Eclectic
Gemstone Jewelry
One-of-a-kind
Eclectic Jewelry
One-of-a-kind, colorful gemstone jewelry, made one at a time across the years in my Denver studio. My jewel box, where a single stone starts everything.
Before the collections
Eclectic jewelry mixes stones, colors, and eras instead of matching them, and this is my collection of it, quite literally my jewel box. These are the one-of-a-kind pieces I made across the years, before I began working in cohesive collections, back when a single stone would catch me and I would build a whole piece around it just to see where it went. A slab of dinosaur agate. A slice of amethyst geode with its lace of crystal. A piece of white buffalo turquoise I could not put down.
Nothing here matches anything else, and that is exactly the point. Each piece followed its own stone, so the collection is color and instinct rather than one palette: rutilated quartz beside imperial jasper beside a chandelier of iolite and cat's eye. It is eclectic in the truest sense, made for the person who would rather wear something no one else can find.
Because every piece is one-of-a-kind, when one sells it is gone for good. What is left is exactly what caught my eye, and might catch yours.
At the bench
Every piece here is fabricated and assembled by hand in my Denver studio, and the design always follows the stone rather than the other way around. I choose the stones one at a time, many of them at the Tucson Gem Show, then build outward from a center stone, clustering color around it until the piece feels inevitable. Some are cast from hot wax dripped straight into water, so the metal freezes into a shape I could never draw twice. Where a stone cannot take a torch, I set it with cold connection, wiring and riveting rather than soldering, so nothing gets scorched. I work in 14k gold, gold-filled, and sterling silver, and every piece is built only once.
Pieces from $190
The Pieces
Each one one-of-a-kind. When it sells, it is gone.
For the woman who wants the eye to land
Eclectic Necklaces
An eclectic necklace is a colorful, one-of-a-kind centerpiece, built around the single stone that started it, whether a slice of agate, a geode, or a cluster of gemstones. These are for the woman who wants a necklace to be the point of an outfit, and who would rather her jewelry begin a conversation than blend into one.
Color at the face
Eclectic Earrings
Eclectic earrings bring the color up to the face, from long gemstone chandeliers to sculptural drops, each pair one-of-a-kind. They are for the woman who reaches past the plain studs for something with movement, light, and a stone no one else will be wearing.
Color on the wrist
Eclectic Bracelets & Cuffs
An eclectic cuff or bracelet is a piece of color you carry in your own eyeline all day, built by hand around gemstones I could not walk past. Substantial, sculptural, and one-of-a-kind, they are for the woman who likes a little art on the wrist that gestures right along with her.
What Makes Andrea Li Different
There are three tiers of “handmade” jewelry in the market. Understanding where Andrea Li sits explains why the work looks, feels, and lasts the way it does.
Marketplace Handmade
Pre-made settings, pre-cut stones, stock chains. Assembled in minutes, available from hundreds of sellers. “Handmade” means hand-assembled.
Production Studio
Original designs cast from molds and reproduced in batches. Higher-quality materials, but the same design exists in dozens or hundreds of copies.
Andrea Li
Every technique — fabrication, wire work, casting, cold connection — unified into a single design, built around a specific gemstone’s character. One piece exists. When it sells, the page comes down.
Andrea has been designing one-of-a-kind gemstone jewelry in Denver for 18 years. She trained in traditional jewelry techniques, runs a one-woman studio, and personally handles every step from gemstone selection to final finishing. There is no team, no production assistant, no outsourced labor.
The models who wear Andrea’s pieces for editorial shoots have told her they feel different in her jewelry, that it brings out a confidence that’s obvious and visceral. That is what happens when someone wears something made with the kind of intention mass production can’t replicate.
How to Care for Handmade Gemstone Jewelry
Handmade gemstone jewelry is built to last, but it’s not invincible. A few simple habits will keep your pieces looking the way they did the day they arrived.
Store separately
Keep each piece in its own soft pouch or compartment. Gemstones can scratch other gemstones and metals when stored together. The pouch your piece arrives in is designed for this, so use it.
Put it on last, take it off first
Apply perfume, lotion, hairspray, and sunscreen before putting on your jewelry. Remove it before swimming, showering, exercising, or sleeping. Chemicals and moisture are the enemies of both metal and stone.
Clean gently
Use a soft, dry cloth to wipe down your piece after wearing. For deeper cleaning, use warm water with a tiny drop of mild dish soap and a soft brush. Avoid ultrasonic cleaners, steam cleaners, and any commercial jewelry cleaner that contains ammonia, which can damage softer gemstones and the finish on handcrafted metalwork.
Know your stones
Different gemstones have different hardness levels. Quartz varieties like amethyst and green amethyst (Mohs 7) are durable for daily wear. Labradorite and moonstone (Mohs 6–6.5) need a bit more care, so avoid impacts and store them carefully. Pearls are soft (Mohs 2.5–4.5) and should never be exposed to chemicals or rough surfaces.
Gold filled, solid gold, and sterling silver
14k solid gold won’t tarnish. Gold filled has a thick layer of gold bonded to a base metal, so it’s durable and won’t rub off with normal wear, but avoid prolonged moisture. Sterling silver tarnishes naturally over time; a quick polish with a silver cloth restores the shine. All three are built to last when cared for.
Repairs happen
Handmade jewelry is repairable, which is one of its advantages over mass-produced pieces. If a clasp loosens, a stone shifts, or a wire needs adjustment, Andrea handles repairs on her own pieces. Reach out through the custom shop to start.
Questions
What is eclectic jewelry?
Eclectic jewelry mixes different stones, colors, and styles instead of matching them. This collection is my jewel box: the one-of-a-kind pieces I made across the years before I worked in cohesive collections, each one built around a single stone that caught me, so nothing matches anything else.
Are these pieces really one-of-a-kind?
Yes. I build each piece once, by hand in my Denver studio, and never reproduce it. When a piece sells, it is gone for good.
What metals and gemstones do you work with?
I work in 14k gold, gold-filled, and sterling silver, with gemstones I choose one at a time, many of them from the Tucson Gem Show. You will find gemstones like dinosaur agate, imperial jasper, labradorite, rutilated quartz, and white buffalo turquoise here.
How do I care for these pieces?
Store each piece separately so the stones and metals do not scratch, keep them away from perfume, lotion, and water, and wipe them with a soft cloth. An occasional polish keeps sterling silver bright, and because many pieces use natural gemstones, do not soak them.
Can you remake a piece if it has sold?
Not exactly, since each piece is one-of-a-kind and tied to a stone I will not have again. But if something here speaks to you and it is already gone, I take commissions and can build something new in the same spirit. Just reach out.
Find your piece
Not sure where to start? The style quiz points you to the pieces most likely to feel like yours.
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