Your Daily Jewels Commitment to Creating Earth-Friendly Jewelry

 Your Daily Jewels Commitment to Creating Earth-Friendly Jewelry

~The Source Matters~

I make all of my jewelry using recycled sterling silver. The use of reclaimed metals nullifies the negative impact on the environment during mining, and the potential for human rights abuse. Poor or dangerous working conditions are eliminated as well.

                              

I buy American-mined, gemstones and beads ethically sourced in the United States by companies who pledge to help sustain the planet and provide spectacular, high-quality gems while providing a clear, documentable path from the mine to my shop. I am confident that my vendor's purchasing conditions meet all standards for worker safety, environmental protection and responsible production.

 

Arkansas Opal

 

 

 

 

Wyoming Ruby

 

 

 Wyoming Pink Sapphire

It wasn’t always easy to purchase ethically sourced gems in the US. Each year since I have been in the jewelry business, more and more cuts and colors of stones have become available as new mines open and long- established mines change the way they see the world and alter the way they do business

Today, I can buy Opals from Oregon; Quartz from Arkansas; pink Ruby from Wyoming’s Rocky Mountains; several different shades of American Mined turquoise and many more. 

 

Being an informed consumer is important in every aspect of our lives today.  When I first started out making jewelry, people were not yet thinking about #EthicalJewelry, i.e. where their jewelry, metals or gemstones came from. 

Today, consumers have much more awareness of how these decisions are as important as those we make about the foods we eat. Everything affects the future of our shared world.

Thank you for stopping by my blog for these few minutes today,

Norah

                          Montana Sapphire

Not Just a Hallmark-Holiday - Mother's Day is Around the Corner: May 14!

May 14th

will be here before you know it.

Send her a card

Make your brunch reservations
Don't Forget to Call

Purchase her Gift 

Antique Wax Seal Pendant for Mom.

Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans honoring their Goddesses. 

Up until the late 1800's,  the Christian festival of “Mothering Sunday” was a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe. Originally, it was a day for the faithful to return to their “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home—for a special service. 

Over time, the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and children would honor their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s.

Early Origins of Present day Mother's Day

A mother's power has been harnessed to do good for centuries.

In West Virginia during the years before the Civil War (1861-65), Ann Reeves Jarvis helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” to teach local women how to properly care for their children. 

The clubs became a unifying force when much of the country was still divided over the Civil War. In 1868 Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” on which mothers gathered with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation.

Another precursor to Mother’s Day came from the abolitionist and suffragette Julia Ward Howe who, in the late 1800's, wrote the “Mother’s Day Proclamation,” a call to action that asked mothers to unite in promoting world peace. 

Today, Mother’s Day has also been a date for launching political or feminist causes. In 1968 Coretta Scott King used Mother’s Day to host a march in support of underprivileged women and children.

 

 

Today's Mother’s Day

The official Mother’s Day holiday arose in the 1900s.  Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honoring and celebrating the sacrifices mothers made for their children. After promoting her first National Mother's Day successfully,  Jarvis—(who never actually became a mother), resolved to see her holiday added to the national calendar with the argument that American holidays were biased toward male achievements.

 By 1912 her efforts resulted in many states, towns, and churches adopting Mother’s Day as an annual holiday, and Jarvis had established the Mother’s Day International Association to help promote her cause. 

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

By 1920, Jarvis had become disgusted with how the holiday had been commercialized. She  denounced the change and urged people to stop buying Mother’s Day flowers, cards and candies. 

By the time of her death in 1948 Jarvis had disowned the holiday altogether, and even actively lobbied the government to see it removed from the American calendar.

 

A Mother's Love Talisman - made to order

 

In heraldry, Pelicans represents a self-sacrificing mother’s love. Ancient legend has it that when food is unavailable for long periods, the momma Pelican makes the ultimate sacrifice and pierces her breast, offering her own blood as nourishment for her babies, risking her own life.

This piece is made to order. I work in recycled sterling and use an 1830’s salvaged wax seal image. 

 

Thank you for reading.

Norah

Wax Seal Jewelry Necklaces and Talisman- All proceeds Donated To Lupus.org

MAY is Lupus Awareness Month

If you don't know what Lupus is, now is your chance to learn something new!

This image will take you right to Lupus.org where you can have your questions answered

And HERE, you can go to my personal  fundraising page if you would like to make a donation. Or, you can purchase my handmade jewelry and have 100% of the proceeds donated to my fundraising campaign!

These are the two #waxseal jewelry pieces that I donate ALL proceeds from to Lupus.org

Lupus means 'Wolf" in Latin.
In the 1850's Lupus was so-named after a patient developed such a severe facial rash that it resembled the bite of a wolf. 

In Heraldry,  the symbol of the wolf denotes someone courageous who perseveres despite difficulties and setbacks. The wolf is emblematic of valor and guardianship  and the wearer of the Crest thought to be noble with valor.

While I Live I'll Crow

" While I live I'll Crow" is a perfect motto for anyone with a chronic illness. Although you may not feel up to doing the things you did once upon time, this is a little reminder to make the most of the times you feel well!


From my collection, one of (way too many) antique wax seal stamps from the 19C. 
I have some relics from the 18C I will be showing you soon!

Antique Wax Seal Stamp Wheel - Circa 1840

For the month of May, if there is a different piece of jewelry in my shop that you prefer, I am happy to put the proceeds from it to your donation instead.  Mention this blog post in 'notes to seller' upon checkout

Thank you for visiting and reading and hopefully making a donation to Lupus.org

Norah

Wax Seal Jewelry: MENs Pendant Necklaces - Finally!

Wax Seal Jewelry: Handmade MEN's Talismen - Finally! I am so excited to share several pieces from my new #mensjewelry line.

Use COUPON code: Take15- for 15% off. Expires 10/30.

FIRST PEEK: My long-awaited MENs Wax Seal Jewelry Line is almost complete. The first pieces are available now at #YourDailyJewels on Etsy.

The pendants are personal, meaningful, masculine and fierce. 

I am humbled by two recent sales, both to men who had never wore jewelry before, but were drawn to my pendants!

I use antique wax seals and European livery buttons from the 1800's to craft this line from recycled sterling silver.  The original relics are beautifully aged and I carefully preserve all of the well-earned nooks and crannies of the original artefact in my finished pendants.

Each handmade pendant features a strong iconic image and many are adorned with strong Latin proverbs that still resonate today. 

You will not find these anywhere else but at Your Daily Jewels. Please come on in and see the others.  You may just  connect with a perfect talisman for you or your man. Use COUPON code: Take15- for 15% off. Expires 10/30.

Stay tuned for more from my new  #MENsJewelry line in the coming weeks. 

Happy Autumn - it is good to be back to my bench.

Thank you for reading,

Norah

Alzheimer's Disease: The Long Goodbye, A Mother's Day Tribute.

about 1951

 In memory of my mom

 I am re-running and re-working  this post I wrote a few years ago about my mother's journey through Alzheimer's disease and its effect on the final years of our relationship. I still think about her throughout everyday and miss her, endlessly. I still wish I could smell her soft hair. I still crack-up out loud, by myself, at memories of some of our antics. My mother had a fantastic sense of humor; she was famous for her one-line wisecracks; and she traversed this devastating disease with humor, love, trust, and grace.

It has been seven years since Alzheimer's took its final ravage on on my mother's brain and body. I had spent eight years, (with lots of help from my three siblings and many caregivers), caring for my mom.

My mom on High School Graduation day

Caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease is just  like being back in school. Everyday you learn more, and try to remember what you have learned in order to apply it to the next lesson. You are constantly being challenged and tested by your loved one. Pop quizzes are numerous, and you are usually unprepared.

Nancy Reagan said, "When you have met one person with Alzheimer's disease, you have met one person with Alzheimer's disease". This is so true. Every patient has a slightly different presentation and every presentation changes by the day!  

My advice for those who are fumbling through the early stages of care,  and feeling like they cannot do anything right to protect their loved one is:

 "The only plan, is to plan for no plan to work as you planned".

It may sound odd, but the fondest memories of my mother are during the years she had Alzheimer's. She became a kinder, gentler mom; happy to be helped. Happy when I covered her limitations in conversation, or explained how I also forgot the same sort of things. Happy to laugh, and we did!  Happy to have her children there, and we were there, almost everyday.  

One funny memory is, in the early stage,  she developed a new-found, very enthusiastic love for shopping,  and urged me to take her clothes shopping everyday,  "like girls",  she would say.  At that point, she viewed herself as a young woman and I, her girlfriend.   Of course, she no longer carried a purse or money, so who wouldn't love shopping! I paid for all of her whimsical selections - happily. 

She had spent 30 years always providing for her children first, and during her illness a new pride in her appearance developed. She loved her weekly beauty parlor visits along with her "compulsive"  (and free) shopping jaunts.  She was so beautiful.  At 82 her skin was almost flawless.  Everywhere we went people would compliment her beauty and she would blush and beam. For the first half of the illness, she loved going out to restaurants and having cocktails - she would go everyday or evening if we were able to take her. And we usually did.  She was very persuasive.

She lived in the moment and enjoyed most of them.  Yes, she did have her battles, especially in the early stages when she had a good deal of self-awareness. I would crumple when she would ask me, "Why haven't I slipped away yet, why do I know this is happening?".

  

Because of Alzheimer's Disease

 

Because of Alzheimer's, my mom spent her last eight years surrounded by her children. Had she been healthy, we probably would have visited two or three times  a year. Instead, we moved her close to all of us, and few days went by when one of her children was not with her. Because of Alzheimer's', she saw her four adult children become bonded in the commitment to make her days happy and safe. A strong bond  we still have today.

We became close siblings because of Alzheimer's disease, we became more patient because of Alzheimer's disease, we learned how to selflessly give to others because of Alzheimer's disease, and we learned of the healing power of laughter when you just do not know what to do next.

During the long goodbye to our mom, we became better people in the world.  We graduated "Alzheimer's University" with honors. I am so proud of my entire family. I thank my mom for living through the long goodbye with graciousness, humor, and trust. I thank my siblings for loving so unconditionally. I thank God that we could all find the positive in a situation that many cannot bear. 

My mom had the brightest blue eyes you have ever seen. They shone bright and sparkled all throughout the disease while the light in the eyes of others fell dull. At the moment of her passing, after seeming to be asleep for over a day, she opened her sparkling eyes with her last breath and looked up toward Heaven. With her children around her; I believe her message was:  that her light shines on in all of us. This was my mom's final lesson to her children.

 My mom and her sisters

Thank you for reading,
Norah

Send In Your Smiles: - Wax Seal Initials and Jewelry - Customer Appreciation Days at Your Daily Jewels

New Spring Promotion for Your Daily Jewels' Wax Seal Jewelry Customers

For all of my customers, past and new: 

A 25% off coupon awaits you. 

How?

Please email me a smiling photo of you, or the recipient of your Your Daily Jewels'  wax seal initial or wax seal jewelry purchase. I may (or may not) use the photo in a collage on my website. No names will be attached. Upon receipt, I will email you your coupon.

Wax Seal Jewelry by Your Daily Jewels

Wax Seal Initials by Your Daily Jewels

Thank you for visiting and reading!

**send your photo(s) to me at www.yourdailyjewels.etsy.com or yourdailyjewels@gmail.com

Diamonds: The April Birthstone - How Did They Become "Forever"?

Diamonds are Forever (and they're April's Birthstone)

The first "A Diamond Is Forever" Ad from 1947

Copywriter Frances Gerety wrote "A Diamond Is Forever" for an advertising campaign for De Beers in 1947, and continued to  write all of the company's ads for 25 years.

During a post-depression generation, when most viewed diamond engagement rings as a luxury for the ultra wealthy, women would rather see men use their money toward a washing machine than an engagement ring. Miss Gerety's ad agency, N.W. Ayer of Philadelphia, set an ambitious goal: 

“to create a situation where almost every person pledging marriage feels compelled to acquire a diamond engagement ring.”

Today, even after a decade and a half of bad press about blood diamonds and inhumane working conditions in the mines, 75 percent of brides in the United States wear one, according to Kenneth Gassman, president of the Jewelry Industry Research Institute. 

 “A Diamond Is Forever,”  has appeared in every De Beers engagement ring ad since 1948. In 1999, two weeks before Ms. Gerety died at the age of 83, Advertising Age named it the slogan of the century.
source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05 

The slogan, "A Diamond is Forever" has been used in every De Beers ad for diamond jewelry since 1947. In short, Ms. Gerety sold us on diamond engagement rings and we bought in hook line and sinker. Now, how did it become April's birthstone?
Ok, back to the internet.

Conflict free and eco-friendly diamonds and diamond-alternative gift ideas for April birthday lucky-ladies.

Herkimer Diamond Crystal Ring in Rose Gold by LexLuxe on Etsy.com

Your Daily Jewels - Sort-Of Orb with Crystal Cubic Zirconium

White Gold Rough Diamond Engagement Ring by PointNoPointStudio on Etsy.com

Conflict Free, 14K Gold, Tiny Diamond Ring by LiliEmme on Etsy.com

Molten Lava Rough Diamond Ring in Sterling Silver - by artifactum on Etsy.com

Thank you for visiting and reading!

How to Catch Spring Fever When the Snow Won't Stop Falling

Waiting for April showers to bring some May Flowers!

March 26th, officially Spring, 38 degrees.  It is really hard to get into the frisky mood of Spring.  Spring fever hasn't even teased its way into the breeze yet. The lawn is still covered in taunting brown blotches of snow and it was sleeting yesterday.  How is your Spring so far?

In lieu of my own extended case of S.A.D. which has hung in through Daylight savings this year, I am looking for ways to force Spring fever into my soul. 

I've chosen  fun Springy goodies to show you.  If you are suffering through an extended Winter, maybe these will help you too!

Pastels

Soft, pastel colors always remind me of Easter. The first official Spring dress-up day. It is time to put these on, now. Switch your clothes to trick your brain.

Earth Energy Weddings - Pastel Sapphire Chakra Dangle Earrings

I am going to buy a gorgeous Spring dress. and try something really new with my hair. (But both must be worn with a smile or it does not work- attn: miss model )

Found on Pinterest.

If you're not the dressy-dress type, go for a new Spring separates outfit that you can mix and match. Pastels make you feel extra feminine which helps usher in that lovely Spring feeling. They also are the polar opposite of the dark colors you have been wearing all Winter. Its time to change your clothes to help inspire your brain.

Just Cavalli - Gorgeous for Spring

Following the pastels of early Spring are the flowery and fruity Spring and Summer colors. Everything goes, except the classic jewel-tones which bode best in Autumn and Winter.

Don't forget to change your makeup and get freshly colored manicures and pedicures.

Found on Pinterest

Bee Stickers by Kate Broughton on Etsy

Get a jump on Spring with these incredible Easter, art-cookies from Rolling Pin Productions, strait outta Brooklyn.  Hand crafted by master baker - Susanna Caliendo.  Send them to friends or family, or even better, treat yourself.

Customized Easter Cookies from Rolling Pin Productions - Order Yours for Any Occasion

Order via email:   order@rollingpinproductions.com 

Susanna Caliendo can make ANYTHING Deliciously Edible!

Look up the top songs from your high school graduation year, when Spring meant Summer, and Summer meant freedom. Especially in senior year, when Spring meant the beginning of the rest of your life. 

Mine was "Call Me" by Blondie. It still gives me a knot in my stomach when I hear it; bringing me back to sitting in a circle with my girlfriends on the lawn of my high school, eating lunch on a gorgeous breezy Spring day, waiting for the rest of our lives.

(Now I am on a quest for an authentic vintage tee on Ebay.)

I presented part of my Spring line of jewelry and this always gives me a Spring fever-ey feeling. I think its time to roll-out Summer, just to really give Spring a kick in the butt.

 

Beach Wedding Time?

Beach Wedding Beauties - from Your Daily Jewels

YourDailyJewels

BLOOMING  SILVER Earrings  - Contact YourDailyJewels.etsy.com

Rainbow Beach Glass

I know it will be here before we know it, but it does seem like everyone has been saying , wait until next week.... for a lot of weeks.  I am not waiting any more and am going to 'act as if" and hope my nervous and endocrine systems follow, with those little jolts of the zeal of new beginnings, motivation, and feelings of invincibility that come with Spring.

Thank you for reading

Antique Wax Seal Stamps { and Gorgeous Wax Seal Jewelry } PART 1.

Wax Seal Stamps

A collection of wax seal initials made from antique wax seal stamps in my collection, dated:1750 - 1974

 

Personal Wax Seal Stamps from 3500BC to Today

If I could get back the hours I have spent scouring the earth for #antiquewaxseal stamps... well, I wouldn't really want them. I love the thrill of the chase, the hunt, and especially the catch. 

Lost at Sea Compass - Wax Sea pendant - Your Daily Jewels

To say I revere antique wax seals and other tiny tidbits of history is putting it mildly. OK, I hoard them. Not just because I can make silver wax seal jewelry using them,  but because I lose myself in the history behind them and all the stories they have to tell.

The history of the wax seal is long and romantic. They have served many purposes over centuries. They have been  used to identify a sender, authenticate documents, and to insure privacy.  Seals of one form or another were used by royalty, government officials, religious entities and military officers.

From my Personal Collection - I Have Drawers and Drawers of These!

As a pre-teen and teenager in the seventies, we were not quite as genteel as the Aristocracy.  We bought our wax seal stamps in the “head shop”  and used them  as signs of the sheer grooviness of the times.  Peace signs, zodiac signs, dragons, unicorns, the moon and stars and the like. No proper letter to a best friend at camp was sent without one... or six.


 

PEACE! ....dude. circa 1974

Seals have served as a stamp of indisputable authenticity throughout history, just as a signature is accepted in the world today. Seals can be traced back to the Old Testament, wherein it is written that Jezebel used Ahab’s seal to counterfeit important documents.  

(From my collection) Ancient Turquoise - Turkish Carving Used as a Wax Seal

The use of seals can be traced all the way back to the world’s first civilizations, and have been found in Mesopotamia; believed to hail from 3500BC. They were made with clay that was impressed with engraved cylinders or rings. 


In the Middle ages, when illiteracy was rife, wax seals were used to keep a letter closed, ensure it hadn’t been tampered with; and confirm it was indeed written by the supposed sender.  However, widespread use of the seal did not really take off until the post-medieval period. 

In these years, they were used in place of a signature to authenticate agreements, contracts, wills, letters or any act executed in someone’s name. 

The seal itself often bears a distinctive emblem or symbol specific to the sender. Because these seals were symbols of power and used to authenticate a person’s wishes, they were typically destroyed after the owner died to prevent posthumous forgeries. This is one reason why they are so rare today and so precious to collectors.

 

Several of My Beautiful Wax Seal Wheels from the Early 1800's

When utilized in an official capacity, seals were sometimes placed directly on an official document but were often attached in the “pendent style" so not to become lost. The seal was applied to a cord, ribbon, or strip of parchment and hung loose after being threaded through a hole or slot at the lower edge of the document.

asteriamusica.org

 (above) When the Swiss decided they were going to war, they removed its wax seal from this Treaty for Peace that they had signed with Burgundy in 1467.  Look closely, you can see the two holes left by the absence of the Swiss seal. 

Wax Seals in Private Correspondence

 Seals were eventually used by families and individuals to seal handwritten letters.  For a great part of our history, this was the only form of correspondence available to express ones deepest feelings and thoughts. I am sure many a Victorian-Era parent intercepted and cracked the waxseal of a letter from a suitor to an anxiously awaiting  daughter.

"Am I Welcome"?  1790 Wax Seal  - from my personal collection 

Wax seals take me away. I feel like an Austen heroine or a Dickens character.   I can't help but envision a young, proper Victorian lady seated at her vanity,  opening a letter from her beau with a wax seal that reads "Am I Welcome"? hinting that he soon shall be in her area of the country, and would love to stop in and see her. The  wax seals pictured above are all from my collection. See the loops? They were often worn as necklaces, on charm bracelets or as watch-fob adornments so they were always handy.

Wax Seal "Etui" (container for double sided seals) from my collection - early 1800's

The Disappearance of the Wax Seal

 As travel, emigration, and colonization increased, wax seals were not simply applied to keep communication confidential, but as a practical necessity. Before the British and American postal reforms of the mid-19^th century, sending a letter was quite expensive; it cost 25 cents in the US to send a letter over 450 miles – quite a lot in those days.

Furthermore, postage was based on distance and number of sheets. 
An envelope would have counted as an additional sheet – and was considered a frivolous luxury

 Letters were written on a folio of paper (a double-wide piece of paper folded down the center). The contents of the letter were written on the front side (recto) of the first leaf.

Three Antique Wax Seals from my collection, primarily used to create Sterling Wax Seal Jewelry

The second leaf of the folio wrapped around the first leaf, forming a protective enclosure, which could then be sealed with sealing wax and addressed to the recipient, thereby avoiding additional expense of an envelope.

The use of wax seals largely disappeared long before the popularity of handwritten correspondence did. The disappearance  corresponds with the invention of the sticky envelope in the latter half of the 19^th Century, when automatic envelope folding machines, and more importantly, pre-gummed envelopes were developed.

After postal reforms, the use of the wax seal slowly diminished.  The cost of postage was significantly reduced and reforms changed its basis from the number of sheets, to overall weight. Waxseals only added more weight, and thus, added more cost.  Letter writing became much more accessible to the masses and the sheer volume of letters being mailed increased fivefold, but sadly, not the use of the faithful wax seal. 

The Wax Seal Meets Sterling Silver:

<<Check back for my next installment wherein I will be covering the making of wax seal jewelry from these historic relics >>

Your Daily Jewels has the largest collection of Wax Seal Stamp Initials and Monograms on Etsy

Erin Go Bragh! Four Leaf Clover Wax Seal Necklace ~ From Your Daily Jewels

Custom, contemporary, reversible Family Coat of Arms from Your Daily Jewels:

Modern Wax Seal Jewelry with an Olde Soul

Thank you for visiting and reading!

<<< And, If you’re interested in creating wax seals as in days of olde, check back for Part 3 when I will post a photo tutorial how to create a wax seal >>>


  More Sources on the topic:
  

1.  The University of Notre Dame has a large website showing Medieval Seals from their collection  of facsimiles of the originals. 
2.   Durham University Library displays a collection of Medieval Seals                        3.   The History Box web site, presented by a former head of seal  conservation at the National Archives, displays a range of seal facsimiles.

If you prefer a book, try:

1.  A Guide to British Medieval Seals London: British Library and Public Record Office. A number of black and white drawings of seals in this section have been derived from Bloom, J.H. 1906 
2.   English Seals London: Methuen and Boutell, C. 1899 English Heraldry London: Gibbings and Co.

The complete catalogues of seals in the British Library, or the British Museum as it was when these antique tomes were produced, can be found on the Internet Archive.

For a slightly different perspective, The Weekend Wanderers Metal Detecting Club shows an assortment of seal dies and matrixes that people have lost in the fields of old England over the centuries.

The Portable Antiquities Scheme records small archaeological finds, which include numbers of medieval seal dies and matrices.

If you are interested in the heraldic aspect (like me,) or want a seal identified, try the College of Arms or The Heraldry Society.