Impatiens are one of my favorite spring flowers. Creating this Blue impatiens necklace was high on my list as a jewelry artist. It’s one of my plique a jour jewelry pieces and one of my most stunning enamel creations.
The blue variety of impatiens is a rare but spectacular sight. I was fortunate enough to have these blue gems growing in my own garden. This led to the inspiration for designing this Blue Plique a jour necklace.
If you’re fortunate enough like I’ve been to bear witness to their blooming, your inner flower child will leap for joy. For when impatiens offer their spectacular display, a sea of flowers is the result. Thousand of petals can easily cover a relatively small area.
When it came time to create my enamel impatiens necklace in 2009, deciding on the color was easy. It had to be blue. I’d had other colors of impatiens in my garden, but blue made an impression. Impatiens in other colors are a dime a dozen, but blue, now that’s something quite special.
I also wanted a slight departure from my traditional enamel and cloisonne jewelry. I decided on using the plique a jour method for this enamel jewelry piece because I knew I wanted light to illuminate this jewel from back to front. Plique a jour is a perfect choice because there’s no backing – just translucent enamels that radiate light and enhance your jewel. Plique a Jour literally means to allow the light in.
I set the necklace in 18K gold and added blue topaz stones to accent the necklace.
My art jewelry is much like traditional art, where one paints on a canvas. But, my art involves enameling on metal, a much more intricate and delicate art form.
My art pieces are appreciated for their appeal as unique gifts and expressions of ourselves. That’s the beauty of my handcrafted jewelry — they’re thoughtfully designed with the wearer in mind.
