Gemstone Meanings, Part 1

Folklore has attached meanings to gemstones for millennia.  Here are a few stones and their historic meanings:

Malachite:  An equalizing and balancing agent.  Stimulates intuitive reasoning.  Promotes loyalty in partnerships and responsibility in business transactions.

 

Rose Quartz:  Brings peacefulness and calm to relationships.  Stimulates the true life force...LOVE!






Tiger Eye: Relieves high blood pressure.  Offers protection while travelling.  Aids in becoming more practical and grounded in reality.

                   

 

(In no way are these claims to be considered absolute or infallible, nor are they to be considered medical advice.  They are merely folklore, for entertainment purposes only.)

 

You can find out more about these stones and others on my website.

 

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What's On My Desk Right Now

I saw this on a "blog ideas" list: What's on my desk right now.  I don't know about you, but I like this kind of revealing little slice-of-life story.  

I think it's a fascinating list. 

Here goes:
A television and accompanying DVD player.
A desk lamp.
Multiple piles of pictures. 
A calculator.
Tons of beads, stones, wire, and findings--all the bits and pieces that go along with making jewelry.
Assorted hand tools (far too numerous to name individually).
Two pairs of reading glasses.
Four pens.
Three staplers.
A hand drill.
A letter opener.
Blank CDs
Cheese flavored Chex mix.
Cherry Craisins.
Liquid makeup.
Cuticle cream.
A lighter.
A patchouli/vanilla candle.
An extension cord.
A dust cloth.
Three polishing cloths.
Three different piles of varying heights, of papers I need to read.
A ruler and a cloth tape measure.
A flashlight.
Bills to be paid.
Jewelry supply catalogs.
My cell phone.
My laptop.

Obviously, my desk is my work space.  Once in awhile I take a day and purge all the piles and pieces and organize the tools, but it's been awhile since I've done that.  But hey, I can assure you that when I need something, I know just which "pile" to dive into to find it!  LOL.

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Opal Ear Sweeps

 This is my most popular style of ear sweep: Ear Sweep #9.  Small, delicate, fits just about everyone, no matter what size and shape your ear might be!  It's a great "starter pair" for yourself or as a gift.  Just $19.00 per pair with your choice of gold or silver wire and about 40 different gemstone or crystal beads. 

 

There is only one gemstone bead that costs a little more, but it is SO gorgeous that it's well worth it!  This one, the synthetic opal.  They're $32.00 per pair, and I just happen to have a pair listed in my Etsy shop right now!  Wear them with EVERY outfit! 

Everyday earrings

These little 6mm round beads make such a cute everyday drop earring!  A 6mm bead is about 1/4", and in this design it's surrounded by an outline of twisted wire.  Available in gold or silver wire and about 40 different bead colors, find them on my Earrings page here.  First column, down toward the bottom of the page.  Only $11.00 per pair!


 
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Tiger Eye Multi-Stone Pendant

There's still a lot of interest in pendants made with more than one stone. This one is three graduating sizes of tiger eye, one of the most all-around-popular gemstones out there! A typical tiger eye stone will have lustrous alternating bands of yellow and brown, with a luminescent "eye" of chatoyancy. Roman soldiers wore tiger eye for protection in battle, and it was sometimes thought to help the wearer "see all", due to its appearance.

This pendant measures just about 3-1/4" long including the round bail that will fit a chain or cord up to about 6 millimeters. Each stone is outlined in continuous strands of 14kt gold filled wire. It's bold, it's eye-catching, and it's one-of-a-kind! Hurry...you can buy it in my Etsy shop right now!

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Amethyst

Amethyst. February's birthstone. And in my experience, one of the most popular colored gemstones around!

Amethyst is purple quartz, ranging in tone from pale lavender to deep, rich, almost-black purple. It is the "stone of meditation", and its energies are said to help amplify intellectual understanding, as well as protect the wearer from intoxication! (Although I certainly can't guarantee you won't get drunk while wearing your favorite amethyst pendant or ring!) It can also be used to attract good luck. I have some fabulous amethyst pendants, earrings, ear sweeps, bracelets, anklets, rings and necklaces. Check out my Etsy shop for ready-to-buy items, or my website for a look at everything I can make. I would be delighted to design something just for you!

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Online Venue #2 -- eBay

The place I've been online the second-longest is eBay. I've been a seller there since 1999. Although I have "unloaded" some personal stuff from time-to-time, I mostly sell little mini-sculpted pendants. Some one-of-a-kind, like made with dichroic glass cabochons, and some with semi-precious gemstone cabochons. Sometimes I list matching drop earrings. Yes, it's a limited inventory, but I use eBay as sort of a "loss leader" for my regular website. The mini sculptures and drop earrings are small and quick to make, so I don't have a lot tied up in production costs. I can sell them for lower prices than I can in my store or on my website--after all that's what shoppers on eBay are looking for, right? A bargain. Then when I ship the item, I include a newsletter and a flyer about my full product line on my website. Once in awhile I get a nice order from that, so it's definitely worth it!

Unfortunately, this past year, and especially the last few months, my sales on eBay have been severely declining. In fact, for the last two months--for the first time in almost 10 years--I spent more in eBay fees than I made in sales. Sad. So I've curtailed the number of items I've been listing. I can't bring myself to give it up completely, but it certainly doesn't make sense to spend more than I'm making! Check it out here if you're interested in some super deals!

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For the Man in Your Life

If there's one thing I've learned in my 24 years making jewelry, it's that men are far pickier about their jewelry than women. Some men won't wear jewelry at all (my husband is one--although I've got him wearing a simple wedding band, he doesn't even wear a watch). Those that do wear jewelry are very particular about the style they like.

If your man is one who does wear jewelry, and he likes a bold ring, you might consider a holiday gift of a cool, handcrafted wire-wrapped ring. They are available in your choice of more than 20 different gemstones, in gold or silver wire, and in any size up to 14. You can see the rings on the Rings page, and the available gemstones on the Stone Samples page of my website. I'll need orders by no later than December 10th to be guaranteed delivery in time for Christmas. Feel free to call me toll free at 1-877-731-GEMS (4367) to discuss your needs!

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What I Made Yesterday, 11-15-08

For awhile I was trying to do a "What I Made Today" post every few days, but I discovered that it was more difficult than I anticipated. It's not that I don't make things nearly every day, it's more that by the time I get something made, photographed, edited, and uploaded, it's too late to write a coherent post before I have to run out the door. So I just wouldn't post. Then it became too many days between posts! So now I've decided a "What I Made Yesterday" post would be more productive.

Yesterday it was a few sterling bracelets. I find I sell a lot of bracelets around the holidays--they make great gifts. I have more than 100 styles to choose from, and I customize the size and color. You can see all available styles on my website. You'll also want to check out the far-right column on the page, where you'll find a list of gemstone beads. Just roll your cursor over the gemstone name and you'll see a pop-up of the bead color. And for further gemstone research, you can check my Stone Samples page.

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Custom Rings? You Betcha!

My husband's Aunt Ginny is a jewelry hound. She just loves jewelry. She's got diamonds and fancy colored stones and custom settings, and she likes to wear it all (not all at once, of course!). And I'm so pleased that she likes my stuff, too! I've got cool, unique designs, and she especially likes to "put together" her own custom pieces using elements from different styles. Recently she was in my store looking at rings, and was admiring some of the chunkier styles I've been making. After quite a bit of time looking at all my loose stones, and taking a bit of design from this ring, and changing a little of that ring, we had our "final answer". I finished them just a couple of days ago, and since she hasn't picked them up yet, I thought I'd share them with you! You can see all my ring designs here, and I'm happy to customize any one of them just the way YOU'D like it!

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What I Made Today, 10-6-08

It's been a "rings" day. I guess the inspiration hit when I took a look at my ring display case this morning and saw how many size 6 rings have been sold. I don't like having blank spots if I can help it! Not all of these rings is size 6, but enough of them to fill up the holes (and a few holes in some other sizes as well)! You can see all of my available ring styles on the Rings page of my website, and some of the rings pictured above in my Etsy shop.

And yes, I really did make all of these rings TODAY!

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Do You Know What an Ear Sweep Is?

An Ear Sweep is a bobby-pin style earring that goes in your regular piercing and then sweeps UP your ear! Get the multiple-pierced look without the extra pain! I have more than a dozen styles, in gold or silver and your choice of gemstone or crystal beads. I've been making them for more than 15 years, and I can guarantee they make a great gift. Interesting, unique, and probably not something the person already has! My mom wears them all the time, and says that people are constantly stopping her in the grocery store or at church, asking about the Ear Sweeps. And that's what cool jewelry is all about, right? Getting noticed? (I wear Ear Sweeps myself most of the time, but the only place I go is to my store, so the only people that see me are customers. But I sell a lot of them because I wear them!) You can see all the available styles on my web site.

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What I Made Today, 9/15/08

Today I'm restocking my eBay auctions. I list a variety of little gemstone pendants, some with matching earrings, and I had sold a lot of the more popular colors. Hence the "restocking". These four little guys went up today, all with matching drop earrings. Starting to think about holiday gifts? Want a good deal? Check here.

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