Word of mouth is amazing. I still consider it – hands down – the best method of marketing. I wouldn’t have a web development business if it wasn’t for word of mouth. The same goes for my jewelry business…

Recently, thanks to “word of mouth”, I was recommended by one of my friends to one of her soon-to-be-married friends to get custom necklaces created for the bridesmaid party. There’s something about making bridal jewelry that I find puts me in a good mood. I guess it’s the thought of the celebration. How can you not be happy when two people are committing themselves to true love?

Back to the jewelry…the bride requested I make illusion necklaces. I can’t remember the last time I made illusion necklaces…mainly because once I worked with wire, I never looked back. I still had tons of the illusion cord and other components. All I needed to purchase were the large quantity of crystals and pearls. After a quick trip to the local bead store (researching colors for future wholesale purchases is a must), I sat down to the task.

As I worked the individual pieces of this initial necklace, I was reminded how much fun they were to make. It also made me think that I would like to get back into pearl knotting. I enjoyed that a lot as well, but I think I’d like to take it into a different direction other than the traditional pearl knotting you think of when someone mentions Akoya pearls and the sorts.

Maybe I’ll sit down this weekend and create a new pearl knotted piece. Time to find my silk cards!

From today until Monday, December 21st, get 15% off all jewelry! Use code “LASTCHANCE” at checkout. Also, you get FREE SHIPPING for orders over $50!

If you let me know if you are a newsletter subscriber or a Facebook Page Fan and you’ll also get an additional free gift with your order! Who doesn’t love stocking stuffers…especially when they’re free! So shop now!

Don’t forget…cutoff dates for my holiday shipping deadlines are coming soon! These are the last purchase dates that I can guarantee arrival before Christmas within the U.S.:

First Class Mail – December 18th
Priority Mail – December 18th
Express Mail – December 22nd

Make sure to plan ahead and place your orders early! And if you miss these dates, there are always gift certificates.

Finally, the winner of this month’s gift certificate has been announced. Check to see if it was you!

For the 12 Days of Holiday Deals, I’m offering one item on my site at a discount of 30% – 50% off the original price of the item. You only have until midnight EST to make your purchase on my limited edition pieces the day I post them on my blog. So if you want this item, don’t delay. Tomorrow, this deal will be gone!

And as a little extra to everyone who stops by during my 12 Days of Holiday Deals, for each item purchased or each comment left (1 each a day), you’ll get entered to win a $50 gift certificate to my shop! That’s 24 chances to win over the course of 12 days!

The Rutilated Quartz Gold-filled Framed Circle Drop Necklace…A large and lustrous faceted rutilated quartz adorns the bottom of this hand wrapped wire circle. A beautiful statement piece.

The necklace is 22″ (58.88cm) in length. The pendant is 2 3/8″ (6.03cm) long. All metal is gold-filled or vermeil (22kt gold heavily plated over a sterling silver core.

For the 12 Days of Holiday Deals, I’m offering one item on my site at a discount of 30% – 50% off the original price of the item. You only have until midnight EST to make your purchase on my limited edition pieces the day I post them on my blog. So if you want this item, don’t delay. Tomorrow, this deal will be gone!

And as a little extra to everyone who stops by during my 12 Days of Holiday Deals, for each item purchased or each comment left (1 each a day), you’ll get entered to win a $50 gift certificate to my shop! That’s 24 chances to win over the course of 12 days!

The Prasiolite Gold-filled Framed Circle Drop Necklace…A large and lustrous faceted praisiolite oval, also known as green amethyst, adorns the bottom of this hand wrapped wire circle. A beautiful statement piece.

The necklace is 22″ (58.88cm) in length. The pendant is 2 1/4″ (5.71cm) long. All metal is gold-filled or vermeil (22kt gold heavily plated over a sterling silver core).

$92.00 – $64.00

Sorry! The day has passed and this Holiday Deal is done. Go check out the latest Holiday Deal in the series!

January

Garnet (deep red in color) – Symbolizing love & passion.

February

Amethyst (purple in color) – Symbolizing luck & good health.

March

Aquamarine (pale aqua in color) – Symbolizing happiness & understanding. An alternate birthstone for June is Bloodstone.

These pieces were made by Katja of Katja Adams Design, Debbie
of Crysallis Creations and Holly of Bijoux d’Odalisque, respectively.

April

Diamond (clear in color) – Symbolizing eternal love. For a less expensive piece, you can look for jewelry created with rock quartz.

These pieces were made by Ginger of MsBellee, Sheela of
Eclettica The Atêlier and Holly of Bijoux d’Odalisque, respectively.

May

Emerald (deep green in color) – Symbolizing love, fidelity & goodness.

These pieces were made by Asta of Anastassias Atelier,
Heather & Mel of Heather & Mel and Jo of Gemheaven, respectively.

June

Pearl (lustrous white in color) – Symbolizing peace, beauty, nobility & purity. An alternate birthstone for June is Moonstone.

July

Ruby (red in color) – Symbolizing love, strength & devotion.

The second and third pieces were made by Anna-Karin of små blå
and Holly of Bijoux d’Odalisque, respectively.

August

Peridot (pale green in color) – Symbolizing success, dignity & protection. An alternate birthstone for August is Sardonyx.

These pieces were made by Amy of Amy Olson Jewelry,
Catherine Marche Jewellery and Susanna of Suzy Q Jewelry, respectively.

September

Sapphire (blue in color) – Symbolizing purity, truth & sincerity. An alternate birthstone for September is Lapis Lazuli.

These pieces were made by Anna-Karin of små blå,
Catherine of Modeste Parisienne and Lotta of Silverknuten, respectively.

October

Opal (rainbow in color, but also found in blues and pinks) – Symbolizing beauty, success & happiness. An alternate birthstone for October is Pink Tourmaline.

November

Citrine (yellow in color) – Symbolizing hope, fidelity & health. An alternate birthstone for November is yellow Topaz.

The second and third pieces were made by Ann of Beadiful Things
and Jennifer of Lee Ohio Designs, respectively.

December

Topaz (orange/brown/blue in color) – Symbolizing wisdom and courage. For a less expensive piece, you can look for jewelry created with Whiskey Quartz stones. Sometimes they are the same as jewelers may not know the difference between the quartz and topaz stones as seen with the naked eye. An alternate birthstone for December is Turquoise.

From traditional to modern, ancient to mystical, there are sure to be numerous variations in charts. Ultimately, the best stone selection is one that has meaning to the recipient, whether that happens to be their birthstone or not.

Are there any differences in lists that you use for selecting birthday stone jewelry? Let me know!

In the meantime, I thought I would share a necklace I just made for a last minute Mother’s Day gift for one of my girlfriends:

Just noticed that I took these on a white background…It’s been quite a while…maybe I should go back to a white background. What do you guys think?

While we were there, she asked me if I could make a necklace for her mom for Christmas. I, of course, was excited at the prospect and said “sure!”

So here we are! I call it “The Betty Rubble”. Fitting, right? I love how it came out. Almost makes me want to make chunkier pieces of jewelry…but my love is dainty at heart. :)

Now the question becomes, what do I do with the remaining pieces of fire cherry quartz. They’re awfully big! Any suggestions?

For a big bang on the last day of the holiday deals, I’ve decided to offer, not one, not two, but many items at 50% off. Here’s the catch…These are all one-of-a-kind pieces. I will not be making these again. No one else will have these pieces in their jewelry wardrobe…at least, not made by my hand.

Without further ado, here are the items of the day:

The Top Drill and Coin Pearl Peacock Necklace…Securely hand-knotted with black silk, this exquisite necklace is composed of lustrous top drilled button pearls and elegant coin pearls. The variations in pearl sizes and shapes are brought to the eye by a large, off-center bali bead. A hint of sparkle is added with glimmering Swarovski crystals accenting the lovely and delicate top drilled button pearls.

This necklace is absolutely fabulous at its 16 1/2″ (41.91cm) length! All metal is sterling silver.

The Whirlwind Carnelian Nugget Bracelet…So irregular in their shape and faceting, these carnelian faceted nuggets are beautiful in and of themselves. Together, however, they make a fantastic bracelet that demands to be noticed! Paired with handmade whirlwind beads created by many yards of wrapped wire, this bracelet is a one-of-a-kind piece.

While this bracelet is 8 1/4″ (21.00cm) long, because of the size of the carnelian nuggets, it only fits up to a 7″ (17.80cm) wrist.

The Criss Cross Cuff – Faceted Amazonite and Volcano Ice Crystals…Always a timely classic, this criss cross cuff is made with faceted Amazonite rounds and Swarovski crystals. Dress it up or down because it goes great with jeans or your little black dress.

The cuff is stiff sitting on the wrist at 6 1/2″ (16.51cm) and 1/2″ (1.27cm) wide. All silver is sterling.

The Turquoise Wrecker Ball & Chain Necklace…Have a ball with this eye-catching turquoise colored stone topped with a turquoise dyed pearl and dazzling Swarovski Crystals on an oxidized sterling silver chain. (I wish I could tell you what the turquoise colored stone was, but I have no idea. If you know, let me know! :) )

Necklace length is 18″ (45.72 cm). All silver is sterling and oxidized for an antique finish.

The Coconut and White Nugget Bracelet…Perfect for any getaway, this tropical look bracelet is made with white glass nuggets and coconut heishe. The piece has been oxidized to make the white stand out more. Clasp is handformed and hammered for sturdiness.

The bracelet fits a size 7 1/2″ (19.05 cm). All silver is sterling.

The Coconut and White Nugget Necklace…At 43 1/2″ (110.49 cm), this is a long necklace great for draping over lean styles or for wrapping once for an asymmetrical, double strand look. It’s made with white glass nuggets and coconut heishe securely handwired to links from handmade twisted chain. The piece has been oxidized to make the white beads stand out more. Clasp is handformed and hammered for increased sturdiness. All silver is sterling.

The Garden Cluster Bangle – Pearl, Citrine and Coral Bracelet…Multiple coils of fine silver wire decorate a sterling silver bangle core decorated with Israeli-faceted citrines, olive dyed coral, coppery red pearls and golden keishe freshwater pearls.

The bracelet is 2 5/8″ (6.67cm) in diameter. All silver is sterling and has been oxidized for an antique finish.

The Criss Cross Cuff – Golden Pearls Bracelet…Always a timely classic, this criss cross cuff is made with vibrantly festive golden pearls and swarovski crystals. Dress it up or down because it goes great with jeans or your little black dress.

The cuff is stiff sitting on the wrist at 6 3/4″ (17.15 cm) and 1/2″ (1.27cm) wide. All metal is 14kt gold-filled.

The Charmed – Paua Teardrop and Chalcedony Heart Necklace…One of my favorite pieces…dyed chalcedony is paired with a matching paua teardrop shell and a vermeil charm, all hanging on an intricate 14kt gold-filled chain. Necklace closes with a handmade clasp.

The necklace measures 16″ (40.64 cm) long finished with a 2″ (5.08 cm) extender and vermeil charm. All wire is 14kt gold-filled.

The Sodalite Heart Cascades Earrings…Beautiful sodalite faceted rectangles are paired with a cascade of freshwater pearls topped with bali daisy spacers. The cascades of white are finished with an oxidized heart filigree charm.

The earrings are approximately 3 1/4″ (8.25 cm) from the top of the earwire. All silver is sterling.

Sorry! The day has passed and all these Holiday Deals are done. stop by later to check out who won the $25 gift certificate to the shop!

For the 12 Days of Holiday Deals, I’m offering one item on my site at a discount of 30% – 50% off the original price of the item. You only have until midnight EST to make your purchase on my limited edition pieces the day I post them on my blog. So if you want this item, don’t delay. Tomorrow, this deal will be gone!

And as a little extra to everyone who stops by during my 12 Days of Holiday Deals, for each item purchased or each comment left (1 each a day), you’ll get entered to win a $25 gift certificate to my shop! That’s 24 chances to win over the course of 12 days!

The Prehnite Cluster Necklace…A cluster of faceted Prehnite rounds adorn the bottom of this hammered and hand wrapped wire circle adorned with tiny balls. The clarity of the green of the Prehnite and the gleam of the gold circle make this a beautiful statement piece.

The necklace is 20” (50.8cm) in length. The pendant is 1 1/2” (3.81cm) long. All metal is 14kt gold-filled.

Sorry! The day has passed and this Holiday Deal is done. Go check out the latest Holiday Deal in the series!

For the 12 Days of Holiday Deals, I’m offering one item on my site at a discount of 30% – 50% off the original price of the item. You only have until midnight EST to make your purchase on my limited edition pieces the day I post them on my blog. So if you want this item, don’t delay. Tomorrow, this deal will be gone!

And as a little extra to everyone who stops by during my 12 Days of Holiday Deals, for each item purchased or each comment left (1 each a day), you’ll get entered to win a $25 gift certificate to my shop! That’s 24 chances to win over the course of 12 days!

The Infinity – Wood, Pearls and Crystals Necklace…A beautiful, continuous flow of color, this long necklace is made with carved twisted horn, golden pearls and topaz Swarovski crystals all brought together in a continuous loop with gold chain. This is a continuous necklace (hence the name “Infinity”) so there is no clasp.

The necklace is 48″ (121.92 cm) in length. All metal is 14kt gold-filled.

Sorry! The day has passed and this Holiday Deal is done. Go check out the latest Holiday Deal in the series!

For the 12 Days of Holiday Deals, I’m offering one item on my site at a discount of 30% – 50% off the original price of the item. You only have until midnight EST to make your purchase on my limited edition pieces the day I post them on my blog. So if you want this item, don’t delay. Tomorrow, this deal will be gone!

And as a little extra to everyone who stops by during my 12 Days of Holiday Deals, for each item purchased or each comment left (1 each a day), you’ll get entered to win a $25 gift certificate to my shop! That’s 24 chances to win over the course of 12 days!

The Sterling Silver Tourmalinated Quartz Necklace…This necklace is made with gem quality tourmalinated quartz rondelles with many tiny facets that make light dance off of them. Ranging from opaque to crystal clear, the rondelles have distinctive black rutiles running through the rondelles.

A focal point of this necklace is the clasp. Handcrafted and unique in creation, it will look like part of the design even if the clasp flips to the front. This is a lovely necklace made just for layering!

Each necklace made with these tourmalinated quartz stones will be an individual piece due to the unique patterns the rutiles make within the stones. Some may have darker stones and others lighter and they may even vary in size, but the necklace will still be just as beautiful in its own right.

The necklace is 20″ (50.8cm) in length. All metal is sterling silver.

Sorry! The day has passed and this Holiday Deal is done. Go check out the next Holiday Deal in the series!

The group was started back in June with some fantastic theme’s to play around with. To kick off the challenge group, June’s theme was “La Dolce Vita”, which I previously blogged about. This was the piece I made for the challenge:

La Dolce Vita – $180

This necklace, made with quartz, keishe pearls and watermelon tourmaline, was a hit with the group. I think what they liked the most was its flexibility. Being wearable as one long 36″ necklace or doubled into an 18″ focal piece, really extends its life and usability.

For July, our theme was “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!” and here is my take on the theme:

This was another hit with the group. The blackened sterling silver really set off the colors of the prehnite, carnelian and apatite stones I selected. The only thing was that we couldn’t decide if I should have used peridot instead of the prehnite. I’m actually still on the fence about that! I haven’t posted these for sale, but I’ll make sure they go up next week.

With my birthday and preparations for Dragon*Con, I wasn’t able to get around to making an August “Art-Inspired Piece” theme piece, but one of the great things about this group is that we can catch up on our own time. So I have the materials set out…some beautiful rutilated quartz and imperial jasper pendants that I can’t wait to make into their own little piece of art. My September “Cocktail-Inspired Pieces” theme piece will follow shortly, I’m sure.

There are other groups I participate in that have challenges, but I’m always looking for more to help me expand my creativity. If you like challenges, one of the topics of this week’s EtsyBlogger’s Street Team Carnival is challenges or contests. Reading the the carnival would be a great way to see what other events are out there for participating.

I’ve been thinking about posing a challenge myself. It’s time to use up some supplies! What does everyone think about that?

A simple dowel, you say? Why, yes…it is! It slices and dices and…oh wait, wrong tool…

As you can see, I’ve customized the dowel with plenty of little sharpie marks to help me create different types of earwires. In addition (although not seen in this picture), the dowel has a hole drilled from one side to the other for wire anchoring purposes. While my dowel is simple, it has helped me create wonderfully fantastic pieces like these:

I couldn’t have made any of them nearly as beautiful without my dowel. I can’t be the only dowel lover here…or is your favorite tool quite different?

The One Necklace – $28

Lots of new things in the works! I’ll be posting new items every weekday for the next two weeks!

Also, if you’re a first time buyer and you are on my mailing list, make sure you check your email today. I have a huge special for you, just for your first purchase, but you’ll have to be quick! The offer expires August 1, 2008. That’s only two weeks away! Go check it out!

Oh, and those of you who have bought from me before, don’t worry! There’s an email for you too. Just reply to me with your thoughts on the email I sent and you’ll automatically be entered to win a $50 gift certificate for my shop!

There’s something for everyone on my mailing list. If you’re not a part of it, sign up today!

Before

After

I’m definitely liking the colors in the “after” shots much better.

Sometimes I even pull out older pieces and then get this desire to redo or embellish them even more. This is one of those pieces that brings out that feeling in me.

Anyone else ever feel the same? If you have and you’ve redone a piece, I’d love to see before and after pictures. I think it would be interesting to compare…

(I couldn’t remember if I had shown those on the blog or not.) So, when she said she needed a few more gifts, I was pleased to oblige:

I do think they came out great! I’m sure she’ll be excited as well. :)

So I just have two things for you…

A new necklace made for Glitz Lounge’s May Themed Challenge. (I’ll be posting this lovely for sale on the site later this week.) I had such a hard time designing this piece. I even started with a different focal! In the end, I kept thinking of plants and berries and how everything needs water to live and grow. So my quartz is the big pool of water from which the leaves (pearls) and berries (watermelon tourmaline) grew and blossomed a lovely flower (prasiolite.) Hence, La Dolce Vita!

The necklace is a total length of 36″, which makes it great for matching with other necklaces, or doubling up as a focal layering piece. I took great care to space the little clusters of berries and leaves so they would somewhat line up when the necklace was doubled to its 18″ length.

And…

More gemstone goodness! Can’t beat that for eyecandy. Now, off to get a quick nap…

“Trunkt’s Front Page Showcase! Summer & Candy”
courtesy of Loella Medina

About to go to bed, I was catching up with the many Flickr photostream feeds I follow…(must feed my need for visuals.) That’s when I saw that my friend, Loella, of Loella Medina Jewelry posted a snapshot of today’s Trunkt showcase featuring one of her pieces.

Fire Drop Necklace – $74.00

It also featured my Fire Drop Necklace.

What a nice surprise. :)

While I love all my pieces, this trait of mine really helps me to not keep everything I make. This is a good thing since I know I wouldn’t wear them on a regular basis.

As it turns out, one of this week’s EtsyBlogger’s Street Team blog carnival topic is “Loving the Craft”. So, I’m going to show you a few pieces that I have kept because I absolutely loved them and some that I would have kept if I had some place to wear them:

These I just made for a friend for her birthday. If I had more moonstone coins, I totally would have kept this pair.

These sat on my desk for months before I could make myself post them in the shop. As you can see, they went quickly.

These earrings are so springy and I wear so much green. I kept pulling them out of storage and almost claiming them for myself. But as you can see they are still available in the shop!

This is such a great summer necklace that goes with so many things. Maybe I should make another one for the shop.

These almost never made it to my mother in law’s for Christmas. I should probably make my own pair now as I still love them so.

These I kept. Mine…all mine!

Yet another necklace I absolutely adored. The original one sold, but there is another one still available!

Finally, another wardrobe staple that I totally forgot about. My personal pair is now a lovely shade of black from all the oxidization. With a quick polish, they always look beautiful. Of course, if you’d like your own pair, these are also still available in the shop while my supplies last.

How about you? What pieces could you almost not part with and what have you kept for yourself?

sparklystrandz
on Etsy

Getting abused by your baby? New moms, you know what I’m talking about with all the arm pinching, hair pulling and necklace grabbing that can happen. So while husbands may never grow up, these fabulous necklaces by sparklystrandz will help distract your chronological baby.

Combining a love for crochet and beads about 10 years ago, sparklystrandz store is now the place you can visit to create your own nursing jewelry by choosing the right color bead, wire, and length you want for that perfect piece.

Or maybe your perfect piece is already in the shop waiting just for you:

See more of her work on Etsy: sparklystrandz
Visit her blog at: sparklystrandz’s Groove Spot