WHAT DO YOUR ACCESSORIES SAY ABOUT YOU?

This year I am happy to announce a new line of accessories and decor that speaks to the concept that what we wear and the things we surround ourselves with reveal who we are.

This daring new trend features fashion with funk and striking color palettes!

Fire & Ice Swarovski Bracelet

And the STAR of the performance...Swarovski Crystals & pearls!  This hot and cold masterpiece features fiery gold and orange two-tone Swarovski crystals, golden rondelles, and antiqued gold Swarovski pearls that are bedded between 24kt gold finished tube beads and complimented with bright white Swarovski pearls.

This bracelet represents most of us...The strong, fearless, but gentle and sassy. The whole package!
It's really all about embracing ourselves for who we are and continuing to grow.

Swarovski XL 'Fancy' Bracelet

This Navy Blue wonder is settle but still screams high end fashion! It has an amazing palette of navy blue Swarovski pearls that expand in the middle and recedes to each end with sterling silver beads and tiny Swarovski pearls in a luminous cream. Swarovski XL Bracelet

All of my bracelets are hand woven several times to ensure durability. I evaluate each bracelet and it's materials to choose the best stringing materials that will be strong and long lasting but that is also a great fit for the movement and overall look and feel of each bracelets particular style.

Like this elegant jasper and 24kt gold GF ankle bracelet that is woven with a strong mono-filament cord that has a slight stretch for accidental snags and this material is waterproof! So long walks on the beach are AY OKAY! This anklet is part of my 'Worry Jewelry" gemstone line. To see more about the theory behind the them ;) you can See My Gallery on Facebook.

How to make your jewelry last. Tarnish Be Gone! Tips for caring for your fashion jewelry...

One of the reasons I began designing my own jewelry was because I was tired of paying $16.99 for a pair of really cute costume earrings that tarnished the first night out :( So the materials that are used ARE very important but even with the cheapest accessory there are ways to prevent premature wear and tear to make your accessory budget stretch a little further!

General Tips for Caring for all Jewelry:

I. ALWAYS MAKE THE ACCESSORIES LAST MINUTE--> Whether it's a belt, hair clip, scarf, or the more obvious things like necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings... always try to put your accessories on last. Many metals sold in the retail jewelry stores out there are using very cheap metals that will oxidize in an instant if mixed with any kind of cosmetics such as makeups, lotions or oils, perfumes or body sprays or anything else containing various combinations of chemicals. I won't get into specifics but a good rule to follow is if you can spray it; It will fade it.
 I always used to wonder why the clasps and buckles on my really nice belts and purses would fade and begin to look ding after a week or two and I am positive now that body spray was the culprit!
Additional Note: It also helps to allow time for all cosmetics to dry or set completely.

II. REMEMBER TO REMOVE YOUR JEWELRY FOR THE DAY--> With higher quality jewelry such as sterling silver, gold, platinum, and precious stones this is not necessarily a major risk. There is a phenomenon, primarily in women, that will cause discoloration to the skin and possible oxidation in even fine metals. Some theorists think that this is because of iron levels in the body but there is no scientific reason, as of yet, as to why this happens in certain people.

But in cheaper metals that are used in a variety of costume jewelry and accessories today it is usually made using a mixed metal base with a cheaper coating or finish that could be thin or not very strong. When the finish wears off, the bottom layer of metals, or base metal, will oxidize and rise to the top resulting in ugly tarnish. Long exposure of heat and other chemical factors related to our bodies can not only cause the oxidizing of cheaper finishes but it can also soften metals causing them change shape such is commonly found in wedding rings!  
I'll mention this again below but wiping the off and storing them is also very important!

III. KEEP YOUR ACCESSORIES CLEAN AND DRY--> After wearing your accessories for the day take a damp cloth, preferably a jewelry cloth, and wipe them off dry them thoroughly and store them. You can get jewelry cloth for a few bucks at any local craft store...Hobby Lobby and Michael's have 40% coupons! I'll post links to these digital coupons below....
Hobby Lobby Printable coupon
Hobby Lobby Digital coupon for cell phones
Michael's Printable and text link for coupon

IV. STORE ACCESSORIES SAFELY--> In this economy today it is always a great, fantastic, super good idea to find any way at all to save money! Where ever we buy our jewelry from and however much we pay for it... we expect it to last for a little while and have at least a touch of it's original luster and pizazz...When I ship any of my accessories I bag it in a fitted ziplock bag and attach an anti-tarnish strip to the inside. Voila no tarnish worries for 6 months! I use a product called Shine-On and I actually did a test run on some stainless steel earwires for a little over 1 year and it had remarkable results.

 To purchase Shine-On click here: --> Shine-On Anti-tarnish Strips

Just cut a small square for ziplock bags or whatever size you need for the area of space you are trying to protect...take a small piece of scotch tape and tape the top of the strip, (red writing side down), to your storage container, jewelry box, pouch, or ziplock bag and your jewelry is protected!!! Works ideally in an air tight container.

We all probably already knew some or all of this but I wanted to write this blog to share some tips and share great products that helps me keep my jewelry looking great!

My Jewelry Shop on Etsy!
All of the jewelry and accessories from my shop are hand made with quality and durability in mind. I use top quality materials that will last much longer than any bulk or factory manufactured jewelry. To read more about my shop and see some of the latest trends and developments in feather jewelry visit me on Etsy.

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Please feel free to share your jewelry cleaning secrets and tips in the comments below! 

Best,

Lisa

Gold Plated vs. Gold Finished vs. Gold Filled...What does it all mean?

In my journey as a designer working with precious metals I realized how little I knew about this subject. Among this confusion landed the question...What is the difference between gold/silver filled, gold/silver finished, and gold/silver plated jewelry?

I found the answer!

Gold/Silver Plated- If it is gold or silver plated than this means it is a mixture of a base metals that has a very thin coating of either a karat gold or .925 silver around the mixed metal base. Commonly the mixed metals are either copper or silver and they can be chemically or electrochemically plated with genuine gold or silver. With plated jewelry the atoms of copper will eventually break through the gold or silver plate causing the plated item to tarnish. In higher quality plating, nickel is often added to prevent the oxidation of these metals as well as act as a filler or armor to absorb the porousness of gold in particular. There are legally governed standards for the amount of gold or silver a 'plated' or 'filled' item should contain. Some information from the U.S. Trade Commission is listed below.  (Note the Red circle in the image above, this image is from a wholesale jewelry supply company, they have listed the % of silver contained in the item.)

We have all struggled with this!

This image is originally found at 
cutedogsandhugs.wordpress.com
In a blog with some great 'old-school' toothpaste tricks!





For tips on how to avoid premature wear and tarnish on costume jewelry as well as easy and safe cleaning tips stay tuned for my next blog... 

Okay now let's talk about Gold/Silver filled...

Gold/Silver Filled- Exactly the same idea of mixed metals except that in this case there is a small amount of 'filler' metal such as copper with a significantly larger bonded gold filling base for the rest of the shape of the filled jewellery item.

Here are some standards regulated by the U.S. Trades Commission which is stated below:

If the gold layer is 10 kt fineness- minimum layer of karat gold in an item stamped GF must equal at least 1/10 the weight of the total item.

If the gold layer is 12 kt or higher- the minimum layer of karat gold in an item stamped GF must equal at least 1/20 the weight of the total item.

The most common stamps found on gold-filled jewelry are 1/20 12kt GF and 1/20 14kt GF. Also common is 1/10 10kt.

Did you know?   

Gold filled jewelry is considered to be pretty high quality as it lasts a very, very long time if not indefinitely, it has the exact same look as solid gold and it is for a fraction of the cost.

NEXT....The stuff costume jewelry is made of!

24kt gold finished seed beads by Dynamite

Gold Finished- This can be a pretty word for gold plated but you have to look in the description for a reference to the karat of the gold or confirmation of it containing a precious metal. Otherwise this term simply means the exact same thing as gold toned or gold colored. For an example of a gold finished item that contains a karat of gold click below.
24 kt gold finished 11/0 seedbeads

Gold Tone/Colored- Simply a gold color finish of another metal or medium that does not contain any gold or precious metal at all.

There are 2 more metals less common but definitely worth noting...

Vermeil - Which is a sterling silver base coated or plated with gold.
Palladium- In the platinum family, it is a bright silvery metal with the same qualities as platinum except it has a lower melting point and it is less dense. For an image of beads made with palladium click below...
Palladium Beads

Common abbreviations for various metals
Gold Plated (GLP)
Gold Finished (GLF)
Gold Filled (GF)
Silver Finished (SLF)
Silver Plated (SLP)

To purchase great quality gold and silver jewellery supplies visit my shop at
Shop Quality Supplies>>>

Palladium finished hex beads.