Jewelry Design Inspiration: Nature

As you may have noticed if you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, nature is a huge inspiration for me.

I have keep a nature journal and I go out into nature anytime I get the chance.

Recently I visited the Mill Creek Falls with my husband. The falls were easy to get to once we find the trail, but it did take a couple trips because we had incorrect directions.

I love waterfalls. I find them relaxing, inspiring and just simply beautiful. Before getting to the falls I was grouchy and annoyed. As soon as we found the right trail and I were on the path to the falls I was relaxed, calm and happy again.

I often talk about being inspired by nature and picking colors or shapes or just the general feeling of inspiration and recharge you get from nature. But in this circumstance I picked up some souvenirs (rocks) to actually use in jewelry.

I have a rock collection and we often will pick up a rock or two from a river or place we visit. In this case the rocks all had this metallic quality to them. Also, I love rocks that have been smoothed by water.

This is one of the rocks we found. It isn't smooth, but when I saw it I knew it would be perfect for a pendant.

Even as I was picking out a few rocks I was envisioning a bracelet with these rocks all wrapped in brass or copper and picked them out for that specific purpose.

Here's the jewelry I made from those rocks:

For the bracelet and one of the necklaces, I used brass wire to wrap the rocks and used brass findings to put it all together. (Similar bronze wire here.) For the other I used silverplated. (Find that wire here.)

I love the look, but I also love that the rocks came from such a beautiful place where I have such wonderful memories.

How does nature inspire you?

Here are 30 seconds of Mills Creek falls if you need a little relaxation:

Love nature?

Want to learn to make jewelry with souvenirs you find in nature? Plus make jewelry inspired by nature?

Check out my Nature Jewelry Workshop and get several videos on different techniques for using nature as inspiration and actually using nature in your jewelry making! Click below to learn more!