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The round glass jewels in the pic below are a few of the rivoli faceted gems I have available in my shop right now. These 10mm round stones (that’s approximately 3/8″) are great for small pendants, earring jewels, and of course connectors that link design elements.  I’ll post a few pics showing these jewels being used for necklaces and earrings, over the next days. But you know you’ll think of lots of ways to use them – with your own style. That’s the way DIY jewelry is meant to be! This pic shows how terrific neutral glass gems can be in jewelry design. The shapes in this particular design are 10x10mm diamonds used as connectors, and faceted 18x13mm ovals. The “black diamond” (gray) color isn’t even an exact match.  And of course that doesn’t matter at all. The colors don’t have to be exact matches – I actually prefer it when they aren’t 🙂 And of course the design showed here is only a suggestion. I really just wanted to point out that “neutral” can still be eye-catching. Use what you have (or buy more from my shop, of course!) Play with the combinations that work best *for you*. And have fun! I’m showing off two more sizes of the crystal AB pears (teardrops) I have in my shop right now. The “crystal AB” (which stands for aurora borealis) is an absolute favorite color/finish with my customers. It’s just beautiful, it sort of glows in the light, and it doesn’t need a whole lot of fussiness to make beautiful jewelry!  You see what I mean! The stones are lovely, and while it’s really true that no two are exactly alike (it depends on reflection and the light they’re in!) they are lovely with many colors, especially pink, lilac, purple, blue, and green. And of course crystal (clear). And pretty terrific with black, too. So go take a peek. These stones make wonderful earrings and pendants, and are great for gifts. Try them, you’ll see what I mean! Your first thought when you hear “white stones” is summertime, right? But think about it. “Winter white” is a common expression for a reason! And think of all the fall and winter outfits you’ve seen (and own) that are “black and white”, “red and white”, “blue and white”… you get the idea. Adding white to another color can create a beautiful, dramatic, year-round appropriate piece of jewelry.  This pic is really to show the scale of the white 10mm and 12mm white cabochons, especially when used with / compared with, the 18x13mm pears (probably the most popular jewel size). Plus it suggests how we can combine these stones. Of course you’ll take this idea and use it with your own beads and stones – and make it your own style. That’s the fun of do-it-yourself jewelry! The glass stones I’m showing here (okay, showing off!) are “crystal AB” which is a commonly used abbreviation for “Aurora Borealis”. It’s the finish applied to crystal clear glass gems – and it really does reflect many colors of the rainbow!  In a way it’s almost hard to get good pictures of these stones – because they have so much reflection, so many colors depending on the angle and the light. They are always beautiful. Sometimes they seem to have more pink highlights. Sometimes blue, or purple, or gold. Did did I say they are always beautiful? Truly. They make wonderful jewelry with very little extra embellishment needed. Slip the pendant on a chain. Add earwires to the smaller teardrops (in my shop) or the cushion cut octagons shown. Combine them with other stones or use them “as is”. You’ll love them! Sometimes we need neutral jewelry – not bright colors or pretty pastels, but strong neutrals. These glass jewels are a great example!  The jet black faceted pears are a great combination with the (off)white glass round cabochons. These would look great all year round – but somehow Fall approaching makes us think of black and white. You’ll adapt this idea to your own stones and jewels of course – any strong contrasting colors or neutrals would be great. Make the idea your own! (And share pics, I love to see them!) P.S. If you want to make gifts (yes, Christmas is coming!) but you don’t know the fave colors to match – she can always use neutrals. We all wear black sometimes, yknow? Another example of how wonderful these vitrail glass gems are when paired with contrasting beads, stones, or charms. The golden brass flowers in this earring design work beautifully with the faceted rainbow vitrail glass diamonds.  Really I wanted to show another example, another style, showing how pretty (and fun!) these multi colored glass gems can be. They have variations in tone, some with more pink, or purple, or green, so if you have some charms or glass gems you want to coordinate with these stones, just let me know. We’ll find a great pair for you! I just got in these adorable rainbow vitrail glass connectors. Small, useful, and so pretty! I show them here paired with vitrail glass pears (teardrops) – I think the shapes and sizes are so complementary.  I think these small – gorgeous! – glass gems are going to be about the most useful stones I’ve got. They’re quite rich in color, and while in my experience, absolutely no two vitrail stones are exactly the same – this is a wonderful batch, rich in color and it’s been quite easy to find coordinating (“matching” – for vitrail!) pairs. And the delicate size works with so many shapes. I’ll probably post another pair or two, just to show the possibilities – and to show them off! A friend of mine recently asked for some ideas for golden topaz glass earrings – and she knows I usually have several jewel styles and shapes in my shop. I showed her these (plus a few others in that section):  Seriously she had trouble making up her mind! She surprised me – she went for the small(ish) round gems shown in the upper right pic, a little more conservative than I expected from her. But she said they were perfect: they had enough color and presence to really show, without being large or heavy. I’m going to surprise her next week with another pair or two, just to show her some variety. I’ll post some here. But you know that’s the great thing about DIY jewelry – you get to make what you want! I recently made a pair of earrings as a gift for a friend of mine, using the sheer garnet teardrops shown here in the lower right of the pic below. They were very simple (and of course easy to make) – with no embellishment except for the golden brass prong settings. She loves the earrings!  Now I was prompted to make this particular pair after I saw a new dress she’d bought. But we all have our own spark – something that makes us think hmm, I would love to find (buy)(make) something in this-or-that color. It might be a gift you want to make, it might be something for you. That’s what’s so great about DIY jewelry – you don’t have to spend a lot of time or money. And you can make great jewelry! |
Jewelry and Accessories
Vintage, Recycled, Upcycled!
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