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Recent Reviews and Feedback So Great - You Will Think I Bribe My Customers! Read hundreds more here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Your...

Monday, July 23, 2012

TraceDesigns, Minimalist Sterling Jewelry in the Colors of the Ocean

Robert Pilkington
Since I am writing from the beach today, I thought it would be appropriate to feature some items in the natural hues of the beauty surrounding me.



This and all of Mae Chevrette's mixed media; and original watercolors and prints are featured in the August 2012 issue of O, the Oprah Magazine.  The deep ocean colors of this particular print really spoke to me, as well as  the quote by Isak Dinesen (pen name of Baroness Karen Blixen.) So much so, that is is now hanging in my home! Find more like this on Etsy.com



Aqua Blue Chalcedony Necklace
 
While you are on Etsy, get yourself some gloriously oceany gems from Tracedesigns, and then hit the beach.
 

Modern, minimalist.

Teal Green Earrings with Sterling Silver Accents


Steel Blue Grey Earrings on Geometric Sterling Silver Wires

 Affordable luxury.

Sage Green Wire Wrapped Amethyst Necklace

Sweet Mint Green Earrings with Sterling Silver Wire Wrapping

  Simply, beautiful.

Turquoise and Sterling Silver Necklace

Sodalite Blue Earrings with Sterling Silver


Thanks for reading,








Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Rustic Rock Jewelry's Time to Squeak

100% Recycled Bronze


Everyday I am filled with ideas and passion for both of my  Etsy shops. But, Your Daily Jewels, has become the squeaky wheel, and Rustic Rock Jewelry has not been receiving the promotional attention it deserves.


 Many of my customers, friends, and Etsy teammates are not really sure what Rustic Rock Jewelry is all about, so I feel it is time to devote  few  minutes to it. 


Years ago, it started out as a place where I would only deconstruct vintage or broken jewelry and reconstruct it into unique modern pieces using the older metals, findings, and stones. 

Vintage Necklace Re-purposed into a Triple Chain Choker (sold)
Your Daily Jewels is filled with shiny and oxidized silver and gold; and here, I love combining natural stone with earthy brass, copper, and oxidized, (antiqued) metals;  as well as reclaimed or vintage  metals.  

"Small Bananas" (sold)  Reconstructed from a Vintage Necklace
Through my love for gemstones in their natural form, Rustic Rock Jewelry evolved into a shop where I could get my fill of playing with druzy, (drusy), geodes; rough cuts, and hammered gemstones and create modern and affordable jewelry for everyday wear.



Earthy metals and chunky stone. In a word, "rustic"



Thank you for reading,
I hope you visit soon,

Monday, July 16, 2012

The Color Wheel Goes 'Round: Mandarin and Mint

"To design" is to plan the look or the function of something prior to making it; both equally important in many cases.
The term "Fashion" was once solely the vernacular of the "fashion world". But today, fashion is broadly used as a prevailing style or the popular look of the moment. It applies not just to apparel but to furniture and home design, jewelry, architecture, art, film, and virtually all of the creative industries and arts. Thus, trends appear in all of the above mentioned arts, just as they do in fashion. Do the trends follow fashion? Does Fashion follow other arts? One thing they all have in common is the color wheel. And it is often a common thread  visible in many of the arts industries from season to season.


SA Studio


HGWjewelrydesigns







Designs by Cher









Trace Designs


Your Daily Jewels


Willow Creek Jewelry

Thanks for reading,
Look for any of this beautiful jewelry and more on Etsy.com. Search "Jetteam green" "Jetteam orange" "jetteam mint" etc. 

To see more lovely interior design to drool over, visit JossandMain.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Get it Right - Wedding Day Jewelry by Urban-Pearl-Studio and BeadzNBling



Are you or someone you know  getting married soon? As a jeweler, I know how overwhelming it can be trying to find just the right jewelry for your special day. And as a jeweler myself, I have seen some really great shops and some pretty fly-by-night shops out there on the Web. Your wedding day is one day where nothing can go wrong.

Luckily, I am here to tell you about two fantastic wedding jewelry shops where you will find exactly what you want and need, at any budget. And they just both happen to be owned by the same person, my good friend from Dallas, Texas, Lynn.  Let me tell you about BeadznBling on Etsy.com and Urban-Pearl-Studio.com. 

Lynn can often be heard saying "Your wedding is already costing you a fortune...your jewelry shouldn't have to!"

Visit BeadzNBling on Etsy.com
From a simple single pearl pendant, to her exquisite "Studio" line, Lynn will work with you and within your budget, to outfit your entire bridal party.

Simple Freshwater Pearl Necklace

Visit Urban-Pearl-Studio.com

Lynn is known for simple, elegant, chic, handmade artisan wedding and bridal jewelry using  freshwater pearls and Swarovski elements. Whether you are a traditional bride, or a flip flopping beach bride, or any type in between, Lynn will make sure you and your bridesmaids are perfectly, appropriately jeweled.


Whether it is earrings, necklaces, or bracelets,  BeadzNBling on Etsy.com  and  Urban-Pearl-Studio.com, will have you in wedding jewelry bliss. (And at BeadzNBling you will find plenty of Honeymoon goodies to pack too!)

White Pearl Earrings with Swarovski Crystals



Now, this says a lot: I make wedding jewelry, and I would go to Lynn if I was getting married. Why? It is what she does.  It is her specialty and she has been doing it a long time.

Even if you are not getting married, it is worth a peek through her dreamy, affordable, unique shops.

Thanks for reading,
Norah

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Druzy, Drusy, Druse, It's All Mesmerizing To Me!

Captivating Geodes Filled With Sparkling Druzy...



The first time I saw a piece of druzy jewelry, I knew I was in it for the long run. I am mesmerized by druzy. The beauty of it, and the science of it. The thought that I am holding or wearing something that has been millions of years in the making just fascinates me. There is no material I enjoy working with more. Druzy popularity has skyrocketed in recent years and it has really become a gemstone in its own genre.


How these sparkling sugary crystals come about is a mystery to many. So I will try to explain as simply as i can.


 Remember this ?(this is the only chart, I promise)





The  constant moving of the earth’s crust and inner layers is responsible for the forming of most of the colored gemstones we see today. Many millions of years ago, as molten rock was being forced up to the surface, heat and pressure changes caused gases to expand and create cavities within the solidifying rock. Gazzillions of years later,  as the ground water,  rich with minerals, (i.e. dissolved silica) moved through the rock, it deposited  new minerals into the cavities, (or on the surfaces) of the rock, and cooling began to occur. Crystallization of these minerals on top of and inside the previously crystallized rock began the unique crystal formation called Druzy. Druzy colors are based on the particular stone that the mineral water leaked into all those years ago.


In the following photo you can see some of the filled cavities and you can see the tightly-packed matrix which creates a dense bed of individual crystals. Notice how each each crystal only has  a single termination pyramid exposed. This bed of crystals has a very fine crystalline structure similar to sugar or salt crystals. This is an "encrustation" crystal habit, or Druzy. This is why it is so sparkly. That pyramid catches light from every which way.





Naturally Occurring Druzy Crystals
There is a wide variety of minerals that can form into druzy. Many of these examples of druzy encrustation are found all over the earth, and their colors listed below represent untreated crystals, unless noted otherwise.
  • Agate Drusy: Brown (Brazil) 
  • Quartz:  clear, white, tan, golden (citrine), and light purple (amethyst)
  • Black Garnet, Psilomelane: Black (Western Australia)
  • Carnelian Drusy (Chalcedony): Orangy-Yellow, Reddish-Brown (Brazil)
  • Chalcedony Drusy: Blue, Lavender (Brazil)
  • Chrysacolla: Greenish-Blue (Australia, Chili, New Mexico USA, Zaire)
  • Cobalto Calcite, Cobaltoan Dolomite: Pink, Rose (DRC Congo, Zaire)
  • Hemimorphite Drusy: Greenish-Blue (Yunnan Province, China)
  • Jasper Drusy: Brownish-Red (Madagascar)
  • Onyx Drusy (Agate): Black (Brazil) *may be dyed
  • Psilomelane Drusy: Indigo Blue (New Mexico USA)
  • Rainbow Hematite Drusy: Rainbow, Brownish-Green (Brazil) *very rare
  • Rainbow Pyrite: Rainbow (Volga River, Russia)
  • Uvarovite Garnet: Forest Green (Ural Mountains, Russia)


Enhancements:
Vapor-coating (aka vapor-deposition) is one of the more common gemstone enhancements used to achieve the scintillation and myriad of colors and that are found in druzy quartz jewelry.

Titanium is used to create intense, permanent hues of blue, green, and purple, as well as adding an iridescent (schiller effect) quality and/or play-of-color

Druzy crystal can also be vapor-coated with a variety of other metals to create interesting optical effects. Gold is used to create golden druzy, Platinum is used to create pure white, or silver druzy, and silicone oxide is used to create vibrant pink and green hues.

Some countries have taken to straight out dying druzy. Dyed druzy will fade, unlike vapor coated druzy.

Example of Dyed Druzy





Grading:
Druzy gemstones are graded using the following criteria---color saturation, crystal size, purity (visual flaws), and crystal coverage (whether areas of underlying matrix shows). The highest grade Druzy is not always the prettiest. These earrings would not be considered high grade  because of the large crystals, but I think they are lovely!

Mink Druzy Earrings - Your Daily Jewels


Same with this pendant with much of the matrix showing. It would be considered "low grade"






Druzy Examples
Black Druzy - Your Daily Jewels (Sold)


Vapor Coated with Gold


Rainbow Hematite - Excessive Handling Can Dull the Natural Coloration Of This Rare Druzy


Druzy Chysocolla







Cobalto Calcite Comes in a Wide Range of Pinks









Now some Jet Druzy~


Agate Druzy Pendant - Your Daily Jewels




Twilight Drusy Ring - Love Stone Arts


Example of Agate Druzy -Your Daily Jewels


Pyrite Druzy Pendant - JemsbyJBandCompany


Asymmetrical Agate Drusy Earrings - Laura Stamper Designs


Thanks for reading!
Norah 


Oh, this is My Dream Bedroom, (I might need it a little bigger though)
Chalcedony Druzy