I finished a new collection of jewels just in time for Valentine’s Day! I’ve been working on these pieces for quite some time; collecting, sketching and weaving a bit of childhood magic into these pieces.

As many of you know, I’m a fan of all things Victorian/fairy/magical creature. Part of the collection is inspired by beloved characters (Rapunzel, Cinderella, Ozma, Beauty, Wendy and lessor known Grimm heroines), others will be what I call “faery tale relics” (a piece of a gnome’s hat persevered under glass, a shed fairy wing, a sliver of Pinocchio’s nose, a tooth from the Big Bad Wolf, pixie favors and more) as well as magical creatures themselves (unicorns, dragons, fairies and other critters).

It’s been awhile since I’ve been this inspired for one grouping of jewels! I will have them out in the shop tomorrow and hope they fill everyone with curiosity and joy. Also, though I imagine most of you already know this of me, this collection leans more to the Grimm’s side of things rather than, ahem, Disney…there may be a few impish surprises amongst the pretties!

This is going to be an exciting week at The Curious Nest! My second book in the Winship series “A Curious Spring Fever” is in the shop as of Thursday! We will be celebrating with hot apple cider, treats and book signing all this week Thursday October 24^th – Sunday October 27^th during regular shop hours. And for those of you who are coming on Saturday, fear not, the Huskies game starts at 8pm so there will be plenty of parking during the day to come see us! Also we will be doing a price reduction if you get one of the new editions of book 1 ($16) + book 2 ($18) it will be $30 for both. I’m so excited! I loved my first book (because it’s the first in what will be a seven book series) but the second book is my masterpiece so far! There are antique engravings with each chapter and of course a story that is perfect for thrills and chills. If you are an out of state client, you can order it here on Amazon ! I will send another email when it is up on Kindle.

In addition to the release of the second book, I also just finished my “Halloween” jewelry collection…this year the theme is French Forest. I just finished the draft of the third book in the series which is set in France…so visions of dark alpine forests, werewolves and castles were swirling in my head as I created jewels by day and wrote stories by night. I will be putting these all in the shop starting on Thursday! These are going to be hard to part with because they are all pieces I would wear all year round.

We hope you can come by for some hot apple cider and see all the new treasures in the shop!!! We also have new art, lavender sachets by KG Crafts and I am hoping to make a few “Winship House Protection” kits for this weekend only…a treat bag filled with things to keep the ghouls and goblins away…and more…

I am truly thrilled to unveil my latest collection inspired by French Polynesia. We ventured there during our time off from the store this summer on business. At first we were unsure of what to expect as it was a place we had always dreamed of going but had no idea what we would find there. Upon our arrival, we were both instantly enchanted. Our very first day we were adopted by several local artisans. Their warmth and generosity bonded us into an immediate kinship. (In fact we will soon be carrying some of their handcrafted shell treasures ,the box is en route from Tahiti, at the shop!) From Tahiti we ventured to Bora Bora and found ourselves in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The pearl farms were magical, the white sands littered with coral, the water an astounding blue, and again, the people were simply spellbinding.

As we plotted the fourth book in the Winship series while we shopped for shells and treasures…the designs for this collection were spinning so quickly through my mind I could hardly sketch fast enough! I tried to capture everything that we loved about this far off paradise…I hope someday to return…maybe for longer than just a visit. But for now, here are the creations that came of this voyage. I close my eyes and still see imaginary Victorian shipwrecks, mermaids lounging on white sands, manta rays gliding on angel wings through the waters, yellow lemon fish puckering  their lips at the coconut shreds we fed them from the pier and thick jungles of palm trees blowing in the windy evenings. The air there smells like smoke and peppery flowers…I hope these jewels capture a tiny hint of what it felt like to be there! I will post photographs of the places and things that inspired each of these creations on my artist page https://www.facebook.com/AndreaSavarCreations or better yet, pop by the shop and see them in person! Everything will be out this Thursday…

I will be unveiling my latest fine jewelry collection inspired by French  Polynesia starting tomorrow in the store! I wanted to evoke the combination of the bountiful foliage and clear blue waters of the tropics with a sense of the refinement represented by gold, sterling and fine stones. Here is a glimpse at my summer jewels and I hope they inspire you to be a tropical mermaid!

It seems like the past week or so I have been greeted each morning by the exuberant tweets of little birds in our holly tree! They are just so excited about the rise of daffodils in the garden and the occasional bursts of sunshine…I cannot help but feel their joy at the coming of spring. Of course this all translates to what is being created at my workbench! So here is what I will be adding to the shop this week…glorious gems woven into asymmetric necklaces with little hits of the organic mixed with the refined. I will add the price list below and of course if anything catches your eye, feel free to email me about availability or just come by the shop to try them on in person!

Just finished this collection for Valentine’s Day! Obviously there are no classic puffy hearts in our store…instead there are lockets, old keys, unusual chains and other things that make my heart skip a beat! All of these pieces are one-of-a-kind and made by me. Enjoy and I will be putting these out in the shop tomorrow!!!

The garnet cluster earrings are all made with gold vermeil garnet settings combined with other gemstones and 14k gold-filled earwires. They range in price from $38-$58

The time for love set is made with sterling charms, pyrite, garnets, onyx and sterling and gold-filled findings. $110 (set)

These are all made with base metal chains and antique pocket watch keys and measure 17 inches long. $45 each

These are all made with base metal chains and antique keys and measure 32 inches long. $45 each

The Bohemian Garnet locket necklace is made with a rare locket from the 1880s all inlaid with gorgeous garnets, antique gold-filled chain links, pyrite and gold-filled findings. $420 (matching earrings)

The Ballerina Heart necklace is made with tourmaline, pearls, an antique French centerpiece and antiqued sterling findings. $320

The antique black and white enamel bow locket is made with pearls, black garnets, pyrite and a rare French enamel locket from the 1880s. $380

The large compass necklace is made with pearls, citrine, pyrite, a Victorian French compass pendant, antique charms and findings. $280 (32 inches long)

The heart drop necklace is made with antique rose gold-filled chain and charm, garnets and antiqued sterling findings. $160

Here it is! My “Halloween” collection!!! I know many of you wait all year for these goodies, this year I managed to get it all finished rather quickly so there is plenty of time to wear these lovelies through October and beyond. Last year was Edgar Allan Poe and this year is an homage to the Victorians.

The collection is titled “Victoria Obsura” in reference to their love of all things mourning but there are other pieces (good luck symbols and creepy critters) as well that encompass the romance of the era. I hope that you enjoy and do let me know if anything catches your eye. There is a price list below and I will have everything out in the shop on Thursday…I also decorated the window for Halloween so there are lots of fun things in the shop right now!

In celebration of summer and the French Independence Day, we are planning on having a 4 day celebration at The Curious Nest!

It will include some new antiques from France (pictures attached), my latest jewelry collection “Souvenir de France” which is all made with antique French found objects, gemstones and charms. Each of the pieces is one of a kind! (pictures attached and feel free to contact for prices)

 And from Thursday July 12^th-Sunday July 15^th we will be having a special give-away where  all purchases over $20 will receive a free Circle Creek soap of your choice (freshly delivered this week) or an antique French postcard of your choice! We will also be holding a drawing for two $50 Gift Certificates. So come on by and put your name in the bowl, have a nibble of something sweet and see our new treasures celebrating France!

 Also check out the other stores in our neighborhood like Happy Planet whose summer custom made hula hoops have been a huge hit with the kids (and grownups). Queen Mary for tea/brunch or my favorite: breakfast. Pair for a bit of French food and drink (their happy hour is fantastic) or Gaudi for some spicy tapas and refreshing Sangria! Summer has finally arrived and our little 55^th street neighborhood is embracing it!

There are lots of things happening this week at the Curious Nest!

First we have combined our online stores (jewelry and antiques) into one and it is up and running now at www.thecuriousnest.com/catalog and we will slowly be adding to it .

Also we received several unusual antiques this week just in time for All Saint’s and All Souls Day, one of which is a Joan of Arc statue from 1913, a gorgeous mourning frame made with hair and 2 embroidered sacred hearts under domed glass.

And I apologize for all the photos…I got a little carried away with my creations! In addition to the new jewelry I also made ornaments with found objects and old French medals that range in price from $10-$18 each. I also created greeting cards using vintage French holy cards set onto stationary using photo corners (so the card can be removed), these are $6 each and I have about 30 cards to put out this week.

And last but not least I went wild making all kinds of new additions to my All Saint’s jewelry collection!

Also our segment on Evening Magazine will air this Thursday at 7pm on King 5 and will also be on their website http://www.king5.com/on-tv/evening-magazine on Friday.

Enjoy and we hope to see you this weekend but in the meantime here are some pictures of the new goodies…

Here is the unveiling of my Edgar Allan Poe collection…just in time to get spooky for Halloween!!! I have been working my little fingers to the bone on these lovely Poe and 19^th century inspired jewels and so here they all are with a price list and descriptions. Just let me know if anything catches your eye or makes your heart start beating rapidly. I will have them in the shop ready to peruse starting tomorrow and other spooky treats.