A few years ago, as part of an art exhibition at the Upstairs Art Gallery in Titirangi, I created a new collection along the theme of âUpliftingâ – it was called the âRainbow Smilesâ collection.
The Rainbow Smiles collection comprises dangly earrings, a necklace, a bracelet and a brooch that all feature recycled Sterling Silver wire in the shape of a shallow u (or a smile đ) with 9 different types of coloured semi-precious stones on each piece. For some reason, I never added the collection to the website and my other webshops – until now!
I had already made the rainbow drop earrings at this point – and always felt that – because of the rainbow colours – they were an âupliftingâ pair of earrings, making you feel cheerful or smile.
When I see someone smile – whether it be a friend, family member, or a passerby in the street, it makes me smile too. (Though admittedly itâs much harder now seeing smiles in public when everyone is wearing masks!)
Delightful Differences
I wanted this collection to be different from the earrings, but thought Iâd use the same rainbow coloured stones.Â
A smile quite literally does uplift you – and one with dimples, even more so! So using the Eco Silver wire, I changed the design so that each piece itself was shaped like a smile, with small circles (dimples) either side of the semi-circle shape (that also stopped the stones from coming off).
Furthermore, I wanted the collection to continue with the Curlicue NZ environmentally friendly feeling, and be âsustainably elegantâ.Â
The nine different semi-precious stones are as follows:
- RED – Carnelian
- ORANGE – Either Orange Quartz or Amber, depending on availability
- YELLOW – Citrine
- GREEN – Either NZ Greenstone or Peridot, depending on availability
- LIGHT BLUE – Turquoise
- DARK BLUE – Lapis Lazuli
- PURPLE – Amethyst
- DARK PINK – Garnet
- LIGHT PINK – Rose Quartz
With the earrings – I made them out of one long piece of wire (per earring) in a fish hook style – so that the wire that went through the earlobe, hooked into the wire at the back end of the smile shape.
The view of the âsmileâ is really best seen, side on.Â
Both the necklace and bracelet, feature the wire shaped into a smile, with the rainbow coloured semi precious stones and loops either side. Handmade clasps and hooks are added to the recycled Sterling Silver chain, along with a little Stainless Steel âCurlicue NZ/ Made in NZâ tag.Â
Like the earrings, the brooch is also made from one long piece of wire. However, this time the rainbow gemstones have been added with thinner wire that is wrapped around the âsmileâ part of the brooch. There is also a koru (spiral) on one side of the brooch – adding a kiwi touch, and a delightful detail.
Hopefully you agree – that the Rainbow Smiles collection does indeed make you feel âupliftedâ, whilst also being sustainably elegant.
Which piece is your favourite?
