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Peach is such a pretty color – it looks good year round of course, but I’m having those spring thoughts again. Bet you are too 🙂  Peach also has the advantage of being flattering to almost every skin tone. Petite teardrops, pretty color, flattering shade, available in both golden and silver settings…and oh, did we mention affordable? That helps too. You guys stay warm! And think spring. Couldn’t hurt. Might help 😉 This is just a handy little tip. When you’re setting glass stones in brass (or silver, or you-name-it) settings, very often they don’t quite fit. Especially vintage stones. (No, actually, it’s a crapshoot with any stones. Seems like there are always little discrepancies between what they ought to be, and what they Are.) So if your jewel, your stone, is just a little too big, try this:  It won’t work if your stone is way too big. But a millimeter or so (and that’s a LOT, with calibrated stones) – you can make it work. I’ll do more pics soon – i.e., what if your stone is too *small*? It can be done 🙂 There’s something timeless about patina brass filigrees paired with pretty cabochon jewels. This pendant could have been worn on the Orient Express – in the 1900s (well almost!)  The brass filigree layers are actually new brass – the laurel leaf pendant base is actually from a die, or pattern, from the early 1900s. That’s the beauty of the filigrees – it’s quality USA made brass with modern specs – and vintage design. The best of both worlds 😉 I’ve got several filigree pendants right now – some are one of a kind, some I’ll be able to re-order. I’m hunting for more! I’ve finally gotten some more of these pretty glass oval jewels! It surprised me how long it took to find them – but here they are – vintage glass at its best 🙂  Okay, it’s not hard to find clear glass jewels, even vintage ones. It is hard to find beautifully faceted, quality glass in this wonderful 12mm x 10mm size. They’re just lovely – large enough to have presence, even in clear glass! but petite and delicate, all the same. And the clear glass? You’d think it would sort of disappear – but it doesn’t. It gets a lovely sparkle from the faceting, and the settings. Let me rephrase that. *You* get a lovely sparkle 🙂 It’s just funny, ths little differences in colors – even with jewels from the same vendor and with the same name. Look at these pretty Light Colorado Topaz glass jewels, all in my Etsy shop right now.  You can see that they’re all the “same color”. But there are definitely differences, in light or dark-ness, in color intensity, sometimes beige-r, sometimes almost gold…. it’s just one of the little quirks of the jewelry trade. Keeps things fun 🙂 It’s January – winter’s going to be here for a while yet. And some bright, cheery color is looking good to me right now. I’ve had a lot of requests lately for this vivid “light siam red” (just a bit closer to red-orange than dark ruby). For instance, these octagon jewels:  These are about 3/4″ x 1/2″ – large enough to stand on their own, as a pretty necklace or bracelet focal. They’re available with two ring settings as shown, and they they make a fabulous bracelet if you link several together and add a clasp. But you can also get them with just one ring at the top. Voila: instant gorgeous attention-getting necklace. Love it. Easy, vivid, striking. And hey, affordable. This is do-able! I hope your New Year’s is starting out well! We had a lovely time last night (stayed home with friends instead of fighting drunken traffic) – and I’m tucked in away from the cold. Am feeling a bit of my Irish today – I think this pretty emerald green pendant just put me in that sort of mood. Plus I’m part Irish. Well, maybe 10% – how do we figure accurate ancestry? My father’s grandfather was from the old country. He may have been encouraged to leave rapidly or something, we had a bunch of unsavory characters scattered in there 😉 But the pendant? is just a beauty!  I’m keeping one for myself, on a simple golden chain, a little longer than usual (about 26″). Talk about a gorgeous St. Paddy’s necklace! oh, I don’t know if it’s appropriate. I do know it’s flattering and looks great! I was playing with colors again – spring colors, this time. The snow outside my door might have had something to do with that – it’s not even Christmas yet and I’m thinking about spring. But hey, the colors are pretty!  The pic just shows a few examples of how to make pretty earrings (or pendants) – easy to do and they really are lovely. Complex, intricate designs are great of course – but when you want to make something now – and have it ready tonight? This is the way to go! So – spring colors. And Merry Christmas thoughts, too 🙂 I played with some more combinations of my “work bench bead soup” – where I grab items off my work bench and combine them, just to see how the colors look together. I thought these looked pretty good!  These aren’t always colors that are used together – peach, aqua and green, or daffodil (jonquil) yellow and deep purple amethyst. But the colors work, don’t you think? And sometimes color is what it’s all about 😉 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 🙂 |
Jewelry and Accessories
Vintage, Recycled, Upcycled!
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