Claire, with the Oriental Flair! - A BESTeam Feature

Well, this is my first post in my new duds here on my blog...kind of a last minute decision to make a change. I'll blame it on the restlessness of springtime :) So many of my friends and teammates have been busy as bees updating their blogs and shops, I thought, "Why not"? So, this is the result! I'd love to know what you think - thumbs up or thumbs down. I can take it!

'Nuf about that... on with the feature!

It is both my pleasure and my honor to be featuring Claire, and her lovely shop, Blue and White Jewelry Wear on Etsy! (bluewhitejewelrywear) Born and raised in the US, Claire has since lived in Thailand for over 9 years, and currently resides in Santiago, Chile. Her travels through the Far East influenced her creative spirit and after falling in love with the beauty of oriental ceramic beads in their traditional colors, Blue and White Jewelry Wear was born.

Claire still weaves the magic of the orient into many of her pieces, like this lovely blue and white Pearls and Porcelain necklace featuring the colors of traditional hand-painted porcelain beads and the lustrous beauty of freshwater cultured pearls.

Not surprisingly, Claire's travels through Asia found her spending some time in Tibet, home of Mt Everest - the world's third highest mountain peak, and the religious sanctuary of the Dalai Lama, leader of the Buddhist religion. Her visits there brought the opportunity of finding a variety of Tibetan beads and religious themed components like the ones used to make this bright and beautiful Tibetan Mandala Necklace. Lovely, isn't it?

Claire's current home, Chile, is one of the world's larger suppliers of turquoise, and while most of the world's tiger's eye comes from South Africa, I would imagine that Claire's travels may even take her there one day! In the meantime, this stunning Turquoise and Tiger Eye Necklace is a wonderful example of how many wonderful things come from so many different parts of the world! Sort of like our wonderful BEST teammate, Claire!

I hope you'll take some time to check out the other great items in her shop, and then mosey on over to her blog to learn more about her travels. You can also find her on Facebook and twitter, where you'll learn about her latest designs and greatest promotions!

I'm curious, have any of you ever lived in a country other than the one you were born and raised in? What was it like living away from "home"? I'd love to hear your stories!

That's it for now... have a wonderful day!

xo,