BULK BARGAIN SPECIAL!

Wholesale prices just got better!
10% off for 2 of a kind!
30% off for 3!

From October 13-26th!
For more information, click here!

Designing with Gold Filled Components

Gold-filled jewellery differs from gold vermeil in both the quantity of gold involved and the process which bonds it to the base metal. Where gold vermeil is achieved by an electrochemical process known as electroplating, gold-filled jewellery is made using a mechanical process that uses intense heat and pressure to attach the gold surface layer to the base metal.

For a piece of jewelry to be legally stamped with the telltale 'GF' marking, its weight must be at least 1/20th gold. This explains the typical stamp you'd expect to see on gold filled articles: "1/20 12 kt GF", which means that 5 percent of the piece is 12 karat gold. Because the surface layer of gold-filled jewelry is about 100 times thicker than that of gold vermeil jewelry, gold-filled pieces tend to last much longer, and are considered 'lifetime jewelry.'

Naturally, they are also more expensive than gold vermeil as they simply contain more gold. The price still represents a significant break when compared with solid gold, however, and since gold-filled jewelry is virtually indistinguishable from pure gold in terms of appearance, feel, and wear, it is thought to be a great balance of cost and quality.

Click here to browse Gold Filled Chains at Stones and Findings

Click here to browse Gold Filled Findings at Stones and Findings

What is Crystal?

Derived from the Greek word krystallos, which has been translated as 'clear ice,' crystal refers to some of the most impressive and bizarre mineral outgrowths found in nature. Seeking to emulate these wonderfully strange and beautiful forms, man has successfully produced glass crystal since George Ravenscroft established his innovative glasshouse in London, England, in 1673. Mixing lead oxide with molten glass during the heating process, Ravenscroft was able to create a glass of unprecedented sparkle and consistency.


The more lead oxide that is added to the glass, the more refractive and visually stunning the finished product will be. However, this comes at the cost of dramatically increased rigidity, and the crystal therefore becomes much harder to blow. At this stage, crystal is usually manufactured by an incredibly skilled and coordinated team of glass blowers- from 4 to 7 people working in synchronized fashion- and takes a tremendous amount of physical strength, breath control and stamina.

After the initial shaping of the crystal object or bead, it is soaked in an acidic bath that effectively removes any imperfections from the exterior. The crystal then enters the cutting phase. Because the crystal is so amazingly hard, diamond-tipped wheels are required to cut flat facets into the surface. For shallow engraving and/or imagery, small, slow-moving copper wheels are used in a procedure that can take hours to perfect the crystal bead or object surface.


No two crystals are identical, and through a long, multi-stage process, the final product is accomplished by an experienced and creative team whose craft is still being refined after centuries of development.


Click here to browse Crystals at Stones and Findings

What is Cubic Zirconia (CZ)?

As a synthetic substitute, cubic zirconia has somewhat the same effect as gold vermeil, sterling silver, and cultured pearls: it allows the everyday jewellery enthusiast to enjoy the aesthetic marvels of a truly precious substance (diamonds, in this case) without paying an arm and a leg. To anyone without a professionally trained eye, diamonds and cubic zirconia beads are virtually indistinguishable.
As a naturally occurring phenomenon, zirconium oxide was discovered by German mineralogists in 1937. Many people don't know that it occurs naturally at all, but it certainly does, albeit in incredibly scarce quantities. Natural cubic zirconia is so rare, in fact, that upon first discovery it seemed insignificant- there simply wasn't enough to make use of.
The discovery became immensely significant, however, in 1973, when Soviet scientists at the Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow finally perfected synthesizing the substance. Three years later their discovery was published, and by 1980 cubic zirconia was in commercial production on a massive scale. The explosively fast rise of cubic zirconia in world attention and market prominence simply goes to show how hungry the world was for a good man-made diamond substitute.Cubic zirconia is most commonly thought of as a diamond substitute, and rightfully so. What shouldn't be overlooked, however, is the fascinating history and set of distinct qualities that make cubic zirconia wonderfully notable and unique all on its own

Diamonds, of course, are much harder in density, but cubic zirconia is still incredibly hard by gemstone standards (8.5 on the Mohs scale, where most gemstones are around 5-6) and therefore immensely durable and basically scratchproof. Another little recognized fact is that since cubic zirconia is synthetically produced, it is almost totally flawless in terms of surface consistency and irregularities, where diamonds are often marked by natural discolorations and other imperfections.

Cubic zirconia is often dyed as well, which is something that only happens as 'enhancement' of natural colour with diamonds. Presumably, the relatively low cost of cubic zirconia encourages more liberal experimentation with things like colour and cut. Far from being a just a cheap diamond copy, cubic zirconia is a gemstone medium in its own right.




Click here to browse Cubic Zirconia at Stones and Findings

Freshwater vs. Saltwater Pearls

Dear Professor Pearl,

I still don’t quite get it… What are the differences between saltwater and freshwater pearls?

Linda,
Hamilton, Ontario

Great question, Linda! Freshwater and saltwater pearls definitely have their differences. However, all pearls are made in the same way. When a small piece of sand or other debris gets stuck inside the mollusk’s shell, it is slowly coated by layer after layer of nacre, also known as mother of pearl. Eventually, the intruding particle is ejected back into the water as a finished, natural pearl. Since this process can take as long as several years, culturing pearls in farms was developed by Japanese scientists in the early 20th century. The outside of a cultured pearl is still made entirely of nacre- which gives it the natural pearls’ trademark iridescent lustre- but the inside is actually a core of other organic materials placed inside the shellfish to produce pearls in 6 months or less. What’s more is that cultured pearls are very hard to distinguish from totally natural ones, even with the help of scientific instruments. These days, natural pearls are rare and difficult to retrieve, so the vast majority of both saltwater and freshwater pearls are cultured in farms.

Saltwater pearls come from oysters that reside in, you guessed it, oceans and seas. They are usually more round than freshwater pearls, which are often a potato-like shape. Different colours are common among saltwater pearls depending on where they come from. Soft pink is the natural hue, but steely grey and purple pearls are also found in Tahitian waters, and Australian seas are known for light grey, white, and slightly golden pearls. Pearls from the South Seas can also get very big, but are lacking in the surface quality and market value of, say, the Japanese Akoya pearl. It can generally be said that saltwater pearls are more expensive than freshwater pearls because they are rarer and harder to farm; storms in open water and oyster diseases are the culprits of many a lost pearl, and saltwater pearl operations are costly at the best of times.

Freshwater pearls come from mussels that live in rivers, streams, and lakes. They are available in a wider variety of colours like white, cream, pink, lilac, and peach, but are also commonly dyed to produce a virtually limitless palette. Again, freshwater pearls aren’t usually as round as saltwater pearls, but they are still judged on the same criteria whether cultured or all-natural: roundness, surface quality, and size.

In summary, saltwater pearls are more expensive because of scarcity and cultivation issues, but freshwater pearls are often indistinguishable anyway. It has been found that specialists cannot, even with the aid of x-rays & ultrasound equipment, tell the difference between a freshwater and a saltwater pearl.

Hope that answers your question, Linda! Thanks for writing.
~Professor Pearl

Write to Professor Pearl with any questions you have about gemstones, precious metals, jewellery making techniques, or the accessory industry: web@stonesandfindings.com

Rhodium

Discovered in 1803 by English chemist William Hyde Wollaston, Rhodium was named by its finder after the Greek word rhodon, meaning 'rose.' It is mainly found in South Africa and the Ural mountain range. Rhodium is the world's de facto #1 most expensive precious metal, and discovered in such scarce quantity that the planet sees only 3 tonnes of annual production. Amidst market fluctuations Rhodium steadily maintains a price roughly 500 times that of silver and 5 times that of platinum. In 1979, Paul McCartney's success as the best-selling songwriter of all time was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records with the presentation of none other than a rhodium-plated record, thus demonstrating the great cultural superiority of rhodium to all other precious metals up to and including platinum.

With an unmatchable character, it's easy to see why it's so sought after: rhodium will not tarnish or oxidize when exposed to normal levels of heat and light, and it is even immune to common corrosive substances like chlorine and fluorine that threaten other precious metals. It is also wonderfully reflective, and is frequently used as a component in optical instruments in the medical field. For all of these reasons, on top of its amazing structural rigidity, Rhodium is truly the 'rose' of the precious metal family. In the jewelry world it is commonly electroplated onto gold, copper, or silver objects to imbue them with some of its fantastic properties. The result of rhodium plated copper, for example, is a piece that combines all the durability and brilliance of pure rhodium with the common availability and low price of copper. This kind of electroplating in chains and findings puts the world's most expensive precious metal in the hands of up-and-coming designers, and around the necks and wrists of all. As an added bonus, Rhodium is hypoallergenic, and as plating it provides a protective layer for anyone sensitive to gold, nickel, or silver.

Click here to browse Rodium Plated Silver Chains at Stones and Findings

Click here to browse Rodium Plated Silver Findings at Stones and Findings

Attaching the Leather Bead Tip

If you can perform the Crimp, you can fix a bead tip to a leather necklace, bracelet, or anklet. Our example uses a Thin Round Leather Strand and two different kinds of Sterling Silver Leather Bead Tips, but it doesn't really matter as long as the leather fits snugly into the opening of the bead tip. You will also need some chain nose pliers.



Attaching the Leather Bead Tip

In the first example below, the leather is inserted into the bead tip as far as it will go. Since the bead tip is round to begin with, all you need to do is perform a crimp to flatten it out. Use the midsection of the pliers teeth to get more leverage in crushing the metal around the leather.




In the second example, the bead tip is slightly more challenging to attach because it is neither round nor closed to begin with. Slide the leather into the slot of the bead tip, and hold it there with your free hand. Crimp the bead tip slightly with the nose of your pliers to hold it onto the leather, allowing you to remove your supporting hand. Then, when you've accomplished all that you can with the tip of the pliers, it's time to crimp the bead tip to the point where both sides of the opening close in to the centre. Do this slowly and in stages. When crimping from one angle is too difficult, switch to another side, and eventually what started as a square slot turns into something totally round. Finished!

Lava Beads

What are Lava Beads?
by: Paula Gheorghiade

Lava beads refer to beads that are made from volcanic material, cut and faceted into a variety of shapes and sizes. Lava beads are very lightweight, and most tend to float since they are made of hardened magma and ash. As a result, they can only be produced in areas where volcanic material is available. Depending on the area and the mineral content of the lava, the lava beads will either be very dark in colour and close to black, reddish-brown or reddish grey. Stones and Findings carries a selection of black Lava Beads in a variety of shapes.

Designing with Lava beads is very easy and fun. Due to the dark colour of the bead, you can virtually add any other colourful bead, crystal or freshwater pearl in a combination that works for you to create stunning classic or funky summer pieces. I love to take a funky strand like the Diamond Cube Lava Beads and add some beautiful Red Coral for contrast and you’ve created a fun and versatile piece. Feel free to also add some sparkly Crystal pieces , or small sterling silver or gold filled beads for some shine.

No matter what design you come up with, Lava Beads are bound to be a success due to their unique look and feel. They will complement any funky, colourful or sparkly jewellery bead. So click here to view our selection, and start designing with Lava Beads today!

Abalone Shells

  What are Abalone Shells?

Abalone refers to the small to medium sized sea mollusks and snails, that have low and open spiral shells. The shells of abalone are oval in shape, with an iridescent nacre lining the inside. This beautiful colour variation and shine on the inside of the Abalone shell is what makes abalone shells desireable. Abalone shells have been popular for hundreds of years, due to their beautiful iridescent colours, used and prized in religious ceremonies. Abalone shells are also desirable as adornments, decorative items in jewellery, button and inlaid furniture. Abalone shells are harvested for both food and their shells, with some countries strictly regulating this practice, to prevent illegal activities. Some countries that harvest abalone shells include Africa, Australia, South America and the Orient.
Abalone shells are very popular in New Zealand and Australia especially in jewellery designs. The beautiful natural iridescent blue and green colour provides a great focus to any jewellery design, whether it is an earring, necklace or bracelet. The blue and green iridescent colour of Abalone shells is sometimes dyed to create an even more stunning effect. This dyeing process, if it is high quality, should set the colour within the shell so that it will not transfer onto any other beads or articles of clothing.

The natural abalone shell is becoming increasingly popular in North America, as more and more designers are mixing this higher end shell with sterling silver chains, sterling silver components, gold Vermeille and gold filled components, as well as semi-precious stones. This look is worn year round, with many designers and consumers no longer reserving wearing shell jewellery during the summer months. The more colourful and dyed abalone shells tend to be more popular in the summer months, and especially when combined with cruise wear and colourful summer dresses, either in the city or on vacation.

Click here for a great selection of shells available at Stones and Findings and get inspired to design with Abalone today!

Back to School Sale! July 28-August 31!

For those students out there, here's a sale just for you!
With a valid student ID, you can purchase from Stones and Findings with NO WHOLESALE MINIMUMS!

And for those of you who still want in on the sale, we're giving 5% off of all regular priced Pearls, Crystals and Stones with every purchase of $150 or more!

Wow your teachers with your bedazzling jewellery!
Stock up now!

Pictures of Our New Components!

Stones and Findings just got a new shipment of silver!
Included are some old favorites, some custom designed medallions and great magnetic wishboxes!





















For More, check out our website!
http://www.stonesandfindings.com

FREE STRAND OF STONES!

Every 2 weeks, Stones and Findings gives our customers something special!



This week, you can choose a strand of stones to take home with every purhcase of $150 or more!

Click here for more!

How to Create your own Jewellery Pins

There are three standard jewellery pins; head pins, ball pins, and eye pins. And then, there are always unique jewellery pins that provide a cap with in the in pin itself. Stones and Findings a wide variety of pins, including ball pins , eye pins , head pins as well as fancy pins in sterling silver, gold filled and gold vermeille.



However there are times when all you need in your design is just the bead. If your design requires nothing fancy on the end of your pin, then there is a great way to create your own pin head. This works especially well with pearls. Often basic pins are a little too thick for your standard drill hole on a pearl, too. The examples below demonstrate how you can make the different types of pins, using Sterling Silver Wire. You can however, just as easily use Gold Vermeille or Gold Filled wire.



Head Pin

Simply take a section of your sterling silver 22 Gauge wire, and cut off the desired length for your pin. Then put this section of sterling silver wire, into your parallel pliers, leaving a millimeter peeking out at the end. With a flat nose hammer, hammer the exposed bit of your sterling silver wire with a few strikes. Hammer in one direction, and then take out the pin and rotate it a quarter of the way. Then continue to strike the sterling silver tip. This will expand the metal just enough to stop your bead from sliding off the end of the wire. By rotating your piece ofsterling silver wire, you will ensure that the end of the pin is equally fanned out. And there you have it; you've created your own sterling silver head pin.



Now to the naked eye, it may not seem like you've created something that will stop the pearl, but by creating a small flat end on your sterling silver wire you will essentially stop it from sliding off.

*TIP* - to get a professional finish, use an old pair of parallel pliers, or wrap masking tape around your pliers ends to ensure that you do not leave any hammer marks on your sterling silverpins.

Eye Pin




Start by taking the end of your sterling silver 22 Gauge wire, and using your round tip pliers, bend into a small circle at the end of your wire piece. Then, depending on the length you need for your project cut about 1cm or more from your sterling silver wire. This will allow you to have extra room to wire wrap once you've put your stones or beads onto the finished sterling silver eye pin.



Ball Pin

For this project, it would be ideal to have access to a torch. With it you can heat up the end of your sterling silver wire, applying a small amount of heat and the metal will ball at 1640f/893c. Once your sterling silver wire has started to ball, take the heat away, quench and polish the piece and then you will have your home made sterling silver ball pin.



*TIP* - if you are using soft sterling silver wire and find it too soft for your project, take the section needed and hold it from end to end with your two parallel pliers. Then twist the piece of sterling silver wire in opposite directions and it will harden a bit. Twist it a lot and you'll have your soft sterling silver wire to harden in no time!

New Color Search Option!

For anyone who's been shopping at Stones and Findings recently, be happy to hear that we have a new Color Search option!



http://www.stonesandfindings.com/colourSearch.php

You can now click on a color and find exactly what items we carry that will match that specific shade! And if you were thinking of colors within that tone, you can select "partially" this color and find the large array of stones, pearls, crystals and components that will cater to your needs!

Feedback is welcome!
Hope you enjoy!

Sterling Silver Bead Caps

by C.S.




Sterling silver bead caps greatly help add interest to beads, pearls and crystals alike. It has a different sheen and texture from these components, and because of the casting capability of sterling silver , pattern possibilities are endless for sterling silver bead caps.




There are many countries which make sterling silver bead caps. The most prolific producing countries are Indonesia (Bali), India and Israel. Stones and Findings carries many unique sterling silver bead caps made in Israel . The patterns are different from Bali, which favours patterns made with dots and scrolls. Israeli patterns are more organic, with more focus on leaves and marquis shapes. They also have Roman influences. I like the premium metal composition of Israeli sterling silver.



Sterling silver is 92.5% silver, and the rest is an alloy of other metals to make the silver harder. In the case of our Israeli sterling silver, the factory adds much more expensive metals to make them tarnish resistant. The exact ingredient is a highly guarded secret. However, the result is an obvious and superior sheen, with tarnish resistance. Israeli sterling silver bead caps are more expensive than Bali and Indian caps because of the more expensive metals used, and Israeli labour is more expensive. However, the superior quality and uniqueness of Israeli sterling silver bead caps is readily apparent and well worth extra expense. They are more rare and are prized by higher quality jewellery designers.



Sterling silver bead caps are great way of framing pearls and crystals, and to give them a finished look. The antique look of certain caps can help soften and bring a more organic touch to the cleanness of crystals. Everyone designing simple short earrings should consider adding sterling silver bead caps for an added twist.

There are specialty long sterling silver bead caps that are called cones . These work to hide the knotting of multi-strand bead necklaces. You can do this by creating the individual strands, and then to gather them with either an eye pin, or using sterling silver wire. You pull the strands through and secure them by wire wrapping a large loop through the other hole. Cones are also useful in creating an elongated look for a round bead. You can use this for earring drops, or, my favourite, a pendant. This can be attached to a toggle that can lock in the front, or as tassel end for a long necklace. Possibilities are endless.

An intriguing look can be created by stacking different types of sterling silver bead caps together, and hanging a pearl or crystal from it. This can create a pagoda type of look. You can also thread identical sterling silver bead caps together, facing each other. This can create a bead effect, provided that they are not too thin, or they have ridges that will help lock themselves to one another. If you can do any soldering, you can create your own hollow sterling bead.

Sterling silver bead caps have been around for a very long time. It is a classic look with many updating possibilities. See what you can come up with.