ethical + luxe

Upcycled vintage fur accents satin-lined cuff bracelets bracelets.

  More of these to come,  I think.

March pop-up at Cricket Design Works

 One fine day in March, while my husband & sons were off in Wales for spring break, 

I road-tripped to Madison, WI for a pop-up jewelry event.

Here is a taste of what was presented:

Speaking of taste, Chef Leah Caplan put served yummy treats including 

homemade bran & sunflower muffins, fruits, salami & almonds. 

The cheese, it must be noted, was also made by Leah 

as part of a 3-year study with the Wisconsin Dairy Board 

comparing the milk of grass-fed to conventionally-fed cows. 

Both cheeses were delicious.

But, surprisingly, I preferred the flavor of the cheese made conventional milk.

Special thanks to Cricket Design Works  for hosting the pop-up shop!

Doreen's new (old) jewelry

My friend Doreen (modeling below) saw my remodeled vintage jewelry and asked if I would consider looking at a bag of  costume jewelry she had inherited from her deceased mother and aunt.  The jewelry wasn't Doreen's taste however it had sentimental value.  

It had been buried in her drawer, unworn for ages.

It was just before Christmas 2010 and I was busy with sales, gift-buying and general holiday craziness.   Doreen gave me carte blanche to create whatever I desired.  She was in no rush for the work, because she had no intention of ever wearing any of these old pieces anyway.   I told her I'd have a look, but couldn't guarantee I'd even be able to look at it until after the holidays. 

That night I opened the bag, and practically within minutes had three new pieces constructed. I wish I took a "before" picture of the tangled pile of rhinestones, clip-ons and chains that was in the bag.  But since I didn't, you'll have to use your imagination. It was just a big pile of stuff.  Little did I realize what treasures were hidden in that clump of stuff.  

I'm still making fresh creations from Doreen's collection of unworn heirlooms.  

Her enthusiasm for her new/heirloom jewelry has been extremely rewarding for me.

Here are a few of the many new necklaces I made using Doreen's trove.

 These crystal hearts were a pair of  screw-back earrings.  I made two necklaces: one for Doreen, and one for Maddie, her teen-age daughter. 

Maddie wears them both together and Doreen hasn't had the chance to even try them on.

Graduated aurora borealis crystals, restrung on purple silk bead cord.

Uniform aurora borealis crystals, restrung on golden silk bead cord.

 An earring and a brooch became a new necklace

A Victorian locket and 1950's rhinestone brooch are combined with vintage gold- and silver-tone chain 

to create an entirely new look.

Here's another necklace, similar to the one above.

This was one of a pair of earrings that featured a diamond star embedded into an onyx circle.

Do you have old jewelry sitting around not doing anything?  

Send a picture of what you have to info (at) rockcandybyhelen.com and I'll propose a new custom design for you!

Fashion Focus 2011-Glam to Go!

To celebrate Chicago Fashion Focus 2011 , 

I had a trunk show at Glam to Go's cute Roscoe Village boutique.

the display

 Sam was a dynamite model, 

highlighting both Rock Candy by Helen jewelry and Glam to Go fashions!

We can't thank our sponsor Volo Restaurant & Wine Bar enough for providing such a luscious spread of goodies.

Guests received branded jewelry pouches hand-made from vintage linens.

We're already planning next year's celebration, so stay tuned!

little charms

These are some lovely little charms I picked up along the way. My favorite of these might be the caged goldstone ball. It's so 1970's, right?On the top shelf there are aquamarine, turquoise, garnet and labradorite gem chains.  I'm so excited to put these together to make new necklaces!

click here to link to my Etsy shop

Elda de la Rosa: part 2, Aurora Borealis

(gown by Elda de la Rosa, photography by Michael Collinsworth)
Here's another shot of an Elda De la Rosa gown with a Rock Candy by Helen necklace.  The necklace is made from vintage 1970's chains and a 1970's aurora borealis rhinestone brooch. Natural crystals from the bottom of the Rhine river in Germany were early substitutes for diamonds, hence the term "rhinestone".

Aurora Borealis rhinestones are rhinestones that have a special coating (developed in 1955) which produces a rainbow of colors. It is applied to the surface of a glass stone or bead to create a rainbow-colored sparkle. The term Aurora Borealis is derived from the brilliant colors of yellow, orange, green and blue of the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. 
click here to link to my Etsy shop

Elda de la Rosa: part 1

Earlier this year, Chicago designer Elda de la Rosa used some of my jewelry in a photo shoot.  Doesn't the necklace look fabulous with the dress?(gown by Elda de la Rosa, photography by Michael Collinsworth)  

Here's a closeup of the necklace.  It makes me think of Liz Taylor as Cleopatra (only she probably would have worn this on her head).  The focal piece is a re-purposed 1970's Swarovski crystal and faux turquoise brooch, centered on three vintage gold-tone chains. The back of the brooch is marked "Austria"

first blog post!

This is my first blog post. Thanks so much to the lovely Bec Dudley for the tutorial! The image above is a necklace made from a stunning art-deco rhinestone brooch hanging on 1970's goldtone chain.  The brooch is about 4" long and the chains are about16" long. It is representative of my Remake/Remodel line of vintage up-cycled jewelry.   click here to jump to my Etsy shop