Posts Tagged ‘jewelry’

Creating Fimo Beads

Monday, February 6th, 2012

One of the most popular styles of beads today is the fimo bead. Fimo beads are made using polymer clay that is molded and baked. With the right tools and techniques, you can create a wide variety of shapes and designs for your beads that can be used for making jewelry such as bead bracelets.

Soften the polymer clay until it is warm, rubbery and moldable. This is also a good time to mix any colors together if you attempting to make a custom color or marbled effect. Make sure to work out any air bubbles. An easy way to do this is to roll your clay flat using an acrylic rolling pin.

Using your hands or some plexiglass, shape your beads. You can make them into balls, squares, bits of multiple colors rolled together and sliced, or any other shape you can think of. You are only held back by your imagination.

Assuming you plan on stringing your beads, you are going to have to put holes in them. You can do this before or after baking. The easier method is to make the hole prior to baking. To do this, gently twist a skewer back and forth into your beads. Put multiple beads on one skewer for baking and make sure they do not touch each other. Alternately, you can drill holes in your beads after baking. Drilling is more difficult, but will not deform the shape of your beads.

Next, make sure that the beads don’t touch one another, place the beads on skewers on a bead baking rack. If you are drilling holes afterwards, place the beads gently between two pieces of cardboard. Bake the beads according to the instructions for the type of polymer clay that you bought. This usually takes about 30 minutes in the oven. Once your beads have cooled, slowly take the beads off of the skewers and sand any rough spots that may have developed from making the holes. Spray them with a coat of varnish, if you want.

Is there anything more you would like to find out about beads or bead bracelets? Come to Novobeads.com and check out great, American made products that are fully compatible with all major bead bracelet brands!. This article, Creating Fimo Beads is released under a creative commons attribution license.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in investments | No Comments »

Consider Organising A Cheese, Wine And Handmade Earrings Party?

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Handmade Earrings Go Along With Wine and Cheese on Orkney!

You will find a shop in the centre of Kirkwall, on the very small island of Orkney, that exhibits incredible ranges of jewellery. From a Celtic pendant to handmade earrings you will find something for everyone. This is the sole shop which markets this range of locally-made fine jewellery.

Even so this Alladin’s Cave features far more than handmade earrings and jewellery for each and every event. Designer clothes and accessories from some of Orkney’s top fashion designers and craftspeople are showcased there. After making your jewellery choices you can peruse gifts, clothes, artwork, pottery and a lot of other Orkney classics.

The earliest jewelry items were available in this shop back in the 1960s, it was then owned by the present jewellery designer’s father and mother. She’d just graduated from Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen and was in need of an outlet for her groundbreaking heritage jewellery. So she started her jewellery business from a corner shop, rather an non-traditional idea! Even so her fame grew, and over time she has grown to be known right across the UK, far from this small island.

The first shop on this site was called Kirkness and Gorie and was established in 1859 by her great-great grandfather. It began as a family grocer and later became a wine merchant offering continental produce. This service to tourists and the residents of Orkney has been expanded in recent times and now you can find another shop, entered via a connecting courtyard, which sells wine and wool. Here another family member takes care of business and also runs Orkney’s only wine festival each and every year. This started as a bit of an experiment, but has grown to be an eagerly anticipated event.

Handmade Earrings Are Merely The Tip Of The Iceberg

However, this month gourmet cheese has been added onto the plethora of treats being offered, to the delight of enthusiasts across Orkney. He is adopting the trend set by the original Victorian owners in importing only the highest quality wine and food.

So there were festivities this week with corks popping and happy faces saying “cheese”. Among the variety of cheeses on offer were hand made classics from Scotland, England, Wales, Spain, Italy and France. You’ll find fine farmhouse cheeses manufactured in Orkney too which are sold all over the country.

So now Broad Street in Kirkwall offers a one-stop shop for designer clothing, gifts, textiles, accessories, cheese, wine, wool – as well as handmade earrings and Celtic pendant designs that echo the Norse heritage of this northerly isle.

Cheese, wine and handmade earrings might appear to be an odd combination and you might want something more modern day than a Celtic pendant. In any case you will discover loads of bargains and unique designs on this website.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in investments | No Comments »

All You Need To Know About Blue Diamonds

Friday, December 30th, 2011

When most people think about diamonds, it is the clear variety that usually comes to mind. However clear diamonds aren’t actually the rarest or most valuable of these diamonds. Diamonds are created under extreme pressure and temperatures over millions of years. During the formation of a diamond, certain changes can occur or traces of an element can be introduced, producing a colored diamond. Colored diamonds are several times rarer than the relatively common clear variety. Diamonds can come in a range of colors, of which, blue diamonds are among the rarer varieties. A blue diamond is formed when boron is introduced as it is being formed.

There is a limited number of shades that can be produced because of the limited amount of boron than can infiltrate a diamond’s structure during its formation. It is important to note that blue diamonds are formed because of a technical imperfection in the carbon structure of the stone, meaning they will be slightly less strong than the more common clear variety.

Colored diamonds can make for some of the most unique and expensive jewelry. Your special loved one would definitely appreciate them as gifts, and they also make for great investments that will increase in value over the years. However, because of the perceived value and high demand, they are also counterfeited. A respectable jeweler should be able to identify a fake blue diamond from a genuine one.

Cubic zirconia, glass, and plastic can all be colored to be given the appearance of blue diamond that is convincing enough to fool the average person from a close distance. Thankfully, there are easy ways you can distinguish them without having to go to a jeweler’s just to have the stone inspected. One thing you can do is hold up the diamond to a light. A genuine blue diamond would appear sparkling blue from the light. Fakes will not be as brilliant when light is shone through, and some will even give you a direct line of sight to the light source, which would obviously identify it as a fake.

While blue diamonds are unquestionably rare, some particular pieces have achieved legendary status. One particularly good example is the hope diamond, which currently resides at the Smithsonian Institute. It’s true origins have yet to be identified, but it was originally believed to have been part of a 112 carat diamond that was sold to King Louis XIV.

It was then supposed to have been cut down to 67 1/8 carats to become a central part of the French Crown Jewels. Then in the French Revolution the diamond disappeared, never to resurface again, except that in 1839, a 45.52 carat blue diamond appeared in the gem catalog of a collector by the name of Henry Phillip Hope, hence the name.

Visit peleddiamonds.com to know more details about blue diamonds and hope diamond.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in investments | No Comments »

Buying An Emerald Cut Diamond Ring

Friday, December 30th, 2011

Diamonds are recognized to be the hardest natural substance known to man, not to mention one of the rarest and most expensive commodities. And yet somehow, it is also more than that, being a symbol of love, romance and commitment. There are a variety of cuts that diamonds can be shaped into, but one that requires that only the highest quality stones be used is the emerald cut diamond. Originally, the emerald cut, from its name, was used to shape emeralds, but was also used to shape diamonds after some time. It is considered to be non-traditional cut, and one thing that is interesting about this cut is how it is able to highlight any flaws in the stone.

This is because this cut features a clear center where you can easily see right through the stone. The cut features a rectangular shape, along with cropped corners and stepped facets. Admittedly, the emerald cut isn’t quite as brilliant as other fancier cuts. Instead, it reflects broad flashes of color. The advantage though is that emerald cut diamonds are generally cheaper than other same quality diamonds of a different cut, and are also typically stronger since only high quality stones are considered for this cut.

When thinking of a gift to give to a man’s special someone, diamonds will always come to mind. However the number of different cuts can make the task of choosing an engagement ring even more difficult that one might originally think it to be. For women who prefer sophistication, emerald cut engagement rings are perfect because the elongated shape gives off that sophisticated feel just right.

While there may be flashier cuts, the mature and sophisticated woman doesn’t need that kind of gaudiness. One needs to be careful not to go for an emerald cut engagement ring hat is too inexpensive, as any flaws from a low quality stone will quickly be accentuated by the clear center. One must make no compromises when buying an emerald cut diamond.

Obviously, diamonds aren’t cheap, and because the emerald cut uses higher quality diamonds, this offsets any slight decrease in value that arises from the cut itself. Of course, it is still possible to save on diamonds while avoiding making any compromises to the quality of the stone you will be getting.

Rather than get an engagement ring, one can buy loose diamonds instead, that can be set into a rings of your choice later on. This even allows you to customize the ring, such as with a special inscription. 18K yellow gold is the most popular choice because of its cost and aesthetics.

If you want to know more about emerald cut diamond, emerald cut engagement rings and loose diamonds then visit peleddiamonds.com for more details.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in investments | No Comments »

Cleaning and Storing Jewelry

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

In the event you discover that your pearls as well as a couple of gems are scratched and your silver is tarnished; it could be which you aren’t storing and cleaning your jewelry correctly. Cleaning and Storing of Jewelry does not need to be so tough nor does it need to be pricey. Jewelry could be stored appropriately employing low cost readily accessible supplies and cleaning could be achieved using the use of ordinary household cleaners. Here are some guidelines that you simply could discover handy when cleaning and storing valuables.

Cleaning:

Toothpastes and dish soaps are very best left for use on the kitchen sink. It’s not advisable to utilize these merchandise when cleaning jewelry as they could be abrasive and trigger stones to loose their luster. It really is then advised that you simply use a sudsy remedy when cleaning jewelry.

Soak jewelry in warm sudsy water for at the least an hour just before rinsing them under warm running water. Immediately after the jewelry has been rinsed. Pat them dry using a towel or yet another absorbent fabric.
Most of the time, running jewelry under water is adequate to obtain them clean but you’ll find those which are studded. Grime and grease gets into the nooks and crannies. For these stubborn dirt it is possible to use and eyebrow brush or perhaps a soft baby’s brush to gently clean it.

To get rid of greasy residues on diamonds soak them in alcohol a couple of minutes ahead of running them under water. Do not use alcohol on all your jewelry since most of them aren’t as tough as diamonds and might be damaged when they come in get in touch with with it.

If you’re interested in Jareds Jewelry, please visit us on Jareds Jewelry

Be cautious when working with commercial cleaners mainly because they may possibly harm your jewelry when utilized improperly. An example of a commercial cleaner is an ultrasonic cleaner. Do not use an ultrasonic cleaner on the following stones: Emerald, Peridot, Tanzanite, Topaz, and Opals. When utilizing ultrasonic cleaners, do not soak jewelry for much more than some minutes.

Storing:

Gems and precious stones have distinct gradients of hardness. Stones are on the best of the list. They’re incredibly tough to scratch but they are able to scratch other items. Diamonds are the hardest, below them are sapphire, rubies, and so on. in the lower end of the list you are going to locate pearls and metals like gold, platinum and silver. With that in mind, it can be wise to store jewelry separately or no less than in individual containers or pouches.

Velvet, cotton and felt are fantastic for storing delicate stones like pearls. These supplies are simply readily available in fabric shops. Swatches may be cut from the fabric and created to wrap about delicate jewelry. They are able to even be created into pouches producing them less complicated to utilize.
It really is not advisable to cram jewelry into 1 box. This may well result in scratching and chipping.

Maintenance:

Preserve your jewelry in tip leading shape. Appear out for loose stones and take them to your jeweler to have the settings reinforced.

Have pearls restrung when the strings start off to fray. Do not wait till the last minute or you may wind up loosing all your pearls.

Please visit our another articles about Osterman Jewelers and Key Jewelers

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »