Jewelry, Piercing and Fashion industry news. Articles and stories about gold, silver and titanium body jewelry such us watches, rings, diamond jewelry, bracelets and many other.
Dani in her art studio
Surprise! More necklaces! The first one is with stabilized turquoise and freshwater pearls, double strands with sterling silver.
I really, really like coral - and sometimes the rougher it is the better it is. Of course these coral slices have a smooth polish to them, as do the rondelles, but they are so rugged looking despite that. I like coral that looks as though you just broke it off the reef yourself!
The rose quartz necklace has a great lampwork bead that is huge (from Connie at River Oaks II - she does super work!), but the focal is the very large pink, yes pink, turquoise nugget that is at the center. I don't know why I like such an ersatz thing, but I really do. Lots of sterling silver with this one, too.
Whew! It's finally over! Doing a show (especially if it's your first one) takes ALOT of work!! There is so much to do, coordinate and have in inventory to make it successful and to be satisfied with your show. Needless to say, the weather was NOT on my side Saturday (Chil-E Festival, July 22, 2006).
Also did get step by step instructions for my S clasp links written and photos scanned. Should have the entire thing up and running in just a few days. I had multiple comments about the silver S clasp bracelet (shown at left) I wore today - from "OMG, that is soooo cool!" to nearly ripping it off my wrist to try it on. I'm estimating that you can make the S clasp bracelet in an hour or so...and it's so pretty and versitile, I'm sure you'll want to try!
I've been working with my favorite for jewelry this week: gold. Or in this case, vermeil (24 karat gold layered over sterling silver) or 14 karat goldfilled.
The bracelet that you see above is from my "Babylonian" collection. I call it that because of the bright gold, lapis, turquoise, and carnelian which all remind me of the Mesopotamian art from Biblical times. The gold used in those works of art, artifacts, and jewelry is as pure as it can be and still retain its shape so that it is a dark bright colour like vermeil. I also used a bit of wirework with 14 karat goldfilled wire for something just a bit different. I love the look of gold with gemstones although I know that sterling silver is what is currently in vogue. Of course, I've had to incorporate some of my favorite lampwork beads as well.
Another Babylon bracelet mixes just lapis and carnelian together. I love the colours in this carnelian, and the lapis I've gotten lately is of good quality with just the right sprinkling of pyrite (fool's gold) throughout so that it has the glittery look in the light that I admire.
I also love sunstone - what's not to love. It's a peachy to coral colour and it GLITTERS because of chatoyancy or Schiller effect. Very good sunstone is so expensive, but I got some okay sunstone (it has chatoyancy) and had to play with it a bit.To see this jewelry and more, go to Cluny Grey Jewelry or check for some on auction on Ebay under user id: chloemarie99 or do a search for Cluny Grey.
Another jewelry blog: If you are interested in Jewelry (yes, with a capital "J") check out Zsolt Balla's blog Modern Jewelry from Budapest, Hungary. It has lots of information on jewelry and jewelry styles and fashions.
 | I thought that additional to posting about great retail sales and promotions, I'd do something different and include what I hope will become a regular Chic Alert feature. From time to time I will invite a designer, a manufactuer, a retailer, or even perhaps a model, a hair stylist, a makeup artist, or a beauty therapist, someone passionate about fashion, health or beauty to post something about their passion. In thisregard, today I'm pleased to introduce, beauty extraordinaire, Christina Jones who |
| will share some beauty tips with us. Amongst other things Christina writes eBeauty Daily and PittWatch blogs and is the editor of the Womens and Lifestyles Channel for b5media. Hi Chic Alert readers!! In keeping with Sally's theme here, I wanted to tell you about my Top 5 Skin Care Bargains. These aren't necessarily the cheapest items (some are!!), but are very worth the price and are things I won't do without in my beauty cabinet. I hope you find these products as useful and as bargain-worthy as I do:
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| 1. The Panasonic Pore Cleanser - this is one of the best and least known beauty items on the market, it is cordless and rechargeable, and will suck the dirt right out of your pores as well as the best esthetician! It costs around $50, but is many years worth of professional facials rolled in to one great product! [More details....] |  |
 | 2. The Tweezerman Skin Care Tool This tool, shown here, has a wide flat loop for gently extracting blackheads and a wire loop on the other side for whiteheads. I know some people are really frightened of this tool, but I really do love mine and always higly recommend it if you have problems with black/whiteheads. It is sanitary (of |
| course you must clean it!) and will not bruise your skin like trying to pop those annoyances out with your fingernails. And without it, I WILL try to pop those annoyances out with my fingernails!! This is usually under $10 and can be ordered online or found at your local Tweezerman dealers. 3. Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask - This is *oh so* inexpensive and so good for really deep cleaning your skin. I was introduced to this product in beauty school many years ago and I have never found anything that worked so well. This is usually around $7 and can be found anywhere from your local drugstore to your local beauty supply. 4. Miracle Whip - yes, the salad dressing. This is an excellent moisturizing mask with qualities of a peel. Use the regular variety, no low fat or low cal version. Check out the comments section of my Miracle Whip Facial post to see the play by play as I was trying it for the first time. I found it immensely more effective than the Lancome Peel that recently cost me around $120!!! 5. Sunscreen - I don't care if you buy it alone or contained within the cover of a foundation, moisturizer or whatever - just be sure you put it on your skin every day, especially if you are fair skinned. Take it from one who has been there and has a 1 1/2 inch scar down the center of her nose to show for it - sunscreen is a beauty necessity. My favorite for everyday use is Clinique's CityBlock - it has an SPF of 25 and is a tinted moisturizer and is $16.50 for a 1.4 ounce tube that lasts a long time. Just a little dab 'll do ya! Thanks so much for inviting me to post on the Chic Alert, Sally - I really enjoy reading your posts and look very forward to more great deals and the different stores you feature. Christina Jones | |
