Adorn Jewelry has gone to the birds

Nothing says spring like a nest of newly hatched eggs or the chirp of birds outside your window. Now you can celebrate those signs of the season with delicate pendants, necklaces and earrings from Adorn Jewelry.

Designed by Amy Mueller of Seattle, the handmade collection didn't always focus on bird life. Her work began with small antique photographs adapted into pendants, which remain part of her collection.

But about a year ago, Mueller made a pendant that featured a photo of a swift flying through the air. When she wore it, the necklace elicited more interest than any of the pieces she was selling at the time. "I was clueless to the fact that so many people loved birds as much as I did!" she says.

Her jewelry line now includes numerous pendants and necklaces that feature bird photographs and silhouettes, as well as a particularly charming piece called the nest necklace. The "nest" is fashioned with wound sterling wire and filled with freshwater pearls or beads, including jasper, amazonite and rhodonite, depending on the customer's color preference. Customers can also request the number of "eggs" they would like.

"Each nest that I create is unique; even though I have a technique, I make each one a little differently," Mueller explains. "After all, real nests are anything but uniform." The pendants and necklaces run between $30 and $38, making them an affordable and fashionable way to break out of your shell.

Adorn Jewelry is available at 20 Twenty in Ballard and online at the crafter-friendly Web site Etsy. Look for Mueller and her sister, Jenny -- also a jewelry designer -- at I Heart Rummage, Seattle's monthly arts and crafts showcase held at Chop Suey.

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