Little Hook Co. Jewelry

05/08/2026

💜 Purple Haze 💜

I noticed when I made my recent Sophie Bridgerton pendant that I don't offer a lot of purple pieces in my shop. Nothing intentional--probably more a function of how few purple gemstones there are more than anything. But as I was shopping for more natural color pink pearls for an order that came in, I saw these unbelievable natural color (undyed and not radiated; that's another common way stones and pearls are treated to change their color) PURPLE pearls. They're small--4-4.5mm--which made me think they'd make a fantastic bracelet option for this 3-strand magnetic pearl cuff bracelet I offer (available in either silver or gold; I tend to lean towards silver for purple). But I also bought enough to make a long, delicate purple necklace, too. The pink and peach natural color strands of pearls I offer are more like 6-6.5mm, roughly the size of a pencil eraser. I have never seen pearls this color before and can't wait to get them in so I can play!

What would you like to see these made into?

05/06/2026

👯‍♀️ Sister Act 👯‍♀️

No--it's not me--it's my big sister Julie Fromer, aka 'Medium Hook,' in a photo featured on her new website ReVision Essay. A writing and English professor at Ithaca College, she has now branched out into college essay writing support. She is able to really draw out her students, getting them to reflect and identify their thoughts and feelings in order to get their unique story onto the page. I really enjoyed watching my son Peter go through this process with her last year and am very pleased to announce that he's going to be a Marquis Scholar at Lafayette College this fall! Reach out now if you or someone you know has a high school junior--this is the perfect time to start brainstorming for the personal statement.

And--CHECK OUT THAT JEWELRY! Julie's rocking one of my 'Mad Men' style upcycled necklaces made from vintage chain accented with hand-wrapped sky blue vintage glass beads flanked by upcycled bead caps. The choker is a pyrite beaded 'chain' featuring a diminutive sterling flower charm for a layered look that is hip but still professional and put together.

https://revisionessay.com/

05/05/2026

🎀 Pretty in Pink 🎀

This is another piece I FINALLY got a chance to make and oh, wow! I had purchased this small Tahitian pearl a while ago because it was just SO beautiful; it has a deep purple luster with tiny flashes of green that makes for just an unbelievable combo. But its diminutive size meant it wasn't pairing well with any of the 3-4mm stones I tried. And though I thought green would highlight the purple tones well, that wasn't working for me either.

So instead I reached for this tiny 2.5mm strand that showcases the range of pink tones natural freshwater pearls come in. Which turned out to be EXACTLY what this small but mighty Tahitian needed.

05/04/2026

🤩 I'm seeing stars! 🤩

I LOVE this piece--I made it a number of years ago when I was just starting to purchase Tahitian pearls. I made a small series of necklaces each featuring one pearl as the sun seen at different times of day. In this piece, a deep reddish pearl subs in for the setting sun. It's flanked by Mexican fire opals showing off their full range of colors before passing the baton to tourmaline ombre signifying the darkening night sky. This is a true one of a kind piece. If I have time, I'll make another, but it will be slightly different--as unique and individual as the wearer.

04/17/2026

🙌 Simply Irresistible 🙌

I don't choose to have many pearls I purchase half-drilled. Usually I have them drilled all the way through so I can decide later how to use them--say as a drop charm or a pearl enhancer or on a strand or wire. Full-drilled pearls are much more versatile as they can be used in so many ways. But when I saw this gorgeous, smooth-faced beauty in deep blue/green with lustrous tints of purple? Definitely a candidate for the half-drill for a pendant.

I've paired this 9mm pearl with a simple but elegant peg and cup finding with a perfectly round bail that complements its size but is still large enough to fit over some clasps for wearing on your own chain. I've pictured it here on a 1mm box chain, but I wanted to leave the choice of what chain to put this gorgeous piece on to the wearer.

04/15/2026

🚉 Next stop--Tahitian Station! 🚉

And another one from the 'have had this idea forever and finally got around to making it' files! Sometimes you get just a handful of really well-matched pearls. Tahitian pearls come in SUCH a range of colors, it's not always easy to gather enough of a specific tint to create a whole pearl necklace or even a bracelet. This station necklace is my elegant solution to presenting a small number of well matched pearls in a single piece which is also much more affordable than a whole strand.

I have paired these fabulously dark, richly colored Tahitian pearls with a substantial, 14K gold fill chain. And once again, I've decided to try something different. Instead of hand wrapping with gold fill wire, this time I went with securely attached beading wire instead. The look is more seamless for a piece that looks smooth and sophisticated. It is finished with my signature secure wire wrapped closures, accented here with gorgeous 3mm deep red garnet beads which mirror the deep red tint of the Tahitian pearls in this piece.

04/13/2026

📸 'Fakebook' and the Photobomb 📸

It's true--social media images are curated to not show the chaos that may be just outside your camera's lens. I thought being a kid mom was hard--but kids grow up! Suddenly I may go a day--literally a whole day--without even laying eyes on my 18-year-old who still LIVES AT HOME!

But my 'new' babies? SO often underfoot or in frame. I was having trouble figuring out the best way to photograph the amazing red flash of these tiny Ethiopian opal and tsavorite garnet earrings; they showed their translucency nicely against the glass countertop but I knew I needed a shot in the sunlight to show the incredible opal flash so I knelt down by the door. Of course Pico had to come investigate. Although many a photo session up on that counter has also been interrupted!

04/09/2026

Repair Cafe road trip coming up! So excited to be making a 'guest appearance' as a jewelry fixer at the first Corning Repair Cafe on Saturday, April 25th (while also squeezing in a visit with my sister Julie Fromer!)

Our volunteers are excited to lead you through repair! Meet Suzie, who is a master jewelry repairer. Got a piece to fix? You won't be able to stump Suzie! She's got 150 repair cafes under her belt and she's ready for more!

04/06/2026

🎣 Unveiling Little Hook's Little Hook! 🎣

I had a rare repair-cafe less weekend this weekend which meant two whole days to just create jewelry that has just been living rent free in my head! I actually had two pink pearl orders to get out and after doing them I felt inspired to FINALLY get to this piece.

Usually when I make a pearl necklace, I match pearls. I literally take the 'matching' strands of 'matching' pearls I get from my vendor (selected by photos first for the best color/size/finish), get them onto my bench, unstring them, and start REMATCHING THEM. Because inevitably there are pearls that just--stick out. Too pale, too big, too orange, too much luster--I know that sounds weird because luster is what makes pearls so beautiful but if the rest of the strand are shrinking violets you don't want one screaming 'VIOLET!!!' at the top of its lungs.

So all those pearls which don't fit, which are too 'extra,' they go into a special bag. For me. To use all together in a total mismatch piece.

I also finally got to trial this new pearl clasp. It's decorative and meant to be worn in the front if you want to display it. And for those of you paying attention--it's also a hook, a subtle Easter egg to the name of my shop.

I've been really interested in using some more decorative type clasps like this. Would love to hear your thoughts!

04/05/2026

🌎 Upcycled Vintage for Earth Month 🌎

Even though I'm firmly team gemstone (and pearl!), I've also been a longtime fan of vintage costume jewelry. I got my start after all as a teen heading to antique shows with my parents and buying and selling vintage jewelry at the family business, Fromer's Antiques. While I'll always be a purist at heart and often prefer to restore than to reinvent, sometimes I get so inspired I vary from my prime mandate to create a vintage sum that is just so much greater than its parts.

These are a few pieces from what I like to call my MCM/Mad Men line. It was actually inspired by a trip to London a few years back where I randomly got plucked out of the crowds at the Victoria and Albert museum to receive a lovely woman's extra ticket to see the very popular Chanel exhibit on during that time. The dresses were of course incredible--but I was struck by the jewelry. Luxe, jewel-toned, royal but all costume. Affordable to recreate and, now that it's using 50 year old materials, sustainable as well!

I have thrifted all of these vintage chains as well as these gorgeous antique glass beads, accent pieces and bead caps. The only new materials are the brass wire I've used to hand wrap each bead to the chain and, when needed, new jump rings and lobster clasps to finish the securely. When possible, I've even kept the original chain's 'maker's mark' as I think making a nod to the original is part of these pieces, well, charm!

I have gifted several of these to family and friends but haven't listed them on my shop until now. Earth Month seemed like just the right time to do so. And as it does, life got busy after my original work on this line--so I have a LOT more chains and a LOT more vintage beads in other colors--so if you don't see what you're looking for, reach out! I probably have the materials to make it. 😉