2014 November « Vintage Glass Jewels

Christmas ornament – a sloth wearing reindeer antlers

I kid you not. This is the most wonderful Christmas ornament EVER.

sloth christmas ornament wearing reindeer antlers...from Curious Burrow

You do see what I mean. This little guy (or girl) is adorable, interesting, unusual, and fun. Are these not qualities you want your Christmas to have? And besides, talk about a conversation piece.

You noticed his/her sleigh hitch with bells, right?

(S)he is available from Curious Burrow on Etsy, and if you think this sloth is fascinating you will probably also want to check out the uni-hippo jewelry holder, or the Lobster Love necklace. Seriously.

These delightful creatures are all made to order, and it may be too late for this year’s Christmas (or not, it can’t hurt to ask!) You may need to make your own Sloth holiday to start the new year 🙂

Smoky topaz vintage glass jewels

I love this rich, deep smoky topaz – this oval pendant feels very luxe – and the earring jewels are adorable. No,k they’re not an exact match – but beautifully coordinated? Oh yes.

These jewels are a great example of – when you’ve got something classy and fabulous, you don’t need fussy, you don’t need a lot of *stuff*. They work on their own. Add a jump ring and chain to that pendant, and your necklace is ready – and gorgeous. Add earwires and your coordinating earrings are ready to wear.
When you’re in a hurry (and we all know what that’s like) something you can use *now* – and it looks great – and it’s affordable – That’s a win 🙂

Vintage Little Black Dress

I found a wonderful LBD the other day:

Now I’ll be honest, I was looking for an unpretentious, fun little black dress that would look great with my black-and-white vintage glass jewels that I featured recently (see post here). Then I found this adorable dress, and it’s got a lot more going for it than just “you can wear it with my earring jewels”.

For instance – it’s not dressy, but you could wear it to work – and to party. Or to church, if that’s your thing. It’d be uber-flattering – I don’t care what the momentary style is, that skirt length is GOOD. And the belt shows off your waist. Add a jacket and it’s great in the winter. Unbutton a couple buttons and add strappy flats and it’s a summer dress (it’s linen-ish). So: all around wearable. Cute. And did I mention affordable? Oh yeah – it’s $24 USD!

And available from Love Miss Daisy Vintage boutique on Etsy – and this newish shop has some totally wonderful goodies. I think you’ll want to visit – and bookmark – for some really great finds!

Black Vintage Glass Beads

Because black is always in style. It always looks fresh and new. It always works.

black vintage glass navette beads with crystal rhinestones

These are not large – just under 1″ high. So they don’t feel heavy – either physically or visually. They’re clean-lined and modern (though the black navettes are from the 1960s). And you can choose the color of the tiny rhinestone – crystal as shown for a cool contrast, or any of a dozen pretty colors.

Available in my Etsy jewelry supplies store, of course 🙂

Orissa Garnet Glass Heart Jewels

These pretty little heart beads or jewels are just the color of orissa garnets…. so pretty, so unusual and hard to find!

They’re absolutely perfect for petite earrings (they’re only about 3/8″ high). Great for a romantic touch to add to your business outfit. Or just because you want to remember the romance in your life.

Or just because 😉

Vintage silk dress

This is another example of what vintage – good vintage – is all about. This cute dress is silk, with a leopard print design (super chic right now).

vintage leopard print silk dress from Ginger and Judy

You could style this for work – just add a good jacket. Or for play – change your work flats for stilettos, add some rhinestone-and-onyx earrings, and put your hair up. Voila: party time! It’s modest (sometimes you need that) – and sexy too. With the drapeable silk fabric, this is going to show *you* off.

It’s available at Ginger and Judy, a vintage boutique on Etsy – and the owner / curator Bree has a shop full of vintage goodies. I mean it, you’ll love this shop – go peek!

PS Did I mention this adorable silk dress is on sale? Half price. Go grab it – or check out more of Bree’s sale offerings. Love!

How – and why – to use a jump ring

Several time customers have asked me what’s the easy way to attach a glass jewel to a chain, to turn a “teardrop jewel” into a pendant. Jump rings are the quick, classic way. So I did a couple quick sketches, to illustrate more clearly than a few paragraphs could, how and why we use a jump ring.

a jump ring being used to attach a pendant to a chain

See what I mean? No long explanation needed. You open the jump ring (see next pic), slip it on the chain, and slip the little ring at the top of a jewel setting onto the ring. Then close the ring. Voila: your jewel is a pendant. You’ve got a necklace.

The second sketch shows the correct way to open the jump ring. It matters because if you open the ring sideways, it’s easy to close back up securely. If you stretch it wide – it’ll never get closed up properly again. The sketch helps explain 🙂

See? Easy peasy. Open it sideways. Close it back up. There are tons of tutorials and videos over on YouTube if you want to go peek – but this is the basics they pretty much all cover. Jewelry Making 101 – and this simple bit of assembly knowledge will go a long way for you 🙂

PS The second pic is one I found – and I forgot to write down the link. If you know the original poster, would you let me know so I can give credit? Thank you!

Jonquil glass jewels – with colors :-)

These are just so cute! New in my shop. You choose the color of the tiny rhinestones. And look at how pretty!

jonquil yellow rivoli jewels with tiny rhinestones...you choose the colors

You can get these with one ring – add earwires and you’ve got a charming pair of earrings! Or use the two-ring connector settings as shown, and combine with all kinds of pretties…jonquil teardrops. Orange cabochons. Amethyst rondelles. You name it. If you love color, you’re going to have so much fun with these!

Black diamond octagon glass jewels.

Remember those black diamond triple rhinestone connectors I talked about recently? (the post is here, just to refresh your memory. Well – I just found some fabulous octagon jewels in a great black diamond color….

These are a perfect medium size – 14mm x 10mm, or about 5/8″ x 3/8″. Of course you don’t need to use them with the triple stone connectors – but they’d be great together. Really I just wanted to show off these jewels. The neutral gray of “black diamond” glass, and the size and faceting of these jewels makes them one of my favorites. Classy – not too heavy – quiet but sparkly – these are just going to be great with your holiday outfits!

Vintage Blue Strapless Gown

Isn’t this a gorgeous dress? It’s the best of both worlds. Beautiful – affordable – and vintage too. The woman who wears this gown? She’ll be a star!

It’s available from Gabriellas Treasures vintage boutique, and you should definitely click through the link so you can see the fine detailing on this dress. The hand-sewn beading, the attached crinoline, the asymetric layers, the style! This is a high-end garment – for a wonderful affordable vintage price. It tell you better than a paragraph of words, why vintage is special.

Can you imagine this gown being abandoned in a closet? or a thrift store? or a landfill! Never. It belongs on a princess.

That’s you 🙂

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Christmas ornament – a sloth wearing reindeer antlers

Smoky topaz vintage glass jewels

Vintage Little Black Dress

Black Vintage Glass Beads

Orissa Garnet Glass Heart Jewels

Vintage silk dress

How – and why – to use a jump ring

Jonquil glass jewels – with colors :-)

Black diamond octagon glass jewels.

Vintage Blue Strapless Gown

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