San Clemente

Love this picture of the San Clemente pier! My fiance took this picture, and to me it is just the epitome of winter at the beach. The colors and moods captured in this picture are exactly how I think of the beach in the cooler, sometimes rainy, winter months.

We took the kids to Fisherman's, one of our favorite restaurants in San Clemente. The weather was not exactly perfect beach weather, but the kids had been sick all week so it was great to get out and still enjoy the sand and fresh ocean air!

I have found a lot of inspiration in San Clemente for my jewelry, even have named one of my favorite necklaces after San Clemente. Oddly...I created that piece a few years ago, yet it perfectly captures the colors of this picture taken only a few days ago.


This is a special treasure inspired by the natural beauty and wonder of the beaches around San Clemente. The Iolite Necklace is hand-knotted with interesting Iolite roundels. Iolite has a unique quality in that it appears to be slightly different colors from different angles. The Iolite can range from a deep, purple-blue to a blue-gray. A truly amazing stone that makes a special statement piece. The drop consists of a Blue Coin Pearl and three chain drops of Iolite. Like wearing a piece of San Clemente with you every where you go!

Timeless inspiration, timeless jewelry!

Blogging Inspiration

Oh my! I got the most GORGEOUS magazine the other day title "Artful Blogging". I had seen someone mention it in an Etsy forum, and checked it out. Such amazing featured artists, beautiful blogs, lovely prose...makes me want to be a blogger "when I grow up"!

I really recommend Artful Blogging to anyone who is a blogger, or who simply admires beautiful blogs. I feel very inspired to truly think about other boundaries to my blog, to include more artists in my blog, and to truly dive into my own inspirations with my jewelry and other artistic endeavors that I want to develop.

I have been thinking of my blog as a way to communicate what I am doing with my jewelry, new collections, new retailers, etc. But to just take a quiet, thoughtful approach to the whole of my business is something that I am very interested in undertaking. I love photography, yet share only the pictures that I take of my jewelry for the most part. I love needlepoint, cross stitch and now even knitting, but spend very little blog space about how that brings a different kind of joy and energy to me.

Time to dig a bit deeper. Peel away another layer.

K. A. Mace Jewelry offers financing!

I receive countless emails and inquiries about my jewelry, and have often been asked if I offer any financing plans. Fine, handmade jewelry is not cheap (!) and while my sophisticated customers definitely understand the difference between my jewelry and something that is mass-produced, they sometimes just need to cut the gap between a few pay periods, awaiting a tax refund, or simply want to spread out the payments without paying any interest. Well! I have come up with the perfect solution!


K. A. Mace now offers financing on fine, handmade jewelry purchases! Here are the details:

K. A. Mace offers financing on orders $150.00 or more! Upon sending and acknowledging your order, K. A. Mace will charge 1/2 of the total amount to the credit card (or PayPal account) that you choose. Your jewelry will be created and sent to you, as per the order. 30 days after shipping the order, the other 1/2 of the order total will be due, and automatically charged to the credit card (or PayPal account) that you designate. Please contact K. A. Mace at kelly@kamacejewelry.com for more details. (Subject to credit approval). This does include all custom orders.

And, on order of $250.00 or more, this can be extended into as many as four payments!

I love input and feedback from my valued customers, and I hope that you find this to be a great solution to an often-asked question! If you have any questions, as always, email me at kelly@kamacejewelry.com or call at 949.842.1849!

K. A. Mace is Hiring!

That is right! Kelly Alvarez Mace, the owner and designer behind K. A. Mace Jewelry is here to help single-handedly save the national economy and improve the unemployment rate! How? I am looking for great jewelry sales representatives!

You could sell K. A. Mace Jewelry part time and earn a great commission! K. A. Mace Jewelry offers a sales rep an extensive jewelry (and soon to be accessory) product line, a full sample line to assist you with your appointments and sales calls, a full range of price points from my work on Sterling Silver to Gold to Platinum if requested, customized/exclusive jewelry for boutiques and retailers, full online catalog support, a merchant account for any credit card transactions (and you do not pay for any of those fees!), marketing materials (including print catalogs, postcards and more), and all of the support and training that you could need and desire! Experience is preferred, however, the greatest experience is a love of jewelry, understanding fine, handmade jewelry and a passion for meeting people and selling something that pretty much sells itself!

Please feel free to view my jewelry at K. A. Mace Jewelry and contact me at kelly@kamacejewelry.com with any questions! I look forward to adding additional sales reps this year to continue to bring K. A. Mace Jewelry to customers all around the world!

Investing in my Business

I have been in a Diet Coke Detox fog for a day or two, but slowly...that fog is rising...and boy, do I see a bright, sunny day ahead! And...here is a cool part...I just figured out how to find some additional cash to invest in my business!


I have figured out two key purchases that I made in feeding my caffeine craze: Starbucks and Diet Cokes. Starbucks I had to give up, working from home and economizing just did not allow for that daily addiction. So, figuring that I went at least 6 days a week (and sometimes, I would go two times in the same day!), with an average of about $5.00 (venti, extra shots, the not-so-occasional scone or muffin!), with 52 weeks in the year...drum roll...I am now saving $1560.00. Yes, $1560.00!

And, referring to my lifechange2008 blog, I will save at least another $547.50 a year by no longer indulging in Diet Coke. (I will not bore you with that math, you can see it on the other blog post!).

So, I have $2107.50 that I could invest in K. A. Mace Jewelry instead. Or...put toward my retirement...or put in my "Jackson" fund...or put in a vacation fund...or put a bit toward all of it. I truly am proud that I am focusing on my wellness, and proud to be saving precious money. I am even more proud that I could invest that money in things that are truly worthwhile and give me a RETURN on that investment...like my jewelry design business, or something special for my family to enjoy. Otherwise, I am simply lining the pockets of other big corporations.

What could you do differently to line your pockets, what would you want to cut back on to save money, or free up that money to invest in yourself, your business, or your family?

In need of inspiration....

I am having one of those days...I kicked my Diet Coke habit COLD TURKEY over the weekend and am feeling pretty grouchy! I have a brand new kit of PMC3 Silver sitting in front of me, I should be feeling like I could create something really fabulous, but instead I am feeling my withdrawal and just want to go back to bed!


I even got this cool Hattie's tool set to get all official about it, and to be better organized in my studio...


But, instead, I sit here with my sketches and ideas and pout...I miss my Diet Coke! But, I know that this short term discomfort will be outweighed by the long term health benefits...I am on a personal weight loss challenge, and this is going to be a great way to not only lose weight, but focus on my overall wellness.

So, tomorrow is a new day, right?! And, in a few days time I will not be feeling the Diet Coke withdrawal blues...And, the PMC3 will still be there waiting for me and my inspirations...

And, don't forget my Valentine's Day poll and contest. Complete the poll on the upper right side of my blog page, then create a comment on the K. A. Mace Jewelry Valentine's Day Jewelry blog post that includes your name and email (or feel free to email me that info if you wish it to remain private at kelly@kamacejewelry.com). The first 50 to complete the poll and post their comments will be entered in a drawing to win the K. A. Mace Garnet Vine Necklace pictured!

Valentine's Day Jewelry Poll

Yup! Time for another K. A. Mace Jewelry Poll! And, this one is about buying Valentine's Day Jewelry! And, one lucky winner will win the pictured K. A. Mace Vine Design Necklace below for a Valentine's Day present from K. A. Mace Jewelry! HOW???

A couple of very easy steps to enter to win this K. A. Mace Jewelry Vine Design Necklace:

1. Complete poll at left of blog.
2. Enter your information in the Comments section of this blog, including name and email address. If you wish your name and/or email to remain private, feel free to send me your information in an email to kelly@kamacejewelry.com.
3. The first 50 people to vote and register by 2/1 will be entered in a drawing.
4. The winner will be notified by 2/2, and will be mailed the K. A. Mace Vine Design Necklace shown at absolutely no expense to them!

Good luck, and I am excited to see the poll results!

January "Babies"--Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to all of the LUCKY January Babies out there!
Why so lucky? The January Birthstone is GARNET, one of my favorite gemstones with which to work! Garnets come in an amazing array of color, purple or "grape" garnets are featured in the necklace above. K. A. Mace Jewelry has countless garnet options for you to choose from for those you know and love that have a birthday in January!


Above is a lovely Pink Garnet Cluster Ring. Pink Garnets are seriously yummy, they tend to have a very lovely deep, rich pink color. K. A. Mace has many signature Cluster Rings and other Cluster designs!


Red Garnets are one of the more common Garnet colors that are featured in jewelry designs. Red Garnets can range from a clear red to a deep, almost black-red. I love to mix the other Garnet colors with Red Garnets, and I also use Red Garnets with one of my other favorite stones, Beer Quartz. Red Garnet is beautifully dramatic, and is a classic color that truly transcends the seasons!


Green Garnets are beautiful to work with as well as they range from soft, clear greens to emerald green to deep forest greens. If you are looking for Green Garnet jewelry, K. A. Mace has some of the most extensive collections of greens, one of her Green Garnet necklaces was featured in InStyle Magazine!


And, yes, I saved the best for last! Mandarin Garnets are an amazing hue of orange, and are one of my favorite garnet colors. This Garnet is such an exciting color to play with. Mandarin Garnets look fantastic mixed with the other garnet colors...see how gorgeous:



Please contact me with any questions or inquiries regarding the K. A. Mace Jewelry designs featured here in Garnet! Happy Birthday to all those January Babies!

Other Inspirations!

I love to create, in many different mediums. I love jewelry design, it is my passion, and I often dream in jewelry, no lie! However, my other love is needlepoint and cross stitch. I love the needle arts! And, with my obsessive nature, I can get lost for hours in a project! Here is one of my latest creations!



She reminds me of the works of Diego Rivera and also Frida Kahlo. I have one of Rivera's prints from his flower vendor series, and she reminds me a bit of one of those gorgeous women. There is also something about Kahlo in this, in the proportions, I think...and how improbable it would be for these two little birds to be resting on her lap as well! I was blessed to visit their homes and studios outside of Mexico City, and this takes me there every time I view it. I was a Latin American Studies Major at Carleton College, and this brings me back to those studies and my passion and love for their work and their influence on other artists around the world.



Here is another one that I adore, and this is a nod to my love of organic elements! I love to decorate in a della robia style, meaning a style that is decorated or enhanced with fruit. Year around I love to have greenery, fruit and other organic elements in my home. It inspires me, it remindes me of the vitality of life, and fuels my love of bringing the great outdoors to the indoors!



This one was insane to do. First of all, it was my very first needlepoint project, after years of cross stitch! Secondly, the fibers were tough to work with, Very Velvet, Flair, different silks, Neon Rays...but I loved every single stitch and absolutely and proud of my final results!



And, thanks to a smart framer at Aaron Brothers, it is very simply and elegantly framed. No matte, no glass. I was concerned for the safety of the piece, however, without the glass you are able to really get the full effect of the variety of fibers. You can see how fuzzy the peaches are, how silky the apples are, how wet and shiny the cherries are...

Just wanted to share another side of Kelly Alvarez Mace. Off to make jewelry! (And a few more stitches in my newest project!) Thanks and enjoy!

New Year Inspiration!

I am often asked where I find my inspirations for my jewelry designs. This picture is proof positive that I often don't even need to leave my backyard for inspiration! This is the sunset that we were treated to on New Years Day. My fiance, Brian Fiske, took this picture. He was the brave man who strung all of the gorgeous lights on the palm trees!

The colors are just amazing, and I absolutely love how the delicate lights on the palms trees are reflected in the pool. I woke up this morning wanting to create a piece of jewelry that could somehow capture this beauty, this feeling, this moment...

So, back in the studio to think and hopefully create something that is as beautiful as this sunset! Wish me luck! Happy New Year!