Ring Mandrels

Have you ever wanted to make a ring out of wire, but lacked the right tool for it? Sure, we can get creative and use things around the house to form the loops we need, but mandrels make it so much easier! We received two styles, with the only visible difference being that one has a great rubber non-slip grip (shown left). Both styles are numbered and have tick marks that indicate every whole, half and quarter size allowing the designer to get the right size every time. Both styles are made of solid steel giving the designer the option to add texture to the ring with a hammer directly on the mandrel without damaging either tool.
These are a great multi use tool, I also use my mandrel to make loops for hoop earrings, pendants and anything else I need a perfect loop for. The mandrels have a range in ring size from 1 to 17. A must have for active wire users!

Earring Frames, Ready for Embelishment

These are one of the most exciting items we've gotten all year! We've had some of these frames in stock for a couple of months now, but they've been so popular that we've had trouble keeping some of the shapes in. We just got the marquise shape (far left with tanzanite drops) back in and we just can't help ourselves around here, they're just all too tempting to decorate! These are made of sterling silver and gold vermeil (24kt over sterling silver) and have a great brushed texture.

[From left to right . . . first tanzanite and silver, second amethyst and gold vermeil, third chrysoprase, citrine and gold vermeil, fourth apatite, iolite, kyanite and gold vermeil, fifth grey sapphire and silver, sixth Swarovski crystal and gold vermeil]

The frames come plain, these are just examples done by our creative employees (like I mentioned above, we just can't control our creative impulses!). What I like most about these is that you don't need a ton of beads to dress them up, some just need one great bead to really set it off. You can, of course, go crazy and drench them in gem and crystal beads and really make some show stoppers. We won't stop you. :)

Tigers Eye, Pietersite and More!

Some new beads that just came in this morning . . .

Tigers Eye and Pietersite Beads
The two strands on the top (gold color) are Tigers Eye in a 10mm and 6mm. The rest of the strands are Pietersite, a stone named for it's discoverer Sid Pieters. Both Tigers Eye and Pietersite are in the quartz family and exhibit similar chatoyance (a cat's eye effect caused by a fibrous structure). Deposits of Pietersite are found in South Africa and China, while Tigers Eye, though mostly found in South Africa, can be found all over the world.

Matte OnyxThis is something new for us . . . natural onyx with a matte finish! The matte finish is almost silky to the touch and adds texture to projects that need something different yet subtle.


Matte Hematite
We've had matte hematite before, but this is so opposite from what polished hematite looks like that I think it's worth mentioning :). Like the matte Onyx, these matte Hematite are great additions to jewelry pieces that need something different and unique. Hematite is a type of iron oxide and can be found in huge formations from England to Brazil to the United States.



These are just the highlights of our latest shipment, be sure to stop by to see what else is new!

New Swarovski Beads!

I have to admit, I'm sort of a Swarovski junkie, so when our new crystal shipment came today I was the first to jump on it. Since they're sent in loose collections I always feel like it's a box full of handfuls of treasure just waiting to be uncovered. Here are the highlights of our new shipment . . .

From right to left . . . Dark Indigo (deep, inky blue), Crystal Red Magma (fiery red-orange), Indian Pink (rich, jewel tone pink) and Air Blue Opal (sky blue with an opalescent effect). Since these are new colors the variety of available shapes vary.

From right to left . . . crystal copper in a tear drop, 4mm rondelles in crystal AB, 3mm and 4mm bicones in comet argent (VERY silvery!) and lastly a tear drop in crystal moonlight. Notice that the tear drop shapes have holes large enough to use a jump ring as a connection, no need to wire wrap!

Come in and see us if you get the chance and remember that with new items come new creative possibilities!