July 1st is the day that Canadians celebrate…………being Canadian.  Why do we?

These are the things I am thankful for as a Canadian.

We have freedom of religion.  No small thing, when you consider how many wars are fought in other countries over who has rights to worship whoever or however they want. We have Christians of all sects, Pagans, Hindus, Buddhists, and hosts of other religions, and we all somehow seem to get along.  

We have the right of lifestyle - gay or heterosexual or bisexual, we are accepted here.  I work on a fairly frequent basis with folks who practice an alternative lifestyle , and the immense gratitude that they have for the acceptance our country grants just blows me away.  Agree with their lifestyle or not, the right to love the one you choose is a powerful thing.  And we have the right to love and marry who we choose, instead of being forced into marriages that are deemed appropriate by our families. Another thing to be grateful for, in my eyes.

I am Canadian, and proud of our freedoms.

Still more, we have our weather.  OK, so we complain in the winter about minus forty celcius with snowdrifts over our heads in some parts of Canada.  And we hastily throw our air conditioners in come summer, and complain about the plus forty celcius with humidity.  But…………hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, tsunami’s, volcanic explosions, and many other natural disasters that other countries live with on a daily basis are so rare here.  And we can always visit those warm beaches and exotic locals. 

Which brings me to:  freedom of movement.With a passport, we are free to go anywhere in the world, Cuba, the US, Europe, - virtually anywhere that the host government allows. Many of us have been to countries where the people who live there have to stay there, or have heard horror stories about people trying to escape their native land.  Yet we, for the price of airfare can go as we like.

I could stay here most of the day, and enumerate the many benefits of being Canadian - healthcare, support for our poor and sick, and so on.  But I think others can also contribute to the long list, so I’m going downtown.  I’m going to listen to the concerts (free), enjoy the sun and warmth, watch the fireworks on Parliament Hill tonite, and think - I am Canadian. Am I proud and grateful for it?  Darn right, I am!

Happy Canada Day!

Someone very dear to me passed away last week, after an on and off again battle with cancer.  Uncle John, this one’s for you.

It struck me how you never truly appreciate someone who has shared your life from birth.  My uncle was a very unique person, not much of a rule follower, but warm and kind and loving. He lived according to his own  mores on behavior, and it’s one of the things I carried with me throughout my life.  He treated me as an adult even when I was young, and it taught me to respect everyone, young and old, experienced and green, because everyone has their own view of life and how to live it.  He taught me to be open minded, and to accept  that while you may not want someone else’s lifestyle as your own, you had to respect their lifestyle, just the same as you want others to respect yours. He made me that much bigger in my heart and mind, and I’m sure he’s doing the same now, somewhere.

My family posted his Memoriam in a couple of newspapers, and it takes my breath away to read the comments people who know him have left.  For a quiet, small man, he left a huge impact in the world of people whose lives he’s touched.  One man remembers them playing with tin soldiers as children, and my uncle was over 60 when he died.  How special was that memory, such a little thing from childhood, but still recalled.  Another remembered him as a young man, more remember him as a father, husband, friend, grandpa, and so much more.

I think we all grieve when we lose someone, for me, Uncle John filled a place in my heart that no one else could.  The posts and memories that others leave fill him out for me, and tell stories that only let me know him better.  So while I feel sad that I’ve lost a friend, I am also grateful to people who remember him with me, and share a bit of his life for a moment. I usually sign a condolence card with the line “May your ashes of sorrow be colored by the rainbow of remembrance.”  Thanks from me, and all of Uncle John’s family and loved ones to those who are coloring our rainbow with their own memories.

We’ve had blondes that outsmarted everyone (anyone remember “Legally Blonde”).  We’ve had women run for president, prime minister, and other public posts, and some have made it (Margaret Thatcher, Michaelle Jean).  We’ve had women in every walk of life, every career, including astronauts, truckers, computers, CEO’s, nurses.  A recent client of my jewelry business is a neurosurgeon.  So why are so many of us afraid of that little black box.  I’m not referring to the TV remote- heaven knows that’s something you don’t want to wrest away from your partner, I’m referring to the computer, and all the other great little technological gadgets we have access to.

As I mentioned in my last blog here, my friend Sue and I were talking about this over a couple of weeks ago, and now our ideas have started to come to fruition.  I’d like to invite you to our joint blog, and to join us in our podcasts. http://www.geekgrls.com/  We hope you’ll enjoy it, and also participate with ideas and your own thoughts.

Sheri 

We have women in transport, women as CEO’s, women leading countries, and women in space.  The final frontier in many ways now is…………women in cyberspace.

The internet is such a powerful tool, we shop there, sell there, find business opportunities, love, great shoes, and so much more.  And yet, surprisingly, there are many women who are hesitant to avail themselves of this equal opportunity field of business.  Whether it’s because of the ‘geek’ factor, which is starting to become cool (for men), its perceived technical difficulties, a fear of allowing a hunter to choose you as his or her next prey, women seem to steer away from using the internet and all its power.

A friend of mine and I were discussing this over drinks, and decided it was so unfair that something so basically simple was seen as something that was somehow threatening or beyond us.  And it’s not.  We are both somewhat shy (sometimes). A few years back neither of us were much able to do more than send emails and pictures, we weren’t techies by any stretch of the kindest imagination, and while we both had the desire to do things our way, the idea of our own business was just that, an idea.  And yet, now we both have our own businesses, use the technology of the internet (some of the best stuff is free!), and are considered geeks (a label I wear proudly!).

After our discussion, we decided that the next project we wanted to do would be to demystify the internet and it’s uses, and hopefully encourage other women who wanted to avail themselves of this powerful asset to do so, without fear. 

Keep posted for our upcoming podcasts, and feel free to drop me a line about topics you would like to see.  Is there an advertising guest speaker you’d like to hear (or would you like to be one?)  Is there a particular topic (security online and off for example) you’d like addressed?   Is there a new gadget or softwear you’ve found that you’d like to share?  What are your concerns, your dreams? 

A long time back, a friend of mine ended a long term relationship.  Shortly thereafter, she lost her job.   I remember thinking how hard it was, and how much we weave our self identity into who we spend time with and what we do.

I got to thinking about this again, as I was just laid off from a position I enjoyed that had become redundant.  For the first time in decades, I was now one of the unemployed, a person who doesn’t have someplace to go Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.  It’s a weird feeling for someone who has always worked. 

One issue of course is the sudden financial worry - I have some money and can get unemployment, but as anyone knows who is or has been in this position, it’s not what you were accustomed to living on, and I’m suddenly grateful for all the internet articles and message boards on how to live cheap.  But going from having enough, to knowing that it all has to be accounted for and budgeted is a little stressful.  Thank goodness for little side jobs that I’ve been doing all along and for my hobbies. The other stressful factor is the fact that suddenly there is such a freedom of choice, and having to make the right choice. I could, conceivably, look around and find another job immediately.   Similar to ending a relationship only to dive into another, this is my knee jerk reaction.  But like any other relationship, there is the  feeling of wanting to be cautious this time around, to making sure the new ‘relationship’ is one that is sustainable and will be a good fit.  Make no mistake, finding a good job is like finding a good partner - and rushing in is rarely wise.

Another potential option is to go back to school, with a wide variety of skills and interests, maybe this is the time to retrain myself.  The advantage to returning to school at this age is that I know my skills, I know my likes and dislikes, and I know more or less where my interests lie.  But there is also the ’scary’ aspect of walking away from everything that you know you can do well already, and have done for years and taking on a learning curve of something brand new.  A marvellous adventure, with a pot of gold at the end of the road?  Or a recipe for disaster, with time and money spent only to discover that your original love is still what you used to do?

I remember the advice I gave my friend, back when she felt her life was in chaos.  I told her to take some time, have a look at where she was and where she wanted to be, and to make a reasoned decision.  And it’s logical advice, until you are the one looking at options and making a life decision at a time where things should be settled. 

For me, I think the best way to handle things is to talk it out, with friends, family, career counsellors.  While I don’t expect anyone to solve things for me (and I’d hate it if they tried) it is a way of getting feedback, and an ‘outside’ slant on things.  It’s always easier to look at someone else’s life logically than to look at your own, you’re too close to it to see the overall picture.

I’d love to hear from others who are or have been in this position, I’m sure you’re out there.  And maybe somewhere down the road, this discussion will help someone else too.

What do you think? 

This is a decision you want to approach with caution.  As a creative person, I love to make new things, explore new techniques, and have fun with what I do.  While I know several people who make at living in the jewelry industry, I’ve also seen them bogged down in the day to day issues that have nothing to do with creation, but everything to do with business, and their hobby has now become a job. 

For myself, I love to sell at craft shows, to a few select stores who buy wholesale from me for resale to their clients, and online.  I also enjoy custom orders, as it is a challenge to me both in technique and in reading anothers desires to make them exactly what they want.  Would I do it full time?  Probably not, as this is my joy, not something I want to do because I have to.

If you do want to take your hobby to the point where it will at least pay for itself though, here are a few tips.  My focus is on jewelry, obviously, but I imagine this could apply to a lot of crafts and artisans.

How and Where to Sell Jewelry

If you are a creative person, with a great sense of style and flair, you may be able to start your own business – making and selling jewelry wholesale.
Because people are so very unique, they want jewelry pieces that are unique – one-of-a-kind pieces that nobody else in the world owns! This desire can make you quite a bit of money – simply start your very own jewelry company.

You can easily order wholesale supplies from hundreds of companies around the globe online – at really low prices. It is important to keep up with how much each part of each piece of jewelry costs you, and to get a total cost of each piece, including any expenses that you had for having supplies shipped to you. With the total cost figured, you can
easily set your prices by adding a percentage to the cost. Decide on what your labor is worth, and add that to the price, and you have priced your jewelry.  (In the retail world, the standard markup is about 500%, so as an artisan who is independent, you can offer excellent value compared to what your customers would pay in a store.)

You can sell your pieces in a variety of ways. You can open your own online wholesale jewelry store in the form of a website or blog, sell to local jewelry stores, rent booths at local flea markets and fairs, or advertise your jewelry making skills and take orders for unique pieces. If you have a local artisans guild, you can also join them, on average they will have a couple of shows per year where you can display and sell your creations. You can also sell your pieces on consignment at boutiques, but be cautious with this, unless you make a special arrangement, you aren’t covered under their insurance, which means if something is damaged or stolen, you’ve lost it, not the boutique.  One of the easiest ways to sell your jewelry is to simply wear it - you are your own best advertisement.  Carry business cards, and when someone compliments you on a piece, hand them your card and let them know you are the designer of the piece. 

You want to be known for your quality. Always!!  Select the highest quality gems and stones for your pieces, and make sure that the craftsmanship is outstanding. Become exclusive, and more people will want to purchase your pieces – and never make any two pieces alike. I have sold more of my creations for the simple reason that I hate seeing something I’m wearing on somebody else, and my clients all feel the same way.

Or, go the other route and make hundreds of identical pieces, as they are ordered.  You do this by making one very unique, high quality piece, something that is exclusive to you, and showing it to your local jewelry stores. Ask them if they would like to order in bulk, then fill the order. Maybe you’ll choose to specialise in something you love, for the first six months, all I wanted to do was cameos, and that is how I started to build my name and reputation.

Antique Jewelry Wholesale

Antique jewelry is typically very valuable, and purchasing such jewelry costs quite a bit of money.  But then again, it is possible to buy antique jewelry
wholesale as well – if you know where to look.

Most people think that online auctions, such as eBay is the way to go. While this is true occasionally, you will usually find that the seller knows the value of what they are selling, and the price is quite high. There are other ways to find antique jewelry at wholesale prices – or below.

Keep an eye on your newspaper for advertised estate sales and garage sales. Typically, at these sales, the people holding the sale really don’t know
the value of what they have. You can literally purchase hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of antique jewelry for just a few dollars on a typical
Saturday morning.

It is important that you not look too closely at the jewelry when you are buying it. If the piece is valuable, you don’t want the seller to know how
valuable it is! It isn’t your fault that they didn’t get it appraised – as you will as soon as you leave! Keep a straight face, keep your happiness and joy to
yourself, and pay the fifty cents or two bucks that they want for the piece, get in your car and head to a trusted jeweler for an appraisal!

It is possible that the piece isn’t worth anything – but occasionally, you will stumble across some real finds! Even if the piece isn’t worth anything, if you
make jewelry, you may be able to disassemble it for the parts.

Finding antique jewelry wholesale is very exciting. In fact, spending those Saturday mornings at the yard sales and estate sales may even become
addicting! Yard sales and estate sales – especially estate sales where grandchildren are not interested in their grandma’s old ugly jewelry are the best
sources for antique jewelry at wholesale prices – or below wholesale prices.

This doesn’t mean that there aren’t some real finds on eBay as well, so don’t discount it. Keep an eye on the jewelry categories, as well as the antique or
vintage categories. When you do find something you want to bid on, make sure that the seller has a good reputation. If the piece is very expensive, use
the escrow service that is recommended by eBay. Also talk to the seller quite a bit to be sure that you understand exactly what is being advertised!

 One of the ’sparklies’ I’ve fallen in love with using lately is Swarovski crystals.  They seem to come in more and more shapes, sizes, and colors every time I look (which is extremely hard when you’re a jewelry addict and can’t resist!) and I thought it would be fun to write about them.

The most distinguishing mark of a Swarovski crystal is it’s brilliant shine and sparkle, and while other crystal beads are out there, to me there’s nothing like the real thing. Swarovski crystal contains approximately 32% lead to maximize refraction, and is the luxury brand for a vast range of precision-cut lead crystal glass products , including beads and rhinestones.

The thing that I love about Swarovski is the sheer wealth of options a jewelry designer has.  Every color in the rainbow, and some that I think a rainbow would love to have. In order to create a crystal that allows light to refract in a rainbow spectrum, Swarovski coats some of its crystals with special metallic chemical coatings. Aurora Borealis, or “AB”, is one of the most popular coatings, and gives the surface a rainbow oil slick appearance. Mix it with a gold or silver weave, or dangle it from earrings with other colors and you have a very classy and unique piece. Other coatings include Crystal Transmission, Volcano, Aurum, and Dorado each very special and rich looking.

The shapes are another thing that is fun to play with.  You can go with a standard rondelle, a bicone bead, or find flowers, butterflies, cubes, hearts, really funky almost freeform pieces, whatever you like.  For someone who gets bored easily, but likes to maintain quality this is a great source of inspiration.  And of course, it all SHINES!!

With summer coming, we’re looking again at fashion colors, and the key colors this season are bright - oranges, greens, with a few neutral greys and tans thrown in to cool things down just a bit.  Swarovski, in addition to its gorgeous glitzy crystals also offers Swarovski pearls, in almost every color you could desire.  So, picture this.  A lightweight necklace of woven wire, soft green and light beige pearls for a glow, bright orange Swarovski crystals for sparkle, and maybe a bright Aurora Borealis freeform crystal as a pendant.  Or wonderful hair and veil pins for the bride, with pearls, brilliantly shining Swarovski Aurora Borealis crystals, maybe some colored stones or crystals to match the wedding colors……….. 

On that note, the creative juices are now flowing, and I just happen to have all of the above ‘pretties’ at hand, so I’m off to make a new creation.  Want one?

Til next time,

Wyvern

One of the things I’ve realized the more involved I get in jewelry design is just how many man made synthetics are out there.  Now, I have nothing against manmade or artificial gemstones, they’re great to have, can look as good (and sometimes even better) than the real thing, and are a very cost effective way to buy some beautiful jewelry at a much lower price than you’d get otherwise.

Having said that, I also believe in the old adage, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”  While I work towards getting my gemology certification, I’ve picked up little tips and tricks along the way from jewelers and gemstone buyers, and thought I’d pass them along to you. None of these will make you an expert, but they might help you along the way, or at least cause you to ask questions about the things you come across.

So, three of my favorite stones are here, and I’ll add others as I learn.

Pearls

 The pearls most of us wear today are cultured pearls, which grow when a small bit of irritant is introduced by humans who insert a bead or other object into an oyster or clam. The clam coats the foreign object with nacre, the patina that gives pearls their unique appearance. Even cultured pearls with thicker coatings are more fragile than most other gemstones, so you must handle them carefully to keep them in the best condition.
 

Here are some ways to differentiate between real pearls, both cultured and natural, and imitation such as glass.

Tooth Test (Do not do this in a jewelry store - they’ll get annoyed!)
Rub the pearls lightly along the biting edge of your upper front teeth. If they feel gritty or sandy, they are real pearls. If they feel smooth, they are probably imitations.

 Friction Test
Take two pearls then lightly rub one against the other. If they feel gritty or sandy, they are real pearls. If they feel smooth, they are not real.

 Matching Test
Observe the whole pearl jewelry piece, their shape, luster, size, and color. Imitations can perfectly match while real pearls tend to be variations.

 Overtone Test
Imitation is lack of overtone. Real pearls have various overtones.

Amber

One of my very favorite stones, they always strike me as looking like a lovely crystal chunk of honey or maple syrup, with that rich color. Amber is the fossilized resin of huge, ancient, coniferous trees such as pines and cedars. This aromatic resin oozed down the sides of trees, as well as filling internal fissures, sometimes trapping debris, such as seeds, leaves and insects. As geologic time progressed the forests were buried and the resin hardened into a warm, golden gem, known as amber. Most of the world’s amber is in the range of 30 to 90 million years old.  Although amber is found in various countries, the highest quality amber, marked by a great wealth of variety, is Baltic amber.

There are a couple of very cool properties that amber has - it floats, and it can take an electric charge.

In ancient times, the Greeks noted that if they rubbed certain objects with fur, it would accumulate an electric charge, and that the charged amber buttons could attract light objects such as hair. They also noted that if they rubbed the amber for long enough, they could even get a spark to jump.

Another property of amber is its buoyancy - it stays afloat in salt water . The clearest or transparent ambers are more dense, whereas amber varieties containing numerous air bubbles and are less dense. That’s why it is easy for locals on the Baltic Coast to find it washed up on beaches, especially after storm events.  To do this test, mix about 1 part salt to 2 parts water and dissolve the salt completely.  Drop your piece into the mixture.  Plastic and copal will drop out, while amber floats.

 One of the simplest non-destructive tests that you can do yourself is to clean and taste the specimen. (Again, this is likely to be viewed with dismay during a show, so use with caution!!) Carefully washing with soap and water, then with just water, should leave a clean specimen ready for this test. Lick the specimen slowly several times, allowing the subtle taste to linger. It should be extremely subtle - real amber has almost no taste at all, leaving at most a very slight, tingly sensation.  Most plastic or other polymer forgeries, on the other hand, carry a distinctly nasty taste that screams, “Imitation!” Don’t be fooled, remembering this simple taste test can save you considerable trouble in your adventures with amber.

Finally, copal (immature resin) and plastic fake amber do not hold up to solvents.  Take a few drops of acetone (fingernail polish remover) or alcohol and drip it over the surface of your piece.  If the surface becomes tacky, or the fluid takes on the honey golden color of the substance, you can bet it’s not amber.  Amber is not harmed and will not dissolve under these solvents.

Turquoise

Turquoise gift of the gods, venerated as sacred from time immemorial.  This stone was once more valued than gold, with that deep turquoise blue that so defines the term today.

I haven’t really come across a lot of tips to tell you that turquoise isn’t real, although I have found out that a large amount of it is ’stabilized’, which means it has been treated with various waxes mineral oil, paraffin or epoxy resin to deepen the color and make it hard enough to work.  It also stabilizes the color permanently.  True untreated turquoise changes with ownership, becoming uniquely yours.

Natural turquoise is porous. It changes color over time and after contact with body oils, perspiration, dirt and soap.  That, plus the fact that only a small proportion of turquoise is naturally hard enough to be cut and polish to a high luster, means that many producers work with a certain proportion of treated stones.  Again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, I read that an estimated 85% of turquoise has been treated in some way. But natural turquoise is rare enough to be sold by the gram, so again buyer beware of the cheap stuff - turquoise costs money!

One ‘fake’ turquoise that I have seen myself is made from howlite, which is a white stone with dark streaks, very soft and porous.  When it has been dyed a turquoise color, it can make a very convincing stone.  Look first for a sign, if they aren’t advertising it as turquoise jewelry, this would be a cue to ask politely what stone they are using. “Turquoise” by itself can include treated and even artificial turquoise - so there’s really only one question to ask:  Is this natural turquoise? ”

Have fun with this, and when you’re out to buy something new and special, educate yourself.  There are tons of very reputable sites online that can teach us about the properties of stones, both precious and semi precious.  And with the knowledge you gain, it will make your treasures just that much more special, knowing you hold something rare in your hand.

Sheri,

Wyvern’s Whims

When I’m at shows, a lot of clients see that I work in 14 carat rolled gold, also known as gold filled wire.  The instant assumption is that this is another term for gold plated, and nothing can be farther from the truth.

So this post is just a bit of information about rolled gold, it’s history, composition, and uses.

Let’s start with gold plated, as a means of comparison.

Gold plated (and silver plated) wire is coated with gold, it has a very thin layer of gold applied to it usually by electroplating. Thin thin layer normally wears away very quickly, leaving the base metal exposed. This base metal is usually made of a nickel alloy material that can cause allergic reactions in some people.

When you buy gold jewelry, it isn’t pure gold. The purity or fineness of gold in the jewelry is indicated by its karat number. 24-karat (24K or 24 Kt) gold is as pure as gold for jewelry gets. 24K gold is also called fine gold and it is greater than 99.7% pure gold. Proof gold is even finer, with over 99.95% purity, but it is only used for standardization purposes and is not available for jewelry.

Gold-filled wire, sometimes called rolled gold, is a wonderful choice for wire jewelry makers and, for most people, it will last their entire lifetime without showing signs of wear. I’ve had one client show me a family heirloom made of 14K goldfilled wire from the first world war, it showed no signs of wear and looked brand new!  Gold filled (or rolled gold) wire is made by forming a tube of gold and filling the tube with a base metal, usually jeweler’s brass. The gold content is 5% or 1/20 of the total wire and in jewelry offers an affordable, durable choice at a fraction of the cost of solid karat gold.

There is 100 times more gold in 14 kt. Rolled Gold (gold filled) than in gold plate, and a piece of jewelry made in 14/20 Rolled Gold is usually considered a lifetime piece of jewelry. In the symbol 14/20, the 14 stands for the karat of gold used, and the 20 means 1/20.

Basically, gold-filled wire is a good metal for a good price.

The other metal commonly used in wire sculped jewelry is silver, with .925 sterling being the preferred metal.  This is almost pure silver, with a fineness of 925 parts per 1000 (92.5%) silver and 75 parts per thousand (7.5%) copper, which increases the silver’s hardness. Sterling is quite malleable and ductile.

So, now that you know about the wire you’ll see in a wire sculptor’s work, how do you take care of it?

It’s easy. Just care for it as you would any other jewelry. It is quite durable. A simple inexpensive way to clean rolled gold jewelry (gold fill) is to soak it for a minute or two in a mild solution of ammonia and water or a commercial liquid jewelry cleaner. Rinse the jewelry thoroughly with water afterwards and let dry.

Because of the nature of wire sculpture,it should be kept in a cotton filled box and stored separately from your other jewelry. Besides cutting down on tarnish (put a piece of school board chalk with your jewelry - it helps!) and keeping it from being scratched by other jewelry, it also reduces the chance of a wire being pulled by being connected to another piece of jewelry. Wire jewelry is very strong, but it is composed of wires and can be pulled out of shape with rough handling. Having said that, in many cases it is handed down from generation to generation. It is not unusual to find an old gold filled pendant that has gone down through two or three generations.

I hope you found this interesting, and if you have any question about wire sculpture, metals or stones, please feel free to comment here or drop us a line via our Wyvern’s Whims website!

Til next time!