchase. If there is a piece of jewellery listed on this blog and not in my shop, just let me know, I will redo the paypal button here to allow for the discount.

Handmade Sterling Silver Freshwater Pearl Black Onyx Earrings - Brigette

Black Onyx and Freshwater Pearls - A Classic!
Facetted Black Onyx "drips" from under a cascade of freshwater button pearls. I handmade the earwires from Argentium Sterling Silver.

Freshwater Button Pearls - 4mm, white smooth, luminous, button pearls are flat on the bottom
Black Onyx - 8mm x 16mm, facetted, black as night
Total length from top of earwire to bottom of onyx - 38 mm (1 ½ in)

All Gracie Jewellery is handmade in my smoke and pet free studio and arrives in its own storage pouch.

#E1042 $30.00
Available at Gracie Jewellery

Handmade Sterling Silver Rhodolite Garnet Freshwater Pearl Earrings - Stella

I've combined a texturized sterling silver disc with Rhodolite Garnets and Freshwater Pearls to make this pair of earrings. I love the look of rhodolite garnet and pearls together. It is a combination that looks fresh and elegant. I've handmade the earwires from Argentium Sterling Silver. These are one of a kind!

Rhodolite Garnets - 4mm, lightly facetted
Freshwater Pearls - 4mm, silghtly oval, smooth, luminous, white
Sterling Silver Disc - 11mm diam, textured on both sides
Total length from top of the earwire to bottom of the disc -32mm (1¼ in)

All Gracie Jewellery is handmade in my smoke and pet free studio and arrives in its own storage pouch.

E1044 $25.00 Available at Gracie Jewellery

Hand Knotted Freshwater Peacock Pearl Necklace - Paloma

A new twist on the classic strand of pearls. Just look at the colour of these Peacock Freshwater Pearls! Shades of blue, green, mauve, grey. Each pearl has been individually hand knotted with pearl silk. Securely and easily closes with a sterling silver toggle clasp with oxidized accents. This versatile necklace can be worn with the clasp at the front, side or hidden at the back of your neck.

Pearls- 6mmx7mm
Total length of necklace including clasp- 21 inches

All Gracie Jewellery is handmade in my smoke and pet free office and arrives in its own storage pouch.

N1037 $60.00
Available at Gracie Jewellery

Hand Knotted Peacock Freshwater Pearl Bracelet -Paloma

Just look at the colour of these Peacock Freshwater Pearls! Shades of blue, green, mauve, grey. Each pearl has been individually handknotted with pearl silk. Securely and easily closes with a sterling silver lobster clasp.

Pearls- 6mmx7mm
Total length of bracelet - 7½ inches but can be adjusted to fit any wrist

All Gracie Jewellery is handmade in my smoke and pet free office and arrives in its own storage pouch.

#B1017 $35.00
Available at Gracie Jewellery

Handmade Sterling Silver, Amethyst & Freshwater Pearl Earrings - Alexandra

Freshwater Pearl and Amethyst make a stunning combination!
Freshwater Pearls that are white, smooth and luminous. Amethyst that are clear and or so purpley. (is that a word?). Both are handwrapped in sterling silver and hang from handmade Argentium sterling silver earwires.

Freshwater Pearl - 4mm oval
Amethyst - 8mm
Length from the top of the earwire to bottom of amethyst - 1¼ inch

All Gracie Jewellery is handmade in my smoke and pet free studio and arrives in its own storage pouch.

#E9194 $20.00 Available at Gracie Jewellery

Handmade Sterling Silver Freshwater Pearl Earrings - Kirsten

A cascade of pearls! Beautiful white smooth luminous pearls hand wrapped with sterling silver hang in a cluster from handmade Argentium sterling silver earwires.

Freshwater pearls - pear shape 3mmx4mm
Pearl cluster - 23mm length (7/8 inch)
Total length from top of earwire to bottom pearl - 39mm (1½ inch)

Gracie Jewellery is handmade in my smoke and pet free studio and arrives in its own storage pouch.

#E1040 $25.00
Available at Gracie Jewellery

Handmade Sterling Silver Freshwater Pearl Pendant - Kirsten

A modern day take on the classic pearl pendant. A cluster of freshwater pearls handwrapped in sterling silver hang from a oval link sterling silver chain. The chain closes securely with a sterling silver lobster clasp.

Freshwater pearl - 5mmx7mm creamy white, smooth, luminous
Chain length - 18 inches
Total length with pendant - 20 inches (That's 2 inches of pearls!)

Gracie Jewellery is handmade in my smoke and pet free studio and arrives in its own storage pouch.

#N1036 $40.00
Available at Gracie Jewellery

Handmade Sterling Silver Freshwater Pearl Earrings - Chloe

Freshwater pearls on a decorative pin hang inside a sterling silver tear drop.
Handmade Argentium sterling silver earwires.

Freshwater Pearls - 4mm potato, smooth luminous white
Total length - 1 inch (25.4mm)

Gracie Jewellery is handmade in my smoke and pet free studio and arrives in its own storage pouch.


#E9139 $22.00
Available at Gracie Jewellery

Handmade Sterling Silver Coin Pearl Earrings - Adrianna

Beautiful freshwater coin pearls perfectly matched in size and colour are wire wrapped with sterling silver. The earwires are handmade from Argentium sterling silver. The classic pearl earring updated for today.

The coin pearls are 10mm in diameter with the slightly bumpy surface coin pearls are
known for.
They are beautifully white and luminous.

Total length from top of the earwire to the bottom of the decorative head pin is 34mm (slightly less than 1 3/8").

All Gracie Jewellery is handmade in my smoke and pet free studio. Each piece is shipped in its own storage pouch.

#E1035 $26.00 Available at Gracie Jewellery