Busy Bee

Sorry I've neglected you, blog. I really am...
I hope you can forgive me.

Put Down the Labradorite!

I've had a little Lapis cab for a couple of years, just sitting in a box, waiting... Labradorite seems to have taken over my cab-stash, and for good reason. It's so beautiful, it's in high demand, and each piece is it's own unique show. But, here is a new piece which was a departure from the usual. Gold flecked Lapis. And, the wrap was actually made of scrap wire from other pieces that have piled up on my ever-so-messy work bench.

I love this small and simple wrap.

As of November 20th 2016, it hasn't been claimed. If you're interested in this piece, send me a message on FB, or an email.

5 Stars

A while back I noticed that some of my, er... colleagues(?) had reviews of their jewelry pages, and whatever other handmade products they make on their Facebook business pages. I decided it was probably a good idea to turn those on for mine. A small handful of folks own one of my pieces, so I didn't expect anyone to bother going to my page to write a review, but they did. It may have helped that I posted my decision on my personal FB, but most of my posts about my jewelry stuff tend to be ignored. I'm not a marketing genius or anything. The things they have said about my jewelry have been so kind. So far, I have a perfect five star average.


Here are some of the reviews:

I love everything Leah makes and own a few pieces myself. Her artistry and craftsmanship are amazing and I can't wait to see what else she comes up with. #lifelongfanhere

...
I asked Leah to create two custom pieces, necklaces for my daughters. We were blown away when we received them. Beautiful detail. I can't wait for my girls to see them. Thank you, Leah.

...
So talented. Such beautiful work. I have purchased many items for myself and as gifts and will continue to do so!

...
I have purchased several pieces from Leah Hoffman Jewelry Design and I absolutely adore each one! The stones are gorgeous,yes, but the true beauty is how she uses old used copper wiring and creates such breathtaking artwork that i can wear daily. I tell everyone about her when they ask about my necklaces. I will always choose Leah Hoffman Jewelry Design for all my wire wrapping/stone jewelry, hands down!
Click here to read more reviews...

I have also made a few new things this month...

This first piece is a gorgeous Labradorite, wrapped in copper (of course) and as of 11/20/16 it hasn't been claimed. If you're interested, please send me an email

Check out the GLOW of this gorgeous Labradorite!

October Surprise!

I don't know what's gotten into me, but I'm in the spirit. I have made 4 pieces in October alone. I'm on a roll, I guess.

If you're interested in any unsold pieces, head on over to my Facebook page to find out more.

Sold

Sold

Sold

Some New Pieces

Natural Light

Golly, it's been a while. I'm super busy, doing the whole mom of a toddler and a 7 year old thing. My son has therapy everyday, so I have very little time to devote to art. I'm also having a hard time sleeping at night, so I'm too tired to focus on anything but the kiddos...ugh, you don't want to read about my problems. You can here to look at pretty jewelry!!!


Check out this moonstone. I absolutely love this necklace, and I'll let you in on a secret... don't tell anyone... I've been wearing this one a lot.  It's the best advertisement. I would sell it, but I am so attached to it that someone would have to offer quite a large sum of money to get me to part with it. So, if you want it, I might sell it to you, just make me an offer.

This is one of those pieces that just sort of made itself. I was caught in another art-trance. My hands did something, my brain did something, but I have no clue how it all came together. And, when it was done, I said to myself "how did that happen?"  Those are by far my favorite pieces.

I also have another piece I want to share with you. This one has already sold, I wore it out (again, the best advertisement) on a rare night I was able to escape the humble abode for some karaoke. I love karaoke. I love to SING! Anyway... this gorgeous labradorite sells itself. A multi flash lab, the flash covers the entire stone, and it's so clean! 



Unfortunately, my pictures from my phone were on an SD card that sizzled up. I know that the pictures are somewhere in "the cloud" but I don't know what I'm doing. I'll get to that eventually. For now, I just thank God for Facebook. It saves ALL of the photos I post.


I can sort of make a blog (kind of) but I'm really bad at placing pictures in the right spot. Blogger/Blogspot makes it really difficult for me. If anyone has any advice for someone like myself, who possesses an inordinate amount of common sense, please send it my way.




Thank you.

Holy Moly! Look at this stone GLOW in a dim room!

Get Over It!

I bought some beautiful stones a couple of months ago, one of which was the most incredible purple square labradorite. I lost it. Yep... after wrapping it up I put it in the tarnishing solution, pulled it out, and was all ready to polish it up when one of my children needed me. I set it on the counter, and suddenly, it was gone. It took me a while to get the motivation to make anything else. (I still haven't found it...)

I then created this beauty for a potential customer, but the sale fell through. It is still available however, and is only 55.00 with 3.00 shipping.

But, suddenly I got "the bug" again, and came up with this... And, what I've noticed about my best pieces is that they often flow so easily. I make them with little effort, it's sort of like something has guiding my hands as I create. I love this new piece, a labradorite with a garnet accent, using metal smith techniques, filigree soldering (which I need more practice with, I will admit), and wire wrapping techniques. All of the materials (except the chain) has been made with resourced, reclaimed copper, meaning in a former life this necklace had a current of electricity running through it, powering the lights or an appliance in somebody's home. Obviously for this pendant that was a good omen.

It is 85.00 plus 3.00 shipping, and comes in a lovely gift box. If you're interested please send me an email.

I Love Copper

Copper is wonderful. It's fun to work with, affordable, can be recycled or reclaimed, and has a variety of nice patinas to make it unique.

I came across a website today called "I Love Copper."

Here is some information on copper that is posted on the site that I want to share with everyone:

Will Copper Turn My Skin Green?

Will Copper Turn My Wrist Turn Green

Benefits of Wearing Copper  The use of copper for medicinal purposes is found throughout recorded history.  The world's oldest medical texts, the Eber Papyrus, states, "Treat inflammation  with pulverized copper". Today, thousands of years later, pharmacies  around the world offer copper bracelets as a safe first aid for joint pains. "Copper, when in contact with the skin, forms chelates with human sweat  (sometimes seen as green deposits) and is thus absorbed through skin."  "Copper chelates are more effective and less toxic than drugs being used  to treat arthritis." Green wrist occurances vary depending on the body chemistry of the wearer and, if desired, are easily washed off. Many expect an occassional green mark to show that the copper "is working". Copper combines with sweat, and forms compounds called chelates which are assimilated by the body. Green deposits occur when chelates are formed faster then they are absorbed. This phenomenon increases with stress and it can be intrepreted as an early warning  to slow down.

New Pieces to get me Out of my Slump (Part 2)

Here is my newest pendant, suspended on a raw copper chain with a hand forged hook and eye clasp. The labradorite is grade A, and when the light hits it just so it GLOWS with the deepest blue. This statement piece is huge with thick gauge copper mixed with thin intricate weave. If you're interested in owning this one of a kind creation send me a message. The stone by itself is worth quite a bit, so serious inquiries only. Send me a message if anything you see strikes your fancy. 

New Pieces to get me Out of my Slump (part 1)

It's been a long time since I've been able to get time away from kids and everyday stuff, but last week I was able to get downstairs to my "studio."  I think what I like the most about this piece is the stone. This labradorite has so many colors within. Blues, reds, golds, even purples. The wire work has a lot of dimension that is just impossible to capture with my phone's camera. I took a hundred pictures just trying to capture that, but I just couldn't figure it out. It might be one of those things that someone will have to see in person to really appreciate, or just take my word for it... if you're interested in ordering anything you see posted on my blog send me a message.

Collecting Pictures

I got a new computer recently and I'm still trying to make sense of all of the thousands of pictures that I had to move from the old machine to the new one. I will post pics of new jewelry soon.

Meanwhile, check me out on Facebook.
Leah Hoffman Jewelry

R.I.P

I've been experimenting with some metal working techniques, although I'm not sure if I'm officially qualified to call them "techniques" since I'm just playing with fire and stuff. I'm only kidding. Sort of...

My first attempt to do filigree actually went pretty well.
This is a labradorite wrapped in recycled copper. 

Loving the Labradorite

 A few months ago I went a bit crazy and bought a whole lot of labradorite. At the s-l-o-w rate I'm making jewelry these days it seems as if there's no possible way I'll ever use it all. What a GREAT problem to have!  I'm like a kid in a candy store, but for the record I really hate the use of words like "yummy" to describe polished rocks.

Anyhow, I managed to get a couple nifty pieces made over the past week or so.

The first one was lovely on a black leather cord, until you tried to actually wear it and the darn thing wouldn't lay flat. I had to give in to chain. It's still nice on a chain. Some Jam-Band types (who seem to also love wire wrapping, which I discovered some time ago) seem to this this piece has a "Save your face" Grateful Dead mascot quality, which I totally saw even before it was pointed out to me. 

Just imagine this on a chain...

The second piece I want to share with you I'm really happy with, it's a reversible pendant and I'm totally into that.

LOOK AT THAT COLOR!

Just in case you're interested, both pieces are available and both under 100.00. Think CHRISTMAS!

Send me an email if you're interested...