Jewelry Trends over the Decades

Jewelry has been reused and recycled over the decades.  As the times change, so do the trends.  Could you imagine having belly button rings back in the 20s?

I am going to focus on the 20s and 30s today.  Enjoy!

The Roaring Twenties
As the neckline on shirts plunged to new depths, and hairstyles radically shortened into bobs, jewelry trends of the 1920s adjusted with the times with jewelers producing sportier, more casual accessories.

Synthetic plastics made their appearance in the Twenties, and showed up in jewelry cases, allowing for mass production and affordability. Bakelite, with its clay-like material that could be finished in a variety of colors, became a popular form of synthetic jewelry.

In the era, the definition of style transformed from expensive to affordable, from fancy to fun-and so did the jewelry. The martini may already have been invented, but the Roaring Twenties saw the dawn of cocktail jewelry.

Bakelite Bangle

The Dirty Thirties

American optimism took a hit as the booming economy faded into economic depression. Functionality was the word of the decade and fashion turned practical. Jewelry brought color and brightness to an otherwise gloomy state of affairs.

To liven up dull outfits, women turned to brilliant brooches found at bargain prices made from colorful enamel. In a desperate time, women were going to desperate measures to prove their social status, causing jewelry designers to grow bolder. And women piled it on, from dress clips in hair to the chunky necklaces that could be worn as bracelets. Bigger and bolder meant wealthier

Brilliant Brooch

I can think of several ways these trends have been reinvented over the years. 

Until next time...
http://www.jewelrybyfrancine.com/

Family Heirlooms

Hello -

Just got back from our annual trip to the beach!  I love the beach, it is so relaxing and therapeutic.  This year we went to St. Augustine, well actually, Crescent Beach which is just south of St. Augustine. 

I was not sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised.  There is a lot of history in that city!!  We were able to see some forts, visited several haunted locations and did a lot of walking on the beach.  For those of you who did not know, St. Augustine is supposed to be one of the most haunted cities in the US.  If you are a ghost hunter, this city is for you.

Since my Mother recently passed away, there is the dreaded chore of going through her belongings.  The only positive light is that there are some heirlooms that bring back so many memories.  I am going to talk about two pieces of jewelry which do just that!

My Grandmother, Frances, loved jewelry.  I guess that in addition to being named after her, I took after her in that regard.  Every birthday I would get a piece of jewelry.  Of course being a kid, one never truly appreciates it.

There were always two pieces of jewelry which I loved, even as a child.  My Mom wore more delicate jewelry. My Grandmother, on the other hand, liked bold pieces.  You will definitely see the difference in their style below.

This ring was my Grandmother's.  This ring is 14k gold and topaz.  I have loved this ring since I was about 14 and started wearing really large jewelry.  I was allowed to wear this only on special occasions when I was young.

This bracelet was my Mother's.  My Dad gave this to her.  It is 14k gold, garnets and pearls.  I remember liking this bracelet since I was very young.  Maybe it was the saying, maybe it was the color, but I always knew I loved it. 

As you can see, they had two totally different styles.  My Mother was very petite and would look silly wearing the ring:)

I hope you have enjoyed looking at some of my family heirlooms and a little history behind them!

Until next time...

Bead and Button is Over

Hello -

What a nice weekend and get away I had in Milwaukee!  While it was a quick trip, about 30 hours, it was very relaxing and I learned a lot!  It is not often that I get away completely alone - no dogs, kids or husband.  It was nice to do what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it:)

My instructor, Gwen Bernacker did a nice job teaching myself and about 8 other students the technique of Keum boo.  I have posted a picture of the earrings I created.  I must say, I am happy with them.  It is not all of the time that I am excited about the very first piece of make of a new technique.

I have a very small, simple kiln being shipped to me so that I will be able to put old on EVERYTHING:)  Well I would not go that far with the gold prices the way they are, but at least on stuff until my gold foil runs out. Talk about recycling??? 

Having a kiln also means that I will be able to do PMC which is exciting.  I also purchased a book from an artist I met at the show, Katie McKinnon.  What a nice lady and her book is just great.  Just started reading it today.  What a great resource for metal clay.  There is really no limit to what you can make out of PMC, that is why it is so exciting!

Getting ready for my 1st outdoor summer show, let's hope that the weather cooperates as I have never done a show in the rain.  Good thing that silver does not melt:)

Until next time...

Bead and Button Show

Hello!

Boy it has been a while - sorry about that!!  Summer is a busy time for everyone, especially is you do art shows and dog shows:)  I do both!!

To catch you up on what is happening - I just accepted another position within the same company.  I start tomorrow!  I am very sad to leave all of the great people I worked with for the prior 4.5 years but also excited to work with some new people and learn a totally different set of skills. 

On the dog front - Piper took BOB at the Kalamazoo shows last weekend - YEAH Piper!  We only showed one day but it was a 4 day show - wishing I stayed for more:(

Rachael is officially done with school on Tuesday and she also got a new job!!!!  Bob Evans YUM!!!!  Say goodbye to McDonalds where she has worked for the prior two years!!!

On the jewelry front - I have not had much time creating new things, but I am working on a pretty pink bracelet - will look great for summer with a nice tan hand/arm:)  I know sun is bad, but I just love having that glow- makes you feel so good!!

I am going to the Bead and Button show this week - YEAH!!  I have had this trip booked for over 6 mos and it is finally here.  It started out when I was looking for a class on learing Keum Boo.  I found a location in CA but that was a little pricey considering plain fair so I was told to check out Bead and Button in Miwaukee, WI and sure enough they offered a class. 

Here is a link http://www.beadandbuttonshow.com/bnbshow/default.aspx.
This is the largest consumer bead show in the world but don't the the word bead scare you as it has everything and so many classes.  I wanted to take several more but I was too late in registering:(

I will be going on this trip alone which really is the only way to go as no one in my family would want to walk around a bead show all day then wait for me while I take a class.  I am super excited and get to learn a new technique!!! Here is a link which outlines it very nicely - so excited!!!

http://www.jewelryartistmagazine.com/stepbystep/aug04.cfm

I will post when I get back from my trip.  Have a great week!!!

Teaching

Hello!

It has been a while but things have been crazy!  Good crazy but not a lot of computer time. Hope all of the Mom's out there had a great day.  Rachael got me three pretty balloons and a gift card to one of my favorite restaurants.  Thanks Rachy!!! 

Well today I taught a jewelry class for the first time.  I have a training background so it is not the first time I stood up in front of people teaching but the 1st time I tough someone how to make jewelry.  This was a fun class as it involved several skills which 2 out of the 4 did not have.  Overall, it went well and everyone finished their initial ring with a pearl dangle.

I am a huge fan of soliciting feedback and I asked the students if they would have liked to see anything different or have me go at a different pace and everyone said "no."  In looking back, there are a few things I would have done differently but the students probably did not know that:)

I have another class schedule at the end of May which is a totally different skill set so it should be fun!!!

I want to thank Laura from Embellish in Rocky River, OH for the opportunity to teach - check out her website- http://www.embellish.com/. 

I also created some really fun, custom jewelry. Sometimes it is fun just to use base metal and fun beads instead of the "good" stuff.  This necklace would look super cute worn with a black blouse or even white! I have attached a picture,

Full work week this week so need to get ready.  Until next time...

Advertising/Passion!!!!

Hello!
I know, I know I have promised to talk about diamonds, however, I have not had a lot of time to put anything together and I promised to update this once a week.  Therefore, I am going to talk about advertising.

I recently was featured on My Give Away Today.  It is a way of advertising where you not only pay the host but also give away either a piece of jewelry or a gift certificate.  I chose a gift certificate, this way the winner could choose what she wants!

I just found out who the winner is and I just emailed her the prize.  I hope she enjoys what she purchases!
I also hope that she passes the word around about my site.  If , of course, she is happy with her gift. 

This all leads me to the question - is this type of advertising worth it?

While this may not be all that much $ for a small business it can get costly.  While I did not generate any sales from this campaign, I did get 55 more fans on Facebook (or likes)  This is something that is truly priceless as I post a lot of my new pieces on FB and therefore, get a lot of exposure. 

Also, it has only been a few days since my feature so I am confident that it will generate sales in the future.

The drawback about doing this type of advertising is that I am now a target for other folks who have these types of blogs.  I have received at least 3 e-mails from other bloggers intersted in featuring my site.  I told them that I wanted to give it a few weeks before I made a decision on what I wanted to do. 

This is a part of the business I truly enjoy, I actually enjoy everything expect the tax part and thankfully that happens only two times per year.

Enjoy life and do want you are truly passionate about as life is short.  My husband lost a dear friend this week at a far too young age - left a wife and two teenagers behind.  Do not fret about the small things, take time to slow down and play with your dogs, read that book or just sit outside and smell the flowers!!  I need to take my own advise.  Until next time...

Tucson

Hello!

Hope everyone is well.  Sorry for the late post, but I was in Tucson at a conference for work.  I went from 90 degree weather to 40 degree weather in 7 hours. 

Having never been to AZ, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.  The weather was absolutely wonderful!!  Warm during the day and cool in the mornings and after the sun went down.  We did a lot of outside sightseeing.

The first day we went to the desert museum which was recommended by the concierge at the hotel.  What a good suggestion!  I was even later able to identify a snake I saw outside of my door at my hotel!!!  It was not poisonous:)

The food at the hotel, El Conquistador, was outstanding.  That is saying a lot for conference food since it is difficult to serve hot food for that many people.  Kudos to them!!!

The conference was also great!  Took away a lot of great ideas this time - super excited to implement them.  Hopefully all of the attorneys will think the same way...

I promised that I would talk about the April birthstone, but I want to gather some additional info before posting on that, plus I wanted to talk about my little trip and share some pics!

Oh - I also got a lot of ideas for jewelry while I was bored in a few of the sessions LOL!!!

The site on our nightly walks!

The two people walking were from Ohio!!

A cave at the Desert Musuem

Man made but very realistic!

Give Away Today and Jewelstruck Blog

Hello!

I have had a wonderful week off.  I was able to get so much done.  However, the week flew!  Retook a ton of pics on my site and created some really fun new pieces. (see pic below) I also had lunch with a few friends, helped my Mom out and went to the zoo!  Hope you all had a great week.

I am very excited about an opportunity that presented itself to me and it involves, of course, jewelry.  I now am able to post on a very popular jewelry blog and my first post was published today.  http://blog.jewelstruck.com/
It was so much fun writing about what I love and the other 10k followers love to do and there is so much variety discussed - all kinds of jewelry.

I also wanted to mention that I will be teaching two classes at a local bead store, Embellish, in Rocky River, Ohio.  A great ring and a great bracelet so if you are local, check me out - should be a great time!

Lastly, I wanted to welcome vistors from Give Away Today.  I will be featured next week and hope to get some more followers to the blog - HELLO!!!
http://www.mygiveawaytoday.com/



Catch us next time when we review the birthstone for April - the diamond - LOVE IT!!!





http://www.jewelrybyfrancine.com/store/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=10265

What Size Should I Get?

Hello!

Happy Friday!  It is the 1st day of my staycation and I got a lot accomplished - even starting on cleaning out my closet:) 

Before I jump into jewelry, I want to talk a little bit about my puppy, Piper.  She is just such a character!  At the part last night she got to go into the creek and retrieve a golf ball which thrown to her by a little girl (frient) she met at the park.  When Piper could not find the ball in the water (it was sort of deep) she gave up but instisted that the little girl had more balls in her pocket and stared at her for forever hoping that she would, once again, throw something in the water.  Let me tell you, it was hard to pull her away from that little girl:) 

I have been getting a lot of questions about sizing for rings and bracelets so I thought I would share some of my knowledge with you. 

First of all I have ring and bracelet sizers on my website - take a look - no you do not have to purchase something to use them.  http://www.jewelrybyfrancine.com/sizingfr.html

Rings - Do you go a size up or a size down if you are in between sizes?  Answer:  A size up.  Our body swells depending on water retention and if you purchase a size larger you can always wear it on another finger.  You may also purchase a guard at a jewelry store.

Bracelets - While bracelets may go around your wrists, some are meant to hang a bit longer and fall on the hand than others.  On my site I will indicate if a particular bracelet should be worn loose or fitted.  However, it is generally up to taste of the person who is purchasing the bracelet.  If I specify that the bracelet should be worn fitted, then you should typically add .5 inch or less to your wrist size.  The bracelet and bangle sizers are a great tool to determine what size to order on all other bracelets. 

Necklaces/Chains - The most common length necklace/chain size is 18 inches. This length chain can accomodate many different styles of charms or pendants and in a necklace, it typically hits in the right spot it shoes when you wearing most shirts.  This is also the most flattering length for the general public.

16 inches - is more of a choker length and looks good on a person with a longer, thinner neck.

20 inches - is, of course, a longer chain and I think looks great with our Love Tags and personalized pieces and is becoming more popular as it can be worn over most shirts.

http://www.jewelrybyfrancine.com/store/index.php?app=ecom&ns=catshow&ref=charms

Until next time...

Mokume Gane

Hello!

It has been a busy week and boy am I tired but I wanted to update this as I truly enjoy doing it.

I am going to talk a bit about one of my favorite materials to work with - mokume gane. I first saw it in one of my jewelry magazine and I was HOOKED!  It is such a fascinating metal as no two pieces are alike.  In addition, there are so many different metals which can be used to create mokume gane.

Mokume is a mixed metal laminate with a distinctive pattern.  Mokume is a Japanese term and it comes from late 1600's - 1800's when the Samuri sword was transitioned from being  tool for fighting to a symbol of the warrier class.  Mokume gane translates into a wood grain metal.  The lamination process involves many layers, sometimes, 10-30 layers of copper, gold, sterling, and platinum between steel blocks and heating them in a kiln allowing the layers to fuse not melt.  The billet is them forged and rolled to the desiured thickness.  The patterns are created by hand carving down through the layers.

That is a background on this fascinating metal.  I have worked with two patterns, random and river and have only worked with Sterling silver and copper.  I have attached my latest ring which was created with Mokume gane.  Enjoy!

Until next time...

Resin Jewelry/Loss of a Friend

Hello!

Hope everyone is doing well on this first day of Spring!  It is a bit chilly here and partly cloudy but I am NOT complaining! 

Piper is at her first dog show in KY and she took the point yesterday - YEAH. She also took the point again today!!!  I love my dogs:)

Well over the past week I learned how to create resin jewelry. It was a huge hit - all of the pieces I created were sold.  It is a really fun, ecomonical way to wear fun, colorful jewelry!  I started out using base metal or metal which is coated with silver, however, I am going to work my way up to Sterling! 

Resin is really fun as it acts like a picture frame for your subject.  So far I have worked with paper and beach glass.  I would like to start adding things to my pieces, beads, stones, etc but I seem to like the simplicity of the fun patterns on the paper.  Stay tuned.

I am going to put my resin pieces in my Etsy store only so check them out: http://www.jewelrybyfrancine.etsy.com/.

I have also attached a picture.  

I also wanted to take a moment to reflect on a old friend who died this week - Sharon Pullar.  Sharon was just a wonderful, carefree person.  I do not think she ever had a care in the world.  They found her body in her home this week we do not yet know how she died. 

While I have not kept in touch with Sharon over the past 25 years, looking at pictures posted on FB bring back all of the HS memories we had.  As someone posted on FB yesterday, heaven is now laughing.  How true.  RIP Sharon Pullar - I will miss you:)

Until next time...

March!

Hello -

With the arrival of March I cannot help but think of spring and warmer weather.  However, in Ohio we are not out of the woods just yet! 

The birthstone for March is aquamarine. What a pretty color stone and it comes in so many different colors.  I have attached a link which tell us quite a bit about this gemstome.

http://www.about-birthstones.com/marchbirthstone.html

I have one piece created out of aquamarine and it displays the different colors which are available.  I  call this Cotton Candy! 

Some great news!  Don Basch Jewelrys in Macedonia is going to carry my Love Tags!  I am working on putting together a display now.  Will keep you apprised.

Have a great week all. Until next time...

Your Favorite Piece of Jewelry

Hi!

I thought of a great idea so we could all share a picture or a short description of our favorite piece of jewelry as a child.   For example, remember those Avon pins which opened and had cologne on the inside?  They came in all sorts of colors and shapes.  I LOVED those!!  I think partially because my Mom never ordered from Avon so like anything else, you always want what you don't have. 

So... please share your favorite piece of jewelry!  Let's have fun!!!!

                        

Spring??

Hello!

It actually rained today in Ohio.  Can you believe it?  While I do not like rain because of my dogs tracking in the mud it creates, the plus side is it reminds me that spring is just around the corner:)  I love spring!  Spring means dog shows, walks, and the beginning of art show season. I truly believe that the sun makes people happier!!

Anyhow the website is going well!  I am trying to become proficient in adding pieces correctly.  I have the pictures down and the descriptions, just working on the shipping and inventory section.  I will get there soon!

On the dog front I finally feel more confortable grooming my Piper.  She is a new breed to me and requires hand stripping which I have never done before and quite frankly, feel bad doing to the poor dog.  I need to get over that as she still loves me when she jumps down from the table!

Oh - I did want to mention the latest jewelry craze, cold connections or rivets.  I have several pieces available where I have incorporated this technique.  I like the look as it gives the jewelry a more finished look.  I did create a really cute pair of earrings but I sold them and cannot locate the picture.  They truly showed what riveting looked like as they were mixed metal.  I am going to post two pieces where I used rivets so you can see what it looks like!  The necklace is called SHAPES and the ring is called 10 o clock. 

Until next time...

New Adventures

Hello everyone!

Well it is ALMOST perfect. The site, that is.  What a pain staking process, reading, reviewing, re-reading over and over and I still seem to find things that are not perfect:(  Overall, I am happy with the site and cannot wait until I learn how to update it myself so that I can add all of my new pieces!

Valentine's day is this weekend - doing anything fun?  I truly have no idea what is planned for me as I did not plan anything for my hubby.  We go out on New Year's eve so I guess we can stay in on Valentine's day, the other "big night out."

Oh - I am so excited as I am going to the Bead and Button show in June.  It is in Milwaukee, WI.  I am STOKED.  I will be like a kid in a candy store and I am taking a class on how to do Keum Boo - WOW it is sooo pretty.  Here is an example and some more info on what it is and how it came to be:

http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/keumboo.htm

In addition to learning about jewelry, I get to meet Piper's breeder, Courtney!  I am also very excited about that.  Makes the 7 hour trip very worth it.

I have some projects on my bench that I have been neglecting, so have a good one.  Until next time...

The month of LOVE

Hello

Sorry it has been a while as my hard drive crashed on my laptop.  Seriously thinking about taking the leap to a MAC BOOK!   Anyhow can you believe it is February already?  My husband bought me some pretty red tulips yesterday which so remind me of warmer weather.  We are headed in that direction:)

In continuing with the birthstone theme, we will talk a bit about February's birthstone,amethyst.  If you birthday is this month then HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Here is a great link which is all about this gorgeous purple stone:
http://www.galleries.com/minerals/gemstone/amethyst/birthfeb.htm

Here is a piece which I have created with amethyst colored cubic circonia - Enjoy and have a wonderful week!  Oh I changed my colors on my new website - take a look:
http://www.jewelrybyfrancine.com/newhome.html

January Birthstones

Good Morning!

I am going to focus on birtstones each month.  Since it is January, I am going to focus on the birthstone(s) for Janauary.  I sometimes get confused as there are so many for any given month.  I will try to focus on the most popular and let show pics of what I have available in that particular birthstone. 

http://starryskies.com/Artshtml/dln/1-01/jan.birthstones.html

Bouquet

Good Sunday Morning!

The sun finally made it out yesterday and what a difference in the mood!  I do not mind the snow it is the lack of sun here in Ohio. 

Well wanted to post a few new pieces I call "bouquet."  I am going to continue to add to this line as I think it is pretty and different. 

Have a great Sunday!!

New Site

Hello!  I am so excited!!!  My new site is coming along.  Check it out - what do you think?  I think it is very professional and has a lot of nice user friendly options.  Still working on typos but will make sure that it is perfect.  Thanks Chris for all of your hard work!!!
http://www.jewelrybyfrancine.com/store/index.php?app=cms&ns=display&ref=splash

2010 Resolutions

Happy New Year all!!

Another decade is upon us and this is my 44th year of life - WOW hard to believe.  My daughter, Rachael, will graduate from HS in 2011 so one more year and my husband and I are empty nesters. This new stage of life brings on new joys and dissappointments. 

Not that 43 - almost 44 is old but there are good things to being young - mostly physical.  Becoming wiser is a plus of getting older.  Knowing what to expect in different circumstances and how to deal with certain people.  All of which my 17 y/o daughter cannot do.  On the other hand, she can do WAY more physically than I can do.  This does not mean that I am old lady like but after your body has been around almost 44 years it starts to need a little maintenance from time to time.

Ok enough about age.  I have posted a pic of my puppy, Piper.  I have truly grown to adore this dog.  This is a new breed for me and I have not been dissappointed.  If I take a step - Piper takes a step.  If I smile - she wags her tail.  She is very in tune with me.  We can start showing now as she turned 6 mos old on Christmas.  I think I am going to wait until the spring to enter shows since the weather in OH can be so unpredictable.  I will keep everyone apprised!

My other girls, Shea and Cindy are getting old.  Shea will be 10 in Feb and Cindy will be 10 in August.  Cindy is my heart dog - we have a mutual understanding of what she wants based on her look and her head bobs  She is the dog I will go to the end of the universe to keep alive as long as I can.

She recently had her teeth cleaned and a geriatric panel (blood work) as well as a growth removed from her shoulder.  The doctor thought it looked cancerous, however, it was not even precancerous.  This was the best present anyone could give me despite the very expensive - $800 bill from the vet.  As they say - that is priceless:)

Shea acts like a 10 mo old puppy not a 10 y.o puppy and is Piper's playmate.  Cindy does not think she is a dog and absolutely will not play with another animal:)  Shea has IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) which is under control through diet.  She also has minor arthritis for which she gets Rymidal when I see her suffering as it has too many negative side affects to give her everyday.  Shea is a love and has never met a stranger.  She is also my stalker - she will stay out all night hunting for little and not so little creatures. 

So needless to say, when I die, I want to come back as one of my dogs. They are treated like princesses!  Well, all expect Ch. Magic Cinderella Story SH - she is a REAL one:)

Have a great week all!!!