ANDREA LI

LIMITED COLLECTIONS

Eclectic Gemstone JewelryOne-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.

A model with long auburn hair in an open black leather jacket, wearing a long silver pendant necklace and a wide silver cuff

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.

The Pieces

Each one one-of-a-kind. When it sells, it is gone.

Dinosaur Agate and Tundra Sapphire Necklace, by Andrea Li
Dinosaur Agate and Tundra Sapphire Necklace$860.00

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.

One of a kind · Built once

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Golden Rutile and Gemstone Earrings, by Andrea Li
Golden Rutile and Gemstone Earrings$195.00

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.

One of a kind · Built once

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Gilded Kyanite and Gemstone Statement Cuff, by Andrea Li
Gilded Kyanite and Gemstone Statement Cuff$670.00

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.

One of a kind · Built once

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A tattooed model in a white sundress in a blossoming orchard, red smoke billowing beside her, wearing a pale crystal statement necklace and a gemstone bracelet
A model in a white lace dress among orchard trees trailing red smoke, wearing a crystal statement necklace and a gemstone cuff
A model in a black dress under a canopy of pink blossoms, blue smoke rising at her waist, wearing layered gemstone necklaces
A tattooed model in a ruffled print top before blue smoke and white blossoms, wearing a dark crystal cluster pendant
A model in a saffron lace top in a shaded orchard, hair across her face, wearing a gemstone pendant and a wide gemstone cuff
A model in black lace looking over her shoulder, wearing long gemstone necklaces and a stacked gemstone bracelet
A tattooed model in a white camisole among pink blossoms, wearing a pale crystal statement necklace
A model in a white lace dress holding pink blossoms, wearing a crystal starburst necklace and a gemstone bracelet
A model in white crochet lace in soft light among pink blossoms, wearing a pale crystal cluster necklace
A model in a long dress walking through an orchard of pink blossoms in a haze of sunlight
In the studio: Andrea Li at her bench in a pink headband and magnifiers sawing metal, wiring gemstones over trays of beads, and hammering a piece on a block

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-filled, 14k gold, and sterling silver, and every piece is built only once.

Pieces from $190

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.

  1. 01

    Marketplace Handmade

    Pre-made settings, pre-cut stones, stock chains. Assembled in minutes, available from hundreds of sellers. “Handmade” means hand-assembled.

  2. 02

    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.

  3. 03

    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, it is gone.

Andrea has been designing one-of-a-kind gemstone jewelry in Denver for 18 years. She took classes in casting and metalsmithing, taught herself everything else at the bench, 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.

“A piece is not finished for me unless I say, ‘Man, that is awesome.’ It just has to be that way for me as a designer. Otherwise it’s an indication that the piece is not done.”

Andrea Li
Collage of bohemian outdoor portraits featuring a tattooed model wearing eclectic gemstone jewelry among blooming trees and soft spring light.

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.

Explore the Jewel Box

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.

  1. 01

    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.

  2. 02

    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.

  3. 03

    Clean gently

    Use a soft, dry cloth to wipe down your piece after wearing. For deeper cleaning, use a soft toothbrush with warm water and a degreasing dish soap like Dawn. Ultrasonic cleaners are not safe for the stones; also avoid steam cleaners and any commercial jewelry cleaner that contains ammonia, which can damage softer gemstones and the finish on handcrafted metalwork.

  4. 04

    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.

  5. 05

    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 Sunshine polishing cloth on the metal parts restores the shine. Oxidized silver is the exception: do not polish it. All three are built to last when cared for.

  6. 06

    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

01What is eclectic jewelry?

Eclectic jewelry mixes different stones, colors, and eras 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.

02Is eclectic handmade jewelry one of a kind?

Yes, every piece in this collection is. I build each piece once, by hand in my Denver studio, and never reproduce it. When a piece sells, it is gone for good.

03What gemstones and metals are in eclectic jewelry?

I work in 14k gold-filled, 14k gold, 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, kyanite, and white buffalo turquoise here. I actually think that the stones' flaws contribute to their beauty greatly.

04Can I wear bold, eclectic jewelry every day?

Yes. Every stone is cold-connected, assembled with wire and never with heat. I fit the wire through each drilled hole so the stone sits secure without ever being stressed, and that is what lets a layered piece wear daily without putting any single stone at risk. The stone decides how much care it needs: quartz like amethyst is durable for daily wear, labradorite and moonstone need a bit more care, and pearls are more fragile once they are set because their surface is organic and soft. Put it on last and take it off first; the care steps on this page cover the rest.

05Is one-of-a-kind jewelry a meaningful gift, even a gift to myself?

Yes. Jewelry is something very personal, and a piece that exists once is yours and no one else's, whether it marks a milestone or is just because. These are confidence pieces: you wear them because you want to make a statement, because you want to be seen. If the gift is for someone else, find her color first and let the stone follow.

06Can I get a piece like one that has sold out?

Not an exact copy, because each piece is one of a kind and built around a stone I will not have again. But a sold-out piece you loved is one of the most common ways a commission begins: I can create something inspired by it that captures its spirit, its color palette, or its design language. My custom shop is where that starts.

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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