Gemstone Pendants

Gemstone pendants, all natures’ beauties in their own right, in Peruvian Blue or Pink Opal, Red Jasper, Red Quartz/Jasper, and Amazonite.

Wire work is handcrafted in non-tarnish silver and brass wire of spirals, twists and turns, then hung from multi-colored ribbon cords with silver lobster claw claps.

Some are listed on my website, while the entire collection will be available at the Holiday Shopping Extravaganza this weekend. A very inexpensive gift or stocking stuffer for anyone this holiday season, and comes complete with a gift box ready for giving!

Affordable Holiday Gifts

The state of the economy has left many people worried, unsettled or rethinking their financial situation and holiday gift buying; but still many are looking for that unique and affordable holiday gift. That is where we come in; Timeless Designs offers natural gemstone jewelry uniquely handcrafted into one-of-a-kind pieces for the individual and at affordable prices that won’t break the bank.

Buying exclusive, handcrafted jewelry doesn’t have to be expensive; and by no means does it mean that we have sacrificed the quality of the piece for lower prices. To bring exquisite natural gemstone jewelry designs to you, this year we went direct and traveled to the world’s 2nd largest Gem & Mineral Show in Tucson, Arizona. There we shopped from thousands of vendors at hundreds of shows in the gemstone and jewelry industry. We came across and purchased some of the most unusual cuts and selection of natural gemstones and metal beads ever seen. This allows us to create some fresh, unique and individual design pieces, like no others, at affordable prices to our clients.
Shop our website and purchase necklaces, necklace sets, earrings, bracelets, and smart pendants. Choose from jewelry designs in an array of coral, turquoise, agate, jasper, and onyx; accented with our trademark wire sculpture links, twists, and spirals; then highlighted with metal spacers in silver, gold, and copper along with Swarvoski crystals, Dichroic pendants, pearls, and glass Czech beads.

Each purchase comes with a gift box all set for giving; just add your own card or wrap and you’re ready to give a one-of-a-kind jewelry design to anyone.

So what are you waiting for…visit us at our last show of the season November 22nd – 23rd here in San Antonio and chose from among our collection of distinctively handcrafted jewelry or browse our website and purchse from the comforts of your home or office.

Chocolate & Cherries – New Design

This brand new design created this week, is a little classy and a little sassy. Made from a combination of natural gemstones in Chocolate Jasper and Cherry Quartz; each Jasper stone has been accented with pewter filigree end-caps and I’ve captured the Cherry Quartz in silver toned wire cages. Between each section are triangle shaped seed beads in a pink lined color. This fun classic is 23” (58cm) long with matching earrings dangling at 1” (2.5cm). This is a one-of-a-kind piece and if you are interested in purchasing please contact me.

Check out my online Etsy shop for more designs available for purchase.

Dramatic Saradonyx Agate & Links Necklace – New!

This is my newest design hot off the design board and making a bold and mystic debut at 24.5” long! I really love how this one came out; I might even say it is my ‘newest’ favorite for a while. This one took some time, about 4 hours to complete.

Each spiral link is handcrafted using non-tarnish brass and black wires and then ‘charmed’ together. I was going for a dramatic look by adding Saradonyx Agate gemstones in beautiful tones of black, brown and white in a suspended dangle from each link, adding three as a center pendant. Full of fall colors for an elegant evening out or just casual wear.

Tourmaline & Garnet

Tourmaline is a great gemstone because the colors are that of the rainbow; pink, black, yellow, and green just to name a few. Tourmaline’s traditional properties are for energizing, soul-searching, and release.

In this new piece available in my Etsy shop, I’ve matched Tourmaline gemstone chips with red Garnet and pewter spacer beads. The traditional properties of Garnet are for health, removing negativity, awareness, commitment, regeneration, order and insight.

So that leads to the question, what do they mean when mixed together? Maybe a lot of good luck in one’s life……

Customer Service in a Fast Paced World

In just a few short weeks many cities will be inundated with Fall Craft Shows and Fall/Holiday Festivals. Patrons will scurry from place to place, looking for just the right gifts and packages; checking their lists and marking thru names. Halls and shops will be filled with floral designs, jewelry, food vendors, wood workers, potpourri and candles, embroidery and crocheted items ….all these artists and craftsmen have worked hard over the summer building a Fall/Holiday inventory for the buying public. It occurred to me yesterday at the first show of the season, that Custom Service is the ‘Brake or Make’ of a business. So, here are a few tips for great customer service.

·Always have a smile and pleasant attitude, Grumpy never sold anything. Greet customers with a “Hello and Welcome to ‘X’ and a warm smile. Don’t rush or push the customer or make them feel ‘boxed in’, allow them to move among your tables and through your booth. Be enthusiastic and Love what you do, it will show through to your customers!
·Let them know of any discounts or specials you might be offering for that show. Customers like to know where to get the best deals, especially in today’s economy.
·Be knowledgeable about your products. Tell a story of how you came to have a particular item, (especially if it is humorous). I have gemstones, so if a customer is looking at a particular piece I’ll let them know what stone it is, where it’s mined (if I know) or how I got it, and how the piece was designed. The last thing a customer wants to hear is ‘I don’t know, just something I thought was cute and picked up.’
·If I don’t carry a particular item, but I know of a fellow artist that does, I’ll refer the customer to that person. I want my customers to be happy and my fellow artists to be successful too!
·Chat with your customers, get to know them, give them the personal touch....find out what they like, what they don’t like, what they prefer and what they look for in gifts. Know them and the people they buy for. I’ll often ask a repeat customer “how did so-and-so like the gift you bought last time?” This also gives me feedback on how I’m doing as a business, how my jewelry is accepted and what I need to do differently or better.
·Lastly, always, always include your business card. I always add and mention my business card to every customer. I let them know about my websites and not just a ‘buying site’ either. I tell them on my blog there is useful information such as industry news, calendar dates and show discounts, and a spotlight on a new gem or jewelry design.

Find your ‘Nitch’, go with it and enjoy what you do and it will show to everyone!

Another Pulse Check on Fall Color Trends 2008

I let my fingers do the research through the Net and magazines for more Fall 2008 color trends in jewelry.

So far, the colors are still staying in Earthy tones, with a splash of red, orange, yellow and gray, for spice. Other hot colors that I saw emerging are tropical shades of blue, turquoise, purple, chocolate, and pinks. Interesting choices, as these are usually traditional spring to summer trends. Though turquoise is always a good standby and goes with just about any season. Of course, the basic black is always ever still present, so better dry-clean that ‘little black dress’!

Jewelry fashions ran the range from bold and chunky to simple and classic; so pretty much anything goes this season. Though what I did see was more of the natural gemstones verses the almighty precious gems; more inline with those earthy color tones.

Natural stones that I saw the most….onyx, agates, jaspers, corals, turquoise, smoky quartz, and rose quartz, and lots of crystals and glass; all accented in silver, gold, copper, or brass metals.

So whatever that occasion you’re looking to highlight your wardrobe, remember you can’t go wrong from big, bold and chunky or simple, classy, and stylish – you’ll always be in style this year!

For more jewelry designs, visit my Etsy store.

Box of Jewels

I love creating with dichroic pendants and here I’ve designed a box full of precious jewels! Each bracelet has a custom one-of-a-kind fused dichroic glass pendant. The pendants have been designed with varying colors and sizes of Swarvoski crystals, which are capped in pewter, among sterling silver spacers and toggles. The bracelets average in size from 7” to 7.5” and are available for purchase, just contact us!

Featured Artist from Etsy

Wondering through Etsy I came across a great artist, Craftsbycarer, or Carrie from WI. She started crafting after an accident left her with little use of her hands and in a lot of pain. It helped with her rehab and she doesn’t think about the pain when she is busy crafting. She uses her 5 senses because it helps her to compensate for some nerve damage and loss; Carrie really relies on all her 5 senses on a daily basis.

Her need to create things is because it makes people happy when they see her finished items and it makes them smile. She loves working with cotton and the color dark blue, but her favorite word is hunny, because it drives her husband crazy!

Her most ambitious project at the moment is to complete more hooded scarves for her etsy shop. However, when not crafting she can be found reading; a big passion, she reads every chance she gets.

Visit her Etsy shop for a great selection of Fall Aprons, totes and toys!

Featured Artist from BNR on Etsy

Looking for awesome pottery? Look no further than the great shop of PotteryPeddler from our etsy BNR.

PotteryPeedler, a/k/a Norine, hails from the beaches of Pembroke Pines, Florida which lies between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, on the east coast of south Florida.
Nornie got started when she first admired the pottery work of the local potters. She signed up for an adult education class and was drawn to the feel of the clay, the process and the results. She enjoys starting with a ball of clay, molding, forming and manipulating it until it becomes a functional piece of art. Favorite materials to work with are clay and stoneware clay.

So, why the need to make things, we asked her….”At my day job I do not produce a tangible product; the sense of accomplishment is difficult to share and fleeting; even a job well done, needs to be done again tomorrow. With pottery, the results are tangible, and permanent; sometimes more permanent than I would like. A finish a bowl, pot or cup can be used again and again.”

She doesn’t really have a favorite word, but while thinking about our interview question, she remembered something from the great (in TD’s opinion) George Carlin about the versatility of a “4 letter word” …I’ll let y’all use your imagination with that! However, her favorite colors are earth tones, with a huge love for the combination of blues and browns.
How are the five senses good to her; Touch – obviously important to FEEL the clay; Sight – to admire your finished project; Taste – this one gets me in trouble – too many favorite foods! Smell – helps me control the previous sense – taste! Hearing lets me know when someone appreciates my work.

At the moment her most ambition project is a special order of Cali Lilly Plant spikes for a wedding favor. The Bride is not sure how many are needed yet, but between 75 and 120! Good thing she has until February to get them all done, but that’s a tall order! And then there’s her most non-creative pet addiction Starbucks; “I know it can be an expensive addiction, but I found a way to justify my daily fix. I limit myself to one regular coffee or an ice tea a day – no frills, no extras and no sweet treats. I justify it by sitting outside in the sun while– absorbing my daily dose of vitamin D.” And I’ll agree to that…passing her the Sunscreen!

When not at Starbucks you can find at….
PotteryPeddler Etsy shop
BNR to see her latest promotional sale

Etsy BNR Featured Artist

On Etsy, we have promotionals/sales/offers with lots of shops called a BNR, which means Buy-N-Replace. Once a shop buys something from someone on the list, they are replaced! Here is one of the artist from the BNR that I am participating with.
FlyingVDesigns
I’ve met some really talented people on Etsy and FlyingVDesigns is one of these them. From a working cattle ranch in New Mexico comes FlyingVDesigns or April, a stay at home mom with 2 children and a wonderful husband. Her hobby started with pencil drawing and oil painting at age 10, and at age 12 she sold her first painting! Now she loves to try anything and is always adding new things to her resume of crafting talent.
Inspiration comes from her favorite word Fabulous, because she believes everything is wonderful and really enjoys making things. She enjoys working with all materials and fabrics, currently working with muslin to add a primitive line to her Etsy shop.
How do the five senses help her? They come in handy for her candles and tarts and soon when she adds a Bath and Body line, maybe she’ll add Chocolate flavored as that is her pet addiction!
When asked what her most ambitious project right now is….her Bath and Body line and in the future she want to take on the challenge of making saddles! Now that’s pretty ambitious!

Where to find her…..
FlyingVDesigns Etsy Shop
BNR – See for her latest promotion!

Layers & Layers of Glass

Fuse layers of specialty Dichroic glass at high temperatures in a kiln and what do you get. Truly one-of-a-kind glass pendants, earrings and bracelets! As defined by Wikipedia, Dichroic glass is glass containing multiple micro-layers of metal oxides which give the glass Dichroic optical properties.

A little known fact….It was originally developed by NASA and its contractors for use in satellite optics and spacesuit visors.

The word Dichroic is derived from two Greek roots; ‘di’ for two and ‘chroma’ for color. So Dichroic really means ‘two-colored’. Looking at the layers and layers of glass, it is hard to tell just how many colors are actually created.

The fun aspect with Dichroic glass is that it has different color variations depending on the light refraction; creating some of the most intriguing pieces of jewelry.

Visit our Etsy shop to see a selection of bracelets, necklaces and sets featuring Dichroic glass pieces.