Mother's Day Giveaway

In honor of Mother's Day, I'm giving away a FREE pair of earrings!  These are my classic knot earrings in copper!  Such a beautiful color and I love how it's an easy way to get into the rose gold trend (since Rose gold is just gold with copper in it!).  Still classic and matches everything!

Here's how to enter:


You must be a public follower of my blog via Google Friend Connect!  Not a follower?  Not a problem!  You can become one by clicking on the "follow" button to the right and following the instructions!


1)  Visit my shop and leave a comment below about which of my items you like best.  Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you when you win!  (1 entry)


2)  Like my shop on facebook (1 entry - leave a comment below telling me you liked me on facebook)


3)  post about this giveaway on facebook tagging Jewelry By J and provide a link to this giveaway (leave me a comment and a link to your page - 1 entry)


4) post about this giveaway on your blog and provide a link to this giveaway (leave me two comments and a link to your post - 2 entries)


5) add Jewelry By J to your favorite shop on Etsy (1 entry)

Giveaway will end on May 5 @ 11:59 EST

Winner will be chosen by Random.org and winner will be notified via email

Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or new winner will be chosen.
Open to US residents only.

Thanks and good luck!!!

Last Agate Piece

A while ago, I featured some of my agate necklaces.  I am happy (and sad) to report that I only have 1 agate piece left!  They were quite popular!

This last one is slightly translucent and has a great white swirly pattern to it with a hint of brown.  Measure 1.75 inches by 1.4 inches and is slightly faceted at the edges.  

Here's how I wear my agate - on a 30" doubled gold filled chain with a gold plated leaf charm.  

If you liked my agate pieces, stay tuned!  I've managed to get my hand on large pieces of african cape amethysts!  Should make great looking pendants, too!  

If you are interested in getting your own agate or amethyst piece, contact me quick before the last one goes!

Where to Start?

Someone recently asked me advice about starting up making jewelry.  Luckily for me, I had someone to hold my hand while I tested the sterling silver waters.  But at the time, I didn't know what I was getting into or realize just how much money I was going to spend.

So, if anyone is interested in wire wrapping, here's my advice:

1.  Books - There are a ton of books out there that will teach you new (and old) techniques on wire wrapping.  Why pay for them?  Go to your local library and borrow them for free!  After all, it's your tax dollars so you might as well put them to work for you.  My favorite book I found at my local library is called Wrapped in Gems by Mai Sato-Flores, which was so inspirational when I first started.  I can't say anything about other libraries, but mine in southern california is great.  You can get an online account and pick all your books from there.  Then they send you an email when your book is ready or if the book you have needs to be returned.

2.  Magazines - if you don't like books, there are a ton of magazines at your local bookstore.  I was just at Borders the other day and there are lots of colorful and fun magazines with techniques and projects and advice.

3.  a)   Go to your local craft store first.  Buy cheaper craft wire or copper wire, which comes in all tempers and gauges and try your hand working those BEFORE you get into the expensive stuff.  This is much more affordable than buying expensive wires and stones and then realizing you really don't like it or have an affinity for it.  While you're there, pick up a combo pack of supplies with all the different pliers because as a beginner, you never know what you're going to need.

     b)  Make sure you go with a shopping list.  To make your shopping list, take a look around at your favorite designs.  Note all the components you think you're going to need.  Want to make earrings?  Make sure ear wires are on your list.  Does your design require chain?  What size beads?  Making a necklace or bracelet?  Don't forget to add a clasp to your list.

     c)  Stick to your shopping list!  It's waay too tempting to see all the beads they carry and think you're going to make something with it. Then you end up with a whole bunch of beads and no ideas of what to do with them.

     d)  Keep a running list of stuff you need as you use stuff when making your jewelry, then you don't end up going back shopping without knowing what you need

4.  You can buy a fancy wire cutter if you want, but I just use a nail clipper.  Easy to carry around (like on the airplane) and easy to replace.  Plus you can get up close to where you want to cut.

5.  Now that you're done with that, wear your jewelry!  Give them as gifts!  Does anyone comment or tell you how much they love your stuff?  Maybe you can start your own store, too!

Japanese RED CROSS FUNDRAISER!

If anyone's going to be in Pasadena on April 28 between 4-8pm, please check out this fundraiser to help money for the Japanese Red Cross!

http://www.jpalclub.org/index_en.html

First Etsy Sales!

I just made my first three Etsy Sales!

Sold two necklaces and earrings!  

It's kind of a dream come true to have my own shop!  And to actually sell something?  Even Better!  Thanks to everyone out there who is supporting me!  Especially my husband =)!

Silver Feather earrings

These earrings are one of my latest and greatest...and seems to be very popular, too!  

My interpretation of feathers in metal =)  All pieces are separate and swing when you move your head and looks great with long hair =)

They are made by hand hammering the metal, and yes, I've hit my fingers a few times!  It's very difficult (for me) to make sure the metal keeps it's shape and doesn't get flat in all the wrong places.  

The above is the large version, and per request, I have made a smaller version below =)

Druzy Agate

I recently got in some lovely mystic druzy agate pieces.  I think they are the perfect mix of sparkly and feminine yet still retain an organic, rough edge.  

What is druzy agate?  It is agate with a fine layer of quartz crystal coating it.  Usually found on the inside of a crevice of the natural agate, it forms when water with minerals seeps into the base stone.

These are pretty small, measuring no more than 1 inch long so they make very unusual pendants.

if you are interested in a similar pendant, I have the following stones available

Check out my etsy store!

JewelryByJ

Featured by JPwithLove

I am happy to announce I was featured in a fellow artist's, Jelena's jewelry blog! She makes beautiful, fun jewelry with polymer clay.  Please show her some love!

JPWITHLOVE

if you like her stuff, you can check out her shop

Custom Name Necklaces

My latest love is making customized name necklaces out of sterling silver or gold filled wire.  

It started off as a joke when I saw earrings with someone's name written in it.  I told my friend I would make her those and we laughed about it.  But after I went home, I started seriously thinking about it.  This is the first one I made.   I practiced by making her a copper wire bracelet, first.  It's gold filled and has clear quartz crystals at each end and in the "o" of the "posvar"

Fast forward and I think my script has definitely improved and gotten a little more refined.   It's hard to tell, but the one below is actually SMALLER than the one above.  This is the last one I did for a client.  His daughter liked it so much, he ordered one for all his daughters and step-daughters.  

This one is in sterling silver with dark amethysts.  These are all made free hand and I use needle nose pliers, which I recently upgraded to a smaller, thinner model for more precision.  

NEW ETSY SHOP!

By popular demand, I have finally opened up shop on etsy!  I'm crossing my fingers that it's successful so we'll see how it goes!  I hope you stop by and see something you like.  Please remember, I am ALWAYS open to custom orders and feel free to contact me at anytime with questions, etc.

All my items are made with geniune semi-precious stones, sterling silver, 14k gold filled and the latest and greatest anti-tarnish argentium sterling silver!

For my grand opening for April only, you can get a 10% discount when you enter GRAND at checkout.

Have you "liked" me on facebook?  Check out JewelryByJ on facebook and look for another special coupon code for this month!

You can check out my etsy shop directly from the link below!

PHOTO's

If anyone is wondering about my beautiful photo's, they are the work of my wonderful husband. He takes ALL the photo's (well, except for the one of the Katerina earrings and a few others - you can definitely tell I took that with my point and shoot).  Below is a picture he took when we were in Shanghai.

He uses a Nikon D90 for any of you camera buffs out there and all photo's are done in our home mostly with natural lighting and a little bit of flash =) He is also doing a little foray into professional, paid photo shoots, so if anyone is interested in a photo session and you are in southern california, please feel free to let me know!

You can also check out some other photo shoots he's done (like birthday parties and baby photo shoots) on our joint website www.prescription-art.com

earrings with accents

These gorgeous earrings were a design I stole from my friend and co-worker, Julie.  She's the one who assisted me into the making jewelry world.  She had given me a swarovski crystal and labradorite earrings with a similar design.  I really really liked it, so I studied it and actually was able to copy it!  I was so proud of myself.  Her labradorite stone was actually considerably larger than the ones I've used, which is one of the reasons I wanted to copy it.  They were beautiful earrings, but tugged on my ear a little bit due to the weight.  I wanted the same, but with lighter, smaller stones.


From left to right:  Amethyst (2 different shades), venetian glass beads from Italy with swarovski crystal, freshwater pearls with labradorite.  I do not have these listed in my etsy store, but feel free to contact me if you would like a pair for yourself!

Feel free to click on the link to my store below or to the top right! Designed by fellow blogger, Jeannette! You can also check out her mommy blog! 

Mother's Day pendant

It's been quite a while since I last posted - I finally got a new computer!  I had been borrowing my husband's laptop all this time and I have finally got my own.  Makes me so happy that I decided I was going to re-energize and start posting all the stuff that I had meant to.

This was a 3 pearl pendant that I had designed with my sister-in-law in mind.  She was pregnant with her third child at the time (she has all boys).  She loves pearls, and if one's great, three must be better, right?  These are approximately 9-10 mm each and are a dark grey peacock color.  I have been unable to find freshwater pearls as nice as these since.

Agate necklaces

This piece was my first foray into larger pieces.  When I first bought stones, I was very hesitant to buy large, bulky pieces.  First of all, because not only are they more expensive, but I thought there was a lot less you could do with them.  I happened upon this agate strand that was just beautiful in color with stones that were faceted and had rough edges.  I LOVE pieces of stones that are slightly rough cut but with some sort of faceting or buffing to pretty it up a bit.  Here is a picture of my first agate drop piece.  It sits on a long 36" double sterling silver chain (for strength, since the stone is quite heavy).

I wore the above stone to work and it was a huge hit!  I think out of the 8 or so original piece, I only have two left.  The top picture was a custom request that someone wanted with a cluster of clear quartz at the top.

If you want one of your own, please feel free to contact me, as I still have two more large agate pieces left, as well as these nice large faceted african cape amethyst stones I just recently got in!

UPDATE:  Last Agate piece left!!!

If you are interested in this piece, please email me!

kristin baby necklace

My friend, Kristin was pregnant - let me preface this exciting news by saying from all the girls I still communicate and see from highschool, she is the first!  Needless to say, we were all very excited to throw her a fantastic baby shower.  Since I started making jewelry, I had been dying to try my hand at making some sort of baby inspired necklace, bracelet or earrings.  I really didn't want it to be cheesy or cartoony. 
I was playing with a paperclip at work and realized how simple the design was.  I started thinking about safety pins and after many many trials, here's what I came up with.  I think it looks pretty good.  She had a boy so I added white pearls to it, because I thought it needed something extra and was much to plain by itself.