Handmade Jewelry is a Woman's Best Friend

One of a woman's most favorite and treasured gifts to receive is jewelry. Every woman can't help but feel a rush of excitement when she is handed a small gift box. Her mind starts to race through all the different possibilities that the delightfully wrapped box can hold. From diamond earrings or sapphire bracelets to the most exciting of all: an engagement ring. But while a woman loves to marvel at all these store bought gifts, jewelry that is made just for her is even more special. With all of the amaco art supplies on the market today, anyone can make handmade jewelry right in their own homes. All you need to get started is some beautifully colored clay.

Once you have chosen the color of the clay you want to use to create your piece of jewelry, it is time to begin. Use your imagination to create the one-of-a-kind piece that she will treasure forever. You could make some beads that have stripes or polka dots. You could make beads that vary in shape from round to triangle or square. Feel free to let yourself go in your creativity. If you don't like what you have created you can always start over. This is the beauty of working with moldable clay. Working with clay is so simple and easy to manipulate. When working with clay, you won't even have to worry about dealing with cone 06 glazes.

After you have finished molding your beads to your liking, make sure you remember to poke a needle through so you can string them together after baking. Once you have done this, all you have to do to finish the beads is to bake them in an oven until they are hardened. When your beads are done baking, leave them alone for some time to make sure that they have cooled off adequately. Now comes the moment of truth. String your beads into whatever piece of jewelry you have decided to make. Whether it's a bracelet, necklace or earrings, be sure that the wire you are using is neither too long nor too short.

Now you have created a unique piece of jewelry that the woman in your life is guaranteed to cherish. There are few things that can mean more to a woman than something that you have created with your own hands just for her. It doesn't matter if you have created a piece of handmade jewelry or some other clay pottery art, it is certain that she will absolutely love the masterpiece that you made, especially for her. You can purchase a small gift box to wrap your masterpiece in. When you present your handmade piece of jewelry to this special woman, make sure to keep your eyes open for her reaction, as it is sure to be one of joy.

A Great Place for Silver Jewelry

If you are looking for a great place to find unique handmade silver jewelry, you should check out the collection of Silver Eden.

"Ethnic handmade silver jewelry exclusively crafted by the Thai Hilltribe Artisans. An original collection of handmade jewelry. Each piece is individually handcrafted. Limited Edition pieces are clearly marked and are ideal for gifts. All other pieces are available in larger quantities, or wholesale supply. Cloisonne, bracelets, chokers, earrings, designer necklaces, bangles and sets."

Their jewelry is priced pretty well and it is all unique. Remember the holidays are right around the corner..check it out!

Back to handmade jewelry

The Comeback of Pearls

The classic elegance and luster of pearls has become more of a curse than a blessing. They may be considered lovely jewelry but are usually relegated into the background, in stuffy events like weddings, christenings and coming out balls. Pearl necklaces have sometimes been equated with "squares", spinster aunts, grandmothers and the old South. Pearls have had a hard time competing with more edgy jewelry like the luscious and high-class gemstones like diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and even semi-precious stones like opal and garnet.

Pearls have therefore become remnants of the past than beautiful gems that can be used as modern accessories. That has changed. Pearls have made a huge comeback into the modern scene just a few years ago. They did not really leave the fashion world but only had limited and specialized use. Today, pearls can be found in almost all kinds of fashion-related items.
The reason for this is the accessibility of pearls in the form of freshwater pearls. Japan has started this industry in the 1920s by culturing pearls using freshwater mussels. However, it has declined production but China has claimed the production of cultured pearls because of the high demand for them.

Donor mussels are inserted with irritants that form the pearls and some of these mussels can produce up to 40 freshwater pearls. The pearls are not as high-quality as the ones made naturally but the color and shape can be controlled and some freshwater pearls can be breathtakingly beautiful as natural ones.

A pearl strand belonging to Mary, Queen of Scots dating from 1550 is made of freshwater pearls. Scotland has been cultivating freshwater pearls, as well as North America but the extinction of almost 35 species of mussels in Europe and America has left Asia with this booming industry.

Because of its reentry into the world of edgy fashion, more and more pearl companies are striving to provide jewelry ideas for the modern woman. There are many ways that freshwater pearls can be used and integrated into a woman fashion sense. They can be used as accessories. Pearl jewelry today tries to incorporate contemporary design and color into pearl necklaces. The classic pearl necklace and pearl choker has given way to long strands of irregularly shaped freshwater pearls in all sizes and colors. They can be paired with casual wear such as jeans, blouses and short dresses.

Pearl bracelets and pearl earrings come in magnificent colors such as red, turquoise and canary yellow that makes any outfit pop. Other jewelry options for pearls include adding beads made of semi-precious stones or crystals.

Pearls have dominated all aspects of the jewelry trade. Even the mother-of-pearl shell of mollusks is used for inlay work on bracelets with freshwater pearls as accentuating items. Pendants for necklaces and rings are now also popularly made of freshwater pearls. Even younger people have seen the flexibility and the touch of beauty that pearls give to an otherwise ordinary outfit and include these accessories while shopping.

Office women rely on pearl necklaces to give them that polished corporate look. Jewelry designers are coming up with more and more ideas for pearls. Edgy and contemporary jewelry designs have freshwater pearls in them, either as the main piece or an accentuating item. Indeed, pearls are here to stay

5 Reasons to buy Handcrafted Jewelry

Handcrafted jewelry makes a lovely Christmas present for women and teen girls. Handcrafted jewelry is also often referred to as Artisan jewelry. Artisan jewelry is some of the most beautiful handmade jewelry in the world. With skilled craftsmen working hard to make it meaningful, this jewelry is desirable by women all over the globe. It excels store-bought, mass-produced jewelry in a number of ways. Here are five reasons why Handcrafted Jewelry is a wonderful gift, followed by five things that you should know about Peruvian Artisan Jewelry in particular.

1. You get what you pay for. While most handcrafted jewelry is more expensive than store-bought jewelry, it is also typically better constructed and from better materials. Cheap jewelry requires the use of cheap materials and fast, often careless, labor.

2. Human Touch. Most people value goods which are handmade over those which are machine made or produced by nameless people. Cheap jewelry does not become a family heirloom the way handcrafted jewelry does.

3. Sweat shops. Mass-produced jewelry is typically made in factories with poor working conditions, where labor laws and safety codes are often violated. When you buy handcrafted jewelry designed and created by an independent craftsman, you can be assured that your money is not going to further fuel child labor or sweat shops.

4. Microeconomics. When you support an artisan or artisan community, you are supporting people, not large businesses. Your money doesn't go to a rich CEO or celebrity spokesmodel; it goes to the person who made the jewelry.

5. A Living Wage. If you examine a $5 department store bracelet and calculate the store's markup, the middle-man's markup, the transportation costs, the material and overhead costs, and then the worker's labor, you can assume that the person who made it received no more than a few pennies for her labor. Artisans who sell directly or through a company that promotes socially conscious consumerism, can enjoy a living wage.