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My second favorite set of materials to use in my handmade jewelry designs are gemstones, of course! Since they come from the earth, every bead has its own unique beauty. These gemstones come in all shapes and sizes: round, rectangular, faceted, coins and on it goes ... some of these gemstones come in their natural state, meaning they are not enhanced in any way. Others are enhanced with dye, heat treatment, irradiation, chemical treatment and assembly. It makes sense to enhance many gemstones because they would not be wearable if they were not treated in some fashion. The perfect example is Turquoise, which is naturally very fragile and brittle. Without resins, the Turquoise would either break apart, be susceptible to scratches, change color, lose its luster, and so forth. In any case, these semi-precious stone beads are beautiful and I love featuring them on shining, brilliant sterling silver wire. You will find that I also like to incorporate shells, glass beads, Swarovski Crystals, freshwater pearls, ceramic beads and even dyed stones (non-precious) in my handmade jewelry designs on occasion. It is the mixing and matching of these materials that creates that eclectic Bohemian style of handmade jewelry that I enamored by - yes I admit it, I am kind of a hippy! But, I also love the elegance of using just one kind of gemstone, set off against crystals or silver, which lends itself to a more sophisticated and elegant look to my sterling silver, handmade jewelry designs. The truth is, I think we all have a sophisticated side, a funky side, a serious side and a rocker side! So, I try and channel  my different moods when I make different pieces of handmade jewelry. Earwires: Although I originally used pre-made earwires as part of my handmade jewelry designs (and you will see some of my pieces of handmade jewelry have them), I now prefer to create my own earwires and enclosures for my handmade jewelry. I think they are both acceptable to use, but making my own allows me more control of the weight/gauge of the findings and more creative control over the design of the findings. All of my handmade - handcrafted earwires are made with 20 gauge wire (which is thicker than most pre-made earwires) to ensure a stronger earwire. Even so, because my handmade jewelry is lovingly crafted by me, and not machine made, my handmade jewelry designs should be treated with care and considered fine pieces of jewelry. My one exception to using sterling silver wire: There is one exception to me using sterling silver wire in my handmade jewelry pieces (which I normally purchase in a spool or as head pins). There is an industry standard for stringing beads for handmade jewelry pieces like necklaces, bracelets, etc. using beading wire. The beading wire (unlike what we consider normal wire) is comprised of multiple strands of wire (i.e.; stainless steel, which is the most common, copper, brass, sterling silver, etc.) that are braided together to create strength and flexibility - which is very important in handmade jewelry designs. To make the stainless steel wire more attractive, it is commonly plated with either sterling silver (known as silver-plated) or gold (known as gold-plated) or it covered with colored nylon instead of the usual clear nylon. Obviously, the manufacturers want the beauty of the sterling silver or gold-plating to show through, so they use a clear covered nylon to protect the wire. However, more affordable options include "silver-colored" or "gold-colored" beading wire, which is simply stainless steel covered in a silver or gold colored nylon coating for durability.
The majority of the time, I use silver-plated Beadalon wire, which is made of strands of sterling silver-plated stainless steel wire (the semi-precious wire is plated over the stainless steel wire), covered with a thin, smooth layer of crystal clear coated nylon which adds strength and flexibility to the wire, giving my handmade jewelry designs more stability and security. As I have begun to create more complex handmade jewelry, I often use Beadalon wire in conjunction with my sterling silver wire and/or sterling silver chain, links and findings. Why don't I use only sterling silver beading wire for my handmade jewelry? Because, sterling silver Beadalon beading wire (actually, any brand of beading wire) is finer and softer than silver-plated stainless steel. Because of the stainless steel's superior strength, it is often a better choice for long term wear of the handmade jewelry piece. So, I feel that using silver-plated beading wire is the best choice because I am using a more durable beading wire (stainless steel), but because it is plated with actual sterling silver, the wire has a beautiful finish.
Just a note, because I am creating one-of-a-kind pieces of handmade jewelry that I will never duplicate (and are often time-consuming projects), my prices reflect this fact. I don't want to mass produce my handmade jewelry because the fun in it for me is creating wearable art and experimenting with new ideas and designs every time. I want every one of my pieces of handmade jewelry to be special and I want my customers to feel special.
I hope you enjoy browsing ... Thanks!
Leah
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