Enjoy 30% off this Valentine's Day!

Being the last Valentine's Day that I will be able to spend with my husband without the wailing of a baby in the house, there will be a special 30% off promotion for all jewelry on my website and my Etsy store!

Simply check out with the promo code XOFeb14 before February 14, 2014.*

Most styles are currently in stock and I will not be creating new inventory after February so hurry up before they are all gone!

For those of you who are thinking of a special tailor-made piece for yourself or your loved ones, I am still open to custom design until March 1, 2014. After that, I will only take custom orders that are modifications based on current designs, up till March 31, 2014. So let me know asap if you have any ideas in mind!

*Cannot be combined with other offers. If your existing discount codes do not work anymore, don't worry, they will be available again after the store-wide promotion is over.

A custom designed ring for an illustration artist

This is another ring I custom made for a good friend of mine, who is a very talented illustration artist. Her name is Jessica Boehman and she specializes in pencil and color pencil drawings for children books, animals and fantastic characters from myths.

The rutilated quartz was chosen as it ressembles the lines in a pencil drawing. Jess does a lot of drawings of nature so I have chosen a tree design around the stone. I made the ring model from droplets of wax. After the model was done and cast in sterling silver, I soldered the bezel on, hand-polished and oxidized the silver to create an antique look that matched the darkness of the stone. And set the quartz in myself.

This is a fun project! If you want to collaborate on a design, drop me a line!

The Making Of the Custom Made Wedding Ring Project

This is a project that I started with a customer since mid-2013. Between discussions, travel plans, pregnancy...etc it took much longer than we both thought it would be. But the process is collaborative and exciting, the result is amazing and I love (even the most painful moments) every second I spent working on them.

The original brief is to create a set of rings designed around the concept of being "together." We started with a yin-yang concept. Then I designed 2 very rough 2-D sketches to show what I have in mind and this one was picked.

(Excuse the ugly rendering...did it all on photoshop :P)

My concept is an elongated heart shape, with each ring carrying half a heart. Together, the two rings form one pattern. Yet when separated, each would still retain its own individuality.

After I got the approval to proceed, I started carving the original wax model for the male ring because it provided the most surface to work on, so we could really see the effect of the curves. It was a tedious process. Click on the snapshot below to read a little more about each step on my flickr album.

There were 3 different models created before we finally arrived at something both of us liked. And in between, I found out I was pregnant, and went through a couple months of inactivity from the all-day sickness. We joked about how the wedding rings were actually made by 2 of us - me and my baby. Talking about good omen!

The final set was cast in tarnish-resistant sterling silver and hand-polished to a mirror finish.

I love working on custom designed projects because each one is designed with a person in mind. They are "born" to be a part of someone's life. When I started creating jewelry, I always believe that jewelry is more than accessories to an outfit, but it should call upon the wearer's reminiscence of an unforgettable moment.

I hope I can continue to work more on these meaningful projects. If any of you are interested at creating your own set of jewelry with me, simply drop me a line and let's collaborate!

This Holiday, celebrate with Harlequin&Lionhead!

*Free US standard shipping offer is valid until December 31, 2013 and cannot combined with any other offers.
**This newsletter subscription offer valid until December 31, 2013. Cannot be combined with any other offers and cannot be transferred. No cash values. Cannot be applied to previous orders.

What has Harlequin&Lionhead been up to?

Friends of Harlequin&Lionhead, thank you for being supportive this year despite that at times I have been a bit too quiet online...

2013 has been a strange year. It was a difficult start for me at the beginning due to my health as some of you may have known. Then in the past September, my little Lionhead, Charcoal, passed away at 12 years of age. He had a good long life and the last 2 years of his life was filled with rosy moments with his young new companion, Roxy. Despite that I have been preparing myself for the day to come, it was just heart breaking and mind numbing to have to face it. Somehow it feels like the golden era of "Harlequin&Lionhead" has come to an end with the passing of both Toffee and Charcoal. It took awhile for me to become positive again, for the sake of Roxy and this new life growing inside of me. 

Yes, that is another update I have to give you, and possibly a very legitimate excuse for being so quiet on my blog and social media recently! I had a horrible first trimester constantly feeling sick and tired so a few shows were cancelled in the late summer and early fall. My mother decided to move to US to help me through my pregnancy, so I have been spoiled like a little girl again. It is a great feeling to be able to take some time off and focus at my family again. 

As my energy picked up again, I started working on a few jewelry projects for my friends and myself that I have been putting off, which you will see soon!

I feel truly blessed for the luxury of time I am given, the support of my family, the love and patience you have shown me all these years. Now I am not going to give up my jewelry line at all so don't worry! It is business as usual here except there will not be another trunk show for awhile...I am still designing jewelry, if not more than ever in order to distract myself from the anxiety of motherhood! You will see another post from me soon about my recent custom designed wedding rings for my NYC client. 

In terms of the existing line for wholesale and consignment, I am working with my usual production team in New York city so there will not be any delay. For custom orders, I will be working at my workbench until early spring. Should my schedule change, I will be posting updates on my blog and on my website with ample notice (fingers crossed everything will go as planned!) 

For retail customers, I have a good amount of stock available for the existing line so if you are planning on getting some gifts for this holiday, check out the selected items on sale in my store, and take advantage of the 10% off newsletter subscription promotion (sign up for my mailing list to enjoy it) or the free US domestic shipping offer available until end of this month. Also, I have added Fedex 2-day shipping option for US customers who are buying last minute gifts. Lots of things going on right now so come check on my blog often, or like my facebook page to keep in touch. 

As always, love and hugs from Harlequin&Lionhead. Thank you for being here. 

Trunk Shows at Hester Street this Sat and next

Come say hi at my trunk show at Hester Street this Sat and next.

Hester Street August hour is actually from noon-10pm with live DJ and special events. But I'll be there up to 9pm only.

The Rose bouquet ring shown here is only available as samples at the trunk show with limited sizes only. So come grab it before it is gone! Some items will be on sale too at sample prices. Don't miss it ;)

Get cozy at my revamped eBoutique ;)

Harlequin&Lionhead eShop is revamped! Head over to play and browse at my new website :) Let me know what you think about it.

Oh, remember, if you sign up for my mailing list, you get 10% off your first purchase! And there is a secret gift for whoever opened an account on my Harlequin&Lionhead fashion jewelry homepage ;) Sh...