Rose of Sharon Jewelry

The beauty of the sea often inspires the artists of Rose of Sharon Jewelry. Today I’d like to share a few original handmade necklaces with ocean themes.

The oceans of the world are filled with interesting creatures. When I found this wonderful artisan-made octopus lampwork bead, I just had to transform it into a wearable piece of art and share its whimsical appeal.

Octopus’ Garden necklace combines the glass focal, jasper beads, sea shells and a magnificent sterling silver star fish clasp.

Betty’s Pearl Drift necklace combines freshwater

pearls with seed beads that invoke the colors of the sandy beaches of Oregon. This necklace and earring set is part of our A.F.F. Jewelry Collection at Etsy.

The beautiful South Pacific deserved a dramatic necklace like this one with lots of different sizes, shapes and colors of pearls. I love bold jewelry and this necklace with matching bracelet is not for the timid woman.

On second thought, want to break out of your shell – try wearing this beautiful handmade necklace to a party! You’ll be surrounded by admirers all evening.

My Under the Sea necklace is one of my favorite color combinations – turquoise and coral. The natural tumbled turquoise beads aren’t from the ocean but they certain invoke the Pacific Ocean’s color off Baja. The coral beads are from the ocean (my supplier assures me these are not from endangered reefs) and look like they have been tumbled among the waves for years. The sterling silver fish is from Thailand (made by hand by villagers) as are the adorable sterling silver sea shell beads. This is another bold design that invokes the power and beauty of the oceans around the globe.

Hope you enjoyed seeing a few one-of-a-kind necklaces relating to the sea. You’ll also find plenty of pearls and other sea-themed designs in our main Rose of Sharon Jewelry store and in the A.F.F. Jewelry Collection at Etsy.

We’d love to hear your comments on our handmade jewelry. Just leave a comment here (link at left) or visit the Rose of Sharon Jewelry Facebook page.

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.

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.

3 beautiful handmade necklaces fresh from Betty debuted this week at ROSJ - Faux pearls, soft colors & crystals galore in OOAK designs.

Seafoam is a lovely pale green faux pearl necklace. The three strands drape softly around the neck and measure 16-, 19- 20-inches.

Faux pearls are made from glass. These have exceptional luster in the seafoam green.

Betty created this romantic necklace to coordinate with popular Spring florals.

The double heart clasp in antiqued sterling silver adds to the message of romance. Rose of Sharon Jewelry is known for our  beautiful clasps.

Forgotten Dreams was created from faux pearls in royal purple and snow white. Betty mixed in a few purple Swarovski crystal spacers for extra twinkles.

Love Knot is another beautiful faux pearl creation from Betty. You see she got the pearl bug and decided to stock up on natural and glass pearls. Her obsession sure looks beautiful to me!

These new necklace releases are part of our May 10/10 promotion. You’ll save 10% plus we’ll donate 10% in your name to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The Rose of Sharon Jewelry store is filled with beautiful one-of-a-kind designs and all are part of our sale.