Simply Shiny Life

Apatite, the most common phosphate mineral is a member of the Apatite group (isomorphous hexagonal mineral group) and usually appears in blue or green shade. However, the color ranges from colorless, white, yellow to red, brown, pink or purple. It is a brittle stone, and I wouldn’t recommend using it in bracelets or rings, unless extreme care is given in their wear.

Apatite is believed to decrease appetite (hunger) as well as enhance insight, creativity and learning. It is said that wearing apatite will enhance focus, clarity for concentration, intellect, acceptance, and unconditional love. This acceptance and unconditional love relates to the self as well as from others.

I have a couple shades in my bead stash, and used two of them in these lovely silver hoop earrings.

I used the green faceted apatite rondelles  to wrap shiny silver hoops, and the more teal/cerulean blue color smooth rondelles to dangle from the oxidized silver pair.

I can’t decide which shade I like better. What do you think?

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I spent a little quality time at the work bench this weekend. A little creating, a little organizing. You know how that goes. The organizing paid off, however, as I discovered some wonderful little deep red garnet briolettes I’d forgotten I had.

Both pair are available in the ShinyAdornments Artfire studio.

Citrine Encrusted Silver Hoops

Artisan Silver and Garnet Hoops

Happy Holiday Shopping Everyone!

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REDUX:

I’ve posted this previously, and thought I’d share again. It is SUPER easy to make your own handmade earwires.

I’ve got two tutorials courtesy of Vicki from Orion Designs.

Enjoy!

Make your own earwires: Tutorial 1

Make your own earwires: Tutorial 2

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Brenda, from The Jewelry Box, is a member of the Etsy Artisan Beaders street team, to which I also belong.

Etsy Shop: TheJewelryBox : A HodgePodge of Beaded Jewelry
1000Markets Shop: thejewelrybox.1000markets.com
Blog: brendasjewelrybox.blogspot.com
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/brendascreations

I’ve included a few images of Brenda’s creations. Pretty, no?

Brenda says ” I find inspiration in all kinds of ways…a certain color might catch my eye or whatever the season is or maybe it’s just how the day is going. I like to create different styles using an array of materials, such as, gemstones, crystals, sterling silver, antique copper. I like to experiment with colors, lengths, and styles too.When you open a jewelry box, you find an assortment of gems, jewels, and special keepsakes. That’s what you will find in my shop…a jewelry box filled with gems and jewels inviting you in to take them home and cherish them forever. ”You can find many more in her shop.

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From “Knot Comes Loose“, by My Morning Jacket

Baby, baby, can’t you see that I’m smilin’?
Can’t you see, there’s a part of me that’s brand new?
Used to be, was a part of me felt like hidin’
But now it comes through

Deep in my heart
That’s where the knot comes loose
Deep in my heart
I will remember you...

Love this song, and it inspired these super cute handmade sterling silver knot hoop earrings.  I’ve knotted the wire and then hand hammered each one. They are available as oxidized  or shiny, and both are buffed to accentuate the knot and the texture.

You can find them at ShinyAdornments at artfire and ShinyAdornments at etsy

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If very well crafted,  colorful handmade jewelry is up your alley, you really need to check out Catie’s Blue on etsy and artfire. Brandi, who I’ve profiled previously, is a fellow member of the Etsy Artisan Beader’s Street Team.

Brandi creates colorful, wearable GORGEOUS pieces of art, pairing lampwork and gemstone beads.  Her jewelry is a wonderful integration of color and clean lines. I was trying to come up with a word that succinctly describes her style, and I think effervescent probably fits best.

And, for those of you lucky enough to get to know her, she’s funny and irreverent and likes to challenge the status quo. I think these qualities are well represented in her jewelry. Don’t you?  For more info about Catie’s Blue, visit Brandi’s website, www.catiesblue.com.
Her blog is:  brandi-girl.blogspot.com

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My friend and team mate, Vicki from Orion Designs has written another simple to follow tutorial to make handmade earwires, with a bit of a twist, from sterling silver wire.

Making ear wires is such a great way to either get into using wire and/or perfecting technique. You’ll be able to practice :
1. Measuring accurately
2. Bending and spiraling the wire without making tool marks
3. Making two matching wires
4. Hammering
5. Filing
6. Using several different tools for different applications

Happy bending!

Vicki says:
This style of earwire has been a bestseller for me for many years. I offer it almost exclusively as an interchangeable earring, which I sell in sets with 5 different pairs of drops. (See the image below)

Cut a 3″ piece of 20 ga half-hard sterling silver wire. At one end, make the smallest, roundest loop you can with round nose pliers.

Using your favorite pair of pliers (I use my bent nose pliers with a coating of Tool Magic), set the loop in the jaws of the pliers, close to the joint. With your thumb, coax the wire up and around the initial loop to start the spiral. Reposition the the spiral and repeat until there are 2 1/2 revolutions.

Flatten this spiral. Here, I’ve used my rolling mill, but this could be done just as effectively with a chasing hammer and an anvil or bench block.

Place the flattened spiral in the jaws of the pliers and bend the remaining wire back at a 90 degree angle. With the other earring in the pair, you will bend this wire toward you at a 90 degree angle. This will create 2 earrings that are mirror images of each other.

Place your round nose pliers just past the bend and using your fingers, bend the remaining wire straight up. This will create the space where your dangle will go.

To create the part that goes through your ear, I use a size 13 aluminum knitting needle, as shown in the photo. I find it helpful to do both earrings at once, to ensure that they are the same length.

Using a chasing hammer and anvil, flatten the top of this curve. This will work-harden your earwire even more and provide the desired “springiness”. Don’t forget to file the ends and make a small bend in the end, if desired. You can also toss all your newly created earwires into your tumbler to make them a bit more sturdy and to shine them.

Thanks again for sharing Vicki!

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My friend and team mate, Vicki  from Orion Designs has written a simple to follow tutorial to make handmade earwires from sterling silver wire.  Happy bending!

Vicki says:
I’ve been making my own earwires for many years. What follows is a tutorial for a very simple style that is a great way to get started.

I start with 3″ – 3 1/2″ of 20 ga half-hard sterling silver wire. If this is your first time trying this, you might want to practice with copper wire before cutting the sterling!

Hammer about 1/4″ of the end of the wire flat using a chasing hammer and either an anvil or bench block.

Next, using your round nose pliers, make a small loop at the flattened end.

Placing the round nose pliers just above this loop, make a bend in the opposite direction, as shown in the next 2 photos.

In the photo below, you can see that I’m making the curve that will go through your ear. Here, I am using a size 13 aluminum knitting needle as a “jig”. A Sharpie pen works well too.

To finish the earwires, hammer both the top curve and the small curve at the bottom where your drops will go. This hardens the wire and dresses it up at the same time. Don’t forget to file the ends and make a small bend in the end, if desired. You can also toss all your newly created earwires into your tumbler to make them a bit more sturdy and to shine them.

This final image shows an example of Vicki’s earwires used in a pair of lovely prehnite earrings she created.

Thanks for sharing Vicki!

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Jewelry giveaway ends on Friday 11/14 at 5 pm!!

The Artisan Beaders Street Team on etsy (of which I am a happy member ) is pleased to present a little holiday present from us to you! Starting October 20th, participating team members will be sponsoring a giveaway of their fabulous handmade items. New giveaways will be posted to the Artisan Beaders Street Team blog each Monday, and winners will be announced the following Friday.

This week, Vicki of Orion Designs is giving away a truly adorable pair of earrings! The Cocoa Waves Earrings feature glass beads and natural brass, and are perfect no matter the time of year. These earrings measure 5/8ths of an inch from the bottom of the earwire.

How to enter to win:
Visit Vicki’s Shop, then leave a comment here* on the Artisan Beaders Blog with a link to your favorite item.  We will be picking the winner** on Friday, November 14th, at 5:00pm EST, so you have until then to leave a comment. The winner will be announced shortly after, so make sure you check back Friday afternoon. Thanks for playing!*

NOTE: Please don’t leave your comments on my blog. To enter the giveaway, you must leave your name and contact info at the link above on the ABSTeam blog. Thanks!

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I like handmade polymer clay beads. Actually, I like them a lot.  And there are some REALLY talented artists creating some really fabulous beads.

This handmade bracelet and earrings use some terrific surrealistic like beads I purchased from a talented artist on etsy.  Both are available in my etsy shop.

 

The wild party bracelet incorporates sterling silver wire and several sizes of black onyx beads. The beads in the dangle earrings are accompanied by pink tourmaline rondelles, natural rose quartz beads and more black onyx round beads.

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