Christmas rush Imported

Well, I finally finished uploading all the beautiful creations that I made for the 2025 Christmas shopping season! I attended 3 different bazaars on 3 very different parts of Fairbanks— out Chena Hot Springs, North Pole and West Valley High School! It was great meeting new people, showing off my work and answering questions about different pieces.

I truly love creating— expressing thoughts that cross my mind and being able to produce that with metal, stones and a little fire power is something I never would have guessed I would be doing. I had some great teachers up at UAF— if you’re local and wanting to put your foot in the door, please take a class! You won’t regret it. There are also single classes offered at the University and other private studios in town if you can’t commit to a full semester.

I really focused on expanding the sizes of rings that I offer. I currently have sizes 5-10.5! That is a lot! There was a lot of feedback on the different styles of rings that I had so I tried to create smaller, lightweight rings that don’t feel too big. I am kind of obsessed with the smaller gemstones and I will definitely be on the lookout for more when I head to the Tucson Gem Show! I created a few simple studs for those who don’t like rings. I even created MORE gemstone bookmarks for those who don’t wear jewelry but like shiny things.

I even had time to create a brand new logo. I asked my Instagram followers to tell me an animal that is unique to Alaska— not the ones you would typically say. There were some great answers! I incorporated 20 land animals, 21 sea animals, 10 flying animals, 12 different flowers and 5 different berries that all make Alaska unique! I have been obsessing over a stamp design for a while, which is why I created this one! I added my propane torch head, jewelers saw, my signature forget-me-nots and my last name to the border of the stamp. It’s everything that makes Alaska unique, along with the jewelry I create within this beautiful state. This design really won me over—I am getting a small batch of custom merch with it! I will have medium, large and XL hoodies that I cannot wait for you to see! Depending on how it goes, I may or may not order more. The limit of sweaters you own does not exist, you can never have enough! They make great gifts and it helps get my jewelry name out there.

Anyways, I will continue to sneak out to my bench to create beautiful pieces for you. Please, reach out if you want to create something custom with me! I can do it in silver or gold. If you see me reffing, throw a little “boo” every now and then just to keep me entertained. I get yelled at by my toddler, what more is grown adults at High School basketball games? Thank you for stopping by, taking the time to look at my work and I’ll chat with you again soon.

Best,

Cassi Ladines

It’s been a while

Well I have definitely dropped the ball on putting a blog entry with each new drop!

Isaac and I welcomed our baby boy in January 2024. Life has been so busy since then! I took the year off of reffing and focused on healing and taking care of our son. I would get to work on my bench very rarely, which seems like the norm now. I will get random bursts of inspiration and then it’ll be gone for a while. Right now, I seem to find myself in the lack of inspiration.

December 2024 I had done my first ever bazaar! I really enjoyed the holiday season and having a place where people could see my work in person and try it on. I loved talking jewelry, stones and the process of designing and creating with everyone! It helped motivate me to do more bazaars December 2025 as well. It wasn’t as busy— but I will blame that on the 102% increase in silver. Yikes.

I have done a couple custom pieces, discovered making gemstone bookmarks and found a love for agate hunting! I recently purchased my own gem faceting machine that I will pick up in Washington within the next few months— I am so excited to learn how to facet my own stones!

Isaac, Eli and I are heading to Arizona at the end of the month for a disc golf tournament (if you don’t know much about me— just know disc golf runs our life when the temps aren’t freezing). I mentioned that I would love to go to the Tucson Gem Show one of these years and Isaac asked for the dates, which happened to line up with our trip! So we made a couple changes and I AM GOING TO THE OPENING DAY! I am SO EXCITED to go check out all the vendors I have met through instagram, find new ones, enjoy rocks, gemstones and good vibes.

For now, my spare time is taken up with reffing basketball (high school and Divison 2 women’s) until mid March! I love the atmosphere and all the wonderful officials that I get to call games with. 2025-2026 season started on a high note when I was able to officiate the Clark Cochran Christmas Classic down in Ketchikan, Alaska! I played in that tournament my freshman, junior?? and senior year! It was amazing to be on the other side of the game with many people I get to call my friends, while making new ones along the way. The funniest part to me was reffing a game with Zosha Krupa, a UAF alum— the only college tech I have given out so far in my collegiate officiating carrier! We had a good laugh about the whole situation and enjoyed running the court together in stripes. I couldn’t have done the tournament without my Mom, who had watched Eli for 12+ hours in the gym for 3 days straight! What an awesome Grandma.

My updates will be random— I still have a bunch of new inventory that needs to make its way to my website. That just sounds like a lot of work right now. I will get to it— I promise! Don’t be afraid to reach out to me if there’s something you remember seeing at the bazaars that is not up on my site or if you’re interested in creating a custom piece together. I will be creating, quietly. Thank you all for the love and support through 2025— I am looking forward to 2026 and all the beauties that’ll come off my bench!

With love,

Cassi

2023 Spooky Drop

My last drop was on April Fools! That feels like forever ago but at the same time it feels like yesterday. There has been a lot that has happened since then!

In April, my husband and I found out that we are expecting our first kid together! This ultimately put a halt to my jewelry production. I was worried about the fumes, chemicals and other irritants that I expose myself too when I work on my bench at home. I also started working more hours in preparation for Gold Daughters— and when I wasn’t there, my husband and I would be playing disc golf!

This drop has been a long time coming. I have had all the stones lined up on my bench just begging to be picked up and made into something beautiful! So when season ended for Gold Daughters at the end of September— I ordered more natural alternatives to the chemicals I was previously using. I also got a heavy duty respirator and new safety goggles that would fit over the mask! After that, it was all a blur!

I decided to work on each piece in sections so I wouldn’t overwhelm myself. I started with the bezels for everything and then worked on each piece in categories. The earrings were first, then pendants and finally the rings!

Earrings are not something I have really done before. I made my first pair of custom hoops as a commission for a dear friends birthday and that ultimately made me want to try a few new designs! I also know that not everyone is a ring wearer, so I needed to incorporate more, “one size fits all” hoops, dangles and studs! These were so fun to make and I will definitely be doing more earrings in future drops!

The pendants were another, “one size fits all” type of jewelry I wanted to include. I had duplicate stones that were too big for earrings and I didn’t want to make two different style rings. That is why I created a ring and a pendant! Necklaces can be cute, dainty or statement pieces for any occasion. I would like to add more in the future. Also, if you guys want chains included just let me know and I can have those on hand for future drops!

The rings are by far my favorite part. It is so fun picking out the bezels, whether it is the simple or detailed! Then pairing it with a simple or custom ring shank to help complete the piece. I’ve been trying my hand at creating custom shapes with silver wire and fell in LOVE with the little mammoth I put on the latest ivory piece! I will definitely be making more little mammoths with custom ivory rings, earrings and pendants in the future. I also keep my eye out for new stones as well but I am open to suggestions as well for what you would like to see in the next drop.

As for the baby— he will be due in December! So I want to do another drop before then for sure. We don’t have any names yet (my goodness it is hard to name a child!). We are planning on announcing the name after birth just to make sure it fits him. We are so excited, nervous and ready for this next step in our lives!

I don’t know if baby Ladines will put a delay on getting back to my bench but I plan on being more present in 2024! I appreciate all those who continue to support me, inspire me and help me along this journey of being a small business owner. The possibilities are quite endless. So I hope you enjoy the drop! Happy Halloween and stay safe out there.

Where does the time go?

In a blink of an eye March has come and gone. I can hardly believe it! I had a few pieces designed and ready to go but basketball took over my life and my bench was out of sight for three weeks. I had women’s league, the last of the conference games, regionals 1A & 4A, NABT and Gold Medal.

I can tell you that once I made it home from Juneau I was beyond excited to get these pieces going again. I had so many stones to work with! Meteorite, mystic topaz, mammoth, amethyst, variscite, moonstone, simulated birthstone, Montana sapphire and mosaic opal. I did have some Arizona peridot—but things didn’t go as planned so that’ll be for the next drop!

Obviously, the meteorite was the piece that took the longest but it was hands down my favorite one to make. I wanted to craft it with a surprise factor, which is why I threw two alien friends on the bottom of the setting. I originally only had one— but they looked kind of lonely.

I love to create in an environment that is familiar— so I started rewatching a few TV shows that I watched in college. I can coast through my work when the show is going. Some days I find a good radio station on Pandora and I can really get to work! My cats really appreciate the mini concerts I put on for them. Bottom line is— this drop was created when I was at peace. I want to reflect that in my work.

Enjoy my April Fools drop! It was fun, peaceful and exciting.

Two weeks and 17 rings later...

How has it already been two weeks and some change since the first launch? You know, it was very nerve wracking. I told myself I couldn’t look at my computer until the end of the day and to my surprise I had a few orders! That was rewarding—that was what reassured me that this leap of faith can be worth it.

I have had about 10 rings halfway made from class and it was so exciting to pick those back up and finish what I started last March! I had a few other new ideas and that included entering my first ever piece into a Valentines contest. I even went on a wild moose hunt for it! You see, the company is called Turquoise Moose and the piece I entered was turquoise. So naturally, I needed to go find a moose to make my piece complete!

I drove 45 miles out the road and by rotten luck I found a moose bedded down under a tree. I wish I could say rotten luck but honestly I said a few prayers and asked for some help from my Grandma Carol. She always supported me in everything I chose to do, so I figured she could pull some strings for me this time. It was such a peaceful encounter but the silence had never been so loud. It was just me and the moose.

Yes, I talked to it. I told it how beautiful it was and how I was so glad I found it. I told the moose why I was there—so it could help me maybe swing a few votes with my first ever piece of jewelry that I entered online. I got the pictures I needed and packed up my camera. I said my goodbyes and headed back to my truck. That ride home was rewarding and reassuring that my Grandma is with me—always.

The rest of the pieces were made from start to finish at my bench! That is so fun to say— AT MY BENCH! I really enjoyed the creativity and freedom of going to and leaving my workspace when needed. Overall— there was blood, sweat and singed cat hair put into this drop. Oh, singed cat hair? That’s a story for another time.

The First Drop

The results of my last class at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

These pieces were created in a studio surrounded by my twelve classmates. That made getting time on the torches near impossible. Each move I made was strategic and well thought out—if I were to gain any progress on getting my ideas from paper to physical metal work, I had to work fast.

There were a few mistakes along the way, naturally. So what did I do? I melted them into a little metal button. That’s right, melted all those mistakes into a glob of new possibilities. It is quite therapeutic to hammer out all of your frustrations and there isn’t anything more satisfying than metal doing exactly what you want it to do.

Looking at the final results give me a sense of joy. Finally, being able to hold what was only sketches of lead on paper a few weeks prior! The colors so bright, the metal glimmering at every angel and a balance the two give one another.

Each week I will continue to bring my ideas to life and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. I plan on making a journal entry for each drop— for those of you who are interested in the story of how they came to be. Again, thank you for your support and following me on this new journey!