Midsummer Night's Gleam: A Mini Collection of Handmade Jewelry Celebrating Summer's Small Gifts (Plus a Murder Hornet)
Stacey Bowers
With summer officially starting this week, things are heating up, and even though I know the absolutely oppressive fire and humidity of an Arkansas summer is just on the sizzling, heat-wave horizon, I can’t help but savor the little gifts of the season. My garden is at its peak. And by that I mean it’s blooming and green and the sun hasn’t scorched it to brittle twig skeletons yet, which it ALWAYS does, because I am a lazy gardener and beloved by mosquitos and would rather not leave the safety of my screened-in porch. I got to eat real-life Arkansas strawberries plucked off a vine (that I didn’t grow) and was reminded of the pure ambrosia that is a locally grown strawberry in this state. My butterfly bush is TRYING, DAMN IT, despite all of my best efforts to completely ignore caring for it. And murder hornets are still a crisis that exists on the internet for me, but let’s be real, they’re coming. This year cannot be trusted.
ANYWAY. I’m still social distancing, which means I have ample time to create jewelry, and it’s a bonus that making things relieves stress, because, as mentioned, 2020 is rank. To keep spirits up, I created a mini collection of handmade bronze jewelry using different gorgeous gemstones, like amethyst, strawberry quartz and garnet and hand-cast bronze charms, most of which were made using vintage French stamps straight from France, which makes them extra special in my opinion.
I called this mini collection “Midsummer Night’s Gleam.” Each piece of handmade bronze has a warm, golden glow, and the gemstones are bright, punchy colors. The bronze is tarnish resistant, and the chains are gold-filled, so the necklaces hold onto their shine, even in a sweaty southern summer. The earrings are simple, lightweight and elegant. They pair with messy, long, quarantine hair, as you’ll see in the photos, and they also look stunning with an updo.