Inspiration

If you’re in Ithaca, please visit! Green Door Open Studio Sale  Saturday, December 4 from 11AM-4PM Elaina Designs is part of the Monthly First Saturdays on the Greater Ithaca Art Trail. The [...]

Founded in 1789, the storybook Village of Aurora, New York, is situated on a picturesque inlet on the north shore of Cayuga Lake.   This spot has always been favored, originally by the peoples of [...]

Allowing elation then deep sighs of relief to sink in, the Muse finally landed on Inauguration Day. The vibrant colors worn by powerful women on the Capitol veranda shook me from my [...]

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light. To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight, and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings… —Wendell Berry I’m pondering this [...]

Blue as the summer sky or a robin’s egg, people the world over have revered this particular shade of blue as a good luck symbol. The color turquoise is inspirational and transformational. A [...]

An unusual Bluebird visitation occurred early this morning as I began to design jewelry at the Green Door Studio. Was this family confused by the springtime like temperatures?  Or just visiting [...]

“The most amazing thing about wearing this bracelet is that its meaning continues to evolve as I wear it. Lainey has unified the gemstones carefully collected over my lifetime into an intriguing [...]

Rudi Jaeger and Alize Carrere, wedding photo by Sheryl Sinkow, 2019. Rudi surprised Alizé on their wedding day with a white gold and diamond ring made by a jeweler in Denmark. Alizé loved the [...]

Stretching on the yoga rock. The North Rock in my Stone Circle is a luscious lichen green. The symbol, “OM”  vegetable garden has now been weeded and prepared for early spring [...]

Anni Stokes is one of my oldest and dearest. We met at Emory College in 1972 where we were both Educational Studies majors. We also shared the memorable experience of being members of Kelly’s [...]

Jenny Kapella is a new client that found me through a Google search, even though she lives only a mile away. I was very happy to know my website and social media efforts led her to me and I was [...]

As the Holidays approach we reflect on the many things that bless our lives. For me, its been my family and my women friends. Here’s a story of enduring female friendship expressed in three [...]

Thirty years ago when my mother, Irene Phrydas, was diagnosed with breast cancer at 69, there were no support programs to help her through the physical and emotional challenges she faced. Mama [...]

“Who Will Remember the Ice?” My artist self found inspiration in the glaciers and colors of S.E. Alaska 46 years ago. Today my oldest daughter, Alex Van Nostrand works as an Assistant [...]

June Birthstone: PEARL   Above: Sold pins/pendants and custom necklace and enhancer Elaina Designs has long connected with dealers from all over the world in search of rare and unusual high [...]

The mainstay of Elaina Designs relies on custom design, often incorporating inherited gems and diamonds. Clients return again and again because they want something of value that is personalized, [...]

 Spring Green Necklace. Vermeil Clasp, Petal Pearls, Peridot Briolettes, 17″, $230.    Left: 14KT Yellow Gold with Faceted Peridot Briolette Earring Jacket, $475. Peridot Jacket hangs on [...]

My Papa’s exquisite sense of rhythm inspires me. I believe that it is because of him that I keenly recognize the tempo in nature, music or while dancing to the beat as he taught me to do. [...]

Greetings for the New Decade! It is that time of year when I gather gem and pearl requests for the entire year into a bundle to take to Tucson as I ply the aisles of the enormous Gem and Mineral [...]

10-23-10 Musings from my sick bed: Laid up for two weeks from emergency gall bladder surgery on 11-20-10. The Diamond Star! The model photo supposedly depicts how some white dwarf stars in our [...]