Have you ever wanted a pair of earrings that you could wear any time for any occasion? These little post earrings are Truly the answer to that problem! Small, artistic and minimalist, the Truly Earrings are perfect for athletic activities or to wear with scarves. The extra large ear backs are easy to put on and take off especially if you have issues with fine motor skills.
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While continuing to design jewelry for everyday wear, Tammy added the Jubilee Collection to her signature line to celebrate the colors of summer with two color themes. The collection is scheduled to go live on June 8, 2018.
Carried over from Fall 2015, tassels are still making an appearance:
While beautiful works of art, my hope is that these necklaces decrease in size a bit as they trickle down into everyday fashion...
Though the designs are beautiful and intriguing, Louis Vuitton and I have very different ideas of what "Minimalist" means.
Having been a teenager in the post-punk 80's, this makes me laugh; but I love that safety pins have made it to the Runway!
And if you're wondering why I, a jewelry maker known for simplicity, would look to the fashion industry for what's coming next, I can't put it better than Miranda Priestly, AKA The Devil "who" Wears Prada:
If you would like to check out more Fall 2015 Jewelry Trends, head over to Style Caster's Slideshow.
I started looking through Etsy to find a jewelry organizer to hang on the wall and just can't make up my mind so thought I would share my choices and see what you think~ (Click on the photos to go to the page)
We're huge Netflix watchers (who isn't?) and found Parks and Rec after it's first season. We loved it and I am now a HUGE Leslie Knope fan! Leslie Knope found a different way to celebrate in February and called it Galentine's Day! It's February 13th and I think it's a beautiful idea: Celebrate your Girl Buddies! Females don't do this enough and WE NEED TO. I am so very grateful for my female friendships because there was a time that I didn't have any and it can get lonely out there, especially if you have an all male family (except for the girl cat, but she can't go get a pedi with me...)
So go call your girl friends on or around February 13 and hang out or go shopping or get a pedi together. FOSTER YOUR GIRL TRIBE THIS MONTH!
]]>The first product that I use to clean my jewelry is a Sunshine Polishing Cloth. These are great for a quick clean-up and I use them when I'm refreshing my stock at shops. According to the website, these are "non-staining and easy-to-use cloths to remove tarnish from sterling silver, gold, brass, copper, glass, mirrors and most other surfaces, leaving a deep, long-lasting luster."
The only downside is that, though the tarnish is removed, the silver is not so sparkly after polishing. If you don't mind that, then it's a quick way to clean sterling silver.
Here's how their site touts it:
~Made in the U.S.A.
~All Natural
~No ammonia, acids or alcohol
~Biodegradable; environmentally friendly
I use the container with a little basket so you can dump a bunch of jewelry in and leave it for an hour or so, then pull it out to rinse it off and not even get your hands sticky! It's a little pricey, but if you're just cleaning your own jewelry it will last a long time. Get your own HERE!
Most of the time, the jewelry is sparkly and the tarnish is gone. When the tarnish is really stubborn, like on the aforementioned coffee shop jewelry, I use a polishing cream.
I like JewelBrite Polishing Cream best. This polishing cream was my savior as far as jewelry cleaning goes. You can use it on most stones and metals and it's biodegradable.
The best way to use the polishing cream is to dampen a wash cloth, swipe some cream on, polish then rinse. It's great for delicate chains because you can gently pull the chain through the wet cloth several times.
The biodegradable polishing cream is also kind of expensive, but again, if you're only cleaning your own jewelry, the 2 oz. container should last a long time. If it dries out, just add water. Really good stuff!
Here are some options for purchasing (click the word):
Another option for cleaning that's a bit more involved is the Baking-Soda-Aluminum-Foil-Boiling-Water Method. I told you it was involved! However, you can clean a ton of jewelry all at once and it's all natural~
I'm sure there's a video somewhere that you could watch but here are the steps:
1-Begin by heating your water to boiling. I use a tea kettle which makes for easier pouring later. While you're waiting for that to boil:
2-Find a glass or plastic container (I use a flat long baking dish.) Pull off enough aluminum foil to line the bottom and crinkle it up a bit.
3-Lay your jewelry out in the pan on top of the aluminum foil, making sure that as much of each piece touches the foil as possible.
4-Sprinkle baking soda over all of the jewelry in a heavy coating.
5-Once your water is boiling, slowly pour it over the baking soda covered jewelry. Lean back a bit otherwise a stinky cloud of sulfur will rise up into your face...
6-Try to dissolve all of the baking soda with the boiling water because this is where the reaction happens. You can even sprinkle more baking soda over particularly stubborn areas of tarnish and follow that with more boiling water over it. Just make sure the water is still boiling hot.
7-After I've sprinkled and poured and sprinkled and poured some more, I let it sit for about 15-30 minutes. Then rinse everything off with clean water and let it dry!
Another benefit of this method is that you can usually put gemstones and certain pearls in as well.
So, now you know one of the ugly truths of being a jewelry artist. But, thanks to these products, I can quickly get through it with very little headache and move along to the Glamorous Life~
]]>First up is the hole hearted bracelet. A cute little play on the word hole-hearted, this bracelet works for gals of all ages, 15-50!
The side cross bracelet is a perfect way to express your faith with your accessories! Add a word or charms to create a personalized gift.Looking for something simple? Take a look at these leather wrap charm bracelets!
Each bracelet, including the charm or centerpiece is handcrafted in the Cloverleaf Jewelry Studio in Mint Hill, NC, including these leather wrap wire centerpiece bracelets:
Every Leather Wrap Bracelet is available in an array of colors so click on a photo to see what's available. Cloverleaf Leather Bracelets make a fun, cherished gift for anyone ~ which one goes on YOUR list?
]]>In recent years, I've been doing more craft shows and have been able to buy unique handmade items for my family from fellow crafters and it's been tons of fun finding unique gifts that can't be found elsewhere, even at Target! My biggest challenge, if I start buying too soon is remembering that I did actually buy the gift and who it was for. (I won't mention the brie baker that I bought for my mother at a September show and found in my closet a year later...)
At most of my shows, the most popular piece of jewelry that shoppers are excited to find as a gift for someone special is a piece of jewelry from our Min-i-nitials Collection. These personal, one-of-a-kind necklaces and bracelets are fun to put together and make a great gift for anyone, including yourself. Select a tiny monogram charm, several shapes to choose from, and add a birthstone or just have everyone represented by their birthstone, a great option for lots of grandkids!
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A common theme when customers talk about Cloverleaf Handcrafted Jewelry is the lightness of the earrings. There are several larger designs to choose from but each is incredibly lightweight. Try these out:
At this particular show, I was approached by a guy in about his late 20s-early 30s. He said, "This is a weird question but you wouldn't happen to know what Chrysoprase is, would you?"
"I do!" said I, "It's a light green gemstone, but I don't have any jewelry with that, sorry."
He continued, "The reason I ask is that every month for the first year of our marriage, I've bought my wife a piece of jewelry based on the gemstones listed in Revelations 21. Are you familiar with that?"
At this point, I realized that I'd only heard "every month...bought my wife jewelry" and had drifted into a dream-like state. I recovered quickly to say, "No, I'm not familiar with that."
He went on to explain that there are twelve gemstones in the verse and he had searched for them, in the order that they're listed, for his wife. Of course, as soon as I got home I looked it up and, sure enough, it's in Revelations 21: 19-20. The foundations of the walls of the New Jerusalem are adorned with these twelve jewels.
What a sweet way to celebrate the first year of marriage,
using the adornments of God's New Kingdom!
19 The foundations of the wall of the city are adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
Revelations 21:19-20 NRSV
biblegateway.com
Jasper |
Sapphire |
Agate |
Emerald |
Onyx |
Carnelian |
Chrysolite |
Beryl (Aquamarine) |
Topaz |
Chrysoprase |
Jacinth |
Amethyst |
Images courtesy of Wikipedia, Rio Grande & Gem Select
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