Thursday, April 7, 2016
My Top 5 Favorite Gemstones To Work With
Gemstones come in many different and exciting colors and patterns that its very hard for me to pick a favorite. I decided to come up with and list my top 5 favorite gemstone and tell you why.
5. Lapis Lazuli
I picked Lapis as my 5th favorite gemstone because of its earthy blue color and gold speckles of pyrite. This gemstone is very unique and its rich color can bring out the best in jewelry designs.
4. Moonstone
This gemstone has a beautiful shimmering iridescent look that is easily recognizable. I love the way it looks in the light, that is why its my 4th favorite gemstone.
3. Aquamarine
This gemstone has an amazing color that instantly reminds me of the beach, it has a nice cooling look to it that makes you want to relax.
2. Blue Chalcedony
This has a similar color to aquamarine, just a tad bit more blue. The cloudiness that this gemstone has to it makes it one of my favorites.
1. Rose Quartz
Finally, my favorite gemstone of all is rose quartz. Everything that this gemstone is paired with makes it look outstanding. The pink color that it has definitely makes it my favorite by far.
That"s my top five list of favorite gemstones, please comment and tell me yours and also check out my stores to see the jewelry I have created with these gemstones plus many more!
http://honeybeeadsjewelry.etsy.com
http://stores.ebay.com/HoneyBeeadsJewelry
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Spring Jewelry Designs
Winter is over and Spring is here, so I decided to write about some of
my favorite Spring colors in jewelry. Spring time is when the weather
starts getting nicer and the days start getting longer, which always
reminds me of bright colors like oranges, yellows, pinks, greens and
bright blues. These colors always stand out and pop in any piece of
jewelry! These colors can easily change a whole design to make it
vibrant and fresh. Those are some of my favorite Spring time colors,
please comment and share yours!
To find the bracelet pictured and some of my other jewelry please visit my eBay and Etsy store in the links below and follow me on Twitter @HoneyBeeads
www.stores.ebay.com/honeybeeadsjewelry
www.honeybeeadsjewelry.etsy.com
To find the bracelet pictured and some of my other jewelry please visit my eBay and Etsy store in the links below and follow me on Twitter @HoneyBeeads
www.stores.ebay.com/honeybeeadsjewelry
www.honeybeeadsjewelry.etsy.com
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Clasps and Different Ways To Finish Jewelry
Most jewelry has to have a way to go around your wrist, neck or ankle
and stay there. One way is for that piece of jewelry to have a clasp.
There are many different kinds of clasps, some that work better for
different styles of jewelry, I'm going to write about some of those
different kinds and also what some of my favorites are.
Lobster Claw- A lobster claw clasp is probably the most common out of them all, it has a trigger which allows to open it and fit it around the other side of the jewelry, it looks like a lobsters claw, which is why it has that name.
Toggle Clasp- This is probably my favorite clasp, a toggle clasp is a bit different than a lobster claw clasp. A toggle clasp has a longer bar that slides through a smaller hole and connects the jewelry together, there is a toggle clasp shown on the bracelet in the picture. I like toggles clasps the most because they add a lot to a design, you can find them in all sorts of different shapes, objects, such as flowers, leaves, hearts and many more things. I think this is a great way to add just a little more style to any piece of jewelry.
There are also magnetic clasps, which has two ends of a magnet come together to hold together jewelry, barrel clasps, two different ends that screw in to one another, hook clasps, and spring ring clasps which is most similar to a lobster claw clasp except the clasp is in the shape of a ring. Those are just are just some of the more popular kinds of clasps. Please comment and follow me on Twitter @HoneyBeeads and also visit my eBay and Etsy store to see the bracelet in the picture and many other handmade bracelets, necklaces, rings and earrings!
eBay- http://stores.ebay.com/HoneyBeeadsJewelry
Etsy- www.honeybeeadsjewelry.etsy.com
Lobster Claw- A lobster claw clasp is probably the most common out of them all, it has a trigger which allows to open it and fit it around the other side of the jewelry, it looks like a lobsters claw, which is why it has that name.
Toggle Clasp- This is probably my favorite clasp, a toggle clasp is a bit different than a lobster claw clasp. A toggle clasp has a longer bar that slides through a smaller hole and connects the jewelry together, there is a toggle clasp shown on the bracelet in the picture. I like toggles clasps the most because they add a lot to a design, you can find them in all sorts of different shapes, objects, such as flowers, leaves, hearts and many more things. I think this is a great way to add just a little more style to any piece of jewelry.
There are also magnetic clasps, which has two ends of a magnet come together to hold together jewelry, barrel clasps, two different ends that screw in to one another, hook clasps, and spring ring clasps which is most similar to a lobster claw clasp except the clasp is in the shape of a ring. Those are just are just some of the more popular kinds of clasps. Please comment and follow me on Twitter @HoneyBeeads and also visit my eBay and Etsy store to see the bracelet in the picture and many other handmade bracelets, necklaces, rings and earrings!
eBay- http://stores.ebay.com/HoneyBeeadsJewelry
Etsy- www.honeybeeadsjewelry.etsy.com
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Glass, Crystal & Swarovski- What's the difference?
A popular beading item today is crystal. Lots of designs use them and
you'll see them described as "glass", "glass crystal" and "Swarovski
crystal". So what is the difference between all of these?
Crystal is just glass that contains lead. There has to be at least 24% lead in the glass to be classified as crystal. The higher the lead in it, the more refractive and shiny the crystal will be. Sometimes you can spot glass beads that are labeled as crystal just by telling how much they shine. You can find crystal in lots of places but the amount of lead in each one will vary depending on the quality.
Swarovski is an Austrian brand that specializes in selling crystal. The difference between an unbranded crystal and Swarovski branded crystal can come down to its lead content, Swarovski keeps a standard as to how much lead is in their crystal whereas other brands might not.
So the main difference is that glass has no lead, certain crystals might not have standards for how much lead is in their crystal and Swarovski tends to have crystal that are more consistent in lead content.
I hope this helped clear up any questions out there about these differences, please comment if you enjoyed reading and check out my eBay and Etsy stores where I have over 150 jewelry items for sale! Also follow me on twitter @HoneyBeeads
www.stores.ebay.com/HoneyBeeadsJewelry
www.honeybeeadsjewelry.etsy.com
Crystal is just glass that contains lead. There has to be at least 24% lead in the glass to be classified as crystal. The higher the lead in it, the more refractive and shiny the crystal will be. Sometimes you can spot glass beads that are labeled as crystal just by telling how much they shine. You can find crystal in lots of places but the amount of lead in each one will vary depending on the quality.
Swarovski is an Austrian brand that specializes in selling crystal. The difference between an unbranded crystal and Swarovski branded crystal can come down to its lead content, Swarovski keeps a standard as to how much lead is in their crystal whereas other brands might not.
So the main difference is that glass has no lead, certain crystals might not have standards for how much lead is in their crystal and Swarovski tends to have crystal that are more consistent in lead content.
I hope this helped clear up any questions out there about these differences, please comment if you enjoyed reading and check out my eBay and Etsy stores where I have over 150 jewelry items for sale! Also follow me on twitter @HoneyBeeads
www.stores.ebay.com/HoneyBeeadsJewelry
www.honeybeeadsjewelry.etsy.com
Monday, March 21, 2016
How To Tell The Difference Between Acrylic/Plastic Beads & Gemstone/Glass Beads.
There are many different material of beads out there; from natural
gemstone, glass and metal to clay, wood and plastic. Two pretty common
types of beaded jewelry you will find in major stores are gemstone,
glass and acrylic.
Acrylic beads are synthetic and far cheaper than natural gemstone and glass beads. While they are cheaper, they can be very versatile, since they have many shape and color options, acrylic beads are also lightweight making them useful for necklaces and earrings, things you would want to keep light.
Gemstone are natural stone that have been drilled to be used as beads, some types of gemstone can be very pricey, depending on the condition and coloring of the stone.
From my experience, stores generally have acrylic/plastic beads used on their beaded jewelry and that can range anywhere from $10-$20 or even higher depending on which store you are shopping since you want to get the best material possible for your your money, a very simple test you can do to tell if you are about to purchase an acrylic jewelry item or a stone/glass one is to do a feel test with your fingers. Gemstone and glass beads are far colder than acrylic so they should be cold to the touch. Another method commonly used is to take they bead and press it against your upper lip, once again it should feel colder than an acrylic item.
That's just a quick way to tell what kind of jewelry you are buying, please check out my jewelry that I sell on eBay and Etsy by visiting my sites below, thanks for reading! Also follow me on Twitter @HoneyBeeads
http://stores.ebay.com/honeybeeadsjewelry/
www.honeybeeadsjewelry.etsy.com
Acrylic beads are synthetic and far cheaper than natural gemstone and glass beads. While they are cheaper, they can be very versatile, since they have many shape and color options, acrylic beads are also lightweight making them useful for necklaces and earrings, things you would want to keep light.
Gemstone are natural stone that have been drilled to be used as beads, some types of gemstone can be very pricey, depending on the condition and coloring of the stone.
From my experience, stores generally have acrylic/plastic beads used on their beaded jewelry and that can range anywhere from $10-$20 or even higher depending on which store you are shopping since you want to get the best material possible for your your money, a very simple test you can do to tell if you are about to purchase an acrylic jewelry item or a stone/glass one is to do a feel test with your fingers. Gemstone and glass beads are far colder than acrylic so they should be cold to the touch. Another method commonly used is to take they bead and press it against your upper lip, once again it should feel colder than an acrylic item.
That's just a quick way to tell what kind of jewelry you are buying, please check out my jewelry that I sell on eBay and Etsy by visiting my sites below, thanks for reading! Also follow me on Twitter @HoneyBeeads
http://stores.ebay.com/honeybeeadsjewelry/
www.honeybeeadsjewelry.etsy.com
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