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This is just a peek at some of the work I’m going to be featuring this season. Haven’t even got it posted (or linked) yet – so, call it shades of things to come (and if you want to find out about it in the meantime, send me a note to jennifer at weekend-jewelry dot com…)  and  Am just loving the emerald this year! I could go on and on about the benefits of doing it yourself. It’s fun to create things – it’s cool to be able to get exactly what you want – it’s wonderful to be able to give a gift that you made yourself, with love. And all that is entirely true. But really? Here’s the bottom line:   Cost to make each of these pairs of pretty earrings? About $5.00. You see my point 🙂 I get a kick out of reading the “color trends” for each season. They’re fun to read, and if you’re in retail, they can be handy indicators of what colors you’re going to want in your store. But it’s a con game, too. Pantone is generally regarded as the most reputable trend-projector. Here’s a link to their Color Trends for Fall 2012. The colors include “French Roast” (brown); “Honey Gold” (which is, well, gold), “Tangerine Tango” (orange), “Pink Flambe” (deep pink), “Ultramarine Green” (deep teal-ish green), “Olympian Blue” (rich deep blue), and “Titanium” (gray). And as a comparison, here’s the report for Pantone’s Color Trends for Fall 2011. The colors include “Coffee Liqueur” (brown); “Bamboo” (gold), “Emberglow” (dusty orange-y coral), “Honeysuckle” (deep pink), “Deep Teal” (deep teal!), and “Quarry” (bluish-gray). And, in Fall 2010: Color Trends for Fall 2010. For that season, the colors included “Chocolate Truffle” (brown); “Golden Glow” (gold), “Living Coral” (dusty coral), “Lagoon” (turquoise-ish teal!), and “Oyxter Gray” (gray). I haven’t mentioned each color for each season – just some examples. You’re probably noticing a trend. The professionals are projecting that these will be among the really hot colors for the upcoming Fall 2012 Retail Season: Well, duh. They’ve said that each year for like, every season you’ve probably been alive. Or as long as Pantone’s been listened to. And of course brown and gray and deep green or blue are going to be popular for Fall. My point? 1. It’s not the colors that are “new” – it’s the NAMES of the colors. So stop worrying about it. Go with what looks good to YOU. Somebody will have a name for it that IS the “color of the season”. And hey, you tell me. Are these pear jewels “Ultramarine Green” or are they not? Am I on trend, or what?  Yeah, like I said 🙂 And in this little foray into “how could you wear this” dress (see prevous post), of course I had to mention that a strong, beautiful pair of earrings would enhance this outfit beautifully. These jewels, for example, would be wonderful with “our” lovely vintage dress:  Yes, they’re a more vivid sapphire blue than the dress. Think how lovely they’d be as earrings, peeking through tousled waves like the model’s ‘do. Or a casual updo? Perfect. And glam. And of course, if you do it yourself? Major affordable. Yes, the jewels are available in my vintage jewelry supplies shop on Etsy 🙂 And especially with the holidays coming up – oh not quite yet, but still headed our way – my goodness, why not do it yourself and save? Because, well, heart jewels are always of the good. Hearts mean love. Hearts are always in style. If you make jewelry to sell, hearts are a pretty good bet – boyfriends and husbands want to make their sweeties happy. Hearts do that and the guys know it. And did I mention that hearts = love? This is a win-win idea! Such as these pretty vintage rhinestone heart jewels I currently have in stock:   and  Sometimes I have other colors too… peridot, light sapphire, siam…. stop by and check (or send me a note and ask!) Because vintage heart jewels are always of the good 🙂 I just think it’s interesting, the different colors that have gotten one name in the jewelry biz over the past few decades. Like the title says – these are all “rose pink”:  Rose Pink Vintage Glass Jewels And these are not even all the examples I have of that color name – only the pics I had with white backgrounds. All the shades are lovely. They’re just not the same. No wonder people get confused sometimes when they’re ordering a certain color! All are available at Weekendjewelry1 on Etsy (yes, it’s my shop). And all are available in patina brass, golden brass, or shining silver plated settings. If you don’t see one of the listings, just send me a note! Even after a mild winter like this one, it’s wonderful to see people breaking out their spring pretties – and that includes lots of color. Of course accessories – and yes jewelry – can be a great way to add color and variety and versatility. So we’re talking color here:  Vintage Glass Jewels in Spring Colors All are available at Weekendjewelry1 on Etsy (yes, it’s my shop). And all are available in patina brass, golden brass, or shining silver plated settings. If you don’t see one of the listings, just send me a note! Color. Gotta love it 🙂 Of course I’m already thinking about spring – I’m not a winter person! And Valentine’s Day is coming up fast…. These vintage rhinestone (glass) hearts are clear – they go with everything. And they add a pretty little sparkle for everyday 🙂 They’re available in my Etsy jewelry supplies shop>: 
They’re available in your choice of silver plated settings (shown here), or patina brass settings, or golden brass. Make yourself a pair of pretty earrings – with vintage jewels. Eco friendly and pretty! P.S. And of course if you make jewelry to sell – heart jewels are hot! I just thought I’d give a peek at some of the goodies I have in my Etsy jewelry supplies shop. I love these little sparklies – and I hope you will too 🙂 Of course they make wonderful holiday jewelry – for yourself, or maybe even more, to make some lovely gifts without having to spend a lot of time – or money. PS Do you know someone who’s getting married soon? What a wonderful gift, to make bridal jewelry for your BFF! If you buy vintage glass jewels or rhinestones, you know what I’m talking about – sometimes the foil is wonderful and adds gorgeous sparkle to your jewels. And sometimes it’s really bad, and they’re just not useable “as is”. It’s easy to remove the foil and this tutorial will tell you the secret 🙂 (Okay, it’s not really secret. But it is handy to know!) Turn your jewels from this: 
To this:
And how do you do it? You soak them in vinegar and salt. That’s it 🙂 Take a small dish or bowl (or plastic tub that used to add margarine or something). If your container has a lid that’s an extra plus – that’s just to help contain the vinegar odor, it doesn’t make any difference to the cleaning process. (And actually I like the smell of vinegar – to me, it says “clean”, because I use vinegar for an effective, non-toxic cleaning supply.) It doesn’t have to be fancy expensive vinegar – plain old white vinegar is fine. Put a half cup or so in your plastic container. Add some salt – say a teaspoon (I never actually measure). Stir with a spoon or your finger to dissolve the salt, at least mostly. If you use a spoon, rinse it off afterwards. The acid in the vinegar – that helps so much to remove the foil from your jewel – can also eat away at the metal of your spoon, just a little bit. (For the same reason, don’t put the jewels in this solution, when they’re in metal settings. I’ve done it by accident – and the vinegar will eat away at the setting, enough to etch the surface and make it rough and unuseable.) Leave the jewels in the vinegar solution for a couple hours, or overnight. It depends on the jewel and the maufacturer – sometimes it only needs an hour and the foil comes off like peeling a grape, a simple rub and you’re done. Sometimes it’s more stubborn, and you need to soak them overnight, and then rub or scour them a bit with your fingers. But I’ve (almost) never found jewels where this didn’t work. And now your jewels are shining, and very clean (oh! rinse the vinegar off when they’re done – again, just because of the smell). And you can make beautiful jewelry 🙂 P.S. Save the container with the vinegar – you can use it again and again. P.P.S. An interesting side note. If you do this with a lot of jewels (I do, because I buy a lot of jewels, and probably half? of them have bad foil) – after a while, your vinegar will turn deep turquoise in color. Transparent, but still! Whether the foil is “silver” or “gold” in color, the inner layer of foil (there are usually 2 or 3) has copper in it. And in some scientific spectrum or other, copper = turquoise. Very cool 🙂 |
Jewelry and Accessories
Vintage, Recycled, Upcycled!
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