|
|
Diamonds are the birthstone for April. Now if you’re in the market for real diamonds, more power to you and I wish you the joy of shopping! But if you like the sparkle and clarity of diamonds – on a little lower budget (okay a MUCH lower budget) I think you’ll like crystal or glass diamonds.
Take a peek at some of the crystal “diamond” stones available in my shop right now:
Of course this pic only shows a few of the faceted crystal gems I have available, but I specially wanted to show these because you can customize them. The large crystal in each setting is the diamond-like “clear crystal”. The small round stones at the top of each setting can be changed to the color of your choice. So – personalize or customize these!
I’ll admit it right up front – one of the things I love most about jewelry making, and having my own jewelry supplies shop, is that I get to play with color. I think a lot of us love to do that! I get to create new jewelry designs, and get to wear fun new jewelry that I designed and made myself – without having to spend a lot of money!
So in this pic I just wanted to show you a few of the vivid, pretty glass gems I have available right now:
And these aren’t even the “important” ones. These aren’t the biggest. They are simply colorful, and fun, and may spark an idea or two (or more!) for your own designs. And have fun making your own jewelry!
The rainbow vitrail glass gems shown here are terrific when combined to make earrings. They aren’t heavy, but are vivid enough and have enough sparkle to really catch the eye. And they go with so many colors!
Now I know sometimes we want neutrals, or soft pastels. But you know, sometimes you want color that sparkles and is strong and vibrant and… fun!
That’s what you get when you wear rainbow vitrail. Combine the 10mm rivoli faceted rounds, and 14x10mm octagons as shown here. Or wear each shape alone. Or coordinate with other colors.
That’s the fun of rainbow colors!
These lightweight, delicate-seeming earrings are great for every day – and hey, if you need emerald earrings for a special occasion? These have the fabulous color of precious gemstone emeralds – without the high price tag!
These would be great for May birthstone earrings – but they’d also look good with blue jeans. You know: as jewelry ought to. You’ll love them!
This sapphire blue, two-stone glass jewel combination is turning out to be a customer favorite! These are sheer rhinestones (glass stones) – with no foil backs. The color is rich enough to shine even without the foil backing – as you can see here:
They are slightly different shades. Note too that the lighter sapphire octagons are handset into silver plated brass settings with closed backs – so the silver shows through and helps to actually lighten the color a bit. If we used patina brass settings, the octagons would appear to be much darker.
Really what I want to show here, is two different shapes, and how wonderfully they combine. And how much fun it is to try different prong settings! You’ll adopt the idea to your own particular style. That’s the fun of DIY jewelry!
P.S. Well, and also that you can save money when you design and make your own jewelry. Now that is *really* fun!
These black diamond (medium gray) faceted glass gems are a great year round jewelry choice! Now don’t laugh, you know I like rich colors in my jewelry. But sometimes a neutral is just right. And especially if you’re making jewelry for someone else, and are not sure about their favorite colors, neutrals totally work.
These are what I would call “medium small”. The diamond shape stones are 10mm x 10mm, about 3/8″, and are great glass connectors as well as small pendants or earring jewels. The pear or teardrop shapes, shown inverted here as connectors, are also fabulous in one-ring settings for smallish pendants or earring jewels. Together or separately, these are terrific with most colors – and they work wonderfully for last-minute Christmas gifts too. Just saying!
The “montana sapphire” or navy blue glass gems in this pic are an easy-to-use pendant and earring jewels set (though they are sold separately). Navy Blue is super popular this time of year – it’s a great color for fall and winter, deep and rich. And if you want to make some jewelry for yourself, or for gifts, this is a super option for you!
The teardrop pendant measures 25mm x 18mm, or approximately 1″ x 3/4″. The smaller teardrops, or pear shape stones, are 18mm x 13mm. That’s probably the most popular size for earrings. These jewels are large enough to have great presence with no more embellishment, but not big enough to be heavy.
I think you’ll love them!
I love this set of clear glass “gemstones”. I put quotes around the word “gemstones” because of course these stones are not precious. But they are lovely – and work beautifully for a pendant and coordinating earring jewels. You could use this octagon pendant all alone, “as is” – it makes a lovely pendant. Add the two diamond-shaped glass gems to make a more elaborate necklace. Use the smaller stones in one-ring settings for coordinating earrings, or add other beads and jewels. You can imagine the possibilities!
Part of what I want to focus on here, is that “just” clear glass – (nicely faceted and clear of flaws, well mostly) can make fabulous jewelry. You don’t need to have Bright Flashy Stones, or spend a fortune.
And of course, these go with pretty much everything. Talk about a win!
Rainbow stones – often known as “vitrail” in the jewelry trade – are some of the most wonderful and popular glass stone colors available. I should probably say “color combination” because they are never just one color! Take a look at the vitrail gems in this pic:
I’ve just gotten in some new packets – and the colors, as you can see, are rich and varied. Shades of purple and pink, green and gold, blue and aqua. Truly, no two are exactly the same – but they can be closely paired. Just saying – when you buy vitrail rainbow stones in my shop, they’ll be a set that truly works, for earrings, or pendants, or glass connectors – and in my experience they are wonderfully received when made into gifts for friends and family.
I think you’ll love them!
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!
|
Jewelry and Accessories
Vintage, Recycled, Upcycled!
|