Wow, time has flown by. I cannot believe my last post was in April! Bad, bad girl. Well, I did do a show in May so I have been busy!
Let's talk about birthstones. Apparently we have several options for choosing so if you don't like your stone read on. You can choose, modern, traditional, mystical, ayurvedic (holistic), day or season. I will list all of them below in this order.
January - garnet, garnet, emerald, garnet
February - amethyst, amethyst, bloodstone, amethyst
March - aquamarine, bloodstone, jade, bloodstone
April - diamond, diamond, opal, diamond
May - emerald, emerald, sapphire, agate
June - pearl/moonstone, alexandrite, moonstone, pearl
July - ruby, ruby, ruby, ruby - sorry all you July people!!!
August - peridot, sardonyx, diamond, sapphire
September - sapphire, sapphire, agate, moonstone
October - opal/tourmaline, tourmaline, jasper, opal
November - yellow topaz/citrine, citrine, citrine, pearl
December - blue topaz/turquoise/tanzanite, zircon/turquoise/lapis lazuli, onyx, ruby
The day for each month is the same for all:
Sunday - topaz/sunstone
Monday - rock crystal/pearl/moonstone
Tuesday - ruby/emerald/star sapphire
Wednesday - amethyst/lodestone/star ruby
Thursday - sapphire/carnelian/cat's eye
Friday - emerald/cat's eye/alexandrite
Saturday - turquoise/diamond/labradorite
The season is the same for all:
Spring - emerald
Summer - ruby
Autumn - sapphire
Winter - diamond
Now you know you have many choices for your birthstone!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Fashion Trends vs. Fashion Fads
Recently there was an article in my local paper written by Gary Salter, a local jeweler. In the article he explained that there is a difference between jewelry fads (or fashions) and jewelry trends. He said the difference was that a fad bursts on the market with intense excitement and interest by the public but can just as quickly disappear. A jewelry trend usually takes more time to get established, but has a longer life.
Jewelry trends can be initiated by cultures and countries that spread from one country to the next. A few examples would be:
Ireland - Shamrock designed jewelry, Celtic designs and trinity knots.
Greece - Intricate woven wire filligree, worry beads and Greek key designs.
Rome - Coiled snake bracelets and hoop earrings
India - Elephant designs.
France - Necklaces that form into brooches.
Religion, Hollywood celebrities, movies and television all play a part in jewelry trends. Politicians, nobility and their wives can play a part in a jewelry trend. A notable example is Jackie Kennedy.
Yellow gold is making a comeback this year but silver may become popular again because of our current economic situation. Small gemstones mixed with white or colored pearls will be a big trend this year. Rough cut natural gemstones will also be popular.
Jewelry trends can be initiated by cultures and countries that spread from one country to the next. A few examples would be:
Ireland - Shamrock designed jewelry, Celtic designs and trinity knots.
Greece - Intricate woven wire filligree, worry beads and Greek key designs.
Rome - Coiled snake bracelets and hoop earrings
India - Elephant designs.
France - Necklaces that form into brooches.
Religion, Hollywood celebrities, movies and television all play a part in jewelry trends. Politicians, nobility and their wives can play a part in a jewelry trend. A notable example is Jackie Kennedy.
Yellow gold is making a comeback this year but silver may become popular again because of our current economic situation. Small gemstones mixed with white or colored pearls will be a big trend this year. Rough cut natural gemstones will also be popular.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wow! I can't believe almost 10 days have gone by since my last blog. I have been making earrings for a show I will be in this May. The show is in Watkinsville, Georgia which is near Athens. It is called Southwerks Art Festival. Come by and check out my work if you have a chance.
The earrings I have made in the last couple of days have been made from many different types of gemstones and beads. Today I used carnelian cushion beads on gold-filled wire. For those of you who don't know what carnelian looks like, it is a beautiful orange color. I made another pair from garnets which are a lovely reddish brown color.
Making jewelry is so exciting to me because there are so many beautiful materials to work with. Every time I go shopping for materials I come across something that is new to me. For example, Sardonyx and Indicolite are two materials that I had never encountered. Since there is always something new to work with when designing jewelry it is always a delight!
Tomorrow my goal is to make necklaces to go with some of the beautiful new spring colors. It shouldn't be too hard since the colors are great and the stones are waiting!
The earrings I have made in the last couple of days have been made from many different types of gemstones and beads. Today I used carnelian cushion beads on gold-filled wire. For those of you who don't know what carnelian looks like, it is a beautiful orange color. I made another pair from garnets which are a lovely reddish brown color.
Making jewelry is so exciting to me because there are so many beautiful materials to work with. Every time I go shopping for materials I come across something that is new to me. For example, Sardonyx and Indicolite are two materials that I had never encountered. Since there is always something new to work with when designing jewelry it is always a delight!
Tomorrow my goal is to make necklaces to go with some of the beautiful new spring colors. It shouldn't be too hard since the colors are great and the stones are waiting!
Friday, March 20, 2009
2009 Jewelry Trends
What is popular in the jewelry world these days? Well, bangle bracelets, big link necklaces, layered and multi-chain necklaces, Turquoise and anything goes for earrings. You can mix up metals and other materials. Also, the ethnic/tribal look is still popular.
The current jewelry fashion is for each piece to make a statement. Whether you choose a necklace, bracelet or ring think big is better!
You can never go wrong with pearls! The picture above is a necklace that I designed and created using Swarovski glass pearls. They are a beautiful chocolate brown. The chain is heavy in look but light in weight. I have it on my website at www.doublesjewelry.artfire.com. I made simple brown pearl earrings to go with it.
Have you ever found the perfect outfit but not been able to find the right jewelry to go with it? I know I have in the past. Well, I love to do custom work. You can send me a picture and I can make just the right thing for you.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Fashion Colors for Spring 2009
Do you know what the hot new colors will be for spring and summer this year? Well I didn't either so I did a little research and the following is what I discovered. Pantone is the fashion world's king of color and this is what they say are the Top 10 Fashion Colors for Spring of 2009.
Palace Blue(a cross between sky blue and a strong navy),Lavender, Rose Dust(a pinky blue), Slate Gray, Fushsia Red, Salmon Rose, Vibrant Green(mossy mid green), Dark Citron(almost olive), Lucite Green(soft green) and Super Lemon.
The next time you go shopping check the clothes to see if this if true or not. In the meantime I need to get busy and start making pieces that will complement these colors.
I also read that brown will be the new black for this season. It shouldn't be too hard to find lots of smoky quartz, tiger's eye, different jaspers and natural chalcedony to design beautiful necklaces and earrings for this spring and summer.
In fact, I already have a couple of lovely chocolate pearl and tiger's eye necklaces on my website at www.doublesjewelry.artfire.com. If you get a chance to look at them, let me know what you think.
Palace Blue(a cross between sky blue and a strong navy),Lavender, Rose Dust(a pinky blue), Slate Gray, Fushsia Red, Salmon Rose, Vibrant Green(mossy mid green), Dark Citron(almost olive), Lucite Green(soft green) and Super Lemon.
The next time you go shopping check the clothes to see if this if true or not. In the meantime I need to get busy and start making pieces that will complement these colors.
I also read that brown will be the new black for this season. It shouldn't be too hard to find lots of smoky quartz, tiger's eye, different jaspers and natural chalcedony to design beautiful necklaces and earrings for this spring and summer.
In fact, I already have a couple of lovely chocolate pearl and tiger's eye necklaces on my website at www.doublesjewelry.artfire.com. If you get a chance to look at them, let me know what you think.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
New Jewelry Studio
Our son graduated from college last spring and moved back home until he could find a job, save some money and find a place of his own. He accomplished all of that and moved into his own apartment last month. We were sad to see him leave again but since he only lives 20 minutes away it isn't like we really lost him! Since he has moved out it has given us some room to move my jewelry workspace from a cramped space in the basement where we store our Christmas decorations to a room that he used as a sort of den. So something that we viewed as a negative (we really love our two children!) has a silver lining.
I spent the first day of transforming my new space packing up our son's movies, broken laptop, miscellaneous electronic wires, old books, papers and old sports equipment that didn't make the cut for going with him to his new apartment. The next day was spent removing and donating an old television, sofa and out dated stereo equipment.
My wonderful and handy husband built shelves for me to place my jewelry draws on with pegboard above them. I can now hang all of the wires and miscellaneous stuff that I have acquired. We had a spare television that our daughter used at college so he hooked that up for me. Next, he installed great new lighting for me. I have a laptop on a shelf that was already there. I have space for my lights and table that I use for taking pictures of my jewelry. I will have to take a picture of the room and post it here. I am so happy to have so much room and great lighting.
We went down to Destin, FL shortly after completing the project so today is the first day I have had to actually work in the new space. It is great! I completed a necklace and earrings that I will post later.
While I was working on the necklace, I flipped on the television and watched the local weather. It looks like we are going to get some snow in Atlanta tomorrow! We get so excited when we get a chance to actually see snow. It is so much fun to watch it fall!
Okay, so while writing this post my computer went on the blink. Since then it did snow here in Atlanta. It was just beautiful to watch. Today it is starting to melt. The picture in the top right is our front yard!
Friday, February 20, 2009
I am new to blogging so for my first post I would like to list some information on how to clean different gemstones. This is a partial list but I hope it will be helpful to some of you.
You can visit my website at http://www.doublesjewelry.artfire.com/ to see examples of some of these gemstones.
Agates – very easy to care for – commercial jewelry cleaners are safe to use.
Amber – use a soft cloth and clean water to clean this stone. If the amber is set in silver or gold, do not use a chemical dip solution to remove oxidation from the metal. A non-abrasive jewelry polish and a soft cloth are okay but you should be sure to rinse and dry it off well. Ultrasonic cleaning is not recommended.
Amethyst – jewelry made with sterling silver or gold can be dipped in a solution to remove tarnish without harming the stone.
Aquamarine – easy to care for – use a toothbrush and dishwashing detergent or a commercial jewelry cleaner.
Aventurine – requires little care – clean with a toothbrush and dishwashing detergent or a jewelry polish.
Bloodstone – can be cleaned easily – polish with a commercial jewelry polish, rinse with hot water and dry with a soft cloth.
Black Onyx – easy to care for – polish with a commercial jewelry cleaner, rinse with hot water and dry with a soft cloth.
Carnelian – jewelry made with sterling silver or gold can be cleaned with a commercial jewelry cleaner, rinsed and polished with a soft cloth.
Citrine – jewelry made with sterling silver or gold can be dipped in a solution to remove tarnish without harming the stone.
Coral – will dissolve in some household cleaning chemicals – coral jewelry should never be dipped or soaked in solutions to remove tarnish. Ultrasonic cleaning is not recommended. Scrub with an old toothbrush and then polish with a rough cloth.
Emeralds – easy to care for – clean with a toothbrush and dishwashing detergent. You can also use jewelry polish.
Garnets – jewelry made with sterling or gold can be cleaned with commercial jewelry cleaners. Or you may use a toothbrush and dishwashing detergent.
Hematite – a commercial jewelry cleaner can be used along with a rough jewelry cloth.
Iolite – can be cleaned with a commercial jewelry cleaner.
Jade – easy to care for – can be cleaned with a commercial jewelry cleaner or polished with a soft cloth.
Labradorite – easily maintained with a commercial jewelry cleaner and rough polishing cloth.
Lapis – a soft stone that should not be cleaned with a commercial jewelry cleaner or chemical dip. It is a porous stone that can absorb liquids that will affect its color. It should not be worn while washing dishes or using household cleaners. Ultrasonic cleaning is not recommended. A soft cloth should be used to polish the stones.
Opal – natural opal should not be cleaned with commercial jewelry cleaning compounds. It is a porous stone that can absorb liquids that can affect its color and erode the stone. It should not be worn while washing dishes or using harsh household cleaning chemicals. Ultrasonic cleaning is not recommended. A rough polishing cloth is okay.
Pearls – should not be cleaned with commercial jewelry cleaning compounds. They are porous and will absorb liquids that will affect the color and erode the pearl. Rings with pearls should not be worn while washing dishes or using harsh household cleaning chemicals. Ultrasonic cleaning is not recommended. A soft cloth should be used to rub the pearls clean.
Peridot – most dipping solutions are okay. A final polish with a rough polishing cloth is recommended.
Rose quartz – jewelry made with sterling silver or gold can be dipped in a solution to remove tarnish without harming the stone. It can be polished with a rough polishing cloth.
Rubies – jewelry made with sterling silver or gold can be dipped in a solution to remove tarnish without harming the stone. It can be polished with a rough jewelry polishing cloth.
Sapphires – jewelry made with sterling silver or gold can be dipped in a solution to remove tarnish without harming the stone. It can be polished with a rough polishing cloth.
Tiger eye – a quartz family stone, is easy to care for. It can be cleaned with a commercial jewelry cleaner.
Topaz – very easy to care for – you can use a commercial jewelry cleaner and a rough cloth for polishing.
Tourmaline – very easy to care for – you can use a commercial jewelry cleaner and then polish with a rough cloth.
Turquoise – a very soft and porous stone and will be stained if it absorbs a colored liquid. It should never be dipped or soaked in a cleaning solution. Ultrasonic cleaning is not recommended. Polish with a soft cloth.
You can visit my website at http://www.doublesjewelry.artfire.com/ to see examples of some of these gemstones.
Agates – very easy to care for – commercial jewelry cleaners are safe to use.
Amber – use a soft cloth and clean water to clean this stone. If the amber is set in silver or gold, do not use a chemical dip solution to remove oxidation from the metal. A non-abrasive jewelry polish and a soft cloth are okay but you should be sure to rinse and dry it off well. Ultrasonic cleaning is not recommended.
Amethyst – jewelry made with sterling silver or gold can be dipped in a solution to remove tarnish without harming the stone.
Aquamarine – easy to care for – use a toothbrush and dishwashing detergent or a commercial jewelry cleaner.
Aventurine – requires little care – clean with a toothbrush and dishwashing detergent or a jewelry polish.
Bloodstone – can be cleaned easily – polish with a commercial jewelry polish, rinse with hot water and dry with a soft cloth.
Black Onyx – easy to care for – polish with a commercial jewelry cleaner, rinse with hot water and dry with a soft cloth.
Carnelian – jewelry made with sterling silver or gold can be cleaned with a commercial jewelry cleaner, rinsed and polished with a soft cloth.
Citrine – jewelry made with sterling silver or gold can be dipped in a solution to remove tarnish without harming the stone.
Coral – will dissolve in some household cleaning chemicals – coral jewelry should never be dipped or soaked in solutions to remove tarnish. Ultrasonic cleaning is not recommended. Scrub with an old toothbrush and then polish with a rough cloth.
Emeralds – easy to care for – clean with a toothbrush and dishwashing detergent. You can also use jewelry polish.
Garnets – jewelry made with sterling or gold can be cleaned with commercial jewelry cleaners. Or you may use a toothbrush and dishwashing detergent.
Hematite – a commercial jewelry cleaner can be used along with a rough jewelry cloth.
Iolite – can be cleaned with a commercial jewelry cleaner.
Jade – easy to care for – can be cleaned with a commercial jewelry cleaner or polished with a soft cloth.
Labradorite – easily maintained with a commercial jewelry cleaner and rough polishing cloth.
Lapis – a soft stone that should not be cleaned with a commercial jewelry cleaner or chemical dip. It is a porous stone that can absorb liquids that will affect its color. It should not be worn while washing dishes or using household cleaners. Ultrasonic cleaning is not recommended. A soft cloth should be used to polish the stones.
Opal – natural opal should not be cleaned with commercial jewelry cleaning compounds. It is a porous stone that can absorb liquids that can affect its color and erode the stone. It should not be worn while washing dishes or using harsh household cleaning chemicals. Ultrasonic cleaning is not recommended. A rough polishing cloth is okay.
Pearls – should not be cleaned with commercial jewelry cleaning compounds. They are porous and will absorb liquids that will affect the color and erode the pearl. Rings with pearls should not be worn while washing dishes or using harsh household cleaning chemicals. Ultrasonic cleaning is not recommended. A soft cloth should be used to rub the pearls clean.
Peridot – most dipping solutions are okay. A final polish with a rough polishing cloth is recommended.
Rose quartz – jewelry made with sterling silver or gold can be dipped in a solution to remove tarnish without harming the stone. It can be polished with a rough polishing cloth.
Rubies – jewelry made with sterling silver or gold can be dipped in a solution to remove tarnish without harming the stone. It can be polished with a rough jewelry polishing cloth.
Sapphires – jewelry made with sterling silver or gold can be dipped in a solution to remove tarnish without harming the stone. It can be polished with a rough polishing cloth.
Tiger eye – a quartz family stone, is easy to care for. It can be cleaned with a commercial jewelry cleaner.
Topaz – very easy to care for – you can use a commercial jewelry cleaner and a rough cloth for polishing.
Tourmaline – very easy to care for – you can use a commercial jewelry cleaner and then polish with a rough cloth.
Turquoise – a very soft and porous stone and will be stained if it absorbs a colored liquid. It should never be dipped or soaked in a cleaning solution. Ultrasonic cleaning is not recommended. Polish with a soft cloth.
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