Pear Shaped Semi-Precious Stones

Pear Shaped Semi-Precious Stones are incredibly common in jewelry. You see them in earrings, bracelets and you even see them in rings. Their shape, when used, gives a simple design a wide range of designs and is versatile enough to give your one piece several different possibilities.

Necklaces

You can use Pear Shaped Semi-Precious Stones in many different ways on a necklace. One large semiprecious stone can be used to anchor your necklace and customers can wear them with a V-neck top. Several of them hanging together, like in a chandelier or tiered multi-strand necklace, which gives your piece the weight it needs without bulging out (like coins do) or looking too awkward (like rectangular stones).

You can also drop the pear shaped stones in between unusual shapes (such as sterling silver charms, keshi or biwa pearls) to give uniformity amongst too much different oddly shaped components. Center drilled pear shaped stones can also be mixed in with coins and marquise shaped stones of various sizes to give texture and character to your piece.

In large necklaces that feature different materials, you can string together a small cluster of side drilled Pear Shaped Semi-Precious Stones to give the necklace a different feel. Pear shaped beads fit together neatly and give the piece a uniform but also woven effect. You can also use this technique with different sized pear shaped stones that allow you to add greater variety into your piece without making it look disorganized or unstructured.

Earrings

Pear Shaped Semi-Precious Stones  can also be hung in tiered chandelier earrings. You can start off with a sterling silver filigree frame and drop pears from it. You can also hang small increments of chain from the frame and drop the pears from the chain. By adding layers of this chain, you’ll get a chandelier effect which will hang nicely and add fluidity to your piece. Once again, the pear, because of its unique shape, gives the piece shape without looking odd or sticking out. 

Another way is to hang an increment of chain off of a filigree frame and hang different sized pears from it. You’ll get a different kind of variety and depth in your piece without using too much material. Easy earrings can also be created by dropping one Pear Shaped Semi-Precious Stones  off of a hammered, waved or textured soldered ring. The pear shape anchors the piece down smoothly and gives the piece a nice finish that cannot be done if using a round, oval, square or rectangular component.

Overall, Pear Shaped Semi-Precious Stones  are incredibly versatile pieces. Their angled sides allow them to be pieced together in uniform or varied clusters on a large necklace. Also because of their round ends, they are great and simple anchors for necklace pendants and earrings. Using Pear Shaped Semi-Precious Stones  is a great way to liven up your jewelry, provide more visual contrast and interest, and really add a new element of sparkle to your work.

Unique Sterling Silver Leaf Clasps

Looking at jewelry and fashion design, one can see the return of nature in the patterns that we’re seeing on the runway and the street. Filigree patterns now feature leafy and flowery shapes with winding vines throughout the frame. Often, when a pendant is wire wrapped or features an organic and leafy bail, one wants to have a clasp that reflects this theme as well. There are several different kinds of clasps that you can use but some of the most common are sterling silver leaf clasps.

Toggle Bars come in all shapes and sizes. The best is to find a supplier that can sell them to you individually so you can mix and match them that will allow you to create individual pieces. With the economic recession, individual pieces allow you to show your customers that this piece is one of a kind and cannot be found else where. Toggle Bars , with a long enough extender, are also able to give your necklace versatility. For example, if you have a simple sterling silver hammered chain, you can put a Toggle Bar at the end and close it anywhere you’d like, turning your necklace into a simple lariat. Toggle Bars can also be used as an accent in custom wire wrapped pendants. This way you can close your necklace at the front instead of the back, making your closure part of the accent.

Toggles come in different shapes and sizes. Stones and Findings features several different kinds of custom designed sterling silver Toggles that can be used in various ways. For example, you can use them as pendants or wear them as earrings. One doesn’t necessarily have to use a sterling silver finding for its designed purpose. In a lot of our decorative leaf toggles, the hole, though designed for a toggle bar, can be used to wire wrap and hang semiprecious stone beads off of.

Another kind of clasp is the Sterling Silver Leaf Clasps . They come together and close in various ways. One of them is the hook and eye closure. I will introduce you to one of our best selling leaf clasps that close in very interesting ways.

For example, the small lemon balm leafs close together neatly so as to not reveal the eye and hook. So when they close together, they nestle together tightly and give the piece a cute and organic feel. Customers love this piece because it hides the eye and hook behind the toggle itself. The other example is the exact opposite. This sterling silver toggle is actually a small leaf that goes into the eye of the toggle. When they come together, they lie together perfectly as to look like one complete piece instead of a clasp. The beautiful and orderly effect of this sterling silver leaf clasp hides its utility in plain sight. It allows designers to put it anywhere on the necklace as it works as a closure and a pendant. Many of our customers who work with beaded necklaces and bracelets prefer this charm as it gives an extra accent to their already detailed work.

Overall, sterling silver leaf clasps are versatile, unique and can be taken apart to be used independently as closures or pendants. They are great highlights to your piece and if you are able to use your toggles in the front of your necklace, why not show it off?

Jewellery Components Warehouse Sale!!!

Stones and Findings is Canada’s premium jewellery component wholesaler. Our main strength is our huge selection of semi-precious gemstones, a wide array of Sterling Silver, Gold Filled, Gold Vermeil, and Rhodium Plated chains and findings and the largest selection of Freshwater Pearls in Canada.
Starting June 2nd – June 5th during our Warehouse Sale you can save up to 50% on select semi-precious beads, crystals, shells, fresh-water pearls, and coral !!!
Select sterling silver available at $1.00/gram and NO WHOLESALE MINIMUMS !
Products include: semi-precious stones, freshwater pearls, shells, cubic zirconia, sterling silver, gold vermeille, gold filled findings and chains.
Located at 55 Queen Street E, suite 705A (7th floor) across from St. Michael’s Hospital, at Queen TTC Station.
Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 10am-6pm & Saturday - 10am - 4pm
On the Web: http://www.stonesandfindings.com

How to Design Colourful Jewellery

Coming up with colour combinations for some people is quite a difficult task.  While others come by it quite naturally; they can just throw a bunch of colours together without much thought and they manage to all blend together with just the right amount of vibrancy, hue and saturation. When it comes to jewelry design learning how to successfully combine colours can help speed up the jewelry design  process, and help you get your jewelry out there faster. That is why, we at Stones and Findings have created the Colour Search Option to make it easier for you.

If you fall into the category of the first group of people there are some things to think about that should give you just as good combinations as the second group of people.  To start with there are three properties of colours to think about while making your combinations hue, value, and saturation. Hue is defined as the type of colour, blue, red, yellow and so on.  Value is how light or dark a colour is- how much black, grey or white has been added to the colour.  Saturation is also known as the intensity of a colour, how bright or dull it is. 

While matching colours, think about what you want the final product to look like, and who you are making it for.  If you are making it for someone else, think about what colour the person likes, what colours they often wear, and finally what colours look good on them.  Next, do you want to have multiple colours that are all contrasting in saturation, or a combination of colours that just blend together with similar values?  Think about the colour properties and how you can make them work for you. 

A good way to start if you are completely lost and have only a vague idea of what colours you would like to use is to take a trip to your local hardware store and pull a bunch of paint chips.  This will give you the ability to play with colour pallets and give you a sense of direction before you even go to buy your beads or design your piece of jewellery.

Another way to create your colour palettes if you have already picked out a starting colour is to use a colour wheel.  From here you can move it around the wheel and see what colours it could work with, this will also give you an idea of what colours to stay away from.  Some colour wheels have a window cut into the wheel so that you can place it on top of your item, and then proceed to move the wheel around until you find a pleasing combination.

If you take into account the various colour properties and you can justify why you are using each colour that you have selected then there is no reason why you can’t create amazing colour combinations that turn into striking jewellery pieces.

Victoria Day Sale - Save 20% on all Crystals !!!

 We are celebrating Queen Victoria’s birthday with our crystals! Starting Tuesday April 27th to Monday, May 10th, 2010, we are putting all of our crystals on Sale at 20% off! Check out all of our beautiful Cubic Zirconia, and bring some sparkle and excitement to your jewellery pieces. For more information on our sale, please visit:
http://www.stonesandfindings.com/specials
Hurry, our offer is only valid from April 26th 2010 to Monday, May 10th, 2010! Get yourself prepared to design for Victoria Day!

Visit us online or in the showroom at 55 Queen Street E, suite 705A (7th floor) Toronto, Ontario. We are right across from St. Michael’s Hospital & open Mon-Fri 10:00 am – 6:00 pm, & Sat. 11:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Save 15% on Pearls for Mother's Day !

Stones and Findings is having a Mother's Day Sale!

We’re celebrating now, so you can create in time for mother’s day, which is May 9th this year.  Mothers are treasured everywhere, and so are pearls! Stones and Findings offer freshwater pearls in various shapes, sizes and colours such as Potato and Keshi pearls, Pink Tulle and Champagne pearls. All these pristine pearls are 15% off! So treat your mom or yourself to some fresh water pearls!

For more information on our sale, please visit: http://www.stonesandfindings.com/specials

You can visit us in the showroom Mon-Fri. 10:00am-6:00pm & Sat. 11:00am-4:00pm at 55 Queen Street East, suite 705A (7th floor), M5C1R6, Toronto, (right across from St. Michael's Hospital)

Our offer is only valid from Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 to Monday, April 26th, 2010!
Pearls are very popular at Stones and Findings so hurry before they’re gone!

Public Relations Firms for Jewellery

I often hear envy in the voices of designers as they mention other designers being featured in magazines.  The press is undoubtedly enviable because aside from possible increase in sales, that is how one can become famous.  Few people understand how one should go about being "discovered".   The secret behind it is PR firms.  There are specialty firms that focus on jewellery and fashion accessories.  I am here to write about their inner workings and their strengths and weaknesses.


In the age of budget cuts and reduced advertising dollars, magazines and all media have gone without many things; fewer hours spent really sourcing for new stories or verifying stories from PR firms, no budget for photography... As a result, very few articles are original, or even paraphrased.  Journalists rely on trusted PR firms to submit stories, including photographs that are print ready.  Some will change wording, others just straight print, trusting the PR consultant to have changed the words for them.  So, it does pay to use a really well connected PR firm.  How much you end up paying, and whether it is worth your while is another story.

Some of the most basic services include writing copy, which is writing any story or description for your own printing in brochures or for the website.  It goes up from there to include guaranteed magazine submissions and product or designer feature.  The Cadillac of services would include full product launch and press release in all sorts of media.  Five years ago, and I am sure it is a lot more now, the going rate for an independent firm, with one writer/proprietor with some experience and connection with the magazine editors was about $1,500 per month, and that only guaranteed 2 print coverages.  This could mean only the product features of a pair of earrings with company name and price, and a mention in a list of many local designers.  The monthly rate was for no more than 4 hours of work per month.  Anything beyond that was negotiated and charged separately.  The contract was for a minimum of 6 months.  Just for curiosity, at that time, the amount Mont Blanc brand was rumoured to be paying in excess of $100,000 for the Canadian region for PR.  It is vital to select a firm that specializes in your industry and can show that she/he has been successful in getting many entries into the magazines.  With cut budget, journalists have less time to meet with that many PR consultants, and like designers, there are many consultants out there.  So, they rely on a few.

I know of several designers who have downsized after a few years of growth and use of PR firms.  The press is addictive and the designer often invests on the optimism of a tidal wave of orders.  However, most of the time this does not happen, and at least not because of the PR.  The press gives the designer and the sales representatives more drive to go out and get more business and perhaps a slight advantage in entry into stores.  However, the legwork still has to be done the old fashion way.  It is not long before many designers realize that much of the profit goes toward the PR firms and magazine advertisements.  And after scaling back the PR expenditures, most of them realize the brand recognition does carry forward for long.  The sales dwindle and after being exhausted for a couple of years, most designers decide to scale back operations all together.  I have personally known of designers who have had full 2 page coverage, with photographs taken alongside Sharon Stone, wearing a few pieces of her jewellery, go back to selling only at parties and holding a full-time job to make ends meet.  And Oprah does not turn everything she touches or mentions into gold.  I have a friend who had her necklace design worn by Oprah and she's out of business.  Perhaps it was unfortunate that Oprah didn't wear her necklace on the cover of O Magazine.....if only she had!


For more tips on What you should do if you are going to hire a PR firm, click here