Friday, October 30, 2009

The winner is...

Renée #19!!

Congratulations on winning this weeks giveaway. Please send me your shipping information and I will get this out to you within the next few days! Unfortunately, this move still has us living out of boxes, so I haven't been able to get my new office set up. By Monday I will have something great for you though! Have a great weekend and
Happy Halloween!!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Moving Day!

Hey everyone...unfortunately there won't be a spotlight today. We're moving! I have already packed away the camera and cables so there is no way for me to upload pictures of my newest piece, but you will see it soon! Hopefully I'll be settled in enough on Friday that I can get a picture up at the same time as the giveaway winner announcement. Don't forget to enter 3 times to win! I'll be back Friday.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Giveaway: San Francisco ($32)

Good morning! Today's giveaway item is a new necklace! Here's your back story:
The California Gold Rush in the late 1800's brought many wealthy entrepreneurs to the city and resulted in economic and population growth. The early success of many led them to build in extravagance and as a result, the city is well known for its Victorian architecture today. Reminiscent of that Victorian influence, this necklace's focal point is a solid smokey quartz drop faceted to look like a miniature chandelier. San Francisco is known for its gloomy days and fog that rolls in off the coast, which is why I chose this moody rock as the city's signature piece. The necklace has a simple chain but is hung in a unique way, giving it just enough detail without taking the attention away from this amazing gem.

You know the drill! You have from now until Thursday at midnight (MST) to comment on this post 3 times and be entered into the random drawing to win this necklace! Good luck!


Materials: silver finished chain, silver plated clasp and rings, smokey quartz gemstone drop

Don't forget to check out the new Etsy shop! The link is on the right sidebar >

Friday, October 23, 2009

The winner is...

Congratulations to
Ashley, #23!!
Please let me know where you'd like your fabulous new pair of earrings sent and I will get them out to you as soon as possible!

In other Ruth Parker News....check out the etsy shop this weekend because we are OPEN! I have started listing a few things and will continue to do so over the weekend so check back often! I am SO excited, and especially grateful to all of you for your support and interest. Be sure to tell your friends, and I will see you back here Monday for the next awesome giveaway item!
Have an AWESOME weekend!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Lost & Found: Ruth Parker Poppies Nouveau ($52)

It's Wednesday! Today's spotlight is on a new Lost and Found piece that is especially dear to my heart because it is a poppy! (For those of you who don't know, the poppy is California's state flower, which is why my logo has poppies incorporated into it.) So here's your history lesson for the day:
Art Nouveau was a reaction to the "academic art" (Neoclassicism and Romanticism) of the 19th century and the segway into the early modernism of the 20th century. It bridged the gap between its predecessors: the extremely ornate styles and ethereal paintings of years past, and the future: simplistic, clean lines and the attention to detail as in the Arts and Crafts, Art Deco and mid-century modern movements that were to come. There was an emphasis on organic forms; trees, flowers, and other plants, as well as other flowing, curvilinear motifs. I recently found this awesome bracelet from the Art Nouveau era (1890-1905) and decided to make 4 limited edition necklaces out of the charms. They are sterling silver over brass which makes them very lightweight. Because they are so old, the color is beautifully tarnished and on a couple of places, the brass is actually showing through. I love the freeform look of the poppies and thought they were the perfect pieces for a signature Ruth Parker necklace. Who knows, maybe someday we'll make reproductions and this will be the "it" necklace of my brand! For now, there are only 4 available, so grab one while you can!



Materials: Sterling silver plated brass antique poppy charms, Sterling Silver chain, silver plated fancy rings, jumprings, lobster clasp and tab

Monday, October 19, 2009

Giveaway: Pasadena Earrings ($18)

Pasadena is one of my favorite cities in California because I am a huge fan of the Craftsman era of architecture, and one of the most recognizable houses from that time is in this city. It's called the Gamble House, and it was built by Charles and Henry Greene in 1908. When I started making jewelry, I knew I wanted to pay tribute to California in some way, but I just wasn't sure how I was going to make that work. Sometimes I start with the city and try to find pieces that remind me of it, and other times I see the pieces and they represent the city for me in some way. As soon as I saw the cloisonne beads that make up this earring and necklace set, I knew instantly...they are Pasadena to me. The colors green and pink, the gold filigree bars in the necklace, the roses (for the Tournament of Roses and Rose Parade every year), everything just clicked. Arts and Crafts architecture is heavy on simplicity, but with an air of sophistication. There was an extreme attention paid to detail, not a lot of fluff, clean lines, natural materials, and beautiful stained glass. I tried to exemplify all of that in this set, because we all know I love an updated vintage look!

I know, this was more of a spotlight today, but these are some of my very favorite pieces so I felt like talking about them more than normal! Remember, you have until Thursday at midnight to comment 3 times on this post! Good luck to everyone! (Check out the FAQ's if you are new to this and need more information as to how Giveaways work).

Materials: Gold plated earwire and headpins, cloisonne enamled bead, pink mother of pearl beads

Friday, October 16, 2009

The winner is...

Amy, number 6!
Congratulations! (Please email me your shipping information so that I can get this sent out to you on Monday!) Thank you all SO much for commenting, I really appreciate everyone's thoughts! I am flying out of town early (too early) tomorrow morning, which is why I'm posting this right after the deadline. (Otherwise, I would be asleep, but packing and cleaning the house has taken a bit longer than expected...I guess it IS expected when you are a procrastinator like me...especially with things I dread, like cleaning and packing!) Anyway, I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend, and we'll see you back here next week!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Spotlight: Queen of Hearts ($32)

This necklace is a tribute to one of my favorite childhood books/movies, Alice in Wonderland. Each of the charms represents something from the story, with the large baroque-cut crystal in the center representing Alice. There is a rose, a rabbit, a black cat face, and a key, all hanging under a heart accented with a red glass bead. I think it is fun and whimsical, and who doesn't need a little bit of both in their lives these days?




Materials: Antique gold steel chain, glass bead, zinc heart, gold plated filigree rose, mother-of-pearl carved rabbit, German crystal, jet carved cat, zinc key, antique brass clasp.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Giveaway: Crystal Candy Dish ($42)

Good afternoon! How is it afternoon already? Sorry for the delay in posting...I was finalizing this necklace and working between baby nap times/feedings...it's been a crazy day. I hope everyone likes the finished product. Let me know what you think! Remember, you can enter the drawing 3 times from now until Thursday at midnight. Tell all of your friends! This is number 2/20 of the second design from the crystal lamp necklaces. These are awesome vintage crystals and there are only going to be 20 of each necklace so grab one while you can! Good luck!

Side View


Top View
Materials: silver finished chain, silver plated clasp, rings, pins and caps; glass, chalk turquoise, mother of pearl, dyed jade, and fossil beads; vintage crystal pendant


Friday, October 9, 2009

The winner is...

Lisa, number 28! Congratulations! You will receive number 2/20 of these limited edition necklaces (I was able to salvage 80 crystals from the original lamp, but there will only be 20 of these necklaces). Please contact me with your shipping information so that I can get this beauty out to you today. Thank you so much to everyone who posted. We are so excited that things are starting to take off around here...it's been a long time coming! I hope everyone will be back next week for another giveaway item. Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Spotlight: San Juan Capistrano Earrings ($18)

I'm not a huge fan of matchy matchy earrings/necklace combos, but sometimes you just need a set that compliments the other to finish off an outfit. These are similar to the San Juan Capistrano Necklace ($38) without being exactly the same.

San Juan Capistrano is a city in Southern California famous for its catholic mission which was founded in 1776. A little known fact about the area: it was also the site of the very first vineyard and winery in California.

Materials: gold plated memory wire, glass and turquoise beads, 24k gold plated seed beads.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Giveaway: Icy Blossoms Necklace ($42)

Welcome back! Is anyone else completely freaked out by the fact that it's October already? Off topic, I know, but definitely what's on my mind at the moment. Anyway, this weeks Giveaway is a brand new necklace that I designed over the weekend and am absolutely in love with. I'm calling it "Icy Blossoms" because I used a vintage crystal from my collection salvaged off of an old lamp, (click here for a link to that post) and a few random flower beads that ended up going together perfectly. I love the simplicity, the daintiness, and the colors! The crystals are stunning and definitely take center stage in this piece. Someone is going to get very lucky with this one! Remember, all you have to do is comment on this post throughout the week (until Thursday at midnight) to be entered to win. The odds are in your favor! Just do it!

Materials: distressed silver finished chain, silver plated clasp, vintage crystal pendant, hand distressed silver plated rose charm, glass and acrylic beads.

This silver plated rose charm was bright silver, but I wanted it to look more antiqued so I hand distressed it to give it this awesome finish. LOVE the finished product!

Friday, October 2, 2009

The winner is...

Number 2!! Congratulations to Meghan, the winner of our first-ever giveaway drawing! I used Random.org's random number generator which was so easy and fast! Please email me the address of where you'd like them sent and I will get the earrings out to you as soon as possible. Happy Friday to everyone, I will see you next week! I leave you with this quote to ponder...

Let us not be too particular. It is better to have old second-hand diamonds than none at all. ~Mark Twain

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