the gray lodge

NEW NEW NEW

2011-11-04T11:02:00.000-04:00

New websites!!

Please find me at http://laurelhilljewelry.com, and check out the new blog at http://laurelhill.tumblr.com.

GIVEAWAY

2011-06-01T11:18:00.006-04:00

I'm doing a giveaway on my friend Christina's blog, Down & Out Chic, please check it out for a chance to win some handmade jewelry!

Choose between a set of 5 Relic rings...

or the Plainview necklace and earrings...

or the Sunburst cuff and Crescent necklace!

Chinese painting

2011-05-28T15:04:00.003-04:00

Just listed this ring on Etsy, it's a spiky Chinese painting jasper cabochon with sterling and brass, BAD ASS.

country gentlemen

2011-05-17T21:59:00.001-04:00

new listings

2011-05-17T20:52:00.003-04:00

been hard at work, y'all...

brass double-crescent necklace with a sterling silver chain

bronze vertebra on a silver chain

Silent Planet

2011-05-13T23:05:00.004-04:00

My crescent necklace is featured in an awesome Etsy treasury, thanks Miss M.

{print by HarperSmith}

Agate claw

2011-05-12T10:42:00.000-04:00

Just listed...

red agate, sterling silver, and brass

holy cow

2011-05-11T20:48:00.000-04:00

haven't posted in FOREVER, gonna try and get back to it.
so, here are some of my new favorite earrings...

they're leopardskin jasper, sterling silver, and brass.

down and out...

2009-05-12T09:41:00.006-04:00

I'm featured on Down and Out Chic, a blog by Christina, a super awesome girl (who also works at Ike & Jane). Every week she does giveaways, and this week it's my bison necklace, so go check it out :)

new new new etch etch etch

2009-04-16T12:39:00.004-04:00

I've been working on some new etchings... it's one of my favorite processes despite the hazards. The results are (almost) always worth it.

Here's a Susia fuciformus, a rad looking moth guy who I couldn't find any info about...

And here's Oculina virginea, a coral found in the Atlantic from North Carolina to the Caribbean...

Wedding rings...

2009-03-17T10:14:00.003-04:00

I got a custom order for new wedding bands from a delightful lady, who I really want to post pictures of, along with her husband, a guitar god, but I don't want to violate anyone's privacy by posting pictures on the internets, so...
The rings are sterling silver and 18k gold, etched with images of bamboo as a symbol of resilience and longevity.

Better Mornings...

2009-02-17T19:20:00.003-05:00

I was featured on Better Mornings Atlanta a few weeks ago in a Daily Candy segment about Valentine's Day gifts. Excellent. I can't seem to figure out how to embed the clip (anyone?), but you can watch it here, check it out around 1:40...

white winter hymnal

2008-12-20T20:57:00.001-05:00

Daily Candy

2008-12-15T11:10:00.006-05:00

Daily Candy featured me today in their Atlanta edition!

"First came the rubber motto bracelets. Then the oversize rhinestone peace sign necklace. And finally, Stacy and Clinton.

There’s an easier way to show you got the message: sleekly gothic jewelry by Athens metalworker Laurel Hill.

Individually stamped pieces combine personal quotations with an Edward Gorey aesthetic. So you can speak your mind while minding your manners.

Spread the word with silver necklaces, knuckle-dusters, and rings large enough for phrases like “Toujours” and “Love will tear us apart.” (Someone actually requested that one.) Custom orders take about a week and can be done in copper or gold.

Proving your distinct taste and the will to use it?

That’s really making a statement."

Defend like a champion today.

2008-11-26T09:51:00.003-05:00

I got a custom order for a banner cuff bracelet with the words "defend like a champion today" and the buyer sent me a message explaining her inspiration...

"I work for the public defender, and plan to focus my career on providing free legal representation to poor folks. I just found out I passed the bar, and I want to remind myself to fight my hardest everyday for my clients."

What an awesome lady.

The Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa

2008-11-25T12:58:00.003-05:00

was excellent, as usual. Thanks Serra!

ICE

2008-11-17T09:34:00.005-05:00

I.C.E. was super! I ran into some old much-missed friends, including a surprise from Byron who bought a small coffee farm in the Dominican Republic. Excellent. Here are some photos, although I love how I didn't bother to straighten my display before taking them...

Amazing

2008-11-14T08:57:00.005-05:00

Andrew Gn

Big, fuzzy visitor...

2008-11-12T08:51:00.004-05:00

This morning I had a handsome visitor in my living room. He wasn't shy at all, I had to shoo him under the couch with a spoon so Special Agent Dale Cooper wouldn't try to eat him. I think he's a wolf spider... anyone?

Treasury

2008-11-11T10:56:00.003-05:00

Enhabiten included my bison necklace in this awesome Etsy treasury...

Sorry the last row is wonky, I'm really no good with computers.

Etsy Feature...

2008-11-10T12:02:00.003-05:00

My custom banner necklace is featured in an Etsy gift guide, hooray!

2008-11-03T17:49:00.004-05:00

new earrings... simple, rustic hoops inspired by ancient Greek jewelry.

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-10-31T13:17:00.004-04:00

curiosity cabinet

2008-10-28T10:04:00.005-04:00

i just joined an amazing Flickr pool, Curiosity Cabinet- Handmade Specimens. it's just what it sounds like, a collection of objects that might have come from a cabinet of curiosities, and they're all handmade. a few favorites...

malodora

crocheted from plastic bags! by gooseflesh

by laurie brown

by 2Roses Jewelry

2008-10-22T11:03:00.003-04:00

I got a custom order for a banner ring with the words "AB IMO PECTORE," latin for "from the bottom of my heart." Here's Steve modeling it.

2008-10-19T10:15:00.002-04:00

new ring...

squirrel update

2008-10-15T16:46:00.005-04:00

I got this email from my mom today...

"Hello! Here are a few pictures from this morning's breakfast-- we actually had 4 of the 5 squirrels present and at one point I had momma's boy (top pic) on my arm with "Girl" eating from my hand and little buddy running up my leg... Momma's boy actually ran down the tree to greet us this a.m.!"

Cute.

rafflesia

2008-10-09T10:30:00.002-04:00

This flower was in a David Attenborough video called "The Private Life of Plants" that I saw years ago, (it's amazing, watch it) and I forgot about it until I happened across a picture of it here, along with a good article. The flower is huge, a meter across, and it looks and smells like rotten meat. Awesome, disgusting.

2008-10-08T18:27:00.008-04:00

There's a fantastic post by Sadie on Jezebel about an exhibit of 19th century Native American clothing at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York. "Fast fashion" is a touchy subject for me, and the value and significance of these garments is striking. Clothing doesn't mean as much today. There are small designers who make meaningful, sustainable clothing and people who make their own clothes from recycled materials, but it isn't the norm. At least when the apocalypse comes nobody will have a choice. OK, that's a pretty selfish thing to say, but Forever21 pisses me off. Yes, they have cute clothes, but in two months they'll fall apart and be out of style. And then they go to the landfill. And I won't get into the labor exploitation.

2008-10-06T08:38:00.002-04:00

More new etched jewelry... these earrings are etched with images of Porpita nuda, a tiny aquatic invertebrate.

squirrel rescue

2008-10-05T14:11:00.004-04:00

My parents brought home the baby squirrel that was injured, along with 4 of his friends, from the wildlife rehabilitation center. His eye healed, and he doesn't seem to be scared of my parents, like his mom. The squirrels have a little house (until they can build their own shelters), and a food dish, although they prefer gathering acorns from the yard.

2008-10-02T11:55:00.003-04:00

more etching...

star anise

tecolotl

2008-09-25T09:45:00.005-04:00

My friend Stephanie makes amazing prints/textiles/paintings/embroidery and I've had the good fortune to make some trades with her. Here's what I got...

I wanted to shoot them in their natural environment on the wall, but my hand just isn't steady enough. My photos don't do them justice, hopefully you can still tell how rad they are.

2008-09-24T13:06:00.003-04:00

I've been etching again, it's smelly and chemically and potentially dangerous, but the results are great.

2008-09-22T10:16:00.008-04:00

My friend Steve's cat brought him a dead bird, so he mummified the legs and requested that I make him an earring.

fossils

2008-08-21T11:00:00.006-04:00

I made these earrings over a year ago as an etching experiment and then somehow forgot about them... I think I was disappointed with how they turned out... But I found them, and I love them. It's so easy to dismiss something that isn't at first what you thought it would be.

yellena

2008-06-30T14:35:00.006-04:00

This girl has a beautiful etsy shop, this print is my favorite...

www.yellena.etsy.com

double finger jasper rings

2008-06-18T23:06:00.007-04:00

little paper planes

2008-05-31T00:20:00.008-04:00

little paper planes

Hannah Stouffer

Renee Garner

Fudge Factory

Tugboat Printshop

moby dick

2008-05-29T09:49:00.007-04:00

Growth Series

2008-05-20T10:18:00.006-04:00

2008-02-22T10:07:00.005-05:00

"he abhorred everything about the mass-production era, believing only artisans were engaged in noble work. he felt people were demeaned by machines and realized their full potential only through creativity."