Vintage Glass Jewels

Mother’s Day Gifts – DIY Earring Design Ideas

Mother’s Day is coming up in a few weeks (it’s on May 12, 2024, in case you didn’t have the date already). So yay, this gift idea is *not* last minute!

A gift of jewelry is always welcome – and when it’s for your mom, a gift that *you made yourself* is extra special. That’s why I posted these earring design ideas. The components don’t cost a lot, and you can pick and choose the glass jewels and beads that speak to your sense of design.

So these really are just ideas to percolate. Create your own designs, and make a very special pair of earrings for your mom. She will love them!

Crystal Oval Glass Gems – Faceted Glass ‘Diamonds’

You remember we were talking several days ago about diamonds being the birthstone for April. Well of course diamonds are gorgeous – but gemstone diamonds also cost a fortune. Faceted crystal glass “diamonds” are also sparkling, flattering and lovely – and they don’t cost a lot. Take a look at these pretties!

These jewels make a great pendant-and-earrings set “as is”. They really don’t need a lot of embellishment! Slip the larger oval onto a chain with a strong jump ring and your necklace is ready. Add earwires to the medium-size (14x10mm) ovals, and you have fabulous matching earrings. Or decorate them with the beads, chains, and gems you like best. You know: make this idea your own!

P.S. If you want gorgeous, affordable, and EASY jewels for your wedding? These are wonderful bridal jewels!

Peach Glass Gems – and a new earring design!

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!

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!

Colorful Glass Stones for Jewelry Making

I’ll admit it right up front – one of the things I love most about jewelry making, and having my own jewelry supplies shop, is that I get to play with color. I think a lot of us love to do that! I get to create new jewelry designs, and get to wear fun new jewelry that I designed and made myself – without having to spend a lot of money!

So in this pic I just wanted to show you a few of the vivid, pretty glass gems I have available right now:

And these aren’t even the “important” ones. These aren’t the biggest. They are simply colorful, and fun, and may spark an idea or two (or more!) for your own designs. And have fun making your own jewelry!

Black Diamond and Crystal Pendants or Earring Jewels

The light gray “black diamond” glass gems shown in these earrings are cabochons with interesting, ‘checker’ faceting. They look great in these two jewel settings, combining the black diamond pears and tiny round crystals.

And one of the great attributes of these jewels is that you can customize them – you pick the color of the tiny round stone at the top of the setting. Black diamond (gray) with sparkling crystal, as shown, is great – but what about birthstone colors? Or vivid contrast? There are many colors you can choose from – I think you’ll love them!

Aqua blue glass stones – the March birthstone color!

If you stop to think about it, knowing designated birthstones and birthstone colors can be really handy. Suppose you want to give someone a bit, and you know they love jewelry, and you really don’t want to spend precious – expensive – gemstone money. We all know what that’s like, right?

But knowing the month’s gemstone colors can work. Sometimes it’s not even appropriate to spend big bucks on a gift for a friend, potential girlfriend, cousin, whoever is your giftee. But spending moderate dollars on things that she’ll like, that are a bit personalized – like her birthstone? That’s definitely appropriate.

So we know that the birthstone for March is aquamarine. And the birthstone color… is aqua blue. Here you go – some gorgeous glass gemstones in aqua!

And yes there are more aqua stones in my shop. Go peek!

DIY Earrings with Peridot and Emerald Green Glass Gems

It’s always cool to see how the faceted glass jewels I sell look when made into actual jewelry! The mannequin I use in these pics is close to life size, so you can get an idea of scale.

The emerald green octagon is 10mm x 8mm (that’s approximately 3/8″ x 1/4″). The peridot green teardrop is 13mm x 8mm, a bit over 1/2″ high x 1/4″. You can see the earring has real presence, large enough to be sparkly and “seen”, but not large and heavy. (Love that they’re really not heavy!)

Of course you’ll choose your own beads and stones – or find some in my shop 🙂 And adapt this idea to your own style!

Necklace Design Idea featuring Peach Glass Gems

One of the interesting things about this design idea is that it combines foil-backed glass gems (the 10mm x 10mm diagonal square stone) with a sheer, no-foil-back teardrop shaped pendant.

Really I just wanted to point out that we can do that – we can combine colors that aren’t actually the same. Or textures. Or in this case, sheer and foiled stones. And it works!

That’s the fun of do it yourself jewelry – make it the way YOU want (and save money!)

Vitrail Glass Gems – Vivid Rounds and Octagons

The rainbow vitrail glass gems shown here are terrific when combined to make earrings. They aren’t heavy, but are vivid enough and have enough sparkle to really catch the eye. And they go with so many colors!

Now I know sometimes we want neutrals, or soft pastels. But you know, sometimes you want color that sparkles and is strong and vibrant and… fun!

That’s what you get when you wear rainbow vitrail. Combine the 10mm rivoli faceted rounds, and 14x10mm octagons as shown here. Or wear each shape alone. Or coordinate with other colors.

That’s the fun of rainbow colors!

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Mother’s Day Gifts – DIY Earring Design Ideas

Crystal Oval Glass Gems – Faceted Glass ‘Diamonds’

Peach Glass Gems – and a new earring design!

Diamonds – the birthstone for April

Colorful Glass Stones for Jewelry Making

Black Diamond and Crystal Pendants or Earring Jewels

Aqua blue glass stones – the March birthstone color!

DIY Earrings with Peridot and Emerald Green Glass Gems

Necklace Design Idea featuring Peach Glass Gems

Vitrail Glass Gems – Vivid Rounds and Octagons

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