Sparkle and shine

I couldn't resist stopping by my favourite local bead store today and look what I came out with... Rubies, turquoises, pyrites, and more!

Cheryl and Shireen

Cheryl Campbell, who won the $25 gift card at the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair, selected the Shireen earrings (pictured below). Congrats Cheryl!

Louka, not Leah

Three fabulous pairs of earrings have just been added to the shop including the Louka, pictured below. The large smoky quartzes are from my recent trip to Ottawa and I love the raw look of the graduated colours. Before deciding on the name Louka, I also toyed with Leah and I swear the options had nothing to do with Luke and Leia from Star Wars.

Jetset beads

I zipped over to Ottawa for a few days and couldn't stop myself from checking out the bead store closest to my hotel. Twice! The first night, I picked up some quartz, moukite, and pink opal, and the night after, I returned to pick up a large rose quartz and some tiger eye. The pink opals and quartzes have already been turned into earrings and here is a snapshot of the stones that have yet to be used:

Red and white

The Diantha and Valentina earrings have just been added to the shop - the Diantha has large white pearls and the Valentina has beautiful blood red rubies. Here is a peek:

And the winner is...

I am back home from the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair, where I sold many pairs of earrings and the Eugenie bracelet. The shop at aileen.etsy.com has already been restocked and I have just contacted the winner of the $25 gift card draw... Congratulations to Cheryl Campbell!

Craft fair alert!

Mark it on your calendars! ARIA INDUSTRIES will be at the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair this Saturday. I have been trying a different location inside the building every year and this one just might be my favourite one yet! My table will be close to the entrance and will feature the $25 gift card draw again!

Three pairs of earrings have been made just for this occasion and will be available for sale at the craft fair... Come meet the Diantha, Valentina, and Jacquetta in person!

Home sweet home

I'm back! I landed back in Vancouver yesterday and have tons of goodies from the shops in Sham Shui Po to turn into earrings, bracelets, and necklaces! It might take me a while to settle back into my jewellery-making mode, but I'm sure the pliers and wire will feel familiar as soon as I get my hands on them.

As it is already the middle of November, the gift giving season will be upon us soon and I'm happy to report that I will be selling my jewellery at the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair again this year. It will be on Saturday, November 26th from 10:00 to 4:00 and is a great event for families so mark it on your calendar!

Greetings from China!

I have now been in China for two weeks and am about to make my way over to Hong Kong to visit friends and family. Of course, one of my goals is to also pick up some fabulous materials including sterling silver findings that may be rare or even unavailable back at home! In the meantime, don't forget there is still a 15% discount off all items in the shop.

La vie en rose

The crowd favourite Paige earrings have been selected for an Etsy Treasury listing! The sterling silver chandelier components were purchased in Asia on a previous trip and I hope to pick up some more interesting finds this time around.



This blog will be updated semi-regularly while I am away. In the meantime, why not take advantage of the 15% discount off all items in the shop at aileen.etsy.com? Just use the code SHIPNOV152011 when checking out to steal the deal!

Vacation sale!

Hello everyone! I am about to take some time off to explore Asia and hopefully purchase some new supplies for my jewellery making adventures. I will be away until November 11th and will not be able to ship any orders until my return.

To make up for this delay, I am offering a discount for everyone who orders while I am away - just use the code SHIPNOV152011 and save 15% off everything in the shop! All orders completed by November 12th will be shipped by the 15th.

James and Elisse

It's been two years since my friends James and Elisse got hitched and this lovely interview with the bride recaptures the magic of the big day. There are also many photos including this shot of the back of the custom James necklace that I made for the special occasion:



Happy arrrrrr-nniversary! (It's also talk-like-a-pirate day today!)

Photo by RAD Studio

Crowned queen

The Maelle earrings, which were named after Maëlle Ricker (the first Canadian woman to win Olympic gold in home territory), have been selected for a treasury listing at Etsy! A big thank you to Mariana Romo-Carmona for picking these citrine, quartz, and tourmaline stunners!

Wine coloured days warmed by the sun

New items have been added to the shop at aileen.etsy.com including these dramatic earrings... The Marlena has wine coloured garnets with amazing clarity, brassy pyrite, puffy golden rutile quartz, and small citrines:

Going green

Despite promising only five new items, I am happy to report that seven pairs of earrings have been made and are being prepped for posting to the shop. Here is a peak at the Gwenna and I swear that all of the large stones are the same shade of green in real life:

Since the craft fair

I have been on a bit of a jewellery-making bender for the past week and expect to complete the fifth pair of earrings later tonight. And after they are added to the shop, I am afraid I will be taking a bit of a break due to an impending move and vacation. Both are not for a few months, but their proximity to one another and the fact my existence will be upended during the packing and moving phase means I won't have time for much creativity. Regardless, all orders will be shipped on schedule and if I find time to sneak in a pair of earrings or two, I will definitely share!

Canada Day craft fair

The Salmon Festival Craft Fair start off quietly because most of the crowd was outdoors watching the morning parade, but they were soon inside to check out the vendors. This was me showing off my wares just after setting up and you can just make out my face painting (a heart) and the jewellery I was modelling (the Lullia earrings and Tiffany bracelet):


As for the draw, there were many entries throughout the day. The winner is Teri Barr and she gets a $25 gift card! Congratulations!

Gift card draw at Salmon Festival

As Canada Day is almost here, I have been busy preparing for my fourth year at the Salmon Festival Craft Fair. The community event is for the entire family and boasts a parade, a belt sander drag race, a carnival and midway, a famous salmon barbecue, and more...

Once again, I will be holding a $25 gift card draw and everyone is welcome to enter so stop by Steveston Community Centre between 10am and 5pm and fill in one of these!

Jewels for a goddess

Eleven new items will be posted to the shop at aileen.etsy.com soon including this pair of stunning chandelier earrings. Named Lullia, I first wrote about them a month ago. Here is the finished design:

Love for Venetia

I woke up this morning to a message from missPriscillaPomeroy and it said she had chosen my Venetia earrings for her Etsy Treasury listing! I love how the collection she curated has a soft vintage feel:

Clash of titans

Red and pink are often not allowed to play together, but I just couldn't resist the combination for this very special pair of earrings. They have the same sterling silver chandelier components as the Yara earrings, but the change of stones gives the style a whole new look. Here they are in progress:

Flowers and branches

I am excited to announce that ten new items have been posted to the shop at aileen.etsy.com. One of the pieces is the Sakura necklace, a cherry blossom inspired lariat I wrote about previously here and here. The rest are all earrings and one my new favourites is a pair of earrings called Leslie. The design is very simple and consists of faceted pyrite and hematite, both of which are dark metallic stones. From these stones hang a branch-like flourish that shines and shimmers as it moves:

Thank you, thank you!

Thank you to everyone who made the HELLOSUNSHINE sale a success! You saved over $75 with the discount and got lots of beautiful jewellery. Here is a peak at a pair of earrings that sold during the sale and had not even been posted to the shop... These are the Nyssa earrings and feature rose quartz, andalusite, and citrine:

Sale ending soon

There are only a few days left in the month, which means the 15% off sale will be coming to a close. Don't miss out if you have had your eye on something in the shop because these sales don't happen often... The Sadie necklace and Yara earrings are among the items sold so far - will your favourite be next? Use the code HELLOSUNSHINE to snap up a gift for yourself or a friend!

Il y a longtemps que je t'aime

Bonjour, mes amis! Thank you for being so patient while I took some time off from making jewellery to recharge my batteries. I am happy to report that the time away has only made me miss my pliers and beads so I have begun to make earrings again! In fact, my break included some supplies shopping because I came across a travelling bead show that just happened to be in town the very weekend I was in Hawaii! This meant I had the opportunity to add some quartzes, pyrites, and sapphires to my stock! The new finds are already being incorporated into my latest designs including these upcoming Gilda earrings:


To kick off my return to the jewellery world, I am having a sale on all the pieces in my shop at aileen.etsy.com! There is no minimum purchase or quantity... Just enter the code HELLOSUNSHINE during checkout to receive 15% off the items! This sale is until the end of March so shop away!

Lilyana and Julia

Did you know Aria Industries does custom work? A few months ago, a client contacted me about creating earrings for a gift. She loved the simplicity of the Lilyana earrings, but thought the crystal quartz briolettes were too large. We discussed options and she ended up picking smaller versions of the same stone. Here are the original Lilyana and custom Julia earrings:

Winner! Winner!

The winner of the 2010 $50 gift card draw is Nendie Pinto-Duschinsky! She won with her purchase of the Sonya earrings in November 2010 and will be able to use her gift card for anything online at aileen.etsy.com. She can also give the gift card to someone else to use!

Want to know how to win the 2011 $50 gift card draw? Each purchase from the shop is equal to one entry and the draw will be done in early January 2012. Although that is still a year away, it's never too early to get your name in!