I am so happy I was able to get another supply of these fabulous amethyst purple vintage glass beads – this size and shape is hard to come by anymore. These are in great shape for their age (from the 1950s, if the packaging is accurate and I think it is – the paper they’re wrapped in pre-dated telephone area codes!)
The 16x11mm octagons are a terrific faceted shape – not too small, not too large, with wonderful faceting. And the color is wonderful – true amethyst, not too dark but still rich. I wish I could get every stne shape in this color!
Your bestie would love a Christmas gift made with these jewels. Or make a gift for your mom. Or, hey, for yourself!
You know I’ve talked about how useful “ornaments” can be. In this context, ornaments are links or charms – components that you use in your jewelry design to add texture, shine, and a bit more complexity to boost your design up another level.
Case in point, this lovely do it yourself necklace design idea!
I show a sheer sapphire blue rhinestone pendant here – you’ll use your favorite shape and color (or your customer’s favorite!) The textured brass flower is new in my shop and is a wonderful component used as an earring or pendant link (stay tuned, I’ll be showing some more cool ways to use these charms!)
Easy to use, customizeable, and affordable – this is the way it’s supposed to be!
I wanted to share a simple, classic earring design – maybe just as a reminder that a pair of earrings don’t have to be fussy or complex (or super expensive) to be beautiful.
I’ve just gotten in the light amethyst tiny rhinestones, and paired them with the aqua rhinestone ovals in a “duo” setting – and I love the way they turned out. This is a simple idea – a duo setting, pretty faceted stones, and you add earwires – and the earrings are terrific.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. Do you need some earrings to match your bridesmaid colors? Or you just want an unusual color combo because they’re your faves?
Just let me know your colors – I bet we can do that!
P.S. You’re thinking of your mom’s favorite colors now, aren’t you? Thinking ahead to Christmas. Well we can do that too (and she’ll love them!)
I just wanted to share another example of how a simple concept – oval glass jewels in two-ring (connector) settings – can make a fabulous piece of jewelry!
I’m going to do a “fussy” design one of these days, because of course those can be wonderful. But clean-lined design with strong, faceted elements, can really work – you see what I mean!
Here are some new (and some restocked!) vintage and new glass jewels in my shop – yes, they’re just in time for summer. But also? Pretty Fall 2018 jewelry designs!
Don’t you love the colors? I swear, more and more I am leaning toward pure tints, unfoiled stones – so I can really see the colors. Of course that can vary with each design, and every woman that wears these might see them differently – but I think we can all agree, we love beautifully faceted stones for earrings and necklace designs. Pure color is pretty terrific. Affordable stones is even better 🙂
(PS And there are more on the way – stay tuned or better yet, ask to see the colors YOU want to use in your designs!)
I just added these sheer, vintage glass teardrops to the clearance section in my shop:
These are vintage, and in great shape for their age – but I don’t know if I can get more. The faceting is really interesting – it’s on the bottom of the jewel – so it shows through (there’s no foil on these) – but the tops are smooth. Very pretty!
Bridal jewelry is such a joy to create! It’s a wonderful feeling, knowing that your customer, or your giftee, is going to wear your jewelry to her wedding. It’s the happiest occasion – and you know how beautiful brides are! That your jewelry is part of the day is a special honor 🙂
I did a quick design idea showing pretty crystal stones, pre-set in silver plated brass settings (so you don’t have to do that job) – in a design that I’ve already shared with two brides. In different states, they won’t run into each other 🙂
These look fairly large in the pic – they’re actually only about 2″ long. They’ll add wonderful sparkle, and they’ll definitely be noticed – but they’re not super heavy. And of course as a designer and jewelry maker, you’ll create your own spin on this design. Different elements, different combinations… post earrings, french earwires, leverbacks.
And a happy bride – that’s the best part of all 🙂
I’ve recently managed to restock a couple of my favorite color / style vintage jewels – that can be a special challenge with vintage (like the white opal cabochons!) But really the point of this post is to give you a chance to see some of my white, black, and black diamond glass jewels in a composite – so you can see how the colors compare and blend.
I love neutrals and lately my customers have been telling me the same thing. I think part of it’s economic – when your jewelry is made with neutrals, you can wear it with a lot more outfits. We’re all happy to save a little money, you know? Brilliant royal blue jewels (for example) look great but they’re not quite as versatile.
Oh – just a note. Unless you request otherwise, these jewels are already pre-set in brass or silver prong settings. You don’t have to fiddle with the little prongs – I do that part of the work for you. So you can concentrate on the fun part – design 🙂
(The link above is to my shop – just put “black”, “white”, or whatever color you prefer, in the search box to narrow down the list!)
So the ideal birthday present for your April birthday girl would be diamonds. For your mom’s April birthday, or your daughter, or your girlfriend. But we can’t always afford diamonds. And crystal – foil backed glass, well faceted, cleanly made – can be pretty wonderful. And happily, crystal is also the April birthstone! So if you’re not in the market for “emerald cut” (octagon shaped) diamond earrings – the prices I found today ranged from $629 to $3,857 – well, you might consider these lovely octagon rhinestone jewels for your next earrings project 😉
And you can go for the diamonds some other time. Meanwhile – pretty earrings 🙂
A friend of mine was talking about finding some great emerald gemstone beads recently – so I just had to show her why I loved my glass beads. Okay, I love the gemstones too, don’t get me wrong. But for the money? Glass. Totally wins.
And I’ve got some terrific “multi stone” glass beads – that have two (or more) rhinestones. The extra rhinestone adds sparkle, and even more, it means you can customize to get exactly the color combo you want. Change that tiny crystal stone for pink, or amethyst, or aqua, or, hey, emerald!
If I get a chance I’m going to take some more pics, using different colors for the small stones – just to show how yummy some of these combos can be.
Emerald it great for St. Patrick’s Day, of course, which just happens to be coming up pronto – and it’s the “official” birthstone color for May.
But really, it always looks classy. Affordable, wearable, flattering, and classy. This is a win 🙂
