My Cubic Zirconia and Sterling Silver Shell Pearl Necklace hit the Front Page on Etsy!

My Cubic Zirconia and Sterling Silver Pearl Necklace from my Bridal jewelry shop hit the Front Page of Etsy yesterday.

Big Thanks to Jessica Torres for curating this gorgeous treasury!

My Cubic Zirconia and Sterling Silver Earrings hit the Front Page on Etsy!

My Round Cubic Zirconia Cynthia Earrings from my Bridal jewelry shop hit the Front Page of Etsy on 28th March!
Big Thanks to Kristi McMurry for curating this gorgeous treasury!

New Designs for my Bridal Store

I have been so busy making jewelry for my Bridal store!
These are some of my new designs.

1) Oval and Teardrop Cubic Zirconia Sterling Silver Chandelier Earrings Studs - Bianca E11


2) Dandelion Round Cubic Zirconia Sterling Silver Dangle Earrings - Selena E6


3) Oval Faceted Cubic Zirconia and Genuine Freshwater Pearl Sterling Silver Earrings - Greta E2

I also worked on some simpler jewelry which would be great for gifts to bridesmaids.

1) Swarovski Crystal Faceted Champagne Golden Shadow Briolette Wire Wrapped Sterling Silver Dangle Earrings - Bella E11


2) Coin Pearl Wire Wrapped Sterling Silver Dangle Earrings - GemE5


3) AAA Amethyst Gemstone Faceted Onion Briolette Sterling Silver Dangle Earrings - GemE4


4) Tanzanite Purple Cubic Zirconia Sterling Silver Dangle Earrings - Edlyn E1


5) Tanzanite Purple Cubic Zirconia Sterling Silver Necklace - Edlyn N1


All of these designs are currently in Sterling Silver, but can also be customized to Gold filled.

Holiday Sale - Black Friday through Cyber Monday

Please use Coupon Code 2010GIVETHANKS10OFF to receive 10% off on all items in my Etsy store for Black Friday through Cyber Monday, the 29th of Nov.

This sale is on in both my Etsy stores:
Gemstones: http://www.etsy.com/shop/somsstudiosupplies
Jewelry: http://www.etsy.com/shop/somsstudio
The same coupon code is valid in both my stores.

Some of my new Bridal necklaces:

Swarovski Pearl, Pear cut Cubic Zirconia Asymmetrical Brooch necklace

Swarovski Pearl, Pear cut Cubic Zirconia Bridal necklace

I just received these gorgeous Mystic Quartz gemstones yesterday and these will be listed in my gemstones store tomorrow.

Blue Mystic Quartz Faceted Hexagon / Star beads

Pink Mystic Quartz Faceted Heart beads
Pale Green Mystic Quartz Faceted Teardrop/ Pear beads

BRIDAL PORTFOLIO - ELIZABETH

I received these gorgeous pictures from my beautiful bridal customer Elizabeth! Wow! There is a world of difference between making jewelry with pearls and wire and then seeing how someone wears them and brings them to life. I get so excited, and somewhat emotional whenever I get these mails showcasing the jewelry that I made.

(Pictures by http://www.bellapictures.com/)

Elizabeth wanted a pearl and rhinestone Flower Necklace. She liked my double stranded pearl necklaces but wanted a simpler version. I made this single stranded version of my best seller brooch necklace. I used a smaller Cubic Zirconia component that I generally use for my chandelier earrings. I used all Swarovski pale ivory pearls. The CZ component can be worn at the left or the right (as Elizabeth choose to).



She also wanted a matching bracelet and earrings. More pictures of the jewelry can be found here.



Elizabeth also got these chandelier earrings, but choose to go with the plain Swarovski pearl studs to keep with the simpler jewelry.



Wedding pics: Copyright Elizabeth Brown 2010
Taken by: http://www.bellapictures.com/
Jewelry pics: Copyright Som's Studio 2010

Launched My Bridal Store Today

I am very happy to announce the launch of my Bridal store on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/somsstudio

I hope that you like my designs as much as I enjoy making them.

What is Cubic Zirconia?

Cubic Zirconia or CZ is is the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂). The synthesized material is hard, optically flawless and usually colorless, but may be made in a variety of different colors. It should not be confused with zircon, which is a zirconium silicate (ZrSiO₄). Because of its low cost, durability, and close visual likeness to diamond, synthetic cubic zirconia has remained the most gemologically and economically important competitor for diamonds since 1976.

Rhinestone or paste or diamante on the other hand, is a diamond simulant typically made from glass. Glass is silicon dioxide, also known as silica (from the Latin silex), is an oxide of silicon with a chemical formula of SiO₂. The availability of glass rhinestones was greatly increased when around 1775 the Alsatian jeweler Georg Friedrich Strass had the idea to imitate diamonds by coating the lower side of glass with metal powder. Hence, rhinestones are called Strass in many European languages. Crystal rhinestones are produced mainly in Austria by Swarovski and in the Czech Republic by Preciosa and a few other glassworks in northern Bohemia. In the US, these are sometimes called Austrian Crystal.

I have been using CZ and rhinestones in my Bridal jewelry for many years now. Both are very attractive and provide diamond like sparkle. The CZ I currently work with is by far one of the best stimulants that I have used, primarily due to the incredible faceting of the stones.

(References: http://en.wikipedia.org)

BRIDAL PORTFOLIO - JENN

I am so thrilled to have received some professional pictures from my gorgeous bridal customer Jenn! Wow! What a beautiful wedding and what fabulous pictures!


(Pictures used with permission from Danielle Aquiline Photography.)

Jenn wanted a pearl and rhinestone Flower Necklace. She also requested that the pearls used on the side be smaller than the ones I used in the Cubic Zirconia component for a sparkly yet delicate look. I made her necklace using genuine Freshwater pearls, Cubic Zirconia components and solid sterling silver parts. The Cubic Zirconia and pearl component was based off an earlier best selling design, just replaced the central Cubic Zirconia with a genuine freshwater pearl. More pictures of the necklace can be found here.



Keeping with the delicate angle, I included these petite pearl earrings as a thank you gift!


It’s such a great experience making jewelry for brides!
Thank you Jenn!

SNEAK PEEK

I know that I have been gone for a while and for good reason too! I have been working around the clock on my new Bridal line of jewelry. This is a sneak peek to what is to come soon.








All of these have been made using very high quality Cubic Zirconia components and Swarovski pearls in pale Ivory and White. All hardware are solid sterling silver.

More pictures can be found here.

BRIDAL PORTFOLIO - GLADYS

I received some professional pictures from my beautiful bridal customer Gladys! Doesn't she look lovely?

Gladys wanted an ivory pearl and rhinestone bracelet and earrings set for her romantic gown. She also requested the set to be made using gold metal. I made her jewelry using Freshwater pearls, Cubic Zirconia components and gold filled and gold plated parts.

I had a great time interacting with the bride and making this jewelry! I hope that you like them too! A million thanks to the generous bride for sending me these pictures! Thank you Gladys!


Please check out my other Bridal pictures here.