Hoobastank - The Reason

Technically, this is has a gemstone involved, so I think it is okay that I post this on my blog ;-)

Treasury!

I was delighted to find out that my Magnolia Flower pin was featured today in this gorgeous treasury curated by the very talented Etsy jeweler:jaC Jewelry. Please click and comment on the treasury to make it hot!

New Improved Banners

I have to share my new and Improved Banners for my two stores. Took me a while to get these right on MS Publisher, but eventually I got one that I liked.

Here for my Jewelry store:





And this is for my Supplies Store:

And the Phoenix Rises from her Ashes

I had put my jewelry store on hold for a while while focusing on my gemstones store. Wow, managing two stores on Etsy is quite a challenge, I absolutely detest switching between my two profiles. I wish there was a single profile to access both shops. Maybe I should jot that down under the Ideas section on the Etsy fora.

I have had quite a bit of success of late under the Alchemy section with some 24 odd Bridal orders so far this season. I offer high quality Boutique style bridal jewelry minus the sky-high prices. Running my own Supplies store helps, because I get purchase the materials on a wholesale basis and in turn pass on those savings to the customer. I remember studying Pricing as one of the four Ps of the marketing mix during my MBA days. In today's economic condition, it has become the primary distinguishing factor for many bridal customers. Young brides-to-be look for balance between good quality and low prices. I am lucky to have found many such customers who entrusted me with jewelry for their special day.

So, I re-vamped my erstwhile jewelry store into a Bridal Boutique geared towards offering exceptionally high quality products at a wholesale price.

I have been experimenting with a lot of rhinestone components too. I think rhinestones add glamor to even the simplest of pieces. Just a touch here...an accent there can transform and update the look dramatically.

My absolute favorite are these stunningly beautiful and exceptionally sparkly Crystal rhinestone component that is securely wire-wrapped to a long silver hair pin. This particular flower has a stacked look with two layers of smaller rhinestones embellished with a large center stone. This flower pin will add sparkle to any hair style, and add glamor to any hair color.

Bridal Customer Raves on TheKnot.com!

I created a set of 6 Bridesmaid's necklace and earrings and one more set for the maid of Honor for bridal client of mine. She was exceptionally knowledgeable about the products and had a clear sense of design. When the client knows exactly what she wants, it is essentially all down-hill from there. :)

The design incorporated Swarovski crystal flat briolettes in Crystal AB color along with Black (Jet) and Crystal AB bicone crystals. The designs were given to me by my customer. I just applied those ideas to metal and crystals.

These are the final jewelry pieces.







Imagine my utter delight when I found out that she has raved about my jewelry on the message board of TheKnot.com! Wow! What an honor! This just made my day!!

Whoo!!

Peridot Necklaces

One of my favorite color combination is Peridot Green with pale pink. So imagine my delight when Felicia approached me with a request to pair Peridot gemstones with Pale Pink Swarovski crystals along with a genuine freshwater pearl. She needed 6 sets for her Bridesmaids and was looking for a simple drop necklace. This is final result and looks so-pretty!!

Hale Shower Necklace by Anthropologie

I just finished a necklace inspired by the Hale Shower Necklace by Anthropologie. My client needed a necklace similar to the original in a turquoise-y color. This is the final result using Swarovski Crystals and Gold Filled components.

Rush Bridal order and my very first Rhinestone Brooch

A bride's rush requirement of a Hair pin turned into my first attempt of this rhinestone brooch. I was so delighted to find that this item was also featured on the "Recent custom creations" strip on Alchemy.

I would like to explore these rhinestone components further over the weekend. Lets see where that leads me :)

Charm Bracelets for Bridesmaids

Charm bracelets are a fun way of instantly personalizing a piece of jewelry. Kim's bridesmaids all have different personalities and different aspects of interacting with her. I was given a detail of the hobbies of each person and then used charms suited to each individual.

The vision was to create a mixed-metal feel, sterling silver with brass charms, in addition of genuine Carnelian gemstones and pearls. Vintage inspired flowers and leaves added a shot of color, and accented the bracelet.

The individual charms came from all over the world. The feather came from France! Yes, ETSY is a Global Market. It is marvelous to tap to the resources available online!

AAA Exceptional Pearl Necklace

This is a necklace I have fallen in love with! The single pearl was taken off a AAA grade exceptional pearl strand that I have been saving for my brother's marriage. (Well eventually! :))

The customer required a larger pearl but fell for the quality of the strand and I was able to spare a single pearl to make the necklace that she wanted.

This is the final necklace! The multiple delicate sterling Silver chains contrast the rich luster of the pearl. And the final necklace is surprising light for the looks.