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Diamonds – the birthstone for April

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!

Crystal Oval Necklace – a great jewelry design

This oval crystal necklace is a classic. It’s a simple design – find a beautiful faceted oval glass gem, add a sturdy jump ring to the loop at the top of the setting, and slide the oval pendant on a chain.

And that’s it! Of course you need to use a beautiful pendant – you want something that will be a star on its own, without needing a lot of embellishment. The chain helps too – in this case, I used simple plated cable chain but I used two strands. It adds something extra without a lot of work.

Really I wanted to illustrate that good design – and beautiful jewelry – doesn’t have to be time consuming, or fussy. Simple and classic works.

Think how beautiful this necklace would be on a bride! (And you know, whether it’s a gift to the bride, or she makes her own jewelry, she isn’t going to mind saving some money!)

Crystal earrings with sparkling glass gems

Crystal earrings are always a great choice! The sparkle is flattering. The color goes with everything. And of course, for prom, or weddings, or any special occasion – crystal always works!


With this pair of earrings, I used 12x12mm (1/2″) cushion cut octagons – that’s a classic octagon shape with rounded corners, paired with 18x13mm ovals. These are well facected – and large enough to give great sparkle, without being too heavy.

Link them with sturdy jump rings, add earwires, and your jewelry is ready to wear!

White glass jewels with crystal – DIY jewelry for summer sparkle!

These opaque white glass teardrops are vintage from the 1950s according to the packaging. I’ve paired them with faceted crystal diamond-shape jewels – don’t they look great together? (I thought I posted this a while back and now I can’t find it!)

They’re wonderful for bridal jewelry of course – but right now they just seemed so fresh and summery!.

Easy to use – just use a jump ring to link the two design elements. Add earwires. You’re good to go – easy, affordable DIY summer jewelry!

Do It Yourself Bridal and Wedding Jewels

Wedding season is coming!

That’s true of course. But also true is that sparkling crystal jewelry is always in fashion. It always looks great. It goes with almost everything. And crystal jewelry makes wonderful gifts. So, you knew all that already.

faceted crystal glass gems for Spring 2021

But the “goes with everything” and “makes great gifts” is something to keep in mind. If you want to make a pair of earrings or a pendant or bracelet for your favorite customer, or for your college roomie, or for yourself… you KNOW that crystal is going to look great.

Do it yourself jewelry. Save money. Make personal gifts for your friends. This is a win!

P.S. Click on the pic above to see even more crystals available in my shop right now. And just a note – I’m going to try some new bridal designs in the next weeks. Stay tuned (and tell me what you think!)

Crystal heart earrings

These earrings are classics – crystal hearts in a silver setting. Lovely!

crystal heart jewels in classic bridal earrings

These are simple – and flattering. The jewels are a modest 5/8″ high (15x14mm) so they’re not heavy. They’re perfect for wedding earrings – but honestly, anytime you want a sparkly, feminine earring you could reach for these.

Click on the pic to find the heart jewels I have in my shop right now – and if you don’t see a color you need, please do ask – I might have some stashed!

(P.S. Yes, these are wonderful for a bride. But also…think how great these would look on the beach!)

Crystal bridal necklace

This is a lovely bridal necklace – and it’s easy to make, affordable, and customizable of course 🙂

bridal necklace with crystal teardrops and brass filigree flower charm

The small teardrops here could be personalized with the color of your bridesmaid dresses – or any favorites. The filigree flower could be any ornament or charm that’s personal to you – there’s usually a good way to attach drops (and we can always brainstorm those ideas).

The thing is, you can do it – beautifully – and affordably – and make your wedding even more special and personal.

Love that idea!

P.S. Remind me to come back and talk about coordinating bridal earrings!

Bridal Jewelry for Fall Weddings

Did you know that September and October are fabulous months for weddings? Part of the attraction is that weather isn’t blistering hot – but also that wedding venues and honeymoon destinations can cost less, beginning sometime in September. It’s nice to have a beautiful wedding – and save money too 🙂

It’s cool to save money on your wedding jewelry, too. The earring designs show here are beautifully coordinated for the bride and her bridesmaids. The bridal earrings shown here have sparke – and they’re lightweight too, so they’re comfortable! Such an important plus on your wedding day.

lightweight bridal earrings featuring silver plated leaf charms and crystal rhinestones

And you could use the same idea – the silver leaf charms paired with round rhinestones – in a color that coordinates with your bridesmaid dresses 🙂 I show sapphire glass gems here – but you know what your color should be. Customize this idea for your bridesmaids!

bridesmaid  earrings featuring silver plated leaf charms and sapphire glass gems

And remember that “saving money and having a beautiful wedding” idea? Yeah, that works too 🙂

DIY necklace design – perfect for bridal jewelry :-)

This do-it-yourself necklace design idea is a wonderful illustration of how simple concepts can be combined to make beautiful jewelry. And if your new creation is perfect for a bride – well that’s kind of wonderful, isn’t it?

Crystal jewelry is classic for brides, and this necklace features a large faceted oval crystal rhinestone combined with stainless steel cable chain. It’ll never tarnish (or need to be polished) – and as much as I love sterling silver, that’s a real plus, yknow?

crystal oval rhinestone necklace with multiple strands of stainless steel chain

Of course you will want to adapt this idea to your own creative style – and the individual tastes of your giftee, or customer. Personalized colors for your rhinestone? Check. Their choice of silver or gold or stainless, or perhaps antique bronze? Check. And there are countless permutations.

The basic idea is a super one – strong gorgeous focal pendant, and you add the personal details. Don’t spend a lot, either. This is DIY the way you want it to work!

DIY bridal earrings – and save money !

This is an example of some beautiful bridal earrings that are easy to make yourself 🙂

These white glass cabochon earrings have tiny rhinestones – and you can customize the color. This means you can create your earrings combining bridal white, and the color of your bridesmaids’ dresses. So pretty!

So now you see one more way to make your own wedding jewelry – and save money too!