Been so busy that I’ve neglected my blog for a bit. I’m even contemplating opening my own e-commerce site along with my Etsy. It’s trying to find the time to fit it all in. Anyway….here’s some new work. I’ve actually had many months of new work..lol…..but I’ll show this.
To reach me you can email me @ manon@sistersofthesun.com
You can follow my on Instagram ———-> HERE
Fill your heart with art.
~manon
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
I haven’t posted in quite a long while. I have been really busy in my studio. Busy is good!!! These are some of my latest pieces that I’ve worked on. I’ve also been crafting many rings but I thought I’d just post necklaces today.
Love bringing the turquoise to life in a necklace.
I had three Larimar stones that I was going to use separately but decided they would look great together. Glad I went with my instinct on this one.
My latest pieces have been lots of work but fun to work on. I have lots of new turquoise and stones to work into my designs. Better get at it!!!
fill your heart with art
~manon
My work can be found here at Echo of the Dreamer gallery and at Enter the Earth gallery.
Fill your heart with art
~manon
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
Sorry I’ve been so absent on my blog but I’ve been hard at work with a ton of turquoise jewelry. Lots of pieces have been heading to new homes and still have many more on my bench.
I haven’t made a piece in a while with naturally shed antler so last week I thought it was time. This Arizona Kingman lends well to this piece.
I really thought hard about keeping this one but Rob reminded me that each piece of turquoise jewelry is my baby and I might as send it into the world and share the beautiful stones 🙂
As soon as this Arizona Kingman turquoise necklace was listed it found it’s new home. It’s really striking on because of it’s color.
Love this Nevada Royston. Truly an incredible stone.
Ha…this post was about turquoise jewelry and now I’m throwing in a labradorite. Just wanted to mix it up…… lol.
Short post but I’ll be back soon with some more goodies!!
You can find me on Instagram @sistersofthesun.
fill your heart with art
~manon
My work can be found here at Echo of the Dreamer gallery, at Enter the Earth gallery and at the Sonoran Arts League Gallery.
Fill your heart with art
~manon
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
I’ve talked about Instagram in a previous post but lately I believe that Instagram is the new blogging. As an artist/jeweler/business owner, it provides me with what I need to tell my story about my pieces and behind the scenes in my studio. It’s fast and simple and I can reach a much wider audience than Facebook or blogging. It’s my favorite go-to social media platform.
Instagram allows each caption to be 2,200 characters. I never use that many words….lol. I’m much more to the point but at least I know that I have the option of using more.
I actually prefer using IG instead of blogging. It’s faster, much more fun and super easy. It feels like a community over there and I don’t have to overthink what I’ll post.
Instagram feels like a live journal to me. I can post works in progress, my studio, new pieces or whatever strikes me in my business that day. You can have multiple accounts and switch back and forth. Many people have a personal account and a business one. (Best to keep them separate.)
Because IG is such a visual platform the most important thing in my opinion is having great pics. You don’t have to be a professional photographer, even though those people have the most amazing IG accounts, but I suggest taking great shots of whatever you’re featuring. There are many apps that can help you with that.
In short, I feel that Instagram is the new blogging. I can tell my business story in fun square spaces. I use it everyday to find whatever suits me and to show what’s going on in my little world. If you’re not on there yet…check it out!!
You can find me on Instagram @sistersofthesun.
fill your heart with art
~manon
My work can be found here at Echo of the Dreamer gallery, at Enter the Earth gallery and at the Sonoran Arts League Gallery.
Fill your heart with art
~manon
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
My favorite part of my work is I get to make one of a kind jewelry. Ok…. let’s face it. There’s so much past and present jewelry out there that everything has kind of been done but…..when you add your own gemstones and your own style it becomes your one of a kind jewelry. I think in jewelry as in every other art form it takes practice and patience for your style to emerge and even as our work grows you can still see someones style.
The piece above was a gorgeous Damele turquoise. I added a peridot to the flower. I just adore this one and am thankful it’s gone to a good home.
Recently, I sawed and pierced more shapes. This is a pic when they were not finished or sanded. You can see the result of the fish in the picture below.
I love the quote on the back of the fish. I thought the Kingman turquoise reminded me of the sea and was a perfect pairing the fish.
I’m a sucker for a druzy stone. This deep color pink is eye-catching for sure.
I sawed some little flowers to add to some rings. A touch of gold makes them pop. These rings are great for gifts.
So you see……one of a kind jewelry is so personal. It might be the stone, the design or the words that mean something to the owner. It is a pleasure for me to create these.
See you soon
fill your heart with art
~manon
My work can be found here at Echo of the Dreamer gallery, at Enter the Earth gallery and at the Sonoran Arts League Gallery.
Fill your heart with art
~manon
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
I recently lucked into some cool hearts to make some personalized heart jewelry. It’s no secret that I’m a lover of hearts so I was pretty darn excited to find some of these heart treasures.
The above photo is of a Mexican Fire Opal. It went quickly to a new home and I’ve been asked often about getting another stone like it. Grrrrr………it’s hard to find. I’m heading to Tucson for the gem show on Saturday so maybe I can score there.
These stones are a easier to locate but equally as beautiful. This rhodochrosite has sold but feel free to contact me if interested in a similar stone as I have a few more.
Awe….the Spiny Oyster heart necklace. I finished this piece on Monday and just adore it. The following pic has the back view. I added a handmade sterling feather with a Sleeping Beauty turquoise. I think the color in the Spiny Oyster is stunning.
Making this personalized heart jewelry is a joy for me. I love adding the personal touches that make each piece extra special.
They all warm my heart.
Fill your heart with art and hearts.
My work can be found here at Echo of the Dreamer gallery, at Enter the Earth gallery and at the Sonoran Arts League Gallery.
Fill your heart with art
~manon
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
Ahhhh…… the beauty of turquoise. The more I work with turquoise the more I love it. I’ve always adored it even when I didn’t live in the Southwest. I’m a lover of color and turquoise doesn’t disappoint in that area. Plus….. the stones are so different according to where they’re mined from.
The above ring was made with a Royston turquoise I just acquired. I don’t even know if this photo can do her justice. Probably some of the best color I’ve seen.
I met with a turquoise *connoisseur* last weekend that’s more than familiar with the beauty of turquoise. He’s been in the turquoise business for over 40 years and knows most people in the turquoise world. He told me how the Native American Indians believe that there’s a story in every stone. (I happen to be third generation Native American Indian so my ears perked up when he spoke of this.) When you look at the custom piece above and see the beauty in this stone you can see why there maybe a story in there.
Even the simplest stones are beautiful. These turquoise add a color to this sterling silver earring setting.
Small turquoise beads in earrings make me smile. See how different the color of these Kingman beads are opposed to the Royston turquoise pieces above. It’s amazing.
The beauty of turquoise….. somehow I feel it connects me to the earth in some way that no other stone does. I’m happy I can work with it often.
My work can be found here and at Echo of the Dreamer gallery.
Fill your heart with art
~manon
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
I have a stash of beautiful turquoise that I work with. I thought I’d give some facts about turquoise today. Turquoise is very old among gems. The oldest known use of turquoise dates back to 3000 B.C.; turquoise embellishments have been found on Egyptian graves from this time period. Gemstone jewelry incorporating turquoise was also popular in ancient Egypt, and ancient Aztecs, Persians and North American Indians used turquoise in jewelry and ceremonial attire.
It is a blue to green-gray mineral that consists of copper aluminum phosphate. The mineral is a hyrous phosphate of aluminum, which includes a small percent of copper. The copper is what gives the turquoise its blue coloring. When the turquoise mineral has iron you get the greenish turquoise. If it contains zinc, it will be a yellowish color.
Turquoise is the stone of sky, stone of water, stone of blessings, good fortune, protection, good health and long life.
Turquoise is found in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia Utah, California and Nevada. Turquoise is considered one of the highest value minerals in the world by many collectors and turquoise made in southwest is now known as one of the most valuable in the world. The above pic is a map I have in my studio for quick reference of exactly where my turquoise is from.
Many turquoise are fakes made of powered turquoise and epoxy around a base of rock. There are some shady local dealers that will make composite masses of these materials and pass it off as legit. Also, another way turquoise is made out of magnesite and howlite. If one doesn’t have much knowledge about turquoise they can be easily fooled. That kind of *turquoise* is cheap and the only thing turquoise about it is the color and even that’s wrong.
Rob surprised me a couple of weeks ago with an array of collectible turquoise. This piece is stunning. It’s from the Number 8 mine. The Number 8 turquoise mine in Carlin, Nevada was first mined in 1929. In its prime, Number 8 produced some of the largest nuggets of turquoise ever found. The color of Number 8 varies from light blue, blue with shades of green to beautiful dark blue. It is found with a black, golden, red or brown matrix. With the black and red spider webbing being the most valued. Today Number 8 turquoise is one of the most valuable stones that can be collected. High-grade Number 8 turquoise is by far some of the finest turquoise to ever have come out of Nevada. It hasn’t been mined since 1976 by Dowel Ward.
Here is another pic of some of my new turquoise from my love. The large piece is a Royston turquoise and one of the pieces is B25 mine and the rest are Carico Lake.
I recently took this large turquoise that is from the Kingman mines and made a ring. I stamped the words *trust the universe* on the back but I almost put *go big or go home* on it…lol. This ring can be found in my shop.
I made these earrings with Kingman turquoise beads. In most retail bead stores if you’re buying beads that are really cheap and they say turquoise chances are that you’re getting magnesite or howlite. Turquoise will be much more for a strand. Always ask if it is genuine if you are unsure.
There is so much to learn about turquoise and I am by no means any kind of expert but with a basic knowledge you can start to enjoy the beautiful qualities of this stone.
fill your heart with turquoise.
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
Two weeks ago today I had the most amazing experience. I had been to the post office the week before and the mail girls asked what I did (since I mail parcels often with them). When I told them that I’m a jewelry artist and I often use turquoise they told me they had a lady that comes in that her father recently passed away and she had a ton on turquoise to sell. I gave them my card and thought nothing more of it. Well….. she went there last week and called me right away. I drove to her home not knowing what to think and when I got there her table was full. Her father had been an artist and bought a ton of stone from a Bisbee miner. He cut and polished all of it. He told his kids it was worth more than gold to him. I started piecing it out and she made me an offer for the whole lot. I took it. This is only a quarter of what I have and it is overwhelming to see the beauty in each and every one. It was my lucky day and I hope I can do justice to all these gorgeous pieces.
This is the first piece I made with the Bisbee turquoise.
This is the back of that Bisbee piece.
I enjoyed making these a couple of weeks ago with the Kingman turquoise. They are all sold but I will be making more in the future.
I’ve also been making many different moon pendant commissions. This one is actually a gift for my mom. The back has my dad’s favorite song and the date they were married. I want her to know that whenever she looks to the moon he is looking down on her and protecting her.
I did just list the last moon I have available on my Etsy shop.
That’s all for now!! I’m heading back to my studio.
Fill your heart with art and turquoise
Happy Holiday!!
~manon
Hey there!!
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
I’m officially obsessed with gemstones. Who knew????? I thought that shoes were my only problem but now I have to throw these stones in…lol. These are some of my new ones. Included in the photo are a labradorite, moonstone, African bloodstone, Peruvian opal…..swoon, swoon… candelaria and Nevada turquoise. So much fun!!!!!
I started with the Peruvian opal…omg!! It’s such a beautiful stone. Check out the next two pics. I cut a hole in the back so when the light shines through you can see how lovely it is. These photos don’t have it on a chain yet but I did that yesterday. You can check it out at my Etsy shop.
This piece was so much fun for me to make.
Ahhhhh…..the Kingman turquoise….. I just smile thinking of these amazing stones. I made this sterling silver ring in a size 7.5 so it wouldn’t be close to fitting me…lol. I’m so pleased at the way it looks. Btw…. I keep getting calls from my mom about my manicure or lack of. Really? I had to remind her that my hands are working in metals and files each day. A manicure isn’t going to fix what I have going on…lol.
Have a wonderful start of the weekend!! Thanks for stopping in!!
fill your heart with art
~manon
Hey there!!
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!