Gemstones & Pearls Category

Pardon My French ~ Versailles

Artist: Linda Valentino Michel (Weeki Wachee, FL)
First Place, Gemstones & Pearls

I am a true Frenchophile and my husband and I spend a few weeks in Paris every other year. While in Versailles, the Hall of Mirrors reminded me how beautiful crystal and weathered brass go together! It's like nothing else! Its beauty is eternal, and this set lets me bring back a piece of Paris. I combined graduated faceted clear crystals; mixed metals of copper, brass and touch of silver; LOTS of fleur de lis, Louie's very favorite lilies; enough rhinestones [ball beads] to make Marie Antoinette sparkle; and a healthy dose of moons and stars, remembering that a French croissant was named after the crescent moon plus, of course, Paris is the home of Starry, Starry Night.

"In the competitive jewelry world, the one thing I find that sets jewelry apart is personalizing pieces, so I use any blank surface to add my theme-based mini prints. I LOVE using Rings & Things' dog tags for this! They are a perfect size for pictures. And because religion is still such a big part of Paris, no theme necklace would be complete without paying homage to a few crucifixes and miraculous medals. Almost all charms are from Rings & Things except for a few odd pieces that were actually parts of key chain souvenirs I got waiting in line at the Louvre. One of my charms is a vintage dictionary definition of the Louvre and is it a coincidence that directly under the definition of the Louvre is the definition of LOVE? I think not!" -- Linda Valentino Michel

For the crystal in this piece, Linda used primarily rock crystal quartz gemstones.

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