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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?
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!
Yesterday’s post shows some of the faceted glass 10mm x 8mm octagons I have available right now (and on sale!) I thought it would be helpful to show you the scale of these small glass gems. The mannequin head in this pic is close to life size – so you can see that these octagons, while small, definitely work as earring jewels!
Of course they work wonderfully when you combine them with more glass gems, charms, and other elements. But on their own they are terrific. These small-but-pretty earrings would look good day or night, with jeans or cocktail dress.
And remember, through August 13, 2023, they’re on BOGO sale!
This simple, fun earring design has two main components: silver plated leaf charms that are a bit under 1″ long, and 10mm rivoli faceted, emerald green glass stones, linked to hang from a large ring. The elements complement each other beautifully!
Of course you can choose any color glass jewel that you love (or that you have on your work table!) I do think the 10mm round stones are a pretty contrast to the slightly longer silver leaf charms. But as always, you’ll adapt this idea using your favorite stones and shapes.
Will love to see what designs you come up with!
The golden brass flower connector in this pendant is one of my favorite charms. It’s so pretty – and useful. I’ve used it in necklace designs as shown, and it works for earrings too. Add a small jewel dangle and you’ve got your new favorite pair of earrings!
I have a few more colors of that faceted oval pendant – if you don’t see the color you need, send me a note – I might have some stashed!
I showed off some sapphire glass jewels I have in my shop, in yesterday’s post. Today I wanted to show the scale of the two-jewel sapphire drops I have in my shop. The mannequin in this pic is pretty close to life size, so you can get an idea of how large (or rather, not too large!) these earring jewels really are.
And just so you know, the “BOGO” buy-one-get-one-free deal is still on, through midnight on Monday, August 7, 2023. So when you buy a pair of sapphire blue glass stones in my shop you get a second pair for free. Just mention this post when you order, and then let me know what freebie you want!
Here’s another example of a pair of earrings that’s easy to make, uses classic shapes in a new combination, is very flattering to wear, and can be adapted to use your own favorite colors and shapes – of course. It’s the idea of interesting combinations that’s really highlighted here!
One of the things I like best about these earrings (well besides the fact that they’re easy to make and don’t cost a lot!) is the combination of sparkling diamond shapes with the opaque red teardrops. An unexpected contrast like that adds a little extra dimension, yknow?
So as always, the goal is (1) low cost, (2) easy to create (and you’ll add your own spin to that of course) and (3) gorgeous earrings. Like I said before – this is a win!
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Jewelry and Accessories
Vintage, Recycled, Upcycled!
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