This is just a friendly reminder that the holiday season is upon us. Christmas is now six weeks away. That’s it. That’s the amount of time most special orders take, so your window to have me order or make something in time for you to have it by Christmas is rapidly closing. Special orders from…
Mark your calendars. My annual opal show is scheduled for Thursday, October 2nd, through Saturday, October 4th. For those of you who have never been to one of my opal shows, one of my oldest friends is an opal dealer from Australia. We clear out my bridal cases for a few days, and Roger fills…
Many people might not realize it, but Christmas is right around the corner. At least for those of us in retail, it is. The fourth quarter starts after September, but people have been coming in all month in anticipation of Christmas purchases. They’re scouting out things they or their significant others would like, gathering ideas…
There has been a rash of alternative metals making headway in the jewelry industry over the last ten years. They’ve been most popular in men’s wedding bands, but every once in a while, I’ll see some of them pop up in women’s rings. The two major players as far as white metals go are titanium…
Palladium is not as new to the jewelry game as many people might think. When platinum was declared a “strategic government resource” at the onset of World War II, palladium was brought to bear as its replacement in white gold alloys. That practice is still common. In fact, palladium white gold is the European standard,…
White gold has multiple sides of the white metal story on its own. It depends on two things: first, the karatage of the gold you’re considering; second, the alloy content of that particular karatage. The US standards for gold jewelry are 10k, 14k, or 18k; that is: 41.6% pure gold by weight (10k), 58.5% pure…
Although yellow gold and rose gold are making a comeback, white metal is still the first choice for many engagement rings, wedding bands, and all jewelry styles in general, really. But while there is only one yellow metal in the world from which to choose (gold), there are a handful of white metals on the…
The 60th Annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is coming up at the end of January and goes through the beginning of February. As always, I’ll be there. Geodes, fossils, and other kinds of rock and mineral formations that are out of this world abound at the Tucson Show. If there’s anything like that you’ve…
Several years ago, I was came across a mechanism that allowed me to design clasps and pendants which could be seamlessly interchanged from one piece of jewelry to another. My appreciation of jewelry versatility was about to take off! I started designing a collection of interchangeable clasps and pendants, and showing those from other designers…
Anyone can shop anywhere for jewelry for the holidays. In many ways, it doesn’t really matter where you shop if you don’t mind giving a mainstream jewelry that hundreds (if not thousands) of others will also have. But, if you prefer to give an original gift – a creative gift – a gift from the…