Rose of Sharon Jewelry

Spring flowers that last forever can be found in 3 new necklaces joining the A.F.F. Jewelry Collection this week. Created by Betty, these handmade designs feature colorful enameled floral pendants.

Each pendant features sparkling crystals from Swarovski. The colors are rich and fresh – reminding one of a beautiful Spring garden.

Betty calls this crystal adorned silver  chain design – April Remembered.

 

 

 

 

April Remembered is a one-of-a-kind necklace that measures 17-inches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fresh green of Spring can be seen in the pendant in Betty’s next handmade design – Joyful Spring.

I love the tiny purple flower that hangs below the assorted green leaves.

To emphasize the greens, Betty created a delicate pale green double strand of glass beads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you can’t resist the fragile beauty of a butterfly, you’ll love this next handcrafted necklace – Betty’s Garden.

Mom is an avid Oregon gardener (that means you work and enjoy it between rain showers). I know her heart skipped a beat when she found this pendant.

Fluttering among assorted flowers in pink, purple and blue, the brilliant blue butterfly almost looks real.

 

The A.F.F. Jewelry collection at Etsy is filled with some of our favorite colorful and very affordable handmade necklaces, earrings, bracelets and beaded watches. Adding a new necklace or bracelet is a great way to brighten up a wardrobe without disrupting the budget.

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Creating anklets has been great fun and lots of admiring shoppers at Adornable Anklets. Working hard to get then all posted so you can find your favorite!

This quick post is to show off some wonderful new choices you’ll find in this new Etsy store.

 

 

 

Blogging has recued my writing muse! I had abandoned my writing career for jewelry making (Nothing like always being underemployed. Ha!) Yesterday, I relaunched Writes a Lot, my online portfolio, as a blog.

For new readers, a little background might help. For over 10 years, I’ve been writing business books, freelance articles and other written work for MONEY. Yep, I’m a real writer. But I finally burned out and set that aside for a jewelry making.

For over 18 months, I’ve been blogging regularly for the Rose of Sharon Jewelry partnership. This year, I stepped up the pace, set an editorial schedule and started blogging daily. P.S. You can read the entire archive here.

During the process of moving the Rose of Sharon site to a new host, I decided to take down my award-winning writer portfolio. It was an online resume and freelance work search site that I constructed myself with FrontPage. But alas, it had become an abandoned billboard. It still looked fairly attractive, but I rarely even thought about it.

With a renewed interest in all things writing, I ripped down that billboard and have set up a nice, shiny new Writes a Lot blog. I found a great WordPress theme and started in 2 days ago. Before I knew, I had spent 6 hours building, tweaking and writing what you see today. I think I like creating the visuals and functions of a blog almost as much as writing.

So with a bit of fanfare – I’d like to introduce my new blogging venture for my writing career at Writes a Lot.

Stop by and see what’s up as I start sharing my career as an author and writing professionally again.  The posts won’t be a duplicate of the Rose of Sharon Jewelry blog and will reflect my “interest of the day” including developing and living a creative life.

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Lots of facets means lots of sparkle in a handmade necklace of crystal or gemstone. So what’s a facet and do I need one?

A facet is a flat surface cut or ground into stone, glass or crystal. These “sides” can be created by machine or hand. Hand-cut crystal is considered the best process as the edges are “sharper” and more distinct. More facets plus sharper edges means higher reflective properties.

Facets sparkle and show off internal radiance in translucent stones, glass or crystals. A well placed facet can also amplify the beauty of an opaque glass or stone bead. The slanted sides will capture the light differently than a single flat surface.

 

 

Sandra Lee’s Golden Moonlight necklace uses clear and sunny yellow faceted glass beads. As you can see from the picture, the facets really sparkle. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opaque glass can also be faceted for additional visual interest such as in  Sandra Lee’s Bewitching necklace set created from faceted Czech glass.

 

 

The rich red heart of the Carnelian in the handmade Mended Heart necklace shows how an opaque stone can benefit from faceting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The best facets can be seen by in the precise hand-cuts of a Swarovski crystal. This dramatic cross in Redemption has Swarovski crystals set in plus Betty added additional red Swarovski bicones along the chain to move your eye upward.

 

 

 

 

 

So when someone asks you how many facets you want – tell them lots, please!

You’ll find a wide assortment of faceted beads in our artisan line at Rose of Sharon Jewelry and in our A.F.F. Jewelry collection at Etsy.

 

* Lead is hazardous when found in paint and items which may be put into the mouth. Even the strict California lead laws allow the use of lead crystals in jewelry making.

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Pearls are a traditional  June birthstone. Rose of Sharon Jewelry artists love to work with natural freshwater and faux pearls.

Pearls aren’t just for formal occasions. South Pacific is a colorful bold blend of funky freshwater pearls in deep sea colors. This double-strand necklace is a real favorite of mine and really reflects my love of BOLD! The matching bracelet can be worn together or separately. The stick pearls are so much fun in the bracelet.

Besides pearls, I used Mother-of-Pearl which is harvested from the inside of the shell which creates a natural pearl.

 

 

 

 

Faux pearls are made of glass. The ladies of Rose of Sharon Jewelry use crystal-centered Swarovski faux pearls, vintage faux pearls and Czech glass faux pearls known for their great colors.

 

Softly Spring uses Czech glass faux pearls in a lovely soft plum color to accent the floral enameled pendant. Created by Betty, this set includes lovely glass pearl earrings to match.

 

 

Classic doesn’t mean boring – this lovely single strand of Swarovski pearls and Swarovski lead crystals is a real stunner. The  luscious cream color of the pearls is highlighted with the light peach of the crystals. Ella is  perfect gift choice that will become a family heirloom. 

 

 

With  beautiful rich blue crystals in this ornate Christian cross, the simple white faux pearls are a perfect contract. Heavenly Blue is part of Betty’s series of religious jewelry found only in the Rose of Sharon Jewelry store.

 

 

 

Sandra Lee has mixed beautiful pearls with colorful jade beads in Shall We Dance. This is an elegant design with Sandra Lee’s  signature touch.

The deep rich fuchsia pearls are interwoven with the pale pink Jade rounds.

The centerpiece is a fine silver (.999) flower handcrafted from artisans in Thailand.

 

Want more pearls? We have vintage pearl designs in our New Life Jewelry Art studio at ArtFire. Our A.F.F. Jewelry collection at Etsy has several affordable handmade pearl necklaces and bracelets to choose from. For other Rose of Sharon Jewelry artisan designs, search on the word “pearl” in the main store.

 

Jewelry with crystals are a sparkling favorite. We love SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS® but they aren’t the only crystals in our jewelry box. You’ll find crystals in a rainbow of colors and shapes in the Rose of Sharon Jewelry store. 

Crystals are found all around us – sugar is a crystal. If you look at a tiny speck of sugar under a microscope, you’d see the beauty goes beyond their sweetness.

Jewelry wouldn’t be the same without crystals such as the lead-glass beads created by Swarovski. Crystals can be found in nature or grown. The highest quality crystals are glass combined with lead and then faceted (cut faces in the crystal as opposed to pressing them in a mold).

The artists of Rose of Sharon Jewelry prefer to work with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS® for their superior crisp facets, uniformity and wide range of colors. Depending upon the jewelry being created, she may choose to use other top quality Czech crystals such as Preciosa® because a specific shape or color is the best choice.

Here are a few of the beautiful one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces within our collections which feature brilliant crystals. Tell me which is your favorite! I know – I know it’s hard to decide.

 

Ella features light peach Swarovski crystals with cream colored Swarovski pearls.

Ella would make a great wedding necklace.

 

 

 

 Redemption combines Swarovski rhinestones on the cross with red Swarovski beads hand wired to create a coordinating necklace chain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Million Sparkles has lovely green crystals  with pink Swarovski crystals as accents.

Sandra Lee created a lovely sparkling pair of earrings to match.

 

 

 

Crystal Within is actually a crystal dangling with another crystal.

The pendant is a natural crystal formation within a rough exterior.

Crystals are formed by the slow process of evaporation. The water carried various minerals which remained when the water disappeared.

 

 

 

 

Basic Black isn’t your basic necklace – it’s a stunner from Sarah guaranteed to elicit wows when you wear it.

The richness of the black onyx is amped up with the clear Swarovski crystals.

 

 

 

 

Why not add a little sparkle to your wardrobe with your favorite crystal necklace from Rose of Sharon Jewelry? Crystal jewelry is a great choice as crystals are pretty durable and NEVER go out of style!

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Spring parties can be a great occasion to show off a new dress and why not a new necklace from Rose of Sharon Jewelry!

I’ve tucked away my winter jewelry (necklaces that work with sweaters or heavier denim outfits) and am making some new pieces to match some favorite bright floral shirts.

If you aren’t a jewelry artist – then the best way to spruce up your Spring wardrobe would be to buy one (or more since we don’t have any shopping limits) of the beautiful handmade designs from us. Can you tell I’m a bit biased?

Here are a few of my personal favorites – and we have dozens more in the main Rose of Sharon Jewelry store, in our Etsy store for the A.F.F. Jewelry collection and in our New Life Jewelry Art shop at ArtFire.

Spring Flowers

Betty’s April Remembered features a lovely enameled floral pendant with SWAROVSKI ELEMENT® crystals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The focal bead of Dahlia Princess is a magnificent handcrafted lampwork bead with pink flowers. This necklace and earring set is truly a work of art.

 

 

 

Sunny Colors

The bright and cheery colors of Spring are great complexion enhancers. The reflection from the crystals makes your eyes twinkle too!

The tumbled natural citrine beads in this bracelet move slightly so it reminds you of a charm bracelet. Capturing the Sun is a great bracelet choice for daily wear as it goes with everything!

 

Golden Donut is one of Dena’s lovely wire wrapped pendants. The unique golden Chalcedony is a sunny color without being too bright.

Spring Gifts

Graduations, birthdays and anniversaries are great reasons to give a piece of handmade jewelry. Each one-of-a-kind design says “I care.”

Morning Star is one of Betty’s handmade Cross necklaces. The sterling silver cross features white topaz and hangs from a hand wired necklace.

Swingtime is a long draping pair of earrings created from natural peridot. The fresh green color is perfect for the season.

Let’s Twist Again is a purple lover’s dream. Sarah combined twisted amethyst briolette shaped beads with some round lavender stripped fluorite beads for a fresh, fun look.

Don’t forget that our Birthday Club members always receive a $15 discount coupon during their birthday month. Join today at Rose of Sharon Jewelry Birthday Club.  We also offer new member discounts immediately upon signing up.

Our June sale on Sandra Lee’s designs is a great offer. You’ll save 10% on her original work, plus receive a free pair of earrings plus receive free standard shipping!

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Some women love lingerie. We love clasps. The right clasp is a critical design element for the Rose of Sharon Jewelry artists. I’ve actually had a necklace that sat unfinished for over a year because I was searching for just the right clasp! Clasps (like lingerie) aren’t always shown but that doesn’t mean they are unimportant. They hold everything together (and up) and they can be a “special” source for a personal smile. Other clasps must be shown. Sweep up your hair, wear the clasp on the side or show it off in front! Here are a few of our favorite clasps found on our original necklace or bracelet designs. When you’re shopping the Rose of Sharon Jewelry site, you’ll find clasp photos on the individual product pages. This sterling silver clasp features  faceted lilac colored amethysts. This screw type clasp is simple but adds some elegant sparkle to this deep red necklace. Handcrafted in Thailand, this antiqued sterling silver clasp has intricate scroll work. The ornate swirls in this sterling silver hook and eye clasp works reveal its craftsmanship. A romantic heart and key toggle clasp is a lovely choice for the romantic necklace – Completely Jaded. Betty’s True Heart Necklace has tiny pink flowers within the black lampwork beads so she repeated this subtle theme in the golden hook and eye clasp. Explore the Rose of Sharon Jewelry store to see what a great clasp can do for a handmade bracelet or necklace.

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