Rose of Sharon Jewelry

The Rose of Sharon Jewelry artists have been thinking a lot about upcoming holidays. I’m almost done with the new bead bracelet style watches, Sandra is making sparkling earring, Mom is making more Breast Cancer Awareness designs and we have some wonderful lovely new wedding necklaces.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month so we’ll be promoting our anklets, bracelets and necklaces featuring pink awareness ribbons, affirmation charms and powerful symbols of health and recovery.

Breast Cancer Awareness anklets can be found in the Adornable Anklets store at Etsy.

Lots of wonderful beaded fashion watches will be appearing in the A.F.F. Jewelry collection at Etsy during October. They will be part of our Christmas promotion. Watches as gifts are hot  again! We’ve been seeing “mass made” versions arriving in stores and boutiques but handmade is so much better! We’ll have some with great bling! and others for every day wear.

Still busy with Sandra visiting until Tuesday when I’ll be back online full-time! Great to have time to really explore our different jewelry talents, bake rum cakes and laugh a lot!

Wire wrapping stones transforms them into little jewelry gift packages. You can mix and match the chain for different coordinating looks.

Dena and LeAnne of Rose of Sharon Jewelry are best friends and self-taught wire wrapping artists. Each of their one-of-a-kind designs is lovely wrapped in sterling silver or gold filled wire just for you.

LeAnne and Dena work well together as you’ll see from their beautiful designs. Often one will start a project then have the other put her own touch to it! Collaboration at its best.

If you love simple, elegant jewelry – you’ll love their wonderful pendants. Dena and LeAnne hand selected their stone cabochons (flat backed stones that are cut and polished into various shapes) for their unique mineral content, unusual patterns and colors that tell a story.

Each of Dena and LeAnn’s pendants come with a personally selected chain that coordinates with the look of the pendant.

Here are a few of their lovely pendant necklaces that are being featured in the Rose of Sharon Jewelry store. To find all of the wire wrapped pendant pieces, select Dena DeSelms or LeAnne Velona from the artist menu.

Starting with Great Stones

Mother Earth is a wonderful gold wrapped agate pendant on multilayered gold chain.

Notice the mineral streaks that add a rich contrasting color to the natural stone.

Rainbow Nephrite is a lilac with a touch of green Jade donut pendant.  Nephrite (the actual name of true Jade) is considered to beneficial for prosperity and excellent for creating an erotic atmosphere. Perhaps wearing this handmade necklace on your next date night would be a good thing!

Ruby in the Rough features a colorful Ruby Zoisite stone. This exceptional stone features the bold pink (a similar mineral to ruby) and the green matrix which often surrounds natural rubies.

Ruby Zoisite is known for its energetic and sexual properties (as is ruby) with out the anger often associated with rubies. The green mineral provides the balance for the wearer!

Turquoise is always in style and Dena’s silver wrapped Turquoise Traveler  has wonderful flourishes. The stone is a deep turquoise color with some nice matrix (the darker minerals within a natural turquoise stone).

All of Dena and LeAnne’s  designs are hand crafted with sterling silver or gold filled wire. You’ll find them to be artistic and versatile. And they are all great values!

Nothing says fun like a handmade anklet. It’s hard to NOT feel pretty and flirty when wearing a crystals and charms around your ankle.

Adornable Anklets was launched this summer after a ROSJ Birthday Club Member asked if we would make her a blue crystal version. She got me thinking about how much I loved wearing them when I was a teen in the late 60s. So I made her anklet and one for me, too!

Pretty soon I was sorting through all my charms and crystal mixes making all sorts of themes and colors. We decided to create a stand-alone shop at Etsy to show off all the great designs – visit Adornable Anklets to find a charmer just right for you or for gift-giving!

Dawn picked one out on her way to school and wore it for 2 weeks without taking it off (even in the shower!). The blue/green crystals just seemed to go with everything!

Being right-handed, wearing my anklets on my right seemed a natural and makes my jagged scars (where I had pins inserted after breaking my anklet last year) look like a survivor’s badge. Ha!

In today’s Sharon Saturday post, I thought I’d remind you that anklets aren’t just for summer lovin! In the stylish 30s, anklets were worn over silk hose for a chic look. (I actually splurged once for a pair of real silk pantyhose and what a magnificent feel!)

Betty (Mom) has created several Breast Cancer Survivor themed anklets to share her story of hope and possibility. She’s been cancer free for over 20 years!

Here are a few fun favorites from the Adornable Anklets  line priced under $25.99!

The lovely puffed turquoise and silver butterfly was matched with lightweight turquoise enameled drops and sparkling silver beads – a true anklet stunner!

If you’re a romantic pink gal,  this anklet is perfect! The focal bead is a handcrafted lampwork bead in soft pink with little white glass dots! (Makes me think of those dotted dresses of the 50s.)

But I always have to “gild the lily” so I added Swarovski crystals, glass pearls and a silvery heart charm.

Tiny orange Mother-of-Pearl stars sparkle around your tanned ankle in this handmade anklet Mom created.

This Breast Cancer Awareness anklet is one of several Mom created to share her positive message. She’s been breast cancer free for over 20 years and knows what it feels like to face the challenge. These anklets are perfect to celebrate your journey, your triumph or to remember a loved one. 

Don’t forget to heart and bookmark the Adornable Anklet store at Etsy. I’ll be posting more designs this week!

Have a favorite color that isn’t in the store? Convo me through the store and let me know what you’re looking for!

With so many new handmade jewelry designs debuting in August, it’s been hard to keep up with introducing them all to readers. Bookmark this post and return after you’re finished with holiday events to ogle over a few the great designs debuting at Rose of Sharon Jewelry!

Debuting in August

Below  is a Sandra Lee original creation. She discovered this handcrafted lampwork focal bead and decided a single strand of silver blue freshwater pearls was the best way to complement such a ornate focal bead

April Showers - necklace and earrings

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Hyacinth

Sandra loves earrings and this pair called Hyacinth is a  lovely mix of soft lilac pearls, deep purple Swarovski crystals and gold.

Escapade

This Jade necklace and earring set have a beautiful color combination. The green is so lovely and the lavender adds an extra bust of color.

This 24-inch beauty is from Sandra Lee.

Flowers Among Thorns

Flowers Among Thorns is another handmade Christian  cross necklace from Betty. The beads are a wonderful blend of deep reds, grays and blacks. The antiqued gold cross has a floral design – hence the name.

More New Handmade Jewelry

There are also 10 new designs in the New Life Jewelry Art store at ArtFire and in the A.F.F. Jewelry Collection at Etsy. Check them out for budget-friendly one-of-a-kind necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rosaries.

Today is the 47th anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Dr. King did not just march for blacks he marched for everyone. We must continue to speak out against the ignorant and hateful.

Celebrate the Dream and other political and civil rights organizations are working to bringing out attention to the hate-speech that is rising as never before.

I’d like to leave you with the uplifting message Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached that day. This is one of the greatest speeches of all time. Take the 17-minutes to listen to his words.

Yes, we have a black president and people of color are becoming recognized for their ability to enhance our country – BUT the backlash has been one of spreading fear which as mutated into hatred – all of which is based upon ignorance. Spread love, peace and harmony even when you disagree with someone.

Not all stunning pearl necklaces get their start in a mollusk shell. Some are born of fiery glass and destined to shine for years to come. Glass pearls (sometimes called faux pearls) aren’t a second-rate choice!

Unless you have a Platinum Visa or a Sugar Daddy, most of us will never own a classic strand of perfectly formed pearls. But that’s okay – even Jackie O wore faux pearls in the White House! Michelle Obama continues the tradition with her modern take on bold and colorful glass pearl necklaces.

The women of Rose of Sharon Jewelry love incorporating glass pearls into their original designs and under our New Life Jewelry Art brand we have several beautiful handmade necklaces created from vintage glass pearls.

Glass pearls offer perfect shapes, a wide range of sizes and glorious colors. The luster of a natural pearl (known as the nacre) has been replicated through a layer of color

We use glass pearls made in the Czech Republic as they are know for producing a quality bead at a fair price. In recent years, Chinese manufacturers have improved their faux pearl products and we’ve picked up strands at the big Quartzsite, AZ bead show last spring.

But the best name in crystals is also the best manufacturer of glass  pearls – Swarovski. These are the most costly glass pearls; however, the quality is unsurpassed. For special occasion jewelry, Swarovski is our favorite provider of glass pearls.

The Advantage of Glass Pearls

Glass pearls aren’t just beautiful – they are also very easy to care for, durable and long-lasting. The manufacturing process creates perfect holes large enough to accommodate heavy-duty steel beading wire. Caring for faux pearls is as simple as a swish in warm sudsy water to remove any normal dirt or makeup acquired during normal wear.  Man-made pearls are a better choice for many pearl lovers.

Natural pearls require special care and handling as they are subject to damage from skin oils, makeup, sunlight and chemicals. High end natural pearls are typically strung and knotted on silk threads which much be replaced by a professional every few years. The women of Rose of Sharon Jewelry do incorporate freshwater/cultured pearls into designs and you will receive complete care information when you purchase any design with natural pearls.

Faux pearls are a great choice for a young girl who may not have yet developed good jewelry wearing habits.

No matter what manufacturer creates the faux pearls we use, we inspect each bead before making any of our jewelry creations. Designs using Swarovski glass pearls will be more costly but worth every penny!

Here are a few of my personal favorites from Rose of Sharon Jewelry that use faux pearls.

Empress features vintage faux pearls in graduated sizes. This handmade beauty is heirloom quality!

This one-of-a-kind necklace and earring set is part of our New Life Jewelry Art collection at ArtFire.

Peachy Keen is a colorful bracelet which shows the color potential of glass pearls. This little double strand bracelet is part of our A.F.F. Jewelry Collection and priced at $25.99.

Heavenly Blue is one of Mom’s lovely handmade Christian cross necklaces. To contract the bold cobalt blue Swarovski crystals used white glass pearls with a slight blue cast.

If you have any questions about faux (glass) pearls, leave a comment (link at left) and I’ll be glad to answer you here.

The days of owning a pair of hand matched natural salt-water pearls are long gone for all but the wealthiest. Today pearls are a crop and even the ones that were once ground up or tossed are now part of current jewelry fashion.

Jade isn’t just dark green! Sandra Lee’s 2 newest handmade necklaces shows the range of magnificent colors available in Candy Jade.

The first necklace to wow you is Tropicana. It combines Jade and peridot in shades of peach, pink, green and cream. This necklace and earring set is new today at the Rose of Sharon Jewelry artisan site. You’ll find lots more pictures and a story about how this one-of-a-kind necklace set came to be.

Key Largo is another tropical influence necklace from Sandra Lee. This Candy Jade beauty is beautiful lemon./lime shades!

Sandra Lee has her own bold, distinctive style. To see all her Rose of Sharon Jewelry creations, find her name under the artist links in the first column to see what she has in the store now.

If you thought July was hot – wait til you see the sizzling new jewelry from  Rose of Sharon Jewelry - over 55 new handmade designs debut in August!

All 4 stores will have new necklaces, earrings, bracelets, anklets and decorative watches appearing over the next 4 weeks. Most of July was spent finishing new necklaces and opening the AdornableAnklet store at Etsy.

I’ll be devoting August to listing these fabulous creations and getting our giant watch promotion ready for Christmas buying.

We’re predicting that beautiful one-of-a-kind handcrafted decorative watches will be a hit with Christmas buyers this year after an absence from the fashion scene for a while.

[Trumpets Blowing] Introducing. . .

Today and tomorrow’s post will feature some of the newly listed jewelry you’ll find at our 4 online venues (see the full list below).

A Catholic friend asked Betty about handmade rosaries last Spring.  Mom loved making these so you’ll find several colorful versions in the New Life Jewelry Art studio at ArtFire soon.

Another addition to the ArtFire studio will be this magnificent lampwork necklace in lush browns. The chain is vintage and just the right tones for this wire-wrapped glass focal.

The dramatic gold heart is a great contrast to the more delicate blue and white swirls of the glass beads.

On sale now at AdornableAnklets at Etsy

This extravagant 7-inch pearl earrings would be perfect with a strapless gown. Each pearl is hand tied to create an illusion style look. Bridal Veil measures 7-inches!!! The delicate construction means that these earrings are very light weight and comfortable to wear for long hours.

Betty spent hours creating just the right look and balance so each of the strands sways easily.

A 4-inch version called Blue Danube in opalite and blue Swarovski crystals is available today.

Be sure to subscribe or bookmark the Rose of Sharon Jewelry blog as you’ll want to return tomorrow to see more great “sneak peaks” of the August releases

You’ll find the handmade jewelry from the women of Rose of Sharon Jewelry at:

• Artisan designs – Rose of Sharon Jewelry
• Budget-friendly – A.F.F. Jewelry Collection 
• Vintage, Mixed Media – New Life Jewelry Art 
• Anklets only – AdornableAnklets

Birthday Club Members: Don’t forget to use your member-only discounts.