V Style Earring Giveaway - Week 5

Pictured above are the earrings chosen by my Week 4 Winner - and now to Week 5. A big CONGRATULATIONS to the winner of Week 5 of my V Style Earring Giveaway

Robin

A pair of my earrings will soon be winging their way to you.

For everyone else, don't worry - there are still TWO more chances to win, and don't forget, if you blog about my giveaway, or post details about it on your Facebook page, and remember to let me know about it in the Giveaway comments, you will get an extra entry into the drawer.

For those of you who have not entered yet full details of the Giveaway can be found in my Big V Style Earring Giveaway Post. There is still plenty of time to leave a comment and join in on the drawer.

(winner chosen with random.org)

A to Z of Gemstones - F is for Flourite

Fluorite is a mineral composed of Calcium Fluoride. It often occurs as a vein deposit, especially with metallic minerals. Originally known as Fluorspar, the name Fluorite derives from the Latin root "Fluo" meaning "to flow". Many samples of Fluorite exhibit fluorescence under ultra-violet light, a property that takes its name from fluorite. The visible light transmitted with fluorite is most commonly blue.

A fairly soft stone, Fluorite is known as the "Most Colourful Mineral in the World". The most common colours are purple, green, blue and yellow but Fluorite can also be found in pink, red, white, brown, black and nearly every shade in between. Many specimens of fluorite have a single colour, but a significant percentage of fluorite's have multiple colours, and the colours are arranged in bands or zones.

Fluorite can be found and mined in many countries including Argentina, Austria, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.

Ancient Romans believed that drinking alcoholic beverages from vessels carved of fluorite prevented drunkenness. During the eighteenth century fluorite was ground into powder and mixed with water to treat kidney disease. Many people believe fluorite has a calming effect on the body.

Below are some example of gorgeous fluorite jewellery from some members of the Jet team:

Mexican Fluorite Gemstone Necklace by Rustic Rock Jewelry

Rainbow Fluorite Sterling Silver Necklace by The Silver Bear

Fluorite Cube Earrings by Laura Mac Jewelry

 

Onyx and Rainbow Fluorite Bracelet by Beads Me

 

 Double Strand Fluorite Bracelet by Jems by JB and Company

A to Z of Gemstones - E is for Emerald

Emeralds are fascinating gemstones with the most beautiful, intense colour of green that can be imagined. They are a variety of the mineral beryl coloured green by trace amounts of chromium. The name Emerald comes from the Greek "smargados" via the Old French "esmeralde" and really just means "green gemstone".

Rated 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness, good quality emeralds are fairly rare with inclusions often marring the evenness of the colour. Fine inclusions however do not diminish the high regard in which Emeralds are held. On the contrary, even with inclusions, an emerald in a deep, lively colour still has a much higher value than an almost flawless emerald whose colour is paler.

Probably the oldest known finds of Emeralds were made near the Red Sea in Egypt, however, these mines, exploited by Egyptian Pharaohs between 300 and 1500BC and once known as Cleopatra's mines, had already been exhausted by the time they were rediscovered in the early 19th century. Today Columbia is known as the major source for the world's emeralds although emeralds are also mined in other countries, such as Zambia, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and India.

The Incas and Aztecs of South America regarded the Emerald as a holy stone, while the Holy Scriptures of the Indians, the Vedas, states "Emeralds promise good luck.." and "the emerald enhances the well being..". The emerald is also the sacred stone of the goddess Venus and is thought to preserve love. It is also considered a symbol of hope.

Here is a piece that I have made using some gorgeous emeralds - my Emerald and Silver Coil Necklace

Here are some more examples of emerald jewellery from some members of the JET team:

Wire Wrapped Emerald Earrings by Poppy Layne

Emerald and Pearl Hoop Earrings by Christina M Designs

Emerald Earrings by Designed by Val

BrisStyle Indie Designers Market - Dec 10th

I'm getting excited with the countdown now on to my two last markets of the year. The first of those is the BrisStyle Indie Designers Market, on this Saturday. I'm busy trying to make sure everything is ready, although knowing me it will all turn into a last minute rush as per usual. I have however managed to stock up on my range of V Style Earrings, and I have also pulled out a few pieces of copper jewellery to add to my usual stocks of sterling silver and 14k gold-fill jewellery. Hope to see you all there!

Sunday Theme - Bali Silver

Bali Silver is sterling silver made on the island of Bali, in Indonesia. The Balinese are highly skilled silversmiths, known for their granulation and wire work decoration.

Genuine Bali Silver is made entirely by hand, starting with the weighing, melting and mixing of the 92.5%silver and 7.5% copper to form sterling silver. The silver and copper are heated with a simple torch, attached to a bottle of gasoline with simple tubing. A foot pumped bellows adds the needed air. Molten silver is poured into small wooden molds. Once cool the silver is put through a rolling mill cranked by hand. The worker tightens down the rollers after each pass to make the silver thinner and thinner until the desired thickness is reached.

The silver sheeting is cut to size for making beads with two halves then hammered into semi-circular indentations on a brass block. The two halves are then sanded and soldered together. Wire and tiny granulations (snippets of wire torched into balls) are then used to decorate the beads. They are applied to the bead with a natural glue and then a solution of silver, copper and water is brushed over the bead. The entire bead is carefully heated with the torch to complete the process.To emphasise the decoration, Bali beads are typically oxidised with the raised part then polished which gives a dark background highlighting the shiny silver pattern.

Each Bali bead and finding is made one by one with patience and skill. It is a time-consuming process with element hand made from start to finish. With every piece of the pattern on a bead made and attached separately it means that each bead and finding is unique.

The necklace pictured above is my Bluestone and Sterling Silver Harmony Necklace made using a Bali Silver Harmony ball.

Here is some more jewelry made using Bali Silver from some members of the Jet team:

Sterling Silver Cuff Bracelet with Bali Silver Beads by Jewelry 24 Seven

Wire Wrapped Sterling Bracelet with Bali Silver Focals by Ozmay Designs

Heavyweight Sterling Silver Bracelet with Bali Silver by Eleven 13

V Style Earring Giveaway - Week 4

Pictured above are the earrings chosen by my Week 3 Winner - and now to Week 4. A big CONGRATULATIONS to the winner of Week 4 of my V Style Earring Giveaway

Dashery

A pair of my earrings will soon be winging their way to you.

For everyone else, don't worry - there are still THREE more chances to win, and don't forget, if you blog about my giveaway, or post details about it on your Facebook page, and remember to let me know about it in the Giveaway comments, you will get an extra entry into the drawer.

For those of you who have not entered yet full details of the Giveaway can be found in my Big V Style Earring Giveaway Post. There is still plenty of time to leave a comment and join in on the drawer.

(winner chosen with random.org)

My Present to Me!

 Black Leather Opelle Ballet Bag by Opelle Creative

So having had this gorgeous leather handbag, on my favourites list for ages, I finally decided that it was time to treat myself. A couple of convos was all it took to get the straps adjusted to the exact lengths that suited me and the order was placed. It arrive on Monday and I can only say that I am thrilled with it. It arrived beautifully wrapped with some care instructions and the bag is every bit as good as it looks in the picture. So if you are on the lookout for a quality handcrafted leather handbag then I can highly recommend checking out Opelle Creative.