The Agate chokers

I love, love, love how all of these turned out. I had stumbled along these strands of agate slices in Shanghai, and though they looked a bit banged-up and crazy hanging in the supplies shop, I saw how they could also be thoroughly 'vogue'.

So what I have done is simply put in tiny 24K vermeil spacers, to luxe it up without affecting the organic fall of the piece. So that when worn, it sits on the collar in a gorgeous leaf-fall formation.

How super is this? I love how this dramatic blue piece happens to have an Evil Eye as a centrepiece...

... how the colour and leaf-fall of this fuchsia- pink one is uber-chic and organic at the same time...

...and how this black one will look so 21st-century Katherine Hepburn with a simple white button-down shirt.

These will be up in the Etsy shop by coming weekend.


**Update, 30 April: All of the above have found loving homes... :)

Festering mess

This is the spillover mess from my workspace. It has been such hot days, and I have had to position myself in the middle of the sofa, directly under the ceiling fan (which is also conveniently smack in front of the TV) to do my crafting.

It's terrible that there is one seat less on the sofa. I am not proud. It worries me that I have absolutely no control over my burgeoning work area/clutter.

On a happier note, I do tend to be more productive. I am comfortably sunk into the sofa, cooled by the fan, and entertained by a continuous stream of the Style Network's usual fare. Last night I managed to complete 2 chokers (if you look closely you can see the blue one lying there) half-watching Dr. 90210, Kimora, and Peter Perfect (...riveting stuff). Pictures of them gorgeous agate chokers shall be posted tomorrow. I shall go photograph them now... :)

(See? That's how I end up not ever getting round to tidying up... There's just so many more fun/important things to do!)

29th Top Etsy Seller in Singapore

According to an unofficial Etsy poll at Etsy By Numbers, MAYA & RUHI is the 29th Top Etsy seller from Singapore. Good to know. :)

New stuff

Actually I have a version of these art nouveau-inspired pieces at the Etsy shop right now, in a transluscent ocean teal crystal. It's been selling relatively well, so I have decided to try it in other colours, and it has turned out pretty excellent.


This one with cherry Swarovski crystal is so bold and sexy, while the other one with amethyst Swarovski crystal is moody and elegant. I love how these turned out. I will be listing these soon.

As for this one below, I found these gorgeous coin pearls when I was in Shanghai recently, with a glorious sheen and lovely iridescent pink lustre. I thought I should just let it shine pretty much on its own, so I left it simple, with this long 14K gold plated ear wire.

Benjamin Franklin

Best known as one of the founding forefathers of the United States of America gracing the US 100-dollar bill, Benjamin Franklin was also an accomplished scientist who invented the lightning rod and bifocal spectacles, a political theorist and satirist, a key figure in the thoughts that shaped the Age of Enlightenment with his documentation of the history of physics, and a wise, quotable individual who famously said:

"Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

"Amen!" to that.

"Oye! Puttar!"

Waris Ahluwalia on the streets of New York a few days ago, snapped by The Sartorialist, Scott Schuman, most celebrated and way-cool fashion blogger-guy. Anytime you're feeling uninspired, his is the go-to blog.

Good vibrations

Yesterday, I had the pleasure and honour of accompanying a friend to a diamond jewelry boutique to help her pick out her engagement ring.

Now, there some things you should know about me before I go on. I don't wear jewelry unless I have to. Ironic as it may seem, seeing that I am a jewelry designer and craftsperson. But I feel that too much jewelry might make me look over-decorated, because as is, I have quite a bit to look at on my skin. Even the clothes I wear are pretty monochromatic so as not to detract from my tattoos.

So here I am, sitting in a diamond jewelry boutique for the first time in my entire life. And to make up for all this time of having scoffed at these ridiculously-priced little shiny rocks, I find myself succumbing to the glorious bling of all these diamond rings, and relishing it, big-time.

I will not lie. It is FANTABULOUS. There is just something about women's weakness for shiny little things. It is not a myth, that diamonds are a girl's best friend. I swear I kid you not.

Rows and rows of the most gorgeous, gorgeous little things I have ever been in the company of. Even the simple solitaire just sitting on a plain band made me want to cry. For the first time, I find myself in selection mode over diamond rings.

The very kind lady (I guess they would all have to be since people are coming in to spend thousands) asked if we needed assistance. My friend told her she was looking for an engagment ring, and the lady picked out a few classic designs, which included the 3-stone ring, and the Eternity ring. My friend tried them on, and boy did they turn her into a million dollars in a split second. The diamond ring is the most amazing look upgrading tool if I ever did see one.

We basked in all that diamond glory for about half and hour and in the end, she picked this out-of-this-world gorgeous oval-cut number. And I went home with a tingling sensation all over from all that diamond-vibe, that lasted well into the evening.

It's Earth Day!

On My Lust List...

Handy little handsoap (pun SO intended). Would you say these are disturbingly cute, or cute in a disturbing way? Amputated baby hands, or little dolly soap? In any case, I love it for its freak factor and how it is sure to be a conversation piece among houseguests. These are available at foliage.

Yoga eases and releases

The benefits of doing yoga in the mornings...