As Promised - More Photos of Niobium Post Earrings

6mm Amethyst Niobium Posts

6mm Malachite Niobium Posts

6mm Tiger Eye Niobium Posts

4mm Nephrite Jade Niobium Posts

6mm Lavender Amethyst Niobium Posts

4mm Powder Green Swarovski Pearl Niobium Posts

2mm Stainless Steel Ball Niobium Posts

4mm Onyx Niobium Posts

4mm Lapis Lazuli Niobium Posts

All are currently listed for sale in my etsy shop at http://www.prettysensitive.etsy.com.  100% hypoallergenic post earrings for sensitive ears made out of Niobium and all come with rounded silicone backs.

More Niobium Posts

I showed pictures of my very first pair of 100% hypoallergenic Niobium post earrings for sensitive ears in a previous post here on my blog.  That post can be found here.

Since then I've sold several pairs of Niobium post earrings with freshwater button pearls.  Here is a photo of these:

I also had a custom order request for another pair of Niobium posts with crystals.  The customer requested dark green.  Here is a photo of how these turned out:

Up next, I have a variety of gemstones that I will be mounting on to Niobium posts.  Included in the lineup are:  amethyst, tiger eye, onyx, lapis lazuli, nephrite, malachite, and more!  These gemstones range in size from 4 mm for those who prefer their post earrings to be more of a subtle accessory to 6 mm for those who love to have their posts stand out more.

I also have the concept in mind for how to create a dangle element to these Niobium posts.  My first shortcut method did not work.  But, method number two is more complicated, but should just do the trick!  Stay tuned!  :)

P.S.  I do like to work with individuals to create custom earrings that are in your preferred color and/or material.  Don't hesitate to contact me either by email:  prettysensitive at gmail dot com  Or via the contact page on my website:  http://www.prettysensitive.weebly.com

Dremel & Bloggie

My 30th birthday has arrived!  And I have to say, I feel just fine.  ;) 

My parents gave to me this birthday a gift of a Dremel tool which I have long wanted!  I am so excited (and also a little intimidated!)  I perused the owner's manual and took a look through all of the various attachments and am now working on dreaming up its inaugural project!  I think that once I can start playing around with it I will learn quickly what I can do with it.  (hopefully without doing much damage to any of the attachments!  but, you know, sometimes you just gotta learn by making mistakes!)

My husband gave me an amazing little techie device called a Sony Bloggie.  It is a small digital video camera with dual screens:  one on the back as we've all typically seen with digital cameras, and another screen on the front!  It's so I can set it up on a tripod and video myself and be able to see what I'm recording (my kids love this feature - lol)  He got it so I can record videos of earring making to share online!  I think it's going to be sort of fun - whether it's for making brief tutorials or for sharing the inspiration and work behind a particular pair that I've made.  This camera is so sleek too - and can take still pictures while video recording too. 

A few more sentimental thoughts on turning 30 before I end this blog post...

I have had my dearest family and friends nearby to help me welcome this new decade of my life - and it really means a lot to me.  I've always been a "quality" not "quantity" type of girl when it comes to friends, and I feel really blessed to have the real, supportive, quality friendships that I do.  In general the last few months have been ones filled with thought and reflection on life thus far and onward, and I am sincerely thankful to be where I am in my life.  Each day I grow more and more comfortable in my own skin, I keep learning more and more, and gain more and more wisdom.  There's nothing quite like experience to help you truly understand the wisdom our elders try to pass on to us at a young age.  I see this quite simply with my own children, and feel it myself when I have an 'ah-ha!' moment of realization about advice given to me by elder loved ones since passed. 

Sentimentality aside, I know my 30's are going to be grand!  :) 

And back on the topic of Pretty Sensitive Ears...  ;)  I have really enjoyed so far the handful of feedback I have received from customers who are having great success with earrings they've purchased from me.  It's a great feeling to help people out.  Thanks for the feedback and support.  I am enjoying this "job" much more than any other I've ever had!

Weaving

I spent a bit of time (through three episodes of 30 Rock on Netflix) experimenting with some weaving techniques.
The first used small seed beads and a french weaving technique to create beaded leaves or petals. I first tried with these pretty iridescent ivory colored seed beads that are more chunky and have sort of a square perimeter. I found that it was very difficult to get the strands to wrap close together.

So then I tried again using small (very small!) pink seed beads and found it was much easier to keep the weaving tighter and more to the size I preferred. When I got done I added an extra shiny gold iris glass bead on top and twisted the wires below and created an open spiral out of them. I really liked the multiple textures that were created overall.

The next weaving technique used just wire to create a herringbone weave. I saw this done around a pearl on a listing on Etsy and thought it was so beautiful. I found that it coincidentally is the same process as the french bead weaving from above, but without the seed beads! It was a bit difficult to keep the wires where I wanted them, but ultimately, once I got it going, it was pretty smooth going and turned out very pretty! I used it to create pendants for earrings, but I also thought it would look really pretty as the top of a wire wrapped ring too!

I am sitting now with my girls finishing up an episode of The Backyardigans (oh how they can sing a harmony!), but once I have a moment I will definitely be adding pictures to this post so that my descriptions will make more sense.
Happy Friday!

Edit:  Pictures now added!  :)

Gemstones

I happened upon the following website a few days ago which has a really great guide to gemstones. It's alphabetically ordered and has photographs of each gemstone right there in the list. I really liked its clear and concise layout and so I thought I would share this here on my blog. http://jewelryplus.net/info/gemstone_reference.html

What is your favorite gemstone? Or, rather, what are your favorites? (cause, really, I think it might be difficult to just choose one!)

There are so many more than the handful that we readily hear about - sapphire, ruby, topaz, etc. Many I've never heard of before. I look forward to experimenting with more of these amazing gemstones in the (hopefully near) future!

Birth Stones

I've been looking for a good summary of birth stones by month. The following excerpt is from the farmer's almanac online and was a pretty good succinct summary.

Birthstone Meanings by Month

January's birthstone, the garnet, is thought to keep the wearer safe during travel.

February's birthstone, the amethyst, is said to strengthen relationships and give its wearer courage. At one time, only royalty could wear the gem. Ancient Greeks thought that the amethyst guarded against intoxication. In fact, amethyst comes from amethystos, a Greek word meaning "sober."

March's birthstone, the aquamarine, was thought to cure heart, liver, and stomach diseases—all one had to do was drink the water in which the gem had been soaking. Early sailors believed that aquamarine talismans, etched with the likeness of the sea god Neptune, protected them against ocean dangers.

April's birthstone, the diamond, in addition to being a symbol of everlasting love, was once thought to bring courage. In Sanskrit, the diamond is called "vajra," which also means lightning; in Hindu mythology, vajra was the weapon of Indra, the king of gods.

May's birthstone, the emerald, was one of Cleopatra's favorite gems. It has long been associated with fertility, rebirth, and love. Ancient Romans went so far as to dedicate this stone to Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Today, it is thought that emeralds signify wisdom, growth, and patience.

June's birthstone, the pearl, has long been a symbol of purity. The ancient Greeks believed that pearls were the hardened tears of joy from Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

July's birthstone, the ruby, was regarded by ancient Hindus as the "king of gems." It was believed to protect its wearer from evil. Today, the ruby's deep-red color signifies love and passion.

August's birthstone, the peridot, symbolizes strength. It is sometimes called the evening emerald for its light green color. It was once believed that the green peridot crystals found in volcanic ashes were the tears of the volcano goddess, Pele. When set in gold, this gem was said to protect the wearer from nightmares.

September's birthstone, the sapphire, was once thought to guard against evil and poisoning. It was believed that a venomous snake would die if placed in a vessel made of sapphire. Traditionally a favorite stone of priests and kings, the sapphire symbolizes purity and wisdom.

October's birthstone, the opal, symbolizes faithfulness and confidence. The word comes from the Latin opalus, meaning "precious jewel." Necklaces with opals set in them were worn to repel evil and to protect eyesight.

November's birthstone, the topaz, symbolizes love and affection. It is believed to give the wearer increased strength and intellect.

December's birthstone, turquoise, is regarded as a love charm. It is also a symbol of good fortune and success, and it is believed to relax the mind and to protect its wearer from harm. Turquoise rings, in particular, are thought to keep away evil spirits.

Did you know that each month also has an associated birth flower? There's a list with their meanings at: http://www.birthflowersguide.com/

Fun Stuff!!

Experimentation

One of the fantastic things about jewelry making is the endless possibilities! I've been reading oodles of blogs and online tutorials lately and as a result have learned and seen lots of inspiring techniques and ideas.

I have been a bit under the weather the last few days, but sitting in bed with all my gear spread around me has been a great distraction. A few new things I've tried include punching out of sheet metal, stamping sheet metal, and creating coiled shapes and filling in the centers with wrapped embroidery floss. I received a resin kit I ordered from limabeads.com (after receiving a discount as a fun prize from their totally captivating digital Easter egg hunt throughout their website! it was such a fun idea and so well executed!). So I did some reading up on resin bead creation and am excited to give that a try!

Photos will follow soon! And meanwhile, there are several other new pairs of earrings newly listed on my etsy shop - with new photography taken in my homemade light box. http://www.prettysensitive.etsy.com