Featured Guest Jewelers!

I would like to tell you about a section of the site that has been in progress for a while now. It is the "Guest Jewelers" section, and it is where I feature the works of other talented artists that I have met in this industry. I am starting December off with a bang, and I am going to introduce you to three new artists. The first artist that I am proud to present to you is Janice Kuhm of Darkmere Designs.

Janice says: "I formed Darkmere Designs in 2000 selling my designs in the Medieval Recreation and Renaissance markets. In 2004 I received an award for my work in wire knitting and chains. Art has always been in my life from music to jewelry. I have been involved in some form of art since I was a child. After receiving a diploma from Brooks College in Fashion Merchandising, I worked in administration at several different companies before going back to college to earn my Bachelors Degree in Business. At that time I was becoming active in medieval recreation and took a class in wire jewelry. I enjoyed the class so much I started taking more classes through a local craft shop, including soldering, fabricating, weaving and chains.

My designs currently focus on wire work, including chain making, knitting and weaving. I work mostly in Sterling Silver and 14kt Gold-filled, although I would eventually like to work in other metals as well."

Here are some examples of Janice's work.





These items will be available for sale for a limited time so if you see something that catches your eye, please don't hesitate to make your purchase. There has been a lot of interest on the part of various artists to participate in this venture, so hopefully I will be featuring new artists every month.

Our second featured artist for the month is Rachael Swiss. Rachael writes, "I have been making jewelry since I was a child. I have been working in the jewelry business as a designer and merchandiser for private companies since 2003 and my work with them (mostly gold, silver, diamonds, and other stones) can be found all over in major department stores throughout the united states. I believe that jewelry is a form of expression and should be worn to bring out the beauty in one's self."



And, last but not least is Sophia Waddell. Sophia Clark Waddell has immersed herself in both the performing and fine arts since birth - her latest creation is Art Intervention. Having made jewelry and taken photographs for as long as she can remember, Sophia is excited about helping customers bring handcrafted, personalized, and functional pieces of art into their every day lives.

Sophia is happy to work with you and your imagination to create the perfect piece of jewelry, or capture that special moment in time and space.



I love having the opportunity to showcase the various styles of each of these artists. All of these items, and much more will be available in my store for you to purchase starting on December 1st in the Guest Jewelers section, so don't forget to check them out!

The most recent additions to my store have been of the Sterling silver and CZ rings and anklets, along with Millefiori and Millecreli earrings and rings. You can purchase these items separately or as a set, and purchasing them as a set will afford you a discounted price.



We've added a few new pendants and gemstone rings as well to both the Men and Women's Collections.






Stay tuned in the next few days for more items from our featured artists. Make sure you look in our new Guest Jewelers section for their items starting December 1st. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I wish you a joyous remainder of the 2008-year!

Ciao!

Swarovski® Crystal Pendant Necklaces

Before I introduce the new crystal pieces I want to preface this blog with one more glass bead necklace. For those of you who have been reading you know that lately I have been focusing on Lisa Atchison's glass beads. As I've stated before they are remarkable, one-of-a-kind beads unlike anything that I have ever seen. In most cases the pictures do not do the beads justice. Please review previous blogs for my most recent creations. I will introduce one new piece to you where I used the combination of a copper mesh necklace along with one of Lisa's electroformed leaf beads.


This necklace is comprised of fine, Italian brass mesh. There is a 3mm leatherette cord inserted into copper-colored brass mesh for durability. The necklace measures 18" in length and is terminated with a lobster claw clasp. I used copper findings, and pure copper wire to make the handmade bail from which the beautiful, ocean-colored bead is suspended. As you view both photos of the bead itself, notice that the bead is only electroformed with a leaf on one side, which adds to its versatility.





OK, now for the crystal. First I'll begin very quickly with the introduction of the "more classy" version of the Christmas tree earrings. I featured the classic-colored tree earrings in a previous blog, which was a green crystal tree accented in red and silver. This new pair is made using clear Swarovski® crystals along with an aurum 2x crystal topper and Colorado topaz base. They dangle from fancy gold-plated ear wires. These adorable creations can be worn all season long so get yours now!





Swarovski® crystal is the finest crystal in the world. I absolutely LOVE what Swarovski® has done this season with their new pendants. Of course these are perfect for any occasion, but hey, the winter season is upon us and in celebration of it I offer you a Swarovski® snowflake pendant necklace!


This sparkling creation has a flat table and faceted edges. The light reflects brilliantly from this classic pendant. I have attached a sterling silver teardrop bail to the snowflake, which dangles from a 20" sterling silver textured loop chain. I terminated the chain with a sterling silver lobster claw clasp.
Also new this season is the 18mm flat-faced heart pendant. With the amazing sparkle only Swarovski® can create, the feminine heart drop has faceted, beveled edges and a smooth center. Stunning glacier blue color, the crystal ignites flashes of blue, green and yellow. I used a sterling silver ice pick heart bail, and attached it to a sterling silver Italian chain for instant elegance. Makes a fabulous gift for any occasion!


I have started working with a new medium. I am not sure if I like it yet as it is very new and extremely delicate, but I feel that the potential for creativeness using this product is just itching to burst through! This woven mesh originates as an extremely fine brass wire, loosely woven and anodized into a glorious color palette. It can be used to create a myriad of styles. Because this mesh is very fragile, it is recommended that it be used like a ribbon with beads strung on the outside only. However, I am a bit of a rebel and I decided to string beads, twist the mesh, and even fill the tube with pearls! (I feel like I just ripped off one of those "DO NOT REMOVE" mattress tags)




This is a David Christensen cane glass bead necklace with sterling silver accents and Swarovski® pearls strung on, and in the mesh tube. The black and white glass beads are from David's "Sophisticate Collection". These are the finest manufactured cane glass beads in the world. I featured his "Harvest Collection" beads on another necklace, which was featured in another blog a short while ago. This necklace is approximately 18" in length and is terminated with a tube-like lobster claw clasp.



That's all for now. I am expecting the birth of our son on December 10th so I am trying to get as much completed and listed on my site, before he arrives! Happy Holidays to all :-D

Ciao!

Not Just Jewelry!

Hi Everyone,

In recent newsletters you were told that you would be able to find Holiday jewelry in our Collections section, and then to look in the appropriate category (For Him, For Her). This has been changed, as we have made it even easier for you to find your favorite holiday pieces. We have added a new category to the Collections section titled Holiday Items. Here you will be able to see all of the themed pieces associated with each holiday season as it changes. If there is something that you would like to see in this section please feel free to E-mail me and I'll do my best to make it for you and list it in that section.

Jewelry isn't the only thing that you'll find here though. Take a look at our newest gift presentation items, such as the decorative wine bottle gift bags.

No more struggling to wrap wine or liquor in holiday paper! For only $2.50 you can present your host with a gift in style. Place your bottle in a decorative, oriental inspired rayon gift bag available in 5 vibrant colors!

You can make your color selection from the drop down menu, or simply click on the items individually in our store. Remember to read my blog to see all of the newest creations. The blog page is updated at least once per week, and it is much easier than searching the various sections of the store every week to see if anything new has been added.

We wish everyone a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season!

November FREE GIFT Winner!

Hello Everyone,

Once again we thank everyone who has registered their E-mail address with us and registered to win a free gift. Isabella's Beads would like to congratulate this month's winner of our FREE GIFT drawing, Courtney Baltazar. Courtney will receive one of the 8 decorative purse hangers pictured below, for FREE. These purse hangers have a retail value of $15.00!



For those who are interested, these purse hangers are also available for sale in our store. Many new holiday items have been added to the store these past few weeks. To stay updated on all of the latest creations please read our blog. If you are interested in purchasing one of these purse hangers please click the photo to be directly connected to that item in our store. The easiest way to find most holiday items will be to browse our Collections section. From there you can select the appropriate category (for him or for her) to see what is currently available. Please keep in mind that the site has been undergoing some major changes for Search Engine Optimization, and new items are being added all the time. So, if you don't see something that catches your eye this time, please keep checking frequently! We at Isabella's Beads would like to wish you a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season!

New Features and Updates

I just wanted to keep you all apprised of the new and ongoing changes with the Isabella's Beads website. I have been extremely busy (and tired, and pregnant) these days with the creation of some new items in my Holiday Jewelry line as well as the addition of new glass bead necklaces, and other interesting features available on the site itself such as my new blog page.

I am trying to create somewhat of an organized schedule so that my regular readers will know what to expect, and when to expect it. My plan is to post a blog at least once a week keeping readers apprised of new pieces and/or happenings in my life and business. So far, that has been working out nicely!

Today I just want to remind you that Isabella's Beads has an Events Calendar that will be frequently updated with important (and not-so-important) events. For example, now that our "Drawing Software" is in place we have a monthly drawing where we give away a FREE GIFT to a special member who is randomly selected from a data base. To see last month's winner please read my previous blogs :-D

If you'd like to know what date that drawing will take place all you need to do is look at the calendar. You can do this by clicking "Events" at the top of the page. In order to be eligible to receive a free gift all you need to do is register your E-mail address with us. That's it! If you haven't done that already you can do so by visiting our Free Gift page. Our next scheduled drawing will take place in just a few days so please check the calendar and don't forget to register with us!

Also, for those of you who haven't explored all of the wonderful pages on my site there is also a section where I post informative jewelry based articles. If you'd like to partake in some light reading you can visit my Articles page at any time, and unlike the newsletters you do not need to be a registered member or logged into the site to read the articles. I have recently added a new article and I will do my best to keep this page updated with new articles every two weeks.

If any of you have written informative articles that you would like to share with others please send them to me at my personal E-mail address and I would be glad to post your writings and credit you with the article, as well as link to your blog.

Well, it's back to work for me as I have some new and exciting pieces to create before the Holidays.

Ciao!

Glass on Silk

I wanted to start this blog off by touching on a few new additions. I have quite a few blog pages and all of them feature the same articles, however the main blog page, which is part of my website www.isabellasbeads.com, has several additions such as an event calendar and a blog roll featuring other talented bloggers that I discover along the way. I will try to get all of the blog links on my main site coordinated with these other blog pages so that I can share the talented artists whom I have been introduced to with you!

OK. In the past few blogs I have listed many new pieces of jewelry having various themes and using a multitude of different materials. Holiday jewelry will obviously be prevalent over the next few weeks with December, the holidays, and winter seasons quickly approaching.

(Here is a new necklace not yet listed in the store, but it'll be there in a day or two. I need to enter the pieces into my program to determine its selling price.)



I have also focused a lot on handmade glass beads and one artist in particular, Lisa Atchison. I know that there are many talented glass artists out there, but right now she is my favorite.

I have been hoarding Lisa’s handmade glass beads for quite some time now without ever turning out a design, until recently. Every aspect of these handmade glass beads is so very special that I really wanted to take time before I did anything with them. In the end it was once again Lisa’s own creativity in the art of handmade jewelry design that led me to make these amazing necklaces. One other thing about Lisa that I should mention is that she is never ever selfish. She is always willing to share with others and me the tricks of the trade as well as information on beads and suppliers, and for that I am very grateful. Thank you, Lisa.

I do my very best to support all artists who create handmade jewelry, materials, and findings. I believe that more love, care, and pride goes into the creation of each piece when someone takes the time to do it themselves rather than have a machine cut thousands of the same thing all day long. I know that for me creativity doesn’t just flow like a peaceful river, so I take a lot of time to look at the handmade designs of other talented artists for inspiration, and I am thankful to all of you for being instrumental in my work.

The following necklaces are created using Lisa’s handmade glass beads. Each design is a one-of-a-kind for the simple fact that no handmade bead can ever be duplicated exactly. Also, the metals and findings will always vary according to the size, color and style of the glass bead. For these handmade necklaces I have incorporated the works of 3 other artists. First, all of the focal glass beads are from Lisa Atchison at Touch of Glass Designs. The silk ribbon in three of the necklaces is hand dyed silk made by Heidi from Jamn Glass. Lastly, Mary Poineal of McDuck Creations makes the change-a-bead pendant bails.

(The first item is already sold so no link to the store is provided. For the remaining pictures you can view additional angles in my store by clicking on the photo.)







I take pride in using only the finest materials available in my designs. For example, the silver spacer beads are Hill Tribes fine silver rather than just sterling silver. And, when I use crystal in my designs, you can rest assured that the only crystal you will see is Swarovski crystal. I am sure that the less expensive beads have a place, but right now that place is not with me.

This next design is also an example of the quality of the glass beads that I incorporate. Although these are now manufactured, David Christensen is without a doubt the best maker of cane glass beads in the world. No one seems to argue this point. David’s beads are special in many ways. Perhaps you’ve wondered how David could compete in the marketplace with prices over $100.00 or more per pound. The fact is that the Chinese do not use as high of a quality of glass as David Christensen. Also, their caning process is nowhere near as sophisticated as David’s process. The edges of their glass beads are square while David's are slightly rounded. The slightly rounded edges protect the medium on which the beads are strung, and when using them on silk like I have done in this next design that was obviously very important. In this necklace I used beads from his “Harvest Collection” symbolic of the fall season.



Again, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t any place for Chinese cane glass. It is a great alternative for a new or young beading artist, their beads are also nice if you want to create many inexpensive bracelets, and they’re wonderful if your customers are looking for a fashionable item at a low price. As for me I prefer to stick with David Christensen and the American made cane glass beads.

I think that I have rambled enough for now so I’ll see you again soon. I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it!

Ciao,

Mariealena