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Nicole Kovacs

@trailspicedesigns

4.8K

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Handmade jewelry inspired by untamed landscapes for lovers of adventure and wild places

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These aren’t just rings - they’re wearable reminders of your fishing trips, your favorite streams, and the adventures that shaped you. Custom fish rings, made by hand from your stories. Let’s build one together?!
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#natureinspiredjewelry #fishjewelry #inspiredbynature #salmonjewelry #handmadejewelry #womenwhofish #southeastalaska #anglerstyle #womenwhoflyfish #womenofflyfishing #flyfishinglife #fishingmemories #fishinglove #fishinggifts #holidaygiftideas #giftsforanglers #anglerjewelry #flyfishingart #montanajewelry #troutlife #montanafishing #pnwfishing #thoughtfulgifts #fishring #customrings by @trailspicedesigns

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a year ago

Back by popular demand! I know some of you were bummed you missed out on the one halibut wrap ring I posted last week, so I made a few more! Two on the smaller side and two on the larger side, all adjustable to your comfort. All of them are now up on my website!
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#fishring #halibutfishing #halibut #wrapring #fishjewelry by @trailspicedesigns

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a day ago

Couldn’t resist with the song choice for this post. It’s been stuck in my head all day while working on these halibuts! Lil ‘butts, medium ‘butts, and big ol ‘butts… and a solo ‘butt adjustable ring! These turquoise halibut studs and ring are now up on my website!
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#halibut #fishearrings #halibutjewelry #halibutfishing #fishjewelry by @trailspicedesigns

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7 days ago

Just wanted to show off this recently finished custom! Rainbow trout studs with elk ivory, such a perfect combo. While I don’t have any pieces with elk ivory available, I’m always stoked to make a custom piece if you have your own!
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#elkivoryjewelry #elkivoryearrings #fishearrings #troutearrings #westernearrings by @trailspicedesigns

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10 days ago

Annnnnndddd I just wanted to take a minute to show off these pretty Ocean Jasper and brown trout earrings. I’m in love with the colors in these stones - dark green with yellow orbs and white outlines, so pretty! I was going to say they’re for sale… but @tiaseymanski is sooooo sneaky quick and snagged them seconds after I listed them!
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#fishingart #flyfishingjewelry #troutjewelry #fishearrings #browntroutonthefly by @trailspicedesigns

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11 days ago

These Rainbow Run Studs are now available up on my website. Each earring features a beautiful Sonoran Mountain Turquoise stone and a handmade rainbow trout dangling from below ✨
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#rainbowtrout #troutearrings #troutjewelry #fishearrings #fishjewelry by @trailspicedesigns

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11 days ago

A friend of mine came to me with some of his grandmothers old jewelry. His request was to use the sapphire from one of the rings and a couple diamonds from the other pieces and create a new and simple wedding band - full freedom and trust to give these stones a new life!
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I’d been hoarding supplies to eventually teach myself how to carve pieces from wax and sand cast them, so I took this as the perfect time to dive into that. After some learning with the wax I created a fun natural wavy band. Then it was onto sand casting, well in the process I broke a wax ring and had to redo, got the wrong torch head, made it too small and had to redo. I finally got a couple good casts so I practiced flush setting for the first time with some cubic zirconias- which went flawlessly! It wasn’t until I went to go use actual stones that I realized after trying to set the sapphire numerous times, that it was just shaped wonky… so back to the drawing board.
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I decided to try something new again and cast the stones in place - which involves pouring molten metal around the stones in the mold. I did a test piece first, which again went perfectly 10/10! Then alas it took me several tries to get a good cast with the sapphire… but many hours later I finally did it! And flush set the diamonds perfectly. Anddd then as I was finishing it up I noticed a blemish which just got bigger as I tried to sand it down until I realized that it was a big hollow bubble 🤦‍♀️ so back to square one again! It felt like the ghost of his grandmother was starting to haunt me for messing with her jewelry lol
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Another day and several more casts, I finally got one I was happy with and everything else went smoothly. I finally had a ring! So here it is! An organically shaped sterling silver band, wavy like a river, with a deep blue sapphire and two small diamonds for my wonderful friends 🩷
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It was so fun to learn sooo many new skills through all the trial and error. Shout out to my friend Pete for being all for letting me try something new with some sentimental jewelry! Cant wait to see what else I craft up with these new skillzzz…
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#nontraditionalweddingring #sapphirering #organicring #sandcastring by @trailspicedesigns

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12 days ago

I’m changing things up over here. Running 67 miles all day and into the wee hours of the next morning sure gives you lots of time to think! For a while now, I’ve been releasing my jewelry through scheduled “drops” and tbh I’ve realized that way of doing things just doesn’t align with me at all anymore… and never really did. . I’m an artist, but I’m also an adventurer and human. Sometimes I like to take full advantage of a sunny day or two and spend it away from my bench in the mountains. Sometimes I like to spend the day working on learning new skills and techniques. Sometimes I’m working on wholesale and custom orders, traveling, or just moving a little slower that day. Sometimes I like to say yes to last minute plans to play outside with friends. And sometimes I get completely obsessed with a piece and work on it for many hours straight and forget to eat or drink.
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I don’t want to keep forcing my art into a production schedule just because that’s how a lot of other businesses do it. So I’m changing things up. Instead of waiting until I have a whole collection finished for a drop, I’m going to start adding new work to the shop as I make it. Sometimes that might mean a handful of pieces at once, and sometimes it might just be one. Here’s the first pair, no more drop, these beauts are available right now on my website! . #troutearrings #troutjewelry #fishjewelry #fishearrings #fishlove by @trailspicedesigns

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21 days ago

Welp. I went back to Mountain Lakes 100 for some revenge after DNFing at mile 55 in 2024 with a foot injury. Unfortunately, it was not my day yet again, & I dropped at mile 67 because of achilles pain. I fortunately recognized the path I was heading down after my last experience & pulled the plug before doing major damage to my achilles.
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I did run 67 miles, which is the furthest I’ve ever run! I also PR’d the 50K & 50 mile. So I’m proud of that.
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Race day was beautiful - amazing weather, fall colors & perfect trail conditions. Unfortunately, I was in a horrible headspace from the very beginning & battled it the entire race. As race day got closer, I realized I was going to start my period either that day or the next. Not usually a big deal, but the day before I’m usually exhausted, don’t sleep well, & tend to be in a pretty poor mental state. And of course, all of that landed directly on race day. I also had a ton of pre-race anxiety & was nauseous for the first 10mi, when my stomach should’ve been feeling great.
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From there, I just couldn’t pull myself out of the mental hole. My “why” for being there is simple: I just love it. I love spending long days exploring places on foot. But I completely lost that. I was out there doing something I love, but I wasn’t enjoying any of it. So why not just quit? The heat & a migraine weren’t helping either.
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At mile 40, I tried really hard to quit. I left Jason instructions not to let me quit unless it was a medical emergency, so he did his job & got me back out on the trail. Caffeine, music, poles & suddenly I felt alive again.
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Then my Achilles started talking.
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The discomfort didn’t change my gait, so I kept running. Then came the pulses of pain, & I slowed to a run/power hike. A few hours later, I was walking. Then at mile 63, I got my period. So fun. I probably could have made it to mile 71 very slowly & painfully, but I knew I’d probably drop there anyway, & I didn’t want to turn a short-term injury into months away from something I love. So at mile 67, I called it.
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40mi Nicole would tell you there’s no fucking way I’m doing that again. But now? Duh! I love doing things again that I said I’d never do again 💃 by @trailspicedesigns

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23 days ago

Trout Drop is live! Head over to my website to snag yourself one of these pieces before they’re gone! (Link in bio)
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#troutart #fishearrings #troutlove #fishjewelry #troutjewelry by @trailspicedesigns

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23 days ago

DROP RESCHEDULED - Moving tomorrow’s drop to next Wednesday September 23rd at 9am mountain time. Sorry for the last minute change up! I’m leaving in a few days to head to Oregon for the weekend to run 100 miles - eeekkkk! I decided to take some things off my plate so I can try to spend this week in bear mode - eating everything, banking lots of sleep and staying hydrated so I can kick ass on Saturday 💃
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For this Leopard Skin Jasper ring I decided change things up a little a feature one big ol rainbow trout as the ring band. A fish hug for your finger with a beautiful stone to match.
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#troutjewelry #fishring #fishjewelry #troutlove #troutring by @trailspicedesigns

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a month ago

What do you think of these stones?! I just love the color and patterns in this pair of ocean jasper. Drool. 🫠
I’ve also been on a kick of making reversible earrings - so you can show off the stones or flip these over to the trout and fern on the back with a little window for the stone to peek through. Complete with three fringe at the base to add some fun movement!
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#trout #natureinspiredjewelry #troutlove #troutart #fringeearrings by @trailspicedesigns

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a month ago