Roman Glass Necklace

These photos are long overdo. I wrote about Roman glass in my last post and here is another lovely piece I made with this ancient glass. The iridescent quality of this glass makes it a perfect element to use in jewelry design.

New Earring Designs for Spring and Summer!

Here are some of my latest earring designs. They are all one-of-a-kind pieces made with genuine A to AAA+ quality gemstones. All of the findings are made with 14k gold filled wire and gold vermeil (18K gold layered over sterling silver) and some have matching necklaces. Any of these earrings would make a lovely gift for Mom or birthdays, graduations, etc. I can also do a custom design if you prefer. You can find these items and others on my website.

3 Pairs of Lovely Little Earrings that Won't Break the Bank

With the holidays rapidly approaching we are all thinking about gifts for people that will stay within our budgets. I chose three pairs of earrings from my etsy shop that will put a smile on your lady's face and will keep you smiling too. All are made with genuine stones and quality findings. I used carnelian, quartz, moonstone, pearls, prehnite,copper, gold vermeil, and sterling silver to make these one-of-a-kind unique earrings. These items will be sent in a lovely pouch or little gift box, if you prefer. Please visit my shop to purchase these earrings or other one-of-kind jewelry designs.http://elektrajewelry.etsy.com/

Differences Between Gold Plated Jewelry and Gold Filled Jewelry

"You get what you pay for," is certainly what comes to mind when shopping for jewelry in today's market. As many of you know gold and silver have reached astronomically high prices in recent months with the price dropping slightly in the last week or so. Today's current gold price is $925.17 and silver is $17.14 as of 12:30 EST. These prices fluctuate on a daily basis and determine what jewelry designers must pay for their supplies. I have not ventured into using

14 K gold due to the high prices, but I am determined to offer my customers quality jewelry for the best price. What do I do? I use only 1/20 gold filled wire, gold vermeil and sterling silver for my pieces. Many jewelers will use gold and silver plate for their wire and jewelry components. What is the difference you ask? For starters, the durability of the piece is determined by what kind of components the jeweler uses. Gold plate and silver plate will chip ,peel, and crack, sometimes after only a few wearings. However, gold filled jewelry will not. The reason for this is as follows:

Gold filled wire is produced by wrapping a tube of solid gold around a core of a base metal such as a brass alloy. They are bonded together by pressure and heat. It is about 100 times thicker than gold plate and will not chip or flake off. The part that touches your skin is 14k or 12k gold and is it very hard to tell the difference between solid gold and gold filled. It is durable and much more affordable than solid gold. Gold plate is made by dipping (electroplating) a microscopic film of gold particles on a variety of base metals. The particles eventually wear off and the piece of jewelry certainly does not look the same as it did when you purchased the piece. Gold plated and silver plated findings are much cheaper to buy than gold filled and good quality gold vermeil which is 24k or 18k gold layered over sterling silver. When you look at jewelry to purchased keep these facts in mind. My husband says "When you pay peanuts , you get monkeys. "

February's Birthstone Amethyst

See these pieces and others on my website. All my jewelry is one-of-a-kind, but I am happy to custom design for you if you admire a piece that has already sold.

This is the month of the amethyst. The history and mythology behind the stone will help explain its popularity throughout the ages. Ancient Greeks believed this stone had many powers, including warding off intoxication. The stone was associated with the god of wine. Wine was often seved in amethyst goblets to protect against drunkeness. Today this stone is proported to protect against addictive behaviors and to help overcome dificulties.. Amethyst has also been associated with royalty because of its intense hues. Purple dye was quite costly to make due to its scarcity and therefore worn by queens and kings who were among the few who could afford to purchase the dye for their garments. At one time, amethyst was more valuable than diamonds!