My time in the jewelry studio on Tuesday was spent making this ring:

It reminds me of a jeweled crown, so I call it Aphrodite’s Crown.  I’ve never actually seen an image of Aphrodite wearing a crown, but let’s assume that if she did have one, this would be it.  The ring is hand-fabricated of 18k yellow gold with a natural citrine drop and a hammered set rhodolite garnet.

This is my second dangle ring.  The first, Moonlight Sonata, remains one of my favorites.  Of course I like this one too, but the drop is a little more cumbersome and that makes it less comfortable to wear.

On another note, yesterday I was talking to a friend about a painting by artist Julie Heffernan that he recently bought.  I’d never heard of her work but this morning I googled her and found some of her paintings online:

http://www.littlejohncontemporary.com/Heffernan/index.html

http://www.artnet.com/artist/8037/julie-heffernan.html

This stuff blows me away.  Suddenly, I’m inspired to paint something!