Archive for March 27th, 2008

Jewelry Factory debuts new collection of Law Enforcement, Police & Fire Dept. Jewelry

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Jewelry Factory debuts new collection of Law Enforcement, Police & Fire Dept. Jewelry The Jewelry Factory, North Hollywood, CA has acquired assets of M.J.C. Enterprises Inc.

Read more

Mother's Rings

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

Mother’s rings let moms and grandmothers use birthstones to display the birth months of their children and grandchildren. The mother’s rings in this collection are unique, just like the children they represent, but they’re not just for moms. The stackable rings, especially the eternity version, lets your girlfriend or fiancé display her birthstone next to yours.

Read more

Designers for Darfur

Thursday, March 27th, 2008
© Carly Wickell
Designers For Darfur - Fashion Show at New York Fashion Week, February, 2007
Danielle Evans, former winner of America’s Next Top Model, on the runway at the Designers for Darfur runway show.

Read more

How to Clean and Care for Your Cultured Pearls

Thursday, March 27th, 2008
It’s exciting to see all the different colors and shapes of cultured pearls that are being used in contemporary jewelry, and some of my personal favorites are created when pearls are combined with colorful gems. But pearls get dirty, just like any other gem, and you have to clean them carefully to avoid damage. Use these pearl cleaning tips to make sure your pearls live a long and lovely life.

Read more

Make Faux Beach Glass

Thursday, March 27th, 2008
If you like the look of beach glass but don’t live near the beach, then maybe you can try making your own. My glass buddy, D.D. Hess, not only sells “faux” beach glass, but she has been generous enough to tell me how and let me share it with you. After I tell you how to make the beach glass, I have an idea for adding it to a fun necklace design.

1. First, you need some sheets of glass. If you are already a glass fuser, then you probably have buckets of it. If not, check out your local stained glass supplier and see if they’ll sell you some scraps. Normally, they’ll sell this by the pound.

2. Now you need to make smaller pieces out of your scraps, unless they are already small enough for jewelry. To do this, wrap you glass in a few layers of newspaper, and give them a few taps with a hammer. Of course, if you have a glass-cutter, you can use that too.

3. If you have some super sharp areas on the glass, you will now want to give them a quick zap with a glass grinder.

4. Next, use a drill press to drill some holes through your pieces.

5. Finally, to give them that frosted look that most sea glass tends to have, dip the glass pieces in an etch all dip solution. There are a number of brands. One is called EtchAll and is available at Michael’s. One way to dip the piece is to run a wire through the holes in the glass that you made and dip them in the solution. (Make sure to follow manufacturer’s safety procedures when using this product.)

6. Allow the glass piece to dry, and you have your faux bead glass ready to add to your jewelry creations.

Read more