My Picks for Spring-Summer 2009

After researching the internet and reading the latest fashion, gemstone and jewelry magazines; my picks for Spring-Summer 2009 are a little different than what the ‘experts’ are suggesting…go figure!

Colors Trends: For color trends I still see the staples of black, white and beige which never really go out of ‘style’ they just are either hot or cold. However, I think there will be some undertones in softer pastel colors; such as yellow, pale pinks and blues, and greys; all highlighted by darker tones in navy, purple, red and turquoise. These colors to be seen more in the Spring, which will later give way in Summer to your darker, brighter and deeper tones of turquoise, salmon coral, hot pinks-red-orange-yellow combinations, mixed with hues of purples, greens and blues; all accented with softer beige, grey, cream and white.

Gemstones & Jewelry Trends: As the economy has taken a spiral downward, the days of having high priced jewelry in precious gemstones; Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, and Diamond are going to be less attractive. I see the trend turning to more natural gemstones, a much more economical answer to trending jewelry. Turquoise, coral, agates, jaspers, pearls, and quartz will all play big parts in jewelry this Spring-Summer; mostly because of their vast variety in different colors schemes. Any of these stones can go with just about anything and any metal from gold to silver to copper to brass….also something we will see more of in the coming year.

As for the jewelry itself, I think we will see more trends in the traditional uniquely handcrafted pieces reflecting more one-of-a-kind pieces verses the mass produced overseas jewelry. Necklaces will be longer in multi-strands; charmed and chunky, with pendants making a comeback as well. Earrings in a longer sleek look; chandelier, charmed, and multi dangle. Bracelets will be a mix of gemstones, metals being large or small. Whatever the look for the season one thing is for sure, no woman will be without her accessories in jewelry designs; a mix of chains, wires, glass and all kinds of natural gemstone completing looks in classical and casual or sassy and chic.

Remember, whatever your look, just be yourself and do what makes you feel good! And if you’re in the market for a new necklace, pair of earrings or bracelet, wonder over and check out our selection of uniquely handcrafted gemstone jewelry!

2008 in Review

We started off with a BANG and the highlight of the year with our trip in February, to the Tucson Gem & Mineral show (2nd largest in the world, 1st largest in the U.S.)!! At the AGTA show we saw many precious gems; diamonds, emerald, rubes, sapphires -- oh my!

It was like a ‘kid in a candy store’ when we hit the numerous bead shows --- every kind of wholesale vendor under the sun, or should we say tent! The street vendors were just as numerous and the mineral shows were just incredible! Looking to get your entire inventory in one location, this was the show. We hand picked (as always) all our beads, findings and inventory for the entire year….cuts and natural gemstones that I’ve never heard of or seen such as navy Madagascar Agate, Morocco Agate, Turtellia Agate, Peruvian Opals, Australian Boulder Opals, natural Jaspers; and then there were lots of old favorites in Turquoise, Coral, cultured freshwater Pearls, Mother-of-Pearl, Howlite and many Agates and Jaspers. Metal beads from copper to silver to gold to platinum to stainless steal; it was like Christmas all over again!

Our designs (see some of our favorites in the posts below) were uniquely bolder this year due in part by the stock we picked up in Tucson. Introduced where chunky and funky styles, large longer styles, more wire work and sculpture creations and of course the classic stylish favorites; we also introduced this fall a new pendant line where the pendant can be removed from its ribbon cord – such versatility! At our first spring shows, many people were delighted at the different cuts and unusual natural gemstone designs. We were on our way to blazing a new trail for our goal to produce high-end quality gemstone jewelry. We added several new spring shows this year, but will be downsizing the entire schedule for 2009 and the future. Doing a total of about 10-12 shows this entire year was a challenge and we quickly realized that restocking between shows proved interesting. In 2009, we will most likely scale back to around 6-8 shows for the season.

Also in the spring we opened our first online avenue with Etsy; an online shopping venue which is still active, but not as much so since we launched our e-commerce site in October. The next big thing for us was in September when we were published in a coffee table book, “Handbook to Handmade” with a 2-page layout and even made the front cover with one of our silver necklace link designs. You can read all about it on our About Us website page.

The fall show season started off early this year by adding the military monthly luncheons in August and September; which we love doing and hope to continue in the future! The show season was in full swing by October with Encino, Deep in the Arts of Texas, a couple of church fairs and in November Alzafar and the huge holiday 2-day fair at Freeman Coliseum; boasted as the largest holiday shopping show in south central Texas. We closed out the year with the military monthly luncheon ‘Holiday Mini-Bazaar’ in December. You can always find out where we are at next by stopping by our website Events page.

As mentioned, in October we launched our own website ‘Timeless Designs’; where you can purchase many of our jewelry collection, see what shows we will be attending, browse customer design requests, read about how Timeless Designs came to be or see our polices and favorite links. Another avenue is this blog, which was launched in July and will continue to be a staple for us – we want to keep in touch with our customers; so we created the blog. Next year we hope to bring more in the way of jewelry industry news and techniques, more business tips, vendor reviews, announce new designs and also continue to list our show information and any website or show promotions.
So, now we will be taking a breath……and for the next little while Timeless Designs will take time off to enjoy the holiday season. We have enjoyed this year more than ever! We have grown, developed, become seasoned and spiced, and met the many challenges that came our way. We want to thank all those great customers that made 2008 the best year here at Timeless Designs and helped us to achieve our goals; we hope that next year, 2009 will be even better. We have plenty in store for 2009; new designs, new techniques, and more information on business and jewelry – you will definitely want to keep an eye on our blog and website --- stay tuned!

It’s been a great year and we are definitely looking forward to many more to come. So from our family to yours….

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
The Timeless Designs Family

Purchasing & Selling Jewelry Online

Buying handcrafted jewelry isn’t always easy and can be a challenge. People like to touch, feel and try on the jewelry, looking over every aspect of the piece before making a final purchase. To sell and purchase jewelry online here are some questions to keep in mind:

*What makes people buy?
*What makes people shop with the same jewelry artist again?
*What designs and price ranges would fit best into a potential buyer’s budget?

One of the main reasons that people purchase online is for the love of handcrafted jewelry. It has become much easier to acquire fabulous and unique pieces that you normally might not see in a traditional brick-n-mortar store via online websites, blogs, or shopping venues. Some people see handcrafted jewelry as a wearable form of art, often reflecting their own personalities with individual custom designs. One comment I’ve heard lately from buyers is “If it’s one thing I don’t want is to see my jewelry coming and going.” Meaning, they see the same jewelry they have purchased everywhere they go; home, office, church, and general outings.

Many buyers are drawn to handcrafted jewelry because of the way it feels. This refers to the level of skill it took to craft the piece along with the creativity and how the entire piece (necklace, earrings, bracelet, etc.) all work together. This gives the buyer the ability to purchase from a variety of specialty artists with unusual talents and designs.

Other reason is the ease of shopping online. When shopping online, the prices and policies are well visible to the buyer. Nothing is hidden, no missing tags or not priced all together. Online, prices are reflected with ever piece and they know what to expect. There is also no ‘pressure’ from a sells person hover over them to make a sell. It gives the buyer an opportunity to shop around for jewelry and prices from many different artists, rather than the single mass produced pieces found in brick-n-mortar stores.

Shopping online offers the benefit of less stress; especially to those who don’t live close to any major shopping venues. It gives the buyer time to browse around the internet at any time of the day or night, at their favorite online shops from the comfort of their home or office. Most buyers will admit they will do anything to avoid driving and traffic, long lines and crowds to the easy and convience of shopping from home or office via the internet. Buyers will continue to purchase from the same artist because of craftsmanship, fair pricing, and unique designs. For these reasons, keep these things in mind when selling your jewelry online:

*Make sure you have quality craftsmanship; check all findings, settings and fittings to make sure they are all tight.
*Price your jewelry accordingly; we all want a fair price for our works of art. However, be fair and price jewelry pieces according to the market and consumer you are targeting.
*Retain your own personal style and let it be reflected in your jewelry making. Don’t be afraid to try different techniques and styles, even beyond your tastes. Never know when it might catch the eye of a potential buyer!

Above all be unique and unusual; offering what others may not and you will keep the buyers coming back. Handcrafted jewelry is coming back in, especially if designs reflect the personality of the individual that no one else can!

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.

Published in Handbook to Handmade Vol. 7

Handbook to Handmade Vol. 7 is a coffee table book featuring 35 Etsy artists from around the world. Each artist chosen has a different flair for the arts; jewelry, paintings, clothing, yarns, totes and much more.

My 2 page layout includes 3 designs and details about Timeless Designs and a spot on the front cover. Only 12 artists are chosen for the front cover and I was honored to have my Turquoise & Silver Links necklace grace the left bottom corner. The book is produced several times a year with each new edition featuring the best 35 Etsy artists.

Come on by our booth at some of the shows this Fall to see the book and 3 featured jewelry designs!

From Studio Creative Desk to Finished Jewelry Designs

Many ask ‘How do you create these designs?’ Well, many designs come from the inspiration of the stones themselves. Here is a picture from my studio design desk, where I design all the jewelry. You can see that it is a mass of ribbon cord, wire, tools, a design board, stones, and much more. This particular set of stones I’m working with was hand-picked and purchased at the Tucson International Gem Show this past February. They are an array of gemstone pendants from Green Seraphine, Pink Peruvian Opal, Blue Peruvian Opal, Icy Opalite, Agates, and Jaspers.
I create and design whatever comes to mind as I shape and mold the wire with the gemstone pendants. Sometimes the designs are just wire and sometimes I add accents in other stones, crystals, or metal beads. These particular gemstone pendants are then hung from coordinating ribbon cords, ranging from 16” (41cm) to 22” (56cm). Each pendant bail is made large enough to remove and wear on another style necklace or put one your own pendants on the ribbon cord. You are actually getting a multi-functional necklace with these designs.



Once completed, I then photograph with different backgrounds and props; download to the computer and crop; list into my inventory and then put in my Etsy shop, available for purchase!

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!