Top 4 Jewelry Picks For The Holidays

Top 4 Jewelry Picks For The Holidays

Here are my top 4 jewelry picks for holiday gifts - for love and romance.

-Lockets
-Cameos
-Hearts
-Roses

Each of these four categories are very sentimental and perfect for letting someone know that you really care about them. There is a timeless appeal in lockets, cameos, hearts and roses that no matter the design, convey feelings of specialness and love.

Whether you would like your locket, cameo, heart or rose as a necklace, earrings or bracelet there are many beautiful designs to pick from all over the internet. Lockets, cameos, hearts and roses are some of my favorites to work with.
To see more Jewelry by Vamp please visit our website

Necklace Length Guide

Necklace Length Guide

Here is a guide to finding the right size necklace to wear. Consider your outfit and neckline of the outfit to pick out the right style necklace to wear.

There are six traditional lengths of necklaces.

The shortest being the Collar Length which are any where from 12 to 13 inches long and fit snugly around the neck.

Choker length necklaces are 14 to 16 inches long and fall right at the lower neck area.

The Princess length is 17 to 19 inches long and is a very popular length for pendants.

The Matinee length is 20 to 24 inches long and falls around the bust area.

The Opera length is 28-34 inches long. It's versatile because you can double it up and will look like a two strand necklace.

The Rope length necklace is over 45 inches long, very long and can be worn multi ways & can also be worn as a multi wrapped bracelet.

Fashion Trend 2012

Fashion Trend 2012

No it's not to early to look ahead to what's on the horizon for fashion trends. This Fall seventies fashion still remains high on the list with wide leg pants, flares, bohemian inspired looks. Also biker and punk styles will be in.

Looking ahead to 2012

Hit the vintage stores & charity shops and start looking for fashion trend pieces before the trend hits the streets.

Trends and things to be on the look out for:

Oriental stuff: exotic silks, vintage kimonos, oriental inspired floral prints.

Roaring 20s/Flapper: Drop waist dresses & tops, anything with beading & fringe, wide leg pants, fur trims, masculine inspired suiting, sporty tunics. Think The Great Gatsby, Clara Bow, Coco Chanel, Jazz, flapper headbands, short bobs for hair styles.

Mod/60s: Mini dresses, skirts, dresses, sheath dresses in an a-line and babydoll style, lace dresses, peter pan collars, fur chubbys.

Lastly classic fashions that never go out of style are:

Diamond Stud Earrings
The Fabulous Pump Shoe
Cashmere Shawl
Cardigan Sweater
Boot Cut Jeans
The Little Black Dress
Sheath Dress
Turtleneck
Tote Bag
Trench Coat


If you see any bargains on these grab them quick!


Hot jewelry styles now - Steampunk, Vintage, Victorian, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco.

Flora & Fauna - flowers, roses, insects like dragonflies, butterflies, bees, lady bugs.

Oceanic & Nautical theme jewelry - octopus, starfish, seashells, fish.

Animals - felines, animal print other trends geometric, circles, bold pieces, colorful beads, mixed metals, copper, bronze, brass, silver/steel.

To see all of my jewelry designs please visit Vamps 

Witch's Ladder Prayer Rosary

Witch's ladder

The first recorded Witch’s Ladder was found in a house in Wellington, Somerset, UK in 1887. This tool was used for ritual or craft work.

Traditionally, the witch's ladder is made with red, white and black yarn, and then nine different colored feathers woven in. But you can use yarn colors that have a significance to you or any kind of ribbon or cording you'd like. You don't have to use feathers, you can use instead beads, buttons, bits of wood, shells, or other items you might have.

To make your basic witch's ladder - cut 3 pieces of yarn, each approximately a yard long. Take all 3 pieces of yarn and tie a knot so they are all together and begin braiding your yarn and as you go add and tie your bead, feather, shell or other item. Secure each bead and continue braiding until you have done all nine beads/items and have completed the string.

As you tie the beads to the yarn/cord you might want to chant the following incantation as you tie your nine objects to the yarn. Focus your intent & goal into the knots, beads and yarn as you tie the knots, your energy will be stored into each of the knots and beads.

By knot of one, the spell's begun.
By knot of two, the magic comes true.
By knot of three, so it shall be.
By knot of four, this power is stored.
By knot of five, my will shall drive.
By knot of six, the spell I fix.
By knot of seven, the future I leaven.
By knot of eight, my will be fate.
By knot of nine, what is done is mine.

When you get to the end of your Witch's ladder tie all 3 yarns again like you did in the beginning or you can tie the two ends together to create a circle if you wish. That's it your Witch ladder is ready to be hung and used in your workings.

Turquoise By So Many Names

Turquoise By So Many Names

Do you ever wonder what the difference is between genuine Turquoise, Chalk Turquoise, Stabilized Turquoise, Turquoise Magnesite, Turquoise Dyed Howlite? It's really hard to tell with the naked eye these days. All I know is I love the color and it's my birthstone (December). So did a little reading on it. Here's a bit of info to get you in the know.


Turquoise
Turquoise is a blue-green mineral, a copper aluminum phosphate, valued for its rarity and unique hue, and widely used as an ornamental stone.
This stone is fragile, just slightly stronger than window glass, so special care must be taken during extraction and transport.

The bluer the stone is, the more expensive. Variations in color are due to the presence of metals, such as iron impurities in the case of green turquoise. Genuine turquoise is expensive there fore imitation and artificial turquoise is available

Chalk Turquoise
Chalk turquoise is a form of natural turquoise that has a white chalk-like consistency. It has the same chemical composition as turquoise, only without the copper (it's the copper that causes the turquoise color). The chalk is then dyed and stabilized to produce a material that's hard enough to use in jewelry with a pleasing turquoise color.
Chalk turquoise is a low-quality variety, found deeper in the soil. As a result, it is much softer and more brittle. On the Mohs hardness scale, chalk turquoise ranges between 2-4, lower than the 6 of higher grades. It lacks the blue shade that defines the mineral. Instead, chalk turquoise is pale blue or white. It may or may not have significant matrixing, the brown or black flecks often associated with Native jewelry of the southwest. "Simulated" turquoise is often touted as being chalk turquoise, when in fact it is just dyed Magnesite or another white stone that absorbs dye easily.

Stabilized Turquoise
Stabilized turquoise costs less than natural turquoise, but is still considered beautiful and desirable. Stabilized turquoise differs greatly from reconsituted turquoise. Reconstituted turquoise is the cheapest type of turquoise.

Stabilized turquoise is created by adding a clear resin to chalk, or soft, turquoise to help enhance the color and well as increase the hardness of the stone. Chalk, or soft, turquoise is usually a lower grade of turquoise as it is too soft to be used on its own for jewelry and must be stabilized with resin. Since turquoise is a very porous substance, the resin fills in the tiny holes and crevices to form a firm stabilized turquoise stone.


Imitations Magnesite Dyed Howlite
The most common imitation of turquoise encountered today is dyed howlite and magnesite, both white in their natural states, and the former also having natural (and convincing) black veining similar to that of turquoise. Dyed chalcedony, jasper, and marble is less common, and much less convincing. Other natural materials occasionally confused with or used in lieu of turquoise include: variscite and faustite;[10] chrysocolla (especially when impregnating quartz); lazulite; smithsonite; hemimorphite; wardite; and a fossil bone or tooth called odontolite or "bone turquoise", coloured blue naturally by the mineral vivianite. While rarely encountered today, odontolite was once mined in large quantities—specifically for its use as a substitute for turquoise—in southern France.


Source:
Wiki.com
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-stabilized-turquoise.htm

Art Shows How Much Inventory Needed

I got this from Firemountain Gems & Beads site. Useful advice when planning to do an Art Show or Craft Fair.

Art Shows How Much Inventory Needed

Q.
I am interested in selling jewelry at craft fairs and shows. I will need to have a pretty large inventory of necklaces, bracelets and earrings. What do you recommend as a good amount of inventory for a fair or show? Thank you!
- Vickie
A.
I wish I had a crystal ball. It's a common question, though, and a good one. There's no real way to predict what you'll need at any given event. And what seems like a ''large'' inventory to one jewelry maker may be small to another.

A little homework will help you decide how much to bring. First, contact the show or fair promoter in advance and ask for attendance figures from the last time the show took place. Also, ask for a flyer or vendor list from the last time it was held and contact three vendors to see what kind of volume they experienced.

If possible, visit and ''shop'' a show before renting booth space. You can walk the aisles and see how much jewelry vendors have on their tables and ask them if they mind telling you how much they brought with them for the event.

Bringing too much jewelry isn't as much of a problem as selling out is. I often advise that jewelry makers bring photos of each piece (this is good for insurance reasons, as well, in case of theft). If you sell out of a style, you can show the photos of those pieces and take orders to be delivered later.

Another tip is to bring extra material and tools with you so you can make up pieces on the spot! Making the jewelry right there can attract people to your booth (people love watching something being made).

- Dr. David Weiman
Dr. David Weiman, "the Jewelry Marketing Doctor," is a psychologist and internationally-known expert on marketing and selling handmade jewelry. He is also a jewelry selling expert for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Ask the Experts online Q and A series. You can sign up for his free "Jewelry Seller" e-newsletter at www.marketingjewelry.com.

Resources authored by Dr. Weiman

Number of Beads per 16 inch strand

Number of Beads per 16 inch strand

When planning a jewelry design it's always nice to know how many beads to use on your piece, so this little guide line chart will help in letting you know how many bead strands to buy for your creations.

**Please note that the number of beads listed below is an estimate only. Number of beads may vary.


Size Number of Beads

Rounds

2mm 203

3mm 136

4mm 100

6mm 67

8mm 50

10mm 41

12mm 34

To see the rest of the chart for different shape beads go here

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

1 box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix

Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box

12 scoops ice cream, any flavor (3 cups)

Candy jimmies, if desired

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Place paper baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups, or spray muffin cups with baking spray with flour.
2. In medium bowl, mix brownie mix, water, oil and egg until well blended. Spoon into muffin cups.
3. Bake 26 to 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted near edges comes out almost clean. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4. Remove paper baking cups. Cut brownies in half horizontally. Place 1 scoop (about 1/4 cup) ice cream between brownie halves. Sprinkle sides with jimmies. Freeze until ready to serve.

Makes 12 sandwiches

BettyCrocker.Com

Victorian Style Mourning Bracelet

Victorian Style Mourning Bracelet

In the Victorian era people carried jet when grieving for a loved one. They believed this black stone soaked up sadness and restored emotional balance. This type of amulet is still useful, especially if blessed with a prayer, incantation, or supplication to your personal God/dess.

The amulet should be carried until grief has lifted. Keep the stone with other mementos for those times when sadness returns, such as the anniversary of a death.

I have designed a victorian style mourning bracelet made with memory wire that I thought would be appropriate for this purpose or for just the look of a gothic victorian style piece.

Vamps Jewelry

Vamp~

How to Make a "Scrabble" Tile Pendant

How to Make a "Scrabble" Tile Pendant

Tile pendants are all the rage right now! They're so much fun to wear, like wearing a mini piece of art. What makes them hot/ popular is that almost any image or even family & pet images can be used.

Here is a really good video on how to make a 'Scrabble' Tile Pendant from Beadaholique.

Jewelry Style Timeline Styles & Periods

Jewelry Style Timeline Styles & Periods

Here is a nice article on the timeline of different styles periods of jewelry - from Victorian, Art Nouveau, Edwardian, Art Deco & Retro.


VICTORIAN 1830's to 1900's

Nature was a source of inspiration for Victorians in the form of flowers, lovebirds, animals, and insects. Good luck symbols are found in clovers, horseshoes, and other symbols like hands, snakes, love knots, and crosses. Motifs include stars, crescents, slides, tassels on pins, fleur d'lis, stick pins, bracelets, lockets, and pocket watches Cameos.


ART NOUVEAU (1895-1915)

Nature motifs, including flowers just budding or in decay, which symbolized the energy and dynamic forces of nature. This nature motif also included animals, snakes, and birds, such as peacocks. Gone were the static Greek and Roman images found in Victorian cameos. They were replaced by women with flowing hair, sensual and passionate.


EDWARDIAN (1890-1920)

Edwardian motifs included garlands, bows, tassels, bar pins, tiaras, lavalieres, sautoirs, and multiple strands of seed pearls in choker length called dog collars. Many of the bar pins have a two-tone look - with a white metal top and yellow gold bottom.

ART DECO (1920-1935)

Unlike the Edwardians, this period's artists were seeking chromatic contrasts; thus, materials included diamonds matched with primary color gemstones like sapphires, emeralds, and rubies. Marcasite, glass beads, and even plastics appear in this period. Egyptian jewelry appeared & geometric designs.


RETRO (1935-1955)

Motifs include bows, ribbons, flowers, birds, patriotic themes, clips, large floral sprays, and suites of jewelry. Jewelry of this period was a combination of Art Nouveau's curves with the simple look of Art Deco but in a bigger scale.

How to make wrapped leather bracelets

How to make wrapped leather bracelets


Have you ever wondered how these cool wrapped leather bracelets are made? Here is a tutorial on how to make one! Click on the link below to see the how to guide.


How to make wrapped leather bracelets

Also a video to help you see the process in action.



Photo and tutorial provided by rings-things.com. Video provided by youtube AuntieBeads.com.

Jewelry Trend Summer 2011

Jewelry Trend Summer 2011

Here is the latest trend report for what's hot this summer in jewelry designs. I know I love it that vintage and retro styles are hot and add a bit of elegance and romance and you know you will have a winning piece :)


Whether you are a collector, a fashionista or a specialty shop retailer, knowing what fashion jewelry trends are current and coming is vital and then being able to duplicate the trend at a fraction of the designer or retail pieces is essential. After much market research and trend-spotting, I have compiled a list of the jewelry trends for 2011. In summary;

- Antique, Vintage, Retro & New Combinations
- Dramatic, unique, unusual necklaces (simple... yet exotic)
- Ornamented Bracelets
- Eclectic Natural Look
- Crystal, Rhinestone & Venetian Art Glass (...mainstays...)
- Black, Grey and Neutrals
- 2011 Color Predictions (you'll love the blues)
- Faux & Real Pearls
- Over-The-Top Rings (not gaudy, but daring)
- Enormous Hoops and Chandelier Earrings
- Green Eco Aware Movement (tastefully delicious)



115 page jewelry report for just $5
http://www.jewelrytrends2011.com/

Classic Strawberry Shortcakes

Mmmm strawberry shortcake, just yummy! I have to say that I've tried this recipe many times especially in the summer and always it's a winner. I love making the shortcakes especially with Bisquick mix they come out perfect everytime. They're so good you can eat them as is with NO strawberries :) I plan to make these for Memorial Day weekend and you might like to try it out too!



Classic Strawberry Shortcakes

1 quart (4 cups) strawberries, sliced

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/3 cups Original Bisquick® mix

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1/2 cup whipping cream


1. Heat oven to 425°F. In large bowl, mix strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar; set aside.
2. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, 3 tablespoons sugar and the butter until soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by 6 spoonfuls.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form.
4. Split warm shortcakes; fill and top with strawberries and whipped cream.


Makes 6 servings
1 Serving (1 Serving)Calories 410
(Calories from Fat 180),
BettyCrocker.Com

Obstacles In Your Way to Success

3 Obstacles in Your Way to Success

"No matter what you want from your crafty biz, I know that you want something: you want success."

This is a true statement, I think we all want success, acknowledgement that what we do is appreciated, wanted, valued. I'm sure most of us that are starting a new business as a crafter & not even just a craft business, but business in general have these feelings, about what it is we want to achieve.


The 3 obstacles mention in the article are:

- You don't know what you want
- You don't prioritize
- You don't have support & accountability

How do you over come some of these obstacles?

Creative Bug

Crackle Ice Beads


Creative Bug

Well I'm on fire, the creative bug has hit me this weekend and made at least 12 pairs of earrings! Also made a bracelet with beautiful nugget type beads that look like crackled ice, a necklace or it could be a bracelet have not decided yet which way I want to take it, but it is made up of cute little Millefiore beads, very spring summer.

I'm not finished yet I have so many things I want to make and not enough time to do it all. Does that happen to you?

I enjoy designing and creating but have a hard time with getting things listed, but know if I do not list then how is anyone going to see the new designs, so must do!

Next up will be photo shoot for the new jewelry then the listings and decide where I want to list what either on Artfire, Etsy or my own website :)

How are your creative juices flowing are you on a roll?

Vamp~

Spring/Summer Color Trends

Spring/Summer Color Trends

With every season there comes new color trends in the world of fashion & accessories. For the jewelry designers it's nice to keep informed of what colors will be hot for the season so that you can create some of your jewelry pieces with the colors that are hot that season.

Lots of women like to be in fashion and like to accessories with colors that are in. This spring & summer you will see pretty pinks paired with greys, crystals & whites.

Here is a color chart from Fire Mountain Gems (I like to shop with them for some of my beads & findings)




Vamp~

Jewelry By Vamp Facebook Page Refer A Friend

Jewelry By Vamp Facebook Page Refer A Friend

I'm looking for new fans to join the new Jewelry By Vamp Facebook page. If you or your friends like the style of jewelry I design please join my new page. I believe my jewelry appeals mostly to cool rocker types, gothic, steampunk, victorian, vintage style jewelry lovers. My jewelry usually has a romantic dark theme to it, but you will also find fun stuff to wear.

Join my Facebook fan page and refer your friends.

Thanks

Vampy~

Victorian Pearl Heart Key Bracelet Earrings Set

Victorian Pearl Heart Key Bracelet Earrings Set, Vintage Style

Here is a beautiful set I created with those pearls that I posted a few days ago. I think the set came out just lovely. Very romantic and great for the coming months of May & June.

What makes this pearl bracelet a little more cooler than just an ordinary strand of pearls around your wrist is the addition of the sweet love heart shaped key added to the focal point of the bracelet.

I think this pearl bracelet with earrings set would make an awesome gift even for Mom!

Vamps Jewelry
Vamp~

New Logo For Jewelry By Vamp

New Logo For Jewelry By Vamp

Just uploaded to Artfire, Twitter & Facebook Page my brand new Jewelry By Vamp logo.

I like it...it's black red and silver so it matches quite well with my Artfire Studio. Designed by my son Jeff.

Have since updated a new and improved logo also designed by Jeff (currently 2019)

Pearls Beads & Charms

Pearls Beads & Charms

These are some pearls that got made into a bracelet today. It was stormy, rainy and wind and I was in just the right mood to create something pretty. So today was the day these pearls along with a key got made into a fantastic bracelet.

I've not yet photographed the piece, but will do so when the weather gets brighter. I like to do my photo shoots by natural light most of the time, so will wait until there is a bit of sunshine.

I also like to wait for photo shoots when I have more than one item I've designed to then go to the next phase which is photo taking.

I also made a rock girl bracelet with black beads, grey pearls, black iridescent beads, and a filigree heart charm. It came out nice.

After the photo shoot, is deciding where to upload the new items to, either to Artfire studios or my own website. I like to split things up, load different pieces of jewelry to either Artfire or the boutique. I tell everyone that they should look in both places to see everything that is available for purchase.

Here is my link to see what is available at the moment for purchase:

Earring Hooks/Ear Wire Jewelry Findings

Earring Hooks/Ear Wire Jewelry Findings

There are many types of earring hooks to use in your earring designs. The four main ones that I like to use are French Style ear wires, Sheppard's Hook ear wires, Leverback ear wires and Kidney Shaped ear wires both short and elongated style kidney shape ear wires.

The most popular is the french/sheppard's hook, for it's ease of wear & look. The lever back earring wire is used for lots of Victorian style earrings and more expensive earring due to them being very secure. The kidney shapped style earring wire is also very secure.

These types of ear wire hooks come in all sorts of colors and metals. I mostly use hypoallergenic ear wires or sterling silver. I like to use antiqued bronze, antiqued gold, antiqued silver, silver plated, sterling silver, goldtone, copper & gunmetal.

When designing a pair of earrings think about the look you want your earrings to display - demure, sexy, fun, classy, gothic, vintage, heirloom, all can be done with the right ear wire hooks.

Vamp~

Top 10 Selling Venues

Top 10 Selling Venues

Do you ever wonder where you should list your products online and get good traffic? We all know Ebay is the number 1 place people like to list items and go shopping so it's no wonder it is at the top of this list.

For handmade items Etsy comes in tops although I really do like Artfire much better. Artfire is a new and growing marketplace and I believe it will gain in popularity with time.


Rank Site Traffic

1 ebay 11 64.2M

2 etsy 218 5.8M

3 zazzle 250 5.3M

4 cafepress 267 5.06M

5 ecrater 1,435 1.3M

6 bigcartel 2,097 887k

7 bonanzle 2,318 808k

8 rubylane 3,294 578k Blog
post

9 redbubble 3,930 484k

10 artfire 4,434 434k Site


Vamp~