Gleam, Glimmer, Shimmer!

According to Vogue and other important fashion magazines, gold is back in fashion. Of course, I don't think that it was ever out! I love the gleam of gold, and while I will concede that there are certain gemstones that are best served by sterling silver or white gold, (think rose quartz) I generally prefer my own jewelry to be gold or a mixture of silver and gold.
One of my favorite combinations is lapis, carnelian, and turquoise; all of these gemstones look great with silver (although lapis always looks better with gold), but put them all together and you've just got to have yellow gold to match the richness of the colours! Above, a unique bracelet with lapis, carnelian, and turquoise accented with 14 karat goldfilled elements (with the exception of the toggle which is vermeil), and below, the matching necklace and dangling earrings.

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The November Birthstone: Citrine

I'm very fond of citrine, the gemstone ranging from a pale yellow to a dark orange. First, I just love the colour yellow; second, citrine is an extremely versatile gemstone that looks great with many different colours. I wear it often with black because I like the contrast of the yellow against dark colours. I like a neutral colour that I call champagne or sand - it's a version of khaki almost, but with golden tones instead of brown - Anne Klein calls it safari. A paler citrine is gorgeous with it. In the summer, nothing looks fresher than citrine bracelets and necklaces paired with white linen or cotton.

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Busy, Busy, Busy

The Christmas rush is upon us already! This is going to be a short post, just to get out some of the newer things that will be on the website soon. Above a pretty blue aquamarine bracelet that features matte lampwork beads in soft blue and khaki and a second strand of sterling chain with 3 little charms. Below, a long aquamarine necklace that drops just at or below the bustline (depending on where yours is!)
The next jewelry piece is a thin silver bangle bracelet that has faceted rondelles of tourmaline at intervals. And finally, some of the prettiest carnelian earrings I've ever made of lampwork beads and deep, dark, gorgeous red carnelian!

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An Odd Assortment

n Odd Assortment

Ah... the air is getting colder. . . I love this time of Autumn when the leaves are changing everywhere and the air is nippy in the morning. I'm looking forward to next weekend when we "fall back" and set our clocks back an hour since when I leave at 6:45 in the morning it is as dark as can be. I actually like the feeling that I am getting a jump on the day, but it does make the day seem especially long.
The jewelry pieces here are a motley group, no real theme, just pieces made because the gemstones intrigued me usually.
Above, you see an iolite bracelet (iolites are also known as the "water sapphire") with 5 strands of iolites and one silver-laced lentil bead that has a hint of purple along with the blue. The clasp is a large oval box clasp set with a cabochon rainbow moonstone that has a beautiful blue glow almost every way that you look. These multi-strand bracelets look especially good with blouses and sweaters with 3/4 length sleeves since every strand will show.
Below, a prehnite and tourmalinated quartz bracelet has three large, gorgeous lampwork beads as focals. They glitter and shine in the light and make a huge statement. All accents are sterling silver.

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The Fall Collection IV: More Colour!

The first two pieces today, top and bottom, will be listed under chalcedony jewelry on the Cluny Grey Jewelry website. The chalcedony necklace above is a single strand necklace featuring faceted nuggets of aqua chalcedony along with the prettiest faceted coins of a strong pink chalcedony, Bali sterling silver and the unique lampwork beads of Suzette Celestin. The lampwork picks up the aqua and pink and adds a creme colour to the mix as well. The necklace would look great against a dress or blouse in one of the season's hottest neutrals, a deep creme with a touch of brown called creme brulee.
Below, more chalcedony, this time faceted nuggets of a golden yellow chalcedony that positively glow! The only silver: the tiniest Karen Hill Tribes silver beads, barely noticeable, between the beads, and the pretty sterling toggle clasp. Why? Because the nuggets themselves are so beautiful and so strong in colour, I wanted a very gemmy look for the bracelet, a look that calls for very little silver. This is a simple nugget bracelet with a lot of impact!
One of the Fall 2009 season's colours is "rapture rose." It is a colour that is epitomized by the rhodonite bracelet that you see below - a strong but soft deep pink or rose colour. Sterling silver and two borosilicate artist's lampwork beads add a dash of different colour to the bracelet which consists of two strands of different shapes and sizes of rhodonite gemstones. If rose is not your colour or you can't afford to add this colour to your wardrobe right now, this is a perfect way to get a dash of the colour! Rhodonite is a matte gemstone making it suitable for daytime or nighttime wear, so the bracelet is quite versatile - it also looks great with the iron grey that is one of the most popular neutrals this Fall.
The last two jewelry pieces are a necklace and bracelet and both feature blue. Above, the simple sapphire necklace is made entirely of blue sapphires with the addition of a focal dichroic that sparkles in natural or artificial light. (It's also this month's birthstone).
The last piece is a double strand bracelet that features amethysts and kyanite. Very special lampwork beads add a magical touch to the bracelet and the geometric toggle with the amethyst cabochon keeps it from looking too froufrou.

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Annenberg Diamond Sells Big

Diamond dreams came true for one lucky bidder at the Christie's jewelry auction this week, with a final price tag soaring to millions above expectations!

The Annenberg Diamond was the centerpiece of Christie's Magnificent Jewels auction on Wednesday, and while the stone was estimated to sell for around $3 million when Jewelry.com last reported back in July, the real figure left the experts gasping, "What recession?".

The 32.01-carat D-flawless stone mounted in a ring by Manhattan jeweler David Webb, sold for $7.7 million, healthily above the estimate. In fact, the per-carat price of $240,000 set a new world record for a colorless diamond at auction.

The Annenberg is named after its previous owner, Leonore "Lee" Annenberg, who died in March at the age of 91. Annenberg purchased the ring for herself to mark her 90th birthday, Christie's said. It was delivered by armed guards to her Rancho Mirage home in California from the Beverly Hills jeweler's store.

Now THAT'S a right hand ring, ladies!

Christie's would not reveal the name of the phone bidder who can now add this 'little' walnut-sized gem to their jewelry box, but Rahul Kadakia, head of jewelry at Christie's New York, expressed enthusiasm over the sale saying that for a time it was "as if the recession never happened."

Indeed.

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Diamonds and Gemstones Dazzle the Windy City

From the yellow Tiffany diamond to Elton John's Cartier diamond brooch, The Chicago Field Museum is making jewelry dreams come true with their latest diamond display.

Diamond wishes and gemstone dreams come true in Chicago this season as the Field Museum reopened their Grainger Hall of Gems with one whopper of a bling fest.

"We're calling October 'Rocktober,'" Anna Huntley, the museum's project manager told the Chicago Sun Times. "We're reopening the Grainger Hall today with a permanent exhibit ("Grainger Hall of Gems") that features a majority of gems that are new or have never been on display."

The touring "Nature of Diamonds" exhibit, here until next March 28, is museum's shining star with one of the world's largest yellow diamonds, a 128.54-carat gem, returning to the city for a third time. The famous diamond "...got more fabulous when Audrey Hepburn wore it (in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's) and it is a coup to have it here."

Hepburn isn't the only star to have worn some of the items on display. The exhibit also features a 1928 Cartier brooch once owned and worn by Elton John, a diamond-encrusted coronita worn by Salma Hayek and a bracelet owned by Joan Crawford. Not to mention one of the largest diamonds on record - the aptly named, 'Incomparable Diamond', weighing in at a whopping 407.48 carats!

Now that's rockin'.

Visit the museum's website for more diamond details, and be sure to browse Jewelry.com's Diamond Education center for an online diamond primer straight from the experts!

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Diamond Ring Lost in Halloween Candy

An Ohio woman accidentally handed out her three-stone diamond ring to trick or treaters. Yikes! See what other famous celeb lost their diamonds in an unfortunate 'ring toss'.

One lucky Ohio trick-or-treater may have more than just Snickers and Sweet Tarts at the bottom of their Halloween stash. Elizabeth Olson from Terrace Park, Ohio thinks she accidentally handed out her three-stone diamond anniversary ring along with the sweet stuff.

"I think that what happened is, I was tossing candy into pillow cases and buckets, that it just slid out, along with the treats," Olson told WLWT news. "The ring was pretty sentimental. It had three diamonds, and when (my husband) gave it to me, he said, 'One was for yesterday, one for today, and one for tomorrow'."

Despite her efforts to put out the word, the ring still hasn't turned up - but Olson is still hopeful.

"You're disappointed. It's not like I'm the first or last person that it has happened to. I just hope that it finds its way back."

And she's right. In fact, a huge star known for wearing lots of diamond ice recently lost a $20,000 ring while throwing out $100 bills to an eager New York City crowd. Visit our blog, The Jewelry Insider, to find out who.

And in the meantime, Elizabeth? You might want to troll our three-stone diamond coffers for a replacement ring from only the most trusted jewelry retailers out there. We'll keep our ring fingers crossed for you!

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Ivanka Trump's Wedding Ring Missing?

Diamond engagement rings the size of Ivanka Trump's are hard to miss - but somehow the big rock went missing on a very important day. Read more about the diamond no-show.

So Ivanka Trump has a lot on her plate - she's a newlywed, a budding real estate mogul, a jewelry maven and an author. But somehow the New York multi-tasker forgot the most important thing before her appearance on The View yesterday - her wedding ring!

Ivanka and her mother Ivana appeared on the show together, and the youngster was scolded by Barbara Walters, who was a guest at their nuptials a week ago Sunday and noticed the missing ring finger ice.

"I knew you'd call me on that," Ivanka said, laughing. "I was engaged for three months and then I've been married around eight days, so it's sitting on my bedside table. I forget about the hardware."

To be fair, this is certainly not a common occurrence. "This is only one of two times," said Trump, who also admitted to feeling 'a little bit naked' without her ring.

Elizabeth Hasslebeck advised that once she gets used to wearing a wedding band, "You just don't even take the ring off. You keep it on. It gets dirty...but in the newlywed stage, you clean it and take care of it."

Have any of you forgotten to wear your ring finger bling? How do you care for your diamonds? Weigh in on the Jewelry.com Facebook page and be sure to read up on all our Jewelry.com diamond care details to make sure your ice stays shiny and bright.

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Diamond Ring From 'The King'

Somebody's 'Blue Christmas' is about to get a lot brighter. Find out how you can own a diamond ring from Elvis Presley's personal jewelry box.

Are you so lonesome you could cry? Maybe a little diamond companionship from 'The King' himself would make you feel better.

On Decebmer 6^th, Affiliated Auctions in Tallahassee, Florida is putting a 10-carat diamond ring once owned by Elvis on the block.

The diamond dazzler was given to fan, Lloyd Perry, in Asheville, North Carolina at a concert in 1975. Elvis, known for his generosity, threw his guitar into the audience and both Perry and his neighbor caught it. Perry thoughtfully gave it up, but Elvis brought him on stage later in the show to give him his diamond ring for his generosity.

Not a bad consolation prize.

No word yet on the opening bid price, but the piece has a total of 19 four-prong set diamonds set in 14K yellow gold, weighing in at 27.2 grams - definitely something to get 'all shook up' about.

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Vivid Pink Diamond Could Fetch Millions

Got $5 to $7 million laying around? If so, get yourself to Hong Kong for Christie's 'Magnificent Jewels' auction where jaw-dropping pink, blue, red and yellow diamonds are all on parade.

Colored diamonds are all the rage these days - from pink diamonds to blue and even red. But Christie's is offering some of the most stunning colored diamonds on market for their 'Magnificent Jewels' auction in Hong Kong on December 1^st.

The show will feature more than 250 gemstones and jewels valued at over $33 million, including important diamonds, gemstones and jadeite jewels. Four featured items from a private collection are headlining the event, including the "The Vivid Pink," a 5-carat fancy vivid-pink diamond with potentially flawless clarity set in a ring by Graff ($5-$7 million); a Graff ring featuring a 9.03-carat oval-shaped fancy vivid-yellow diamond ($900k-$1.2 million); a 16.65-carat cushion-shaped Kashmir sapphire ring by Van Cleef & Arpels ($700k-$1 million); and "The Cartier Diamond Love Cuff," a custom, one-of-a-kind creation studded with high-quality diamonds.

Rare blue and red diamonds, Burmese sapphires and impressive jewels from Bulgari and Cartier will also be included in case the sticker shock from the big items gets to be too much.

Get those auction paddle hands ready - but if these prices aren't exactly in your wheelhouse, check out the many colored gemstone styles on Jewelry.com. The perfect excuse to get a head start on those holiday wish lists!

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Championship Ring Fever

From the LA Lakers to the World Series Champs, diamond rings aren't just for the ladies to flash. Check out championship ring styles guys like Kobe Bryant and A-Rod flaunt for being the best in the biz.

Show-stopping diamond rings are usually the domain of the Liz Taylors and Paris Hiltons of the world. But sports heroes get their fair share of bling to fling when they receive their championship rings after winning big.

Last month, the Los Angeles Lakers were presented with their whopping diamond rings created by celebrity jeweler, Jason of Beverly Hills. The $30,000 jewel is made from 15kt gold to celebrate the team's 15^th championship win and sports 14 diamonds surrounding a center gold trophy.

The New York Yankees will have to wait a few months for their 27th World Series championship rings to arrive, but last year the Phillies got to bring home a bling fest worthy of the title - a 14-karat white gold ring with a whopping 103 diamonds, totaling 3.84 carats.

Unfortunately, some sports stars have resorted to auctioning or pawning off their championship bling due to the failing economy (Lenny Dykstra recently sold his 1986 World Series ring for $56,762.50 at an auction in Dallas), but most stars covet the diamond like it was one of their own children - unless you're Lakers Coach, Phil Jackson

"I don't think any of them are wearable..." Jackson said, calling them "too gaudy, too large. You can't shake hands with anybody."

We're sure we could find a few folks who would love to have that problem.

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Diamond Christmas Ornament Breaks Records

The most expensive Christmas ornament in the world makes a glittering debut. It's never too early to deck the halls with diamonds.

Santa, hold on to your floppy red hat. Diamonds and rubies are often found 'under' the tree, but one British jeweler completed his quest to put them 'on' the tree like never before.

Mark Hussey of Hallmark Jewelers had a vision about making the most expensive Christmas tree ornament in the world and after a year of trying came up with what record keepers say is the most expensive pine tree candy ever made.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the blingy bauble is made of 18kt white gold with over 500 diamonds orbited by two rings made of 188 rubies; it took over 130 hours just to set all the gems in the piece. The National Association of Goldsmiths independently valued the diamond decoration at a whopping $130,000.

As one could imagine, security is now ramped up at the family-friendly jewelry store with the ornament safely encased in a special container with an alarm that triggers smoke to fill the shop when tripped.

Santa? Meet James Bond.

If visions of diamonds dance in your head this time of year (and $130,000 is a 'little' more than your budget allows), check out our treasure trove of diamond jewelry from all the retailers you trust. Make those wish lists sparkle with savings and style this year.

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Sotheby's Jewelry Sale Brings in Millions

Colored diamonds in green, blue and yellow brought in the big bucks at auction this week in Geneva - but 19^th century rubies stole the show.

Sotheby's "Magnificent Jewels" sale held at the Hotel Beau Rivage in Geneva on Tuesday, brought in staggering prices on some of the world's most beautiful jewels and gems.

Among the appropriately named, 'magnificent jewels' were three colored diamonds that would bring any mortal to their knees:

The largest vivid-green diamond ever to appear at auction (2.52 carats) sold for a record $3.08 million; a 3.17-carat fancy-intense blue diamond sold for $2.52 million; and a huge vivid-yellow diamond ring sold for a mere $3.13 million.

But the big money went towards a suite of rubies called the Roxburghe Rubies, a necklace/earring combination dating back to the late 19^th century. The final price? An auction-topping $5.77 million - five times higher than the estimate.

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Looking Backwards, Looking Forwards

In the lull between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day we were able to look back at the past year. At the beginning of 2006 when we were in San Francisco, we agreed to buckle in for a ride together. In the following twelve months Etsy grew from 1,400 to 140,000 members, and the company doubled in size (from 4 to 8 …

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What's Going On

We're all working full tilt right now. Chris, Haim and Simon are sifting through the code, diagnosing problems and remedying them. Jared's in Singapore and Seoul presenting Etsy at a couple conferences and working from his hotel room. Jay is collating bug reports and working on the HTML for some new …

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The Etsy Labs

Hello friends, Let me start of by apologizing for all the confusion flying around in the forums. It can get totally wacky in there and sometimes it's hard to know what to believe. Let's set the record straight.Etsy LabsA couple of months ago, Etsy leased its first ever commercial space in Brooklyn, NY. Being the …

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Up With Upcycling

And the weiner -- er, winner -- is...Wiener Bench by JackRabbit. We were impressed by JackRabbit's ingenuity and dumpster diving. She scavenged discarded and broken furniture from the curb on trash night where she lives in Philadelphia. She also posted on Craigslist and collected sweaters headed for the …

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Supplies Swap, Sho-nuff

Come on down to the Etsy Labs for our very first Supplies Swap! Tired of wading through your home's knee-deep overflow of feathers, string, art supplies, and construction paper? Do you have trunk loads and/or small piles of old clothes, beads, books and papers, yarn, miscellaneous whatnots? Are you coveting …

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Etsy Alumni: Kelly aka kfarrell

UPDATE: Kelly no longer works at Etsy. We miss you, Kelly! And we wish you the best in all your projects. Etsy has had quite a growth spurt in the past year, and we have the awkward pictures to prove it. We'll be posting a series of About Us pieces to help you get to know the Etsy admin (and since many of us work remotely …

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Tech Updates: Etsy Mini

The Etsy Mini is now ready for you to use! This customizable widget allows you to post a neat little block of Etsy item images onto your own Web pages. The Etsy Mini can show either items from your shop (for sellers) or your favorites (for everyone). The Etsy Mini automatically updates your own Etsy shop or …

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Trix of the Trade: Gemmafactrix

A huge thanks and a sad farewell to Brooke Medlin of Gemmafactrix.etsy.com, who traveled all the way here from Ohio to stay, chat about Etsy, teach metals classes, share some of her best Etsy secrets, and keep us company. What a great time we had with her as she kicked off our classes here at the Etsy Labs with a …

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Etsy Alumni: Bre aka brepettis

Bre no longer works for Etsy, though we hope to continue to collaborate. We wish him the best of luck with all his exciting web and hacking projects! Don't be a stranger, Bre! (The following was originally posted on March 2008) Etsy has had quite a growth spurt in the past year, and we have the awkward pictures to …

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Bumper Sticker Challenge

Hey everybody, there were such good ideas being bandied about on this forum thread that we decided to launch a quick little contest. Design a new Etsy bumper sticker! We encourage teaming up: if you're not a swell designer, but you've come up with a good slogan or the other way around. • 11.5" x 3"• up to two colors on a …

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Etsy at Shadowcraft

Etsy went down to Pittsburgh to check out the scene and take part in Shadowcraft. We met many a fun Etsian and were totally impressed by their eggcrates stacked up the wall. Walls are boring and egg crates are boring, but somehow the combo of the two--when in crafters' hands--is amazing!

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Etsy How-To: Make a Pinback Button

Anda walks us through making pinback buttons. Brought to you by the good people of the Etsy Labs …

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Exquisite Floral Garden Large Fused Dichroic Glass Heart Pendant Necklace

Description

This is a beautiful collection of breathtaking Dichroic on a Black base that demands attention. The White Enamel floral accents are simple stunning and perfect as a focal bead or on its own. Several layers of glass go into each piece to make it full of depth and with exceptional clarity. You will love the fine detail and intensity and clarity of the colors. These shimmering Dichroic accents are layered to maximize the effect and nuance without mottling the individuality of each pattern. It is a bold and glorious heart perfect for "Big" look. The glass is is 1 3/4"W x 1 1/2"L and is mounted on a Large Sterling Silver Plated Bail. It comes with a Sterling Silver Plated Necklace. All jewelry items are gift boxed with a ribbon. Bubbles are deep within the glass and are generally not noticeable to the naked eye but simply a natural occurrence from the layering of glass. Silver and Gold Plated Bails can be changed according to your specifications. Solid Sterling Silver and 14KT Gold Filled Bails are available for an additional charge. Please note that pictures may have darker or lighter colors on different monitors and are usually darker than portrayed in these pictures. All of my jewelry is created in my smoke free home studio. It is properly fused and annealed to ensure longevity and style. Each piece is individually crafted, fused and shaped which often takes three fusing cycles to complete

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JOURNEY TO THE CENTER Mandala Necklace

Description

The pattern of creation The word "mandala" is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean "circle," a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself--a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds. Describing both material and non-material realities, the mandala appears in all aspects of life: the celestial circles we call earth, sun, and moon, as well as conceptual circles of friends, family, and community. "The integrated view of the world represented by the mandala, while long embraced by some Eastern religions, has now begun to emerge in Western religious and secular cultures. Awareness of the mandala may have the potential of changing how we see ourselves, our planet, and perhaps even our own life purpose." (From Mandala: Journey to the Center, by Bailey Cunningham) The Mandala pattern of this necklace is snowflake-like. I particularly like it because it reminds me a study made by a Japanese scientist that heavily studied frozen distilled water. Frozen distilled water does not have snowflake-like crystals, but he discovered that when he exposed it to classical music, froze it, it developed beautiful, symmetrical crystal designs. He went even further and placed distilled water at the center of a circle of preschool children and had them say and recite words of love, and caring, and joy. In its frozen state, the water from the bowl that was exposed to all that goodness produced countless more beautiful, symmetrical and magical snowflake-like crystals. Can it be that our words and our minds can change the properties of water? If the answer is yes, then so begins our journey to the center. Made of hand hammered silver discs in Indonesia, this pendant is just under 1" and suspends from an 18" fine sterling silver chain.

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Fused Glass Dichroic Pendant PRETTY IN PINK dimensional heart

Description

PRETTY IN PINK! A 1 1/4 X 1 1/8" fused glass dichroic pendant with dimensional fused heart. All colors of the spectrum are floating around on this dainty pink cabochon! BONUS: Perfect for gift giving this pendant comes complete with an 18" matching organdy & cord choker as well as a 4" X 3" drawstring satin lined velvet gift bag! I hand make each fused glass cabochon by first cutting and shaping the glass, stacking and kiln firing to proper temps for fusing and annealing. The bail is glued to the cab with a glue designed for glass and metal. (It is possible the bail could come off under certain conditions but can be easily re-glued with proper cleaning and use of an appropriate glue.) About DICHROIC GLASS: 'dichroic glass' - is a type of glass originally developed by Nasa. It is beautiful and mysterious: any angle you look at it, you will see a different color. Dichroic "color" is not a pigment or a dye, It is the interference of wavelengths of light (color) passing through ultra thin layers of certain minerals that are vaporized and applied, usually onto glass, in a vacuum chamber. The result is a transparent yet highly reflective colored surface. The specific color is determined by the thickness of each layer of each mineral. "Dichroism" means a two color system: One color transmits through, while the complementary color reflects back off the surface. Dichroic trademark: Each color shifts over to a slightly different color as the viewing angle changes.

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20 inch Black and silver necklace with Red Jeweled Cross

Description

This is a 20 inch black and silver beaded necklace. It has a 2 1/2 inch red jeweled pendant attached.

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Black and Silver Handmade Necklace

Description

This black and silver 18" necklace is the perfect finish for any outfit. The black beads give it an edgier touch. Very nice!

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