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The sparkling crystal earrings shown in the picture below are a great example of do-it-yourself jewelry. They’re easy to make and adapt to your own style, and they’re lovely!
The design is simple: find a pair of pretty crystal oval glass gems (or, of course, the jewels of your choice or on your workbench). Slip a sturdy jump ring onto the little loop on top of the jewel settings. Add a pair of earwires, linked to that jump ring.
And there you have it. A lovely pair of earrings that would be wonderful for a bride, or a prom, or a birthday gift for a friend. Or for yourself, of course!
I wanted to show off another example of glass gems available in my Etsy shop that make fabulous jewelry – without having to do a lot of work, or spend a lot of money!
These vintage glass jewels are the color known as “montana sapphire”, or navy blue slightly brightened. Add earwires and you have a gorgeous pair of earrings. Slip them on a chain as a pendant and your necklace is ready to wear.
See what I mean? Easy to make and use. And today through Monday, September 15, 2024, when you buy one pair, you get one pair free! Be sure to mention this blog post to get your free pair.
Only while supplies last… so you might not want to wait!
Like a lot of people, I tend to play with colors and shapes when I’m working on my jewelry designs. I love to look at the components I have from my shop that I might have on my workbench for one reason or another, and try new ideas. Hey, that’s where inspiration comes from!
The faceted glass gems shown here were ones I hadn’t tried together, before. But I really like the combination! These are small(ish) stones, so as earrings these would still be fairly lightweight. And the colors really complement each other!
Of course you’ll take this idea and try your own combinations. That’s the beauty of do it yourself jewelry design – your own inspiration (and saving money!)
I just got in some new sapphire glass gems – the sheer octagons shown below. I’ve paired them here with sapphire blue teardrops – they’re beautifully coordinated. And I’ve just gotten more stones in, so right now I have some terrific sapphire blue glass gems in my shop.
I tried this earring design idea because (1) the sapphire octagons are new and I wanted to see how they’d look with other shapes and sizes and (2) okay, I’m lazy, the sapphire teardrops were on my worktable! But I really like this combination. The glass stones work well together and paired this way, they’re just a bit unusual.
You’ll do that too – try different shapes and colors with new stones, plus what you have on your worktable. That’s the fun of DIY jewelry!
And as I mentioned above – sapphire blue is the birthstone color for September. If you have a September birthday girl, I bet she’d love some jewelry. Save money – and make her a gift that’s from the heart!
Peach is such a pretty color – flattering almost every skin tone. Of course it looks great year round, but somehow it just seems like Spring to me. And hey, it’s springtime now!
I just got in a new shipment of peach stones – the 10x8mm octagons shown in this pic:
I think the smaller octagons pair beautifully with the teardrops shown here. Of course you’ll look at this design idea, and adapt it to your own style and stash of beads! That’s what DIY jewelry is all about – making it your very own!
I’m feeling lazy these days… so I love faceted glass stones in a jewelry “set”. A case in point, these gorgeous fuschia pink faceted glass pendant and earring jewels. These are nicely feceted with a terrific sparkle. But you probably noticed that!
This pendant jewel is 18mm x 13mm – a modest size pendant, but with plenty of presence to be a star in its own right! Or you could combine it with other stones and jewels, whatever works for your sense of style. And the earring jewels shown here are small, 8mm x 8mm – a bit over 1/4″. They’re available in one or two ring (or no ring!) settings, so you could use them alone as a small, lovely earring drop. Or link them, using the two-ring setting style, with other stones and beads. Or silver chain. Or whatever works, once again, for your creative style.
The teardrop pendant and square stones are sold separately – but if you want to purchase this exact set, just send me a note when you’re ready to order, and we’ll make it work!
I’ve just gotten in more “light colorado topaz” (light golden tan) glass gems – in a new size. They’re 14mm x 10mm octagons – that’s approximately 5/8″ x 3/8″. It’s a great size for small(ish) pendants, or glass connectors or earring jewels.
This color is one of the most popular in my shop! I think partly because it looks so rich – and it’s great with so many colors we wear everyday. Neutral – almost – but warmer and softer than gray or black.
And from now until December 2, 2023, if you buy these 14x10mm octagons in my shop, you can buy one pair – get one free! Whether you buy one pair or ten. Just an introductory special you understand – and only if you mention this blog post when you order. I think you’ll love them!
We all know that when we aren’t sure what color to wear, what color will work – we can wear black. This goes for jewelry too. How many times is there black in your outfit? So you grab some jewelry or other – how cool is it when you can grab your black jewelry!
These opaque, jet black glass stones make it easy. Easy to have a pendant with the 18mm x 13mm octagon (that’s approximately 3/4″ x 1/2″). Add a chain, maybe an accent color *if you like* – and youn necklace is ready. For earrings – you can make them complex and fussy if you want (what *you* want is the absolutely most important criteria) – but these 14mm x 10mm (5/8″ x 3/8″) black octagons make great earrings. Slip an earwire through the loop at the top of these prong settings, and you’re set.
These can be as dressy as you like – imagine with a spaghetti strap dress with swirly skirt for dancing. And they’re also great with jeans. (Of course most everything is great with jeans). These are easy and inexpensive and there are even more sizes available in my shop.
Save money, have fun, and make great jewelry! That’s the way it’s supposed 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!
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!
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Jewelry and Accessories
Vintage, Recycled, Upcycled!
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