Layering Jewelry

If you are bored with the chains you wear day in and day out or you are just looking for a new look, try jewelry layering. The layered look can be achieved by simply going through your jewelry box and picking out thin chains in gold or silver. Once you have chosen a few pieces, lay them together, and try and match the chains lengths and textures.

Once you managed to match at least three chains, lace through some delicate pendants. The pendants you choose would depend on the type of look you are going for. For example, if you prefer a soft simple look you could lace pendants like stars, moon, and suns or if you want a look that is similar to a charmed bracelet, you could add pendants like keys, teddy bears, or angels.

When selecting your chains, remember to stick with gold or silver, and try not to match the two. Make sure you stay away from metal coloured chains to avoid a cheap, tacky look. You can even achieve this look by layering your bracelets. Just make sure you follow the same steps mentioned above. If you are in a hurry, just wrap a few chains around your wrist, it will give you a very similar look.

Many jewelry designers have now created layered jewelry by linking a number of chains together using a fastener. Example of these are Tiffany’s, Saks and Macy’s, but if you are on a budget try browsing at your local imitation jewelry store, and you might be surprised at what you may find.

Famous Beaded Necklaces

Man used beaded ornaments as one of the first methods of creating jewelry. The earliest forms of beaded jewelry were found in many archaeological excavations as far back as the Neanderthal man. The jewelry found was used for a number of purposes which include decorative, religious, ceremonious, and currency purposes.

Man wore beaded necklaces to show social status, to protect oneself, and for religious reasons. The main method used for creating one is the stringing method in which different types of strings such as cords, silk, nylon threads and hemp fibers are used to fasten the beads. At present, necklaces depict many themes; for example, necklaces can be bold and eye catching, elegant and classical, earthy and natural or whimsical.

One of the oldest necklaces ever found was the ancient gold beaded necklace of Titicaca in Peru. This necklace is 4000 years old and is the oldest necklace found in America. The necklace is made of gold and has nine long gold beads, which are separated by discs.

Another popular necklace is known as love beads and was made popular by The Doors vocalist Jim Morrison. The necklace he wore involved the stringing of brown and black beads. These types of necklaces were first made by hippies in the 1960s and were mainly worn by anti-war protestors.

Jacqueline Kennedy popularized one of the more recent necklaces, which Coco Chanel created for her. The pearl necklace has three strands that when twisted, create a cluster of pearls.

Choosing Diamond Earrings

When selecting a pair of diamond earrings, first consider choosing your style of earring. Diamond earrings come in studs, hoops and danglers. When choosing your earring designs, consider your facial shape and hairstyle. Most women with shorter hair prefer to wear smaller earrings while women with longer or shoulder length hair prefer larger designs.

The style of earring would depend on your personal style and budget. You can dress up or dress down Diamond studs depending on your occasion. Since studs are normally smaller than other designs they are great for those who are on smaller budgets. This style is available in either gold, white gold or Platinum.

Another popular design are hoops which come in semi circles, circles and oval shaped designs that are either close to the ear lobe or created wide. The snug fitting designs are great for everyday wear while the wider designs are dressier. The diamonds are either on the entire circle of the earring or on the front view.

For those who are buying a set of Diamond earring for an occasion like a wedding or a red carpet event, they are more likely to choose danglers. These designs include chandelier and drop designs. They are great for those women who want to make a statement. Use Danglers to dress up a simple little black dress or an already elaborate gown.

The History of the Cullinan – a 3,000 Carat Diamond

The Cullinan Diamond discovered in 1905, weighed at 3100 carats or 1.3 pounds, is the world’s largest diamond. Fredrick Wells who was the manager of the Premier Diamond Company discovered it in South Africa. Wells accidentally found the diamond when it refected light off the mine walls. He initially thought the diamond was a large piece of glass. The diamond gets it name from Sir Thomas Cullinan, who opened the mine.

Sold in 1907 to the South African Government, King Edward VII received it as a gift for his 66th birthday. To transport the diamond to England safely, detectives accompanied the box in a ship that carried a fake diamond as a decoy. The stone was eventually placed in a box and sent by parcel post. The diamond, insured then for $1.25 million, was studied for 3 months, and cut by Asscher’s Diamond Company of Amsterdam.

There were nine diamonds cut out of the Cullinan and all of these are in the possession of the Royal Family. These nine diamonds are on or in the following four items:

The Cullinan I – Which weighs 530 carats, remains on the British Monarch’s Royal Scepter.
The Cullinan II – Weighing 317 carats, is on the Imperial State Crown.
The Cullinan III – Which is a pear shaped diamond and weighed 94 carats. This diamond is apart of Queen Mary’s Crown.
sThe Cullinan IV – This is 64 carats and is visible in portraits of Queen Mary.

 

 

Patriotic Jewelry

With the fourth of July around the corner, many Americans like to show their patriotism by wearing one of the latest fads – patriotic jewelry. The most popular patriotic jewelry include pins, earrings and watches.

One of the most popular pins is the Margot Townsend pin, made from blue, white and gold crystals. The crystals make the shape of a bow and will set you back only $19.99 on Amazon.

If you would like to spend on a piece that is more elegant, you could opt for a blue, white and gold 14K gold pendant and chain. The pendant, which is in a shape of the American flag, has rubies, diamonds and Sapphires. This beautiful piece would set you back $195 on a web site called ice.com.

A Christmas tree broche that includes the American Flag, can be a great investment to wear throughout holiday season. The broche is made using Rhinestones of different colors and is available at $22.00.

If you have a family member in the US army you may want to show your support by buying Service Flag Jewelry. Service Flag Jewelry come on pin as well as pendents and has reasonable prices of $3.99 and $12.99 respectively. Buy them from Serviceflag.com, which sells them online with approval by the Department of Defense.

Some other popular items are American flag shaped earrings. These designs include ear studs and dangly earrings, which can range from $22 – $99 online. Ladies watches have also become a popular choice. These watches, designed by Fossil, are made of Rhinestones in blue, white and gold.

Women’s Travel Jewelry for evening wear

When on a cruise or going on vacation, women should pack a few pieces of jewelry that complement an outfit. Cheap costume jewelry can be a great choice for that cruise ball or night out. One reason costume jewelry is great for travel is because it means that you need not worry about leaving items unattended in your room.

When buying costume jewelry it is important to buy items that are not too heavy but yet elegant. The jewelry bought should be wearable on an evening out or even for a simple high tea function. When buying a pair of earrings try to choose pairs that you can pair with other necklaces. If a jewelry set it bought, make sure that you are able to wear the earrings, necklace or bracelet as a single piece. This makes packing a lot easier because a single set would go a long way.

When buying a necklace try to choose pieces that are chunky yet classical. The most essential piece any women should own is a pearl necklace, which can we tied and worn long or wrapped around the neck and worn short. Sometimes a necklace can detract from a great neckline, such as a one-shoulder, strapless or halter dress. Therefore you should be careful not to go too over-the-top and in these cases just wear a more elaborate pair of earrings.

Storing Sterling Silver Chain Jewellry

Chained jewellery can get pretty messy especially when it gets kinks into it, especially smaller chains. Storing sterling silver chains must be done with care. Of course it is more affordable than gold or platinum however taking care of sterling silver can end up costing you quite a packet. Especially, if you do not take care of it properly; the less careless you are, the more you will have to spend to get it repaired and even replaced.

The two biggest maintenance problems with sterling silver jewellry are kinks in the chains and tarnish. Here are more details on how you can avoid your silver chains from kinking during storage.

Kinks in Sterling Silver Chains
Take into account how manufacturing companies store their chains. They store it on reels. This can be quite useful for storing silver chains, especially the delicate 2mm ones. Smaller lengths of chain can be wound on a smaller reel and then placed in plastic bags for safekeeping.

Making a Sterling Silver Chain Reel
Use an empty paper towel roll to make your own reel for your sterling silver chains. Cut the paper towel roll into smaller sections ensuring that you cut it horizontally and not vertically, making a number of narrow rings of cardboard. Wind each silver chain around the reel and secure it in place by cutting in a slit at the top. Thread the beginning and end of the chain through the slit.
For heavier chains you could even use individual size water bottles cut into rings. Once you have your chain rolls done, you can store them in leftover shoeboxes or cheap plastic boxes you can purchase at discount stores. You can even go one step further and organize the boxes by the different sizes and lengths.

Storing Sterling Silver Chains in Plastic Bags
Purchase small zip-lock bags and store your silver chains in them. You can buy the bags in different sizes to suit the size of your necklaces, and make sure it fits in snugly. Remember to store one necklace per bag.

Organic Jewellry

Two of the most over-used terms for 2008 are the words organic and eco-friendly. Organic products are those produced in an environmentally friendly manner and that which is biodegradable.

Can jewellry be organic?
Yes, it can. In fact, it can also be divided into three categories: organic forms, organic processes and organic products.

Organic Forms
Though slightly deceptive, this kind of labelling is for pieces of jewellry inspired by nature. This in itself cannot mean that the jewellry is ‘organic’. For example, if a jeweller twists wire into the shape of a leaf and turns it into a pair of earrings or pendant – this is then an organic form of jewellry.

Organic Processes
Precious metal or gemstones do not come from organic processes. Nor do they contain organic carbon, only diamonds do. However, jewellry designers have moved onto new and more exciting designs using fabric or materials such as hemp, linen, silk. Therefore, depending on the raw materials produced, it is possible to have jewellry with an organic origin.

‘Living Creature’ Jewellry
While this might seem horrifying, there is quite a number of jewellry made from pearls, coral and even from animal horn. Wearing such jewellry these days is questionable and can raise much debate. However, faux alternatives are the ones to choose your jewellry from.

Mourning Jewellry – Organic Carbon Based Jewellry
This entails wearing jewellry made from the dead. For instance you can have gemstones on your jewellry containing the carbon of a loved one, created from their cremated remains or from a lock of their hair.

Eco-friendly jewellry is all about the raw materials used and re-used. It is not really a new innovation, but has been practised most probably since the first piece of jewellry was made.