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Okay, not a model – a mannequin. But she’s close to life size, so this gives you a good idea of the scale of these vintage glass stones, and how they actually look *as earrings*. (Yes both stones are vintage – the red 10x8mm ovals are from the 1960s, and the white 18x12mm teardrops were made in post-war Japan.)
I’ve said it before – and had several customers say it to me – why we love vintage so much. For one thing these are very pretty glass stones! And the (other) best part – there’s no additional carbon footprint. These are already made. Good for the planet – and great for DIY jewelry!
These are some of my favorite glass jewels – sheer amethyst purple 12mm x 10mm ovals. The color is great, and you know I love vintage stones. No extra carbon footprint that hurts our planet! But I’m selfish too – these are just beautiful.
At 12x10mm (approx. 1/2″ x 3/8″) they are great for an oval pendant – and earring components. And from today through midnight on Monday, March 12, 2023, when you buy one pair of these vintage jewels, you can get a second pair free! (Or send me a note and request another pair of gems, equal or lesser value. I’ll dicker!)
Beautiful vintage gems. A great component for jewelry gifts or for sale. You’ll love them!
Crystal clear jewels are always in style. That’s the important basic! They look great year-round, any time of day. Wear them to work for just a bit of sparkle. Wear them for your wedding for more sparkle – that doesn’t have to compete with your gown. Sparkling crystal clear glass jewels always look good!
I have many more shapes and sizes of sparkling crystal gems in my shop right now. Whether you want to make a fabulous pendant, or some tiny earrings, or anywhere in between – crystal shines! Make exactly what you want, for gifts, for customers, for prom, for your wedding. You’ll love them!
P.S. Just a reminder that crystal (okay, diamond) is the birthstone for April. Gorgeous faceted clear crystal glass stones are a lot more affordable than diamond, and seriously the glass jewels are sparkling and fabulous. Just saying!
Red and white is a terrific color combination – crisp and clean and the colors really pop! And these stones make wonderful elements for do it yourself earrings.
These opaque glass gems are vintage – the white teardrops were made in postwar Japan. The cherry red oval stones are from the 1960s. It’s always great to use vintage components when you can find them. They’re beautiful, they’re unusual, and they create no extra carbon footprint being manufactured. This is a win!
This time I wanted to focus on clear glass jewels. Totally clear, transparent – not the “crystal clear” that has a foil backing (yes those are lovely, but not this post!) No, I mean faceted, transparent glass. There are obvious advantages – clear glass beads go with everything. But more important, even clear glass earrings can have sparkle! Case in point:
And no, I didn’t artificially add sparkle and contrast to the pics. My lighting was the usual (for me) – a fairly bright overcast day, filtered through translucent plastic at one window. Hey, it (mostly) works. And the clear glass will sparkle sometimes, sometimes not. Just like all faceted glass gems 🙂
The great thing about clear glass gems: yes they go with everything. Which makes it smart to use them when making DIY jewelry. Whether you make and sell jewelry, or make jewelry for yourself and for gifts: you know that clear glass will work!
P.S. Clear glass is also great for bridal jewelry if you don’t want loud flash, or to compete with your gown. Something to keep in mind!
Another example of earrings that look use aqua blue round glass jewels as a design element. Aqua is the birthstone color for March, so it’s kind of an appropriate time to show a few design ideas. But honestly, aqua is always a good idea!
These earrings pair the aqua round gems with sheer amethyst purple teardrops. The earrings have real color and style, but they’re not “in your face”. Sometimes you want pretty jewelry that doesn’t shout real loud, yknow?
And of course you could use this same style idea with your own gems and colors – make your own creative design! That’s what do it yourself jewelry is all about. Your own style. Well, that and saving money and having just exactly what you want!
The birthstone color for February is amethyst – so I wanted to show you guys some of the rich amethyst glass stones I’ve got in my shop right now. A couple of these are vintage resupply (yay!) but honestly, I’m pretty fond of each of these. And more that you’ll see if you peek in my shop!
Amethyst is actually one of the most popular colors anyway. What can I say, people love purple! And it’s not really limited to one season. Amethyst is gorgeous for romantic holidays like Valentine’s Day of course (hey, not everything needs to be red!) but it looks good all year round. Great with a tan. Great with winter pales, and winter whites, and blacks.
What can I say, amethyst looks good all the time!
Well since I featured a design earring jewels yesterday with colors of red and gold, the team colors of the Kansas City Chiefs, I figured it was only fair to show an earring design with orange and black jewels.
Orange and black, which just happen to be the team colors of the Cincinatti Bengals, the team playing against the Chiefs. I am no football expert so I am saying nothing about the game except I hope people have a good time and I’m sure it’ll be a great game. But orange and black? Fun colors to design with!
PS The orange teardrops shown here are a little larger than I usually wear, myself. These are 25x18mm, where normally I use 18x13mm teardrops for earrings. I’ll get a new pic with that size – stay tuned!
It’s just a coincidence that red and gold are the team colors of the Kansas City Chiefs. No, actually, it is! A customer asked to see a couple design ideas using red and gold, and I couldn’t help think of it, since there is a major football playoff this weekend. I’m not going into details. I couldn’t resist mentioning the team colors, but I’m not trying to just trade off on the Chiefs.
And you probably noticed, the top set of jewels – the red vintage glass ovals – are in patina brass settings, when the other jewels are in golden brass settings. I didn’t even realize it till I took the pic, and I was going to change it.
Then I thought, it’s a fine way to show that Stuff Happens, and the jewelry can still look good. We don’t have to be matchy all the time. Go with what you’ve got!
I love to feature “birthstone colors”, especially if they are stones I have just found or resourced. And it’s always handy to remember what the birthstone gemstones, or gemstone colors, are for any particular month. How many times have we tried to think of an appropriate gift? A little extra info really helps!
Just for reference – or in case the print is too small on the pic. Birthstone colors listed here:
January – Garnet
February – Amethyst
March – Aquamarine
April – Diamond (Crystal)
May – Emerald
June – Alexandrite or Pearl
I know there have been times I’ve wanted to think of something special (without breaking the bank) when I bought (or made) a gift for my sister or my girlfriends. Knowing their birthdays – at least the birthday months – can help you choose a gift!
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Jewelry and Accessories
Vintage, Recycled, Upcycled!
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