Blog

Jewelry to brighten your day

Posted on April 06 2020

I've been adding some new pieces of jewelry to my shop. I found all of these stones on my February trip to Tuscon.

What I'm reading: February and March reading roundup

Posted on April 05 2020

Reading brings me joy. I love listening to books while I work and I love settling down on my couch to enjoy reading at the end of the day. Some of these books made me laugh, some made me cry and others just taught me new things.

This month's birthstone is Diamond: a symbol of great strength

Posted on April 02 2020

This month’s birthstone is the strongest crystal out there made by the magic of mother earth. For so many years I dismissed diamonds and thought they were overrated in their appeal. Then I found rosecut diamonds. I fell in love and got curious about how they are created and their meaning. Now I like to wear a tiny diamond as a reminder of strength.⠀

Four more lists of my some of my favorites

Posted on March 22 2020

I feel so lucky to have been introduced to meditation through Buddhism as a young teenager. My meditation practice is helping me so much right now. I've shared my favorite meditation teachers with lots of friends and family over the years. So I thought now would be a good time to make a list. There are lots of apps already out there, I always recommend Insight Timer and the Unplug app but I've heard Headspace is great too. All of the teachers on the list have great resources on their sites. Many are going live on facebook, instagram and zoom offering free content as well as paid. I will save all of these in a highlight on instagram too so you can follow the tags easily. I would love to hear if you have any favorite meditations or teachers to share.

10 Feel Good Books to Stay in With

Posted on March 19 2020

I've been thinking about what I can do to help bring a little joy and peace in this unprecedented time. Books are definitely something that brings me joy.

One of my favorite yoga teachers Kathryn Budig started a virtual bookclub called The Inky Phoenix and she had the idea for people to share some of their favorite feel good books to bring us comfort while we're hunkered down in our homes away from our friends and family.

My two favorite books I've read so far this year.

Posted on March 05 2020

I heard The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See was great and it did not disappoint. The characters were well developed and the story had lots of twists and turns. There were parts that made me laugh and others that made me cry. It told a story over many decades and you could see how the world changed. This story of the all women dive collectives on Jeju Island is one definitely worth reading.

A little about Aquamarine: this month's birthstone

Posted on March 01 2020

In ancient lore Aquamarine was believed to be a treasure of mermaids, and it was used as a talisman to bring good luck, fearlessness and protection to sailors. It was also valued as a stone of eternal youth and happiness. It is a water element stone which gives it a calming energy. It is a throat and heart chakra stone that can help with clear communication of your highest truth.

Click through to see more aquamarine jewelry.

Crystals and Stones: A recap of my Tuscon trip and some new designs

Posted on February 17 2020

My annual trip to Tuscon was so much fun. I always come back with so many new ideas and feel totally inspired. These were a few of the new stones I found for my Little Rock Necklaces. These aren't up on the website yet but I wanted to share them with you anyway.

Exploring Tuscon outside of the gem show

Posted on February 14 2020

This year I was in Tuscon for longer so I got to get out and check out more around the city, which was so much fun.

Last year when I came I really wanted to go for a hike but just didn't have time. So this year I got to go to Pima Canyon. The view of the city was beautiful and the saguaro cacti were absolutely amazing. We were hoping to see some of the Bighorn sheep on the trail but we didn't have any luck with that this time.

The history and meaning of this month's birthstone - Amethyst

Posted on February 03 2020

Beautiful purple amethysts have been prized since the time of the ancient Greeks. Because of their grape-like color, the Greeks associated these gems with the wine god, Bacchus. They believed that wearing an amethyst could protect you from drunkenness—in fact the word amethystos meant “not drunk” in ancient Greek. According to gemstone lore, amethyst jewelry keeps its wearer clear-headed and clever. Artist Leonardo da Vinci wrote that amethysts enhance intelligence and protect against evil thoughts.

Taking a look at a few of the current favorites.

Posted on February 01 2020

These styles were all added just before the holidays and were some of our most popular styles. The felicity earrings are now available in sterling silver or 18K vermeil. The elements hoops are shown here with herkimer diamonds and are also available in lots of other stones. Lastly the sunrise studs with stones are a little larger than some of our staple studs, so they make a little statement on your ears while still being easy to wear.

A weekend trip to Cambria.

Posted on January 30 2020

This past weekend we drove up the coast to Cambria for the Art and Wine Festival. Since it was such a beautiful day on Friday we headed up early and stopped at the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach. I'm always impressed by the state parks when we drive up the coast, they had great docents there to give tours and answer questions for visitors. The monarch population is devastatingly down on the west coast so if you get the chance to visit this park you should definitely do it soon. Hopefully with conservation efforts they can bring the population back up like they were able to do with the sea otters.

The next Arts Crawl at Retreat is February 15th

Posted on January 28 2020

Gifts of Love

Posted on January 27 2020

From L to R: rhodochrosite hoops, rhea rose quartz bracelet, say something love bracelet, rose quartz long necklace

This month's birthstone is garnet.

Posted on January 10 2020

Muriel necklace, garnet strength stud earrings, garnet stacking ring, garnet elements bracelet, garnet threader earrings

2019 Reading Roundup

Posted on January 05 2020

For 2019 I set a goal to read 60 books to end the decade. I completed it and read 73 bo...

Cambria Art & Wine Festival

Posted on January 04 2020

I'll be popping up at Ebb & Flow in Cambria January 25th from 12-4pm for the Cambri...

Holiday block party in Culver City this Saturday

Posted on December 09 2019

Two ways to shop in person this weekend!

Posted on December 03 2019

November reading roundup

Posted on December 01 2019

This was definitely my favorite book I read this month. I loved her book Braiding Sweetgrass so I added this book to my to read list. I never would have thought to add a book about mosses to that list before I read Robin Wall Kimmerer's work. If you like audiobooks I definitely recommend listening to this. Her voice has a beautiful storyteller quality to it and it makes you appreciate the lesson of mosses and the natural world around us so much more. You do not need to have an interest in bryology to appreciate this book. We can all learn a lot from mosses and their relationship with nature. They take only what they need and give us so much. Her work makes me want to learn more about plants so that I can name more of what I see when I am out in nature.

Let's keep in touch!