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The birthstones for December are all lovely colors in blue gemstones – turqoise, blue zircon, tanzanite, and blue topaz. Well I have some terrific glass stones in those colors right here in my shop:  Just click on the pic to see more shapes and sizes of these pretty glass stones. And the best part of this is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get gorgeous December-birthstone jewelry. Do it yourself, make gorgeous jewelry gifts, and save! I love lariat necklaces. They always fit! When you’re making a gift for your BFF, or making items for sale – it’s nice to not have to worry about “will it fit”. That’s a detail your customers will appreciate! And the design can be worn with many different necklines. It’s so versatile! Use multiple color stones, or just focus on one color. You set the rules, you know? This sample has a peridot green faceted teardrop that measures 25mm x 18mm (that’s about one inch long). The sheer zircon teardrop is a bit smaller. They complement each other beautifully, don’t you think?  And just to make this idea even sweeter – from today through Monday, November 18, 2024, when you buy one set of pear stones in my shop, you get a second pair free! Or when you buy one 25mm pendant, you get another one free. You just mention this blog post, and let me know which freebie you want! Really I just wanted to show you the scale of the 18mm x 13mm faceted glass pears I have available in my shop – this is one of the most popular jewels I have in stock, especially in this size.  The mannequin used in this picture is close to life-size. And you can see that, without needing to add any other detail besides the beautifully faceted teardrops, these stones make a great pair of earrings! (They’re wonderful as pendants too… but I wanted to illustrate the scale here as earrings. Of course these are wonderful when combined with other jewels, beads or filigree. But even “as is” – these are fabulous! 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!) Woo hoo, I just got in some new montana sapphire (navy blue) cushion cut glass gems in my shop! The “cushion cut” name refers to the cut of the glass stones – square or rectangular, with rounded/faceted corners. It’s one of the most popular – and versatile – shape stones. The cushion cut shape is a classic and used by itself, makes a lovely smallish pendant. Combined with other shapes and colors, it’s just fabulous!  I do love combining stones and from what my customers tell me they do too. Case in point – the earring design shown in this pic. You could use any colors of course, and you’ll grab some jewels from your worktable and try different ideas – that’s where your creativity comes in. That’s part of the fun 🙂 Do it yourself jewelry – for yourself, for gifts, or that you offer for sale in your own shop – that’s fun too! Of course red is a fabulous color for jewelry anyway – we know that. It’s flattering to most skin tones, it can be casual or dressy, it’s the main color of at least two holidays, and it’s just fun to wear! And…ruby red is the birthstone color for July. So I thought I’d highlight a few of the ruby red glass jewels available in my shop right now.  So if you need a birthday gift for a bestie born in July, you might find some ideas here. Or if you want something to match the red shirt you just bought. Or if you want to subtly point out a few things that would be perfect in your eyes and somebody wants to buy *you* a gift… you get the idea. Get what works for you! The pendant shown in this DIY necklace design idea is available right now in my shop – in several colors (so you can pick your favorite!)  Shown “as is” it’s a lovely necklace. You can request that your glass jewels be set in silver plated brass as shown, or in antiqued patina brass, or golden raw brass. Select a complementary necklace chain, and you’ll have a gorgeous necklace! And a very cool detail – you can choose the color of the tiny stone at the top of the setting. That way you can customize your colors. If this is a necklace you’re making as a gift for your girlfriend, you can choose the two birthstone colors of her daughters. Or just choose her favorites. Or yours. That’s the beauty of DIY jewelry – you can make it just the way you want! 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! 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!) 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! |
Jewelry and Accessories
Vintage, Recycled, Upcycled!
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