Splashes of Color for Summertime Bling...

The Pretty Peacock is filled with jewelry that means something to the wearer. It's meant to inspire and motivate you, take you back to a special place or time, remind you of love itself.  I adore the jewelry that has made The Pretty Peacock the special place customers come to to find that piece of jewelry that is going to bring sentimental joy to the wearer.

BUT

I also love wearing jewelry that makes you feel daringly glamorous.  I have not designed statement pieces for The Pretty Peacock, yet, but I think my recent little endeavor in expanding my own jewelry wardrobe has left me wanting to create some colorful beauties with giant bling.  I want to create pieces that you are going to want to wear with those Summer dresses just so they catch the sunlight and blind the nearest person (in the very nicest way possible).

Colorful Experiments with The Pretty Peacock

Here's a sampling of some fun, colorful statement pieces that I am definitely going to be wearing this Summer - whether it's with that elegant whatever-I-plan-to-wear to various weddings, to the more casual wear to the local pool with the kids.  I guarantee you I will get a bunch of "ooh's" and "ahh's"...and I love that type of thing (and who doesn't?) ! :)

This royal purple color has me swooning!

This is my favorite little set...

Made this set for my mama! :)

 There will be a lot more color this season from TPP...I guarantee you that!  Let me know your thoughts!

Countdown to Mother's Day...The Definition of Family Pendant

I love wearing pendants that have a lot of little parts - especially when each part is packed full of meaning and sentiment.

The Definition of Family Pendant set has so many meaningful parts - each hanging together in harmony on a single chain.

There is a circle charm with a heart that can have the first names of the head of the family, a bar pendant with the dictionary layout of the word "family", a puffed gold heart (so sweet!), and then you can add on as many small initial charms as you like.

This makes such a personal gift - and perfect for those families that haven't finished growing, yet, because you can add on initials as a member is added.

Mothers, grandmothers, godmothers would love the sweet sentiment behind this pendant set.  Makes the perfect gift for Mother's Day!

Find our Definition of Family Pendant set here: http://www.theprettypeacock.com/necklaces/definition-of-family-pendant-set.html

US customers only have one week left to place their order for Mother's Day 2013. Check out our entire Mother's Day Gift Guide for ideas!

Perfect way to ask your besties to honor you on your big day....

There are so many splendidly overwhelming things to tackle when planning a wedding.  Every bride wants their big day to be filled with memorable moments not just for the couple to be wed, but for everyone involved.

Can't Say "I do" Without You - bridesmaid, maid of honor, flower girl pendants

We came up with the "I Can't Say "I do" Without You" pendants as a way to make your bridesmaids, maid/matron of honor, and flower girl feel special and cherished when you ask them to honor you on your special day.  Each pendant comes on a beautiful presentation card with even a little space so you can write your own message to the recipient.

 We package it all up in an elegant, satin drawstring pouch, ready to gift.

You can add charms like this beautiful peacock charm (for those peacock-inspired weddings!)...

Or personalize the gemstone charm with an initial...

You can choose the birthstone of the recipient, or match the gem to your wedding colors - if you don't see one that would work, just contact us and we can work with you to find something perfect!

It's our FIVE year anniversary...

First piece The Pretty Peacock ever sold - very fitting!

Five years ago today - I officially created a company called "The Pretty Peacock".  I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur.  There are several adjectives that come to mind when I think of myself...but back in the day, entrepreneurial would not have been one of them. 

Now, I believe it is the only way I could truly be happy making a living.

The first piece I ever sold was the one pictured above. It was purchased just a week after it was listed by a person who was gifting it to a recent graduate.  My first sale was going to someone who was embarking on a new journey of their own.  Someone who will {sometimes} need to fight off what is practical, what is expected, what is mainstream...and follow her heart.  It could not have gone to a more perfect recipient.

In five years, there has been a ton of growth, both professionally and personally.  I have learned that things rarely come out as expected, but everything is a success in one form or another because 1) you likely learned something, 2) you know what DOESN'T work, and 3) no matter how tear-your-hair-out pissed you get, there is always another opportunity to do it another way.

When I started, I wished there was a "Answer All My Questions" book out there that I could just pop open and start attacking the list of steps in order to get where I wanted to go.  But now, I realize that making my own path, my own list of "rules", is clearly the only way to go.

I create my jewelry in much the same way: A lot of reckless abandon. Happy pursuits of chasing a whim.  Bringing to life pieces that I hope will bring tears, inspiration, reflection - pleasant emotion - in the midst of our chaotic world.

That's why I create what I do:  They are tangible pieces of happiness - not because of the metal it is made out of, or the gemstones that adorn it - but because the person who wears it gives it life. 

I am writing this post mostly as a note to myself to remember that I have been blessed to be doing what I love, that I work my butt off to make sure that my business keeps growing without sacrificing quality or artistic vision, and that I am so proud of where I am right at this very moment. 

It's not often that we give ourselves praise.  But, good gracious, we should. We should do it on a daily basis, maybe hourly if it's been one of those weeks. 

I am over-the-moon happy and proud to announce the Five Year Anniversary of 

The Pretty Peacock!

Mother's Day is right around the corner...

There are so many choices in jewelry for moms these days...but, there are not many elegantly unique, meaningful, heirloom-quality pieces to choose from.

One of our most popular pieces is the Inspiral.  These sumptuous swirls of recycled sterling silver (it's eco-friendly, too!), have text stamped on the outside, while a delicate pattern adorns the inside of the curves.

We have seven different text choices, one of which is made for moms, exclusively:

It reads: "a mother's love knows no end"

Another great choice for mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, aunties, is the "You are Loved ~ Always" Inspiral:

"You are loved ~ always" Inspiral

 Our seven, ready-made text choices ship out within 48 hours - we have one for best friends, as a symbol of gratitude, and three choices in Sanskrit.

Now, we have a personalized version of the Inspiral, so you can have your own words on our most elegant of pieces!

Personalize your own Inspiral

Now until April 15th, enjoy 25% off your entire order! Use discount code:
TPPBDAY2013

This is the PERFECT time to stock up on all those gift giving events that are coming up in the next few months - and, Mother's Day is right around the corner...give her something that she'll tear up over, why don't you?!

Wedding Day Cuff Links and Bouquet Charms

In all the chaos that ensues on the day of the wedding, there aren't too many things that you can hang onto as tangible memories of the day. Sure, you'll have a zillion photos, your dress will likely be preserved in a big box that will reside in the back of your closet, maybe your bouquet will even be dried and pressed and kept somewhere.

But what about something that can be passed down, and even worn long after the day has passed?

The Pretty Peacock is a romantic. Yup, that pretty bird loves the idea of having all sorts of meaningful info artistically arranged on a small piece of jewelry so that it can be worn with sweet nostalgia. *sigh*

So, we came up with some lovelies that you can keep forever.

The Wedding Day Cuff Links come in two variations:

One has the latitude longitude coordinates of the engagement (or first kiss, perhaps) location along with the initials of you and your betrothed (or soon-to-be-such) with the second link having the coordinates of the wedding venue and the date.

The other option is to have one set of special coordinates and the wedding date (or engagement date...or whatever other special date) with the initials in the center, and the second link having the wedding date and coordinates of the wedding venue with the initials in the middle. This variation is awesome for those who need symmetry!

The You + Me Charms make the most lovely of bouquet-turn-awesome-keepsake-pendant charm. You can do whatever you like with this: initials in the center, then you can have the wedding date in Roman Numerals (or regular numerals), coordinates of wedding venue, engagement, maybe both? Even if you didn't come across these beauties in time for your wedding, you can still have one to love and hold now! Or, drop some hints for an upcoming anniversary (we do have a wish list that is easily email-able!).

Fresh for Spring ~ Straight from the Studio

Spring has technically begun, but Mother Nature hasn't really agreed, yet. Here, in the Pacific Northwest, we were greeted by Spring with a rambunctious display of pea-sized hail and 40 mph winds.

In anticipation of this, loveliest of seasons, I have created some new designs that I hope embrace the idea of happiness, sweetness, and all things good. They are perfect for Mother's Day, which is right around the corner!

The first piece is the You + Me Sweet Love Hand Carved Charm. Crafted from recycled fine silver, this charm pays homage to that sweet kind of love - the kind that makes you want to draw hearts and put initials all over the place. You can have some nice liittle words, maybe names, or a special date handwritten onto the back of the charm just to amp the sweetness level up a bit.

The next piece is the Definition of Family pendant set. I love multiple, little pieces of beauty on the same chain, especially when each one holds special meaning. The trick is to make sure all those lovelies are small enough not to make me feel like I'm toting around a ton of stuff around my neck. This one has single initials (for the kids), a charm with a heart and some names (for the parents), the "definition" piece, and a gold vermeil heart charm. This piece is cool because you can add on more initial pieces if your family isn't done growing.

The Sweet Circle Initial Charms are a fresh take on those plain, boring initial pendants. These have
some character - and a pretty pattern on the reverse (like all Pretty Peacock pieces) - we always want you to be looking at something beautiful. You can add on birthstone, which has made these necklaces very popular bridesmaids gifts! (we can even find the perfect shade of stone to match the wedding colors).

My new favorite piece are these super, duper special Personalized Signature Charms. My kids are ten and seven. I don't know how they got that old so quickly. The days of scrawled, letter backwards, sweet notes of "I love you, Mom" are going to be very distant memories before I know it, so I wanted to capture their exact words into silver. These are keepsakes I'm going to hang onto and run my fingers over each letter
for years to come. This is a Mother's Day gift that will definitely bring some tears to Mom's eyes!

Want to be rewarded for getting a jumpstart on your Mother's Day shopping?

Order by April 10th, 2013 and use discount code: MAMA2013 to get 25% off your entire order.

Happy Spring, Everyone!

A Random Selection of Gratitude...

2012 was not a good year for me.  Sure, there were flickers of good, but as a whole, it was filled with pain, regret, remorse, and general awfulness.

BUT

With that awfulness came transcendence.With that pain came understanding. With that remorse came gratitude.

This quote by Nietzsche resonates with me:

"One must have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star." (paraphrased).

I am determined to make 2013 an excellent year, embrace all the multi-faceted excellence that makes me human, and be awash with inspiration on a daily basis.

I want to hear your goals, inspirations, and/or general good thoughts for this year.  There is strength in connection and reading your positive words and quests for greatness will inspire my own soul.

I do not typically run contests on my blog - so, I'm not going to call this a "contest", but rather a random selection of gratitude from me to you.  Here's what I would like you to do:

~ Leave me a comment below with your goals, inspirations and general good thoughts for 2013.

~ Pin on Pinterest your favorite Inspiral pendant by repinning one from my board - one that speaks to you - and make sure to use #inspired in the description . 

(You can follow me on Pinterest if you would like...but you certainly do not have to! www.pinterest.com/prettypeacock )

On January 31st, I will randomly select a comment AND a Pin (that means TWO pendants will be given), and send you an Inspiral pendant of your choice as a symbol of gratitude and inspiration from my hands to yours.

This is open to everyone, any where in the World.

Share your words. Connect. Inspire.

Happy 2013, Everyone!

xoxo

Get Your Holiday Shopping ON!!!

I know it's barely November, but, unfortunately or not, we need to start preparing for the holidays!

ESPECIALLY if you are looking for artisan-made, personalized awesomeness!

The Pretty Peacock is offering a 20% discount and free shipping on the ENTIRE site if you place your order by November 11th (midnight, PST) using coupon code: EARLYBIRD12.

We also just introduced this super sweet Tree of Life Birthstone Pendant at an introductory price of $20 OFF (without a discount code!!) - you can combine our Early Bird special with this one and save!!!

So, go get your shopping started - you'll feel better knowing that you've got something under control!! :)

Grandma and Nana Get Pretty...

I have had a ton of requests for Grandmother jewelry - up until now, I have only created custom pieces.  

Now The Pretty Peacock is offering a 'grandma' and 'nana' pendant OR you can request a custom pendant with the special name that you use for 'grandma' at your house.

The best part of these pendants is that you can add on Swarovski birthstones, which means that even if the family is not done growing, you can keep adding on birthstones as new members arrive!

Each pendant is solid, eco-friendly sterling silver and has an ornate pattern on the reverse (true to Pretty Peacock style).

There is nothing like the love of a grandmother...isn't this a sweet way to tell them you love them?