Stacking Jewelry Tips and Tricks

Some say jewelry stacking is a way to show your own personal style.  Others say it was started by jewelers to make people think "more is more" is better than tradition.  However, most agree stacking jewelry is a trend that is not going anywhere any time soon.  

How do you make a good stack without creating a bad look?  The correct answer depends on your personal preferences.  Some people like it neat, wheas others find the boho or messy look more their styel.  Tips for wearing Layering Necklaces for Elegant or Messy Looks.  Bracelet stacking is usually done by type:  lots of bangles or wraps, rows of stretchy beads or pearls, multiple chains with tennis or bolo style.  Cuff bracelets usually stand-alone because they are larger, but very petite ones may be mixed with chains the same way a bolo can be.  Ring stacking is the oldest style trick, which usually is a series of band rings or simple solitaries mixed in on a few fingers (see 15-mins video below for tips) either up a couple of fingers or smaller sets stacked across the hand.  Large cocktail rings are not stacked on the same finger and too many statement rings on a hand can look tacky instead of stylish.  Stacking earring is another trend that has been around for whiel due to multiple piercings.  Usually the stack has one or more small hoop mixed with studs in the other piercings, however dangle style earrings may replace the hoop(s).   Typically oversized hoops or dangles should only appear in the lowest piercing with a series of studs in the others.  Finally, the trend of stacking brooches on hats and caps is back in style. Brooches or pins may also be artistically arranged on handbags or backpacks.

What are the rules for stacking rings, necklaces, earrings, or bracelets? Once upon a time the rule was keep all your metal colors or other bead/bangle types the same.  Then that rule changed to mix metals but keep the color of the gems or enameling the same a few years ago.  Now there is no real rules, except there is the suggestion to not overstack.  For instance if you do a big bracelet stack, use less rings on the finger or necklaces around the neck.  If you are big into cocktail rings or multiple rings stacked, wear leass bracelets and it is ok to wear more around the neckline.  The main idea is to not look over-done but keep true to your personal style and your favorite looks or colors.  Mix textures, links, and tones to make things more interesting ,without getting too clunky.

Get adventerous with your jewelry!  This will give you more options for the investment you have made in your purchases.  Test multiple stacking looks with your wardrobe to find your preferred style.  For more ideas on stacking, check out Standard Style article 6 Jewelry Trends That Are Out and The Styles To Invest In Now.

Reviving Southwest Style with Desert Pearls Popularity

 Southwest style jewelry is making a comeback all across America and in other courtries as well.  The big thing with the younger crowd is something they are calling "Desert Pearls" or "Native Pearls."   

Why the new trend?  Maybe is is a natural extension of the freshwater pearl craze that was big a few years ago, because farms culturing pearls in water lost many crops during the shutdown of workforce availabilty.  Or maybe the rise in silver prices has made people more aware of these beads as they look for alternatives to the chuky precious metal chains that are another current fashon "must have" for layering.  Whatever the reason for reviving style trend toward silver beads, knowing what to look for is imprtant.  

What is the difference between the dessert pearls and tradtional Navajo or pearls?  The primary difference is desert pearls can be from any Native American/Indian tribe or industrial manufacturer and may or may not be handmade silver.  Navajo pearls are traditionally handmade and oxidized by actual members  of the Navajo tribe of Native Americans.  If dessert pearls are handmade by another tribe, they will usually call them by their own tribe name instead of using the generic term of desert pearls.  To see the difference between manufactured silver bead/pearls watch the TikTok video by a bead artist at Black Wolfe White Wolfe Designs.  To learn more about the different "cowgirl styles" and sizes of silver beads, watch the TikTok video by a bead distributor from Tin and Turquoise, in Canada?! 

Are there more southwest jewelry options than plain dessert pearls?  Another great bead option for southwest style is "Liquid Silver,"  which offers a more eligant or delicate look to southwest style depending on the number of strands and the necklace leangth.  Taking southwest style past just a silver beaded necklace  means adding a pendant or purchasing a ready-made native style.  The "Squash Blossom" necklace is also making a huge comeback.  Squash Blossoms are fluted trumpet-shaped silver (with or without stones) extended out from dessert pearls.  These flutes are named after the sideview of blossoms on squash plants.   Most of the blossom necklace will include a large center pendant that usually is a horseshoe-shape known as the "Naja."  For this reason, some people may refer to the necklace as a naja because of the shape, but a naja necklace does not have to have blossoms on it.  The naja pendant may be all silver or also have inset stones, often turquoise or shell are the most popular stone choices.  Although some blossom necklaces may have a "Concho" or Cross as their focal-point, these are usually stationary or separate pendants on desert pearls, liquid silver, silver chains, or stone beads.  Conchos usually are oval shaped, but may be round too.  Conchos may be silver with a stamped design, be a large stone set in a small silver frame, have a smaller stone in the center of silver design, or be a circular pattern of stones set to resemble the top of a flower or the rays of the sun.

Where is the best place to buy southwest style jewelry?  For authentic Native American jewelry, it is best to buy from artisans at tribal locations.  Alternatively, do a search the internet for "Native American Jewelry" and then read the about section to verify the site belongs to a Pueblo, Tribe, or Collective.  Since everything is handmade and usually one-of-a-kind, expect to pay laot.  Buying from TV shipping channels is typically a lower cost option, as the jewelry peices may by handmade but made in multiples.  HSN offers Chaco Canyon , which is a collective from New Mexico.  HSN also offers Mine Finds by Jay King of New Mexico, who has a modern twist on Southwest bead designs. QVC offers an American West line also from New Mexico.  JTV has a lower-priced southwest inspired line that is manufactured in India.

Jewelry is just one part of the current southwest fashion trend.  Cowgirl and cowboy style is in again!  Not just jewelry but boots and hats are being revived too.  As an extension of the USA trend - red, white, and blue patriotism clothing is surging as well.

Common Names for Pearl Shapes

 The most well-known and desired pearls are typcially round or nearly round.  These pearls are typically the more expensive versions of saltwater pearls from the South Seas or Asia.  However, pearls come in a variety of shapes with different names depending on the region where it is sold.  It is now very easy to find a pearl shape to fit any personality, although the popularity and names of each shape may change with fashion trends as well as location.  

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Round and Nearly Round pearls may be natural or may be manually encouraged by bead nuclating the host mullusk.  Natural ones will be more expensive and only can be confirmed with x-ray technology or by cutting the pearl in half which destroyis it.  Natural round pearls are usually South Seas, black Tahitians, or  Japenese Akoyas -- which is another reason they are more expensive and highly sought after.  A lower priced bigger and faster roundish freshwater pearls may be acheieved by the intervention of man.  Most freshwater pearls are not naturally round, instead they will be nearly round or barogue shapes. Other names for nearly round include:

• Potato, Oblong, Oval, - Most natural freshwater pearls will be this shape.  Calling it potato shape has fallen out of favor, but it is still an accurate description for the shape.
• Drop, Tear, Egg - Pearls that graduate from a small top to a thicker bottom and are most often used for earrings or solitaire pendants. 
• Circle', Ringed - Pearls of any shape that have lines around the pearl caused from spinning in the shell during development.
• Seed - Usually a tiny roundish pearl under 4mm which is called seed because it is looks like a mustard seed or baby starter pearl.  
• Button, Rondelle - These pearls are often used for earrings or rings because they are typically flat on one side or strung as necklaces or bracelets if slightly flat on two sides.  They may look like a small coin pearl but are typically natural rather than maniplated into form. 

Baroque is the pearl industry term for any pearl that is not round(ish).  However there are lots of sub-shapes and styles of pearls.  Other terms for barogue shapes include:

• Comet, Fish, Fireball - This pearl starts as a round pearl but during the growing process develops a tail so it looks like a comet with its tail shooting across the sky.  This type of pearl has great luster, high pearlescence, and some colors have a metallic look.  It has become common practice to refer to the large version of this pearl simply as baroque, which leads to confusion of consumers. 
• Biwa pearls were natrually occuring pearls from Japan's Lake Biwa, now they are cultivated Iother locations as well producing varying shapes:
• Branch, Drip, Fancy, Liquid, Square - Most often this is a natural free-form rectangular or squarish semi-flat pearl.  It has a high luster and pearlescence making it popular with collectors and jewelry designers. Sometimes sellers will refer to this shape as Keshi rather than Biwa.
• Stick, Toothpick - Pearl formed when farmers are trying to force the shape of a natural Biwa.  which sometimes results in a stick instead of rectangle.  The thicker or rounder the pearl, the more likely it is cultivated instead of naturally occurring.  Some farmers have created popular pearl crosses using the same method.
• Chicken Feet, Bird Claw - Biwa or stick pearls that grow together may form shapes that look like bird feet or plant roots.
• Sharkstooth, Tooth  - Pearls that are nearly square, rectangular, or triangular in shape are often referred to as Keshi or Biwa although it may not fit the standard for either shape.  It is an odd braroque shape that  actually looks like a like a large tooth or a slightly lopsided square.  The shape may be natural, or it could be a planned shape that went weird, or it could be the result of an attempt at creating a Mabe.  Their odd-looking result makes them collected by people who like unique, however they are not typically expensive collectibles.
• Keshi (also spelled Keishi) refers to a "surprise" pearl that grews in a mollusk where traditional pearls were being cultivated.  These come in a variety of shapes:
• Petal, Cornflake - This shape is usually thin and often a natural unintended suprise to the farmer cultivating mollusks.  The shape often looks like cornflake cereal or a dried rose petal and has high luster and pearlescence.  Other odd shaped pearls may be referred to as keshi, but they may better fit one of the other shapes and the person selling the pearl may not know this.
• Pebble - Pearls that have no consistent shape and look like tiny rocks or little bowls are another type of spontaneous Keshi pearl, so they may alse be referred to as Keshi too.
• Flat - Pearls that have a long, flatter shape that look like pulled daisy pearls or a small Biwa are another type of Keshi.
• Butterfly - Pearls created when two or more petal-style Keshi grow into one pearl so that it looks like it has wings when properly strung through the joining of the pearls.  Flat or petal pearls may be drilled at the ends and strung to mimic the butterfly look.
• Peanut, Double, Gemini, Twin - This shape is the result of two roundi or nearly round pearls growing into one within the mullusk.  The result will be a doubled pearl that is looks similar to a peanut.
• Rosebud - A pearl of any natural shape with little bumps or warts on most of the surface area, which may be caused by grains of sand getting caught in the nacre during pearl formation.  These pearls are not very pretty, yet they are highly prized and collected by some pearl enthusiasts.
• Rice - Tiny elongated pearl that looks like a grain of white rice, which has high luster like a Biwa.  Some pearl sellers may label small potato-shaped pearls as rice because they are 4mm or under in size, but they will not have the luster typical of traditional rice pearls.  
• Blister, Mabe - These are pearls grown by attaching something to the inside of the host mollusk to encourage it to cover the item with nacre to produce a pearl that is round on top and nearly flat on the bottom where it was attached.  
• Angel Wings - Similar concept of butterfly, this happens when two Mabes or Comets grow togeher with the tails points opposite of each other to form the look of featherd wings when strung. 
• Coin, Diamond, Cross, Heart, Clover, Flower, Star, Square - A commercially created pearl shape created by a thin pre-cut piece of material in the desired shape implanted into the mollusk so that it will form nacre over it.

Edison, Genesis, Kasumi/Kasumiga, Ming, & other trademarked names are near-round or comet-like barogue (see below) freshwater pearls created by moving saltwater mollusks to freshwater farms for cultivation and nucleation.  The luster and colors of these pearls mimic the look of true South Sea pearls and natural Japenese pearls.  These pearls continue to increase in value as Sount Sea pearls become less available. 

Shell or MOP (mother of pearl) pearls are not cultured pearls.  These  are made by grinding the mother of pearl portion of the mollusk shell and mixing it with resin to hold it together.  The mixture is dyed and poured into molds to produce a large perfectly round pearl on uniform shades to mimic large barogue pearls.  If you want natural or cultured pearls, check the fine print to make sure it says freshwater, saltwater, or the location name for the pearl farm.  These nearly-faux pearls are an inexpensive alternative for a big pearl look in a variety of color choices.

For photos of various shapes, see The Different Types Of Pearls And What They All Look Like on the Rock Chasing blog.  Please note this site has lots of ads, so loading may be slow.  Also, review colors of pearls on this blog for more informed buying.

Common Colors for Pearl Types

The color of a pearl should help indicate the type of pearl... but with all the different colors of pearls, it can be hard to tell if the pearl is natural or dyed.  So how do you tell which type of pearl it is using only color?  You do not, color is only one indicator.  Other indicators include shape, size, and location.

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Most saltwater pearls will be white, although pastel colors, yellow-gold, and grey-to-black may also be available depending on the South Seas location the pearl came from (Australia or Asia) .  Depending of the hue of grey, the pearls may be referred to as blue or silver/platinum if having a metallic luster.  Black pearls may actually be black but most are various chades of charcoal or "peacock" which means they have a multi-color pearlesence.  Golden pearls can be any shade of yellow from pale candlelight to darker 14K gold color.  Akoya pearls are the smallest, Tahitians in the middle, and South Sea are typically the largest size.

Freshwater pearls are naturually the same colors of most saltwater pearls with a larger range in the color families, but they have less luster than saltwater.  However with the perfection of the bleaching and dying processes, freshwater pearls may be bought in a variety of colors now.  

More rare pearl types are based on matching their host shell.  These include:

• Abalone - Rare true, blue pearl with the same color play irredecense of the inside of its abalone shell host.  They are oddly shaped and very expensive.
• Conch - Rare pink shell pearl from the Queen Conch.
• Melo - Rare peach-orange shell pearl from the Melo Melo Snail. 

Also there are the famous lake pearls, which no longer produce pearls due to disasters or pollution, but may have similar mullusks cultivated elsewhere.  These lake pearls are also known for their unique and luxurious colors. The Kasumigaura Lake had natural shades of pink pearls from Asian Japan with metallic luster and multi-color pearlescence  Lake Biwa in Japan had rectangular pearls in natural shades of white to pink/peach with high luster and pearlescence.  Then there are the pastel freshwater pearls from  Caddo Lake and pink -purple pearls of Concho River both in Texas of the USA.

To see the most natural colors of pearls, visit The Different Colors of Pearls And What They Each Look Like on the Rock Chasing blog. Please note this site has lots of ads, so loading may be slow. 

Four Ways Fashionistas May Use a Thirty-inch Chain

A thirty-inch chain isa very good fashion staple for any lady (a woman or a girl) in gold, rose, or silver depending on preference of the wearer. There are many ways to wear a 30" chain besides just alone.  Fahionistas always want the lasted look in jewlery as well as clothing. 

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1. The long chain can always be worn alone or layererd with other lengths of chains for a flashy yet elegant look.  It fits  easily and quickly over the head, no need to unclasp it!   
2. When longer necklaces are the current fahion trend, a large medallion or medium size pendant may be slipped onto the 30" chain to get the most stylish look and keep the chain from disappearing into the jewelry box. 
3. 
   If shorter or choker style necklces are the current rage, then chain can be doubled for a 15" look for small necks (for larger necks, consider using a small chain extender to get a little extra length).  The doubled chain can be worn alone or depedning on thickness of the chain it may fed throuh the bale of a pendant twice to get close to the collar length or chocker look.  This helps your chain do double-duty so it gets worn more often.
4. Lastly, this long necklace may be unclasped, wrapped around a wrist for a multi-strand bracelet or around the ankle for use as an anklet, then clasped to keep it on.   Be sure not to make it too tight!  If desired, a shortener clasp might be useful to keep the loops of chain together to keep the desired look.  Also, a small pendant or charm may be placed on the chain or in the clasp for extra interest.  

Once a 30" chain has been purchased and then worn trying out the different ways to wear it, a truly stylish fashionista will likely buy another in a different chain style or metal color.  After getting multiple long chans, a bonus #3 look maybe to try torsading them together for a dual-tone (or tri-tone) or multi-texture choker. 

Cameos Revived, Not Just for Grandmas Anymore

Cameos are more than jewelry, they are little peices of artistic sculputre.  Typically cameos are mainly relief (aka relievo, positive. 3-D, or raised above surface) style carved onto the surface of shells or stones.  Although similar carvings might be carved into amber and translucent stones as intaglio (aka negative, recessed, reverse design INside of cabochon or flat).  Although cameos are historical treasures and have been around for centuries as a favorite for antique jewelry collectors, a new generation is falling in love with them creating a revival for this jewelry design. 

Antique and vintage-looking cameos have made a big comeback in fashion with younger people.  Now they are etched into mother-of-pearl, inlay designs, or slightly carved into inexpensive stones for lower prices.  Some cheaper cameos are also available in resin or glass via a mold process rather than hand-carved.  The new artisan carved shell and stone raised designs include animals, scenes, or skulls in additon to the previous portrait, flower, or religious  designs.  With all the new materials, cameos now come in colors other than coral, white, amber, or black.  The cameo sizes have also changed from half-inch or 1-inch to as big as 3 inches in height.  Cameos may still be in silver or gold frames, but they also appear cut-out, wire-wrapped, or hanging freely without any metal other than bale.  Cameos no longer require an 18" chain to wear as a necklace, they can be extended from longer heavier chains, or a leather cord, or on a lace choker depending on the desired edgy or dressy look.  Brooches are not only put on the shoulder or jacket lapel, they adorn hats, waistlines, and handbags too.  Bracelets and rings have evolved too - bangles and cocktail sized. Cameos are no longer just for Grandmas, now they are true fashion finds! 

Cameos can still be expensive at storefront jewelers, which is why people are checking out shopping channels and websites for newer versions like those from Michael Valitutti (see video) of Canada with carvings from Italy or painted items from Russia.  Or the Scognamiglios family (see history below) of Italy.  Unless a cameo collector of vintage options, ebay searches and antique stores are the best options as auction house bidding typically goes beyond most people's budgets for fashionable jewelry.      

History of Scognamiglio Coral and Cameo Jewelry Designers - In 2007 the Scognamiglio Family celebrated the 150th ANNIVERSARY of the beginning of their business.  Below are the generations of designers and sellers in the family-owned and operated business.

1. Michele Scognamiglio (Born in 1815) was one of the first to start a small coral factory in 1857 in Via Purgatorio n° 112 in Torre del Greco.
2. Giovanni Scognamiglio (Born in 1852) continued the business very successfully. He invented a one piece coral bracelet which was patented and won the first prize at the “Paris Expo”.
3. Michele Scognamiglio (Born in 1875) was a physician and President of the Company heling expert father.
4. Giovanni Scognamiglio (Born in 1905) started to run the family business in 1930. received from the Public Authorities the honorary title of Knight of Labour.
5. Dott. Michele Scognamiglio (Born in 1939) married teacher and jewelry designer Marisa Scognamiglio. He was President of M+M Scognamiglio srl. where he modernized the business and the marketing procedures. He acquired two prestigious properties in New York and Tokyo-Ginza to be used as branches and showrooms of M+M Scognamiglio srl.
6. Giovanni Scognamiglio (Born in 1970) handled the legal side of the main company in Capri Italy.  Dott. Amedeo Scognamiglio (Born 1972?) worked as cameo carver and jewelry designer and took over USA branch of family business in 1997 moving to New York.  In 2002, Amedeo launched the ITALY CAMEO by M+M SCOGNAMIGLIO TV show on the HSN.com and has since won several designer awards and even featured in many design articles.  Cristiano Scognamiglio (Born in 1978) ran the family business at the Tokyo-Ginza branch and introduced coral jewels of styles more suitable to the younger and middle aged ladies.  

WK Silver Vintage Jewelry Designer Whitney Kelly on QVC

Wow, that was a long and wierd blog title: WK Silver Vintage Jewelry Designer Whitney Kelly on QVC or was  it?  The title lists all the key words people typcially use to try to find detials on this particular jewelry designer. 

Whitney Kelly once sold her silver jewelry designs through the home shoping channel QVC.com with the trademark of her initials WK and sterling silver mark 925.  Her designs featured real gemstones that were mostly unheard of in nice jewelry at the time or were mostly limited to Southwest style designs.  She blended modern with southwest and "artisan" looks from other countries.  Back when she was on QVC, her necklaces, bracelets, and rings would have been considerd "bridge" jewelry.  That is the bridge between fine (gold with faceted gemstones) and costume (plastic and mystery metal now referred to as fashion) jewelry lines.  With the rise in cost of silver, her styles are now considered fine jewlery and classifed as "vintage" look in fashion.

For vintage jewelry collectors, Whitney Kelly may be found at estate sales or reseller sites like ebay, etsy, and poshmark.  Unfortuantely, most sellers on these sites do not know what stones were used in the items they are selling, so you may see lots of different descriptions for the same items.  WK did use lot of tiger's eye, turquoise, mother of pearl, and jaspers.  Ocassionally, she would do sliced agates, mosiac opal, or use green malachite and blue lapis.  If you see jade listed, it is most likely an aventurine, onyx, or calcedony instead.  Her pink stones were usually rhodonite, but that is based only on what I have seen so far.  For great example photos of her designs, visit the gem.app stie. The most expensive peices of her line were her signature chunky bracelets.  Those bracelets still are the most sought after peices and can go for fairly high bids on auction sites.  

Whitney Kelly started as a one-of-a-kind jeweler before selling on QVC.  After she left QVC, she exclusively designed in gold and sold through her own website.  The website is gone now and there seems to be no way of finding anything out about her anymore.  Since QVC and her designs were big in both the US and UK, I do not know where she was from.  Not being able to find details is a shame since she was such a great designer that her styles are still loved, collected, and worn.  

If anyone knows more about Whitney Kelly, please let me and my readers know by adding the infromation in a comment on thsi blog.  If anyone has a WK jewelry peice and are wondering what the stones are, add a question in the comments with a link to your item's photo on pinterest or elsewhere and I will let you know what I think the stones might be.

Layering Necklaces for Elegant or Messy Looks

Layering multiple gold or silver chain necklaces was big in the eighties through nineties and then went away for a few years.  Now layering necklaces keeps getting more popular with every year.    It is not just chains anymore.  The necklace layering can be chains, pendants, beads, and/or pearls.   Fashion allows the layering to be a elegant look of 2-3 pieces or even more for messy casual.   

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To make the layered look easier and neater, use a multi-clasp (Amazon options) to hook everything together to check out the look and put it on as one necklace.  If the necklaces are the same length and a cascading look is desired, purchase other handy jewelry stretching options  or make your own to achieve it. If the messy look is preferred, then just layer them up at all the same length for cluttered chunky look or slightly different levels.  Framing the look with pearls always adds a level of class to an outfit.

Steps to create a great cascading look in necklaces:

1. Start with shortest diamond pendant, line necklace, or small bead or pearl necklace. 

2. Add y-necklace, longer mid-length bead necklace, drop pendant or slightly longer bar, if not 1st layer. 

3. Finish or frame with a longer beaded-chain, metal chain, more complementary beads, or long pearls. 

4-5. *Optional - Throw in a different color beads/pearls or pendant to add contrast and additional interest to layers.  

Notes:

• If you want to go over 3, multiple item looks typically appear more balanced in odd numbers,  So think about your layers like you would do a flower arrangement.  
• Depending on selection in step 4, it can give either a more boho look or make an elegant addition to elevate the look beyond matchy-matchy.  Another option for the look of 4th layer is to use really long strand from 3rd layer and double it over head so part is at choker length and the other part is the longest layer.
• To reduce the possibility of necklaces getting all tangled up, choose to use the multi-clasp noted above.  An alternative way to reduce messy tangles when using beads or pearls layered is to put that on necklace on last.  This way the chains are below the beads/pearls so they lay flatter and the finished look is neater.
• Remember - just as single rose in a bud vase can look more elegant than a huge bouquet, sometimes one necklace is all you need for a classy look.

Desert Rose Trading - A Rockhound Delighting Jewelry Mavens

Jewelry mavens who love big, chunky jewelry made from real rocks and minerals in the form of beads (round, rondel, barrel, faceted, and geometric flats) know Jay King and delight in his modern take on Southwest Style.  Many of his fans become collectors of either their favorite stone or a variety of colors to match their wardrobe.  Their peices are destined to become heirlooms  and get passed among family members who also grow to love Jay King's style.  

Maybe you have heard of Jay King, the Mine Finds star jewelry designer and manufacturer for the Home Shopping Network (HSN) too?  The Mine Finds line at HSN is known for bold looks for reasonable prices compared to what similar items may be priced at in the small jewelry boutiques that carry Jay King original one-of a-kind items and his higher priced gallery edition peices featuring lots of silver.  Jay King employs other designers who also create gallery peices and create some of the smaller stone items that HSN customers have requested for more practical everyday wear.  Ordering from HSN provides easy-return option withng 30 days (longer for  Christmas shoppers) if the buyer is not happy with the jewelry for any reason.  For repair work, Jay King Cares is available for HSN customers.  The care site also has the HSN show schedule for Mine Finds and information on the most popular gemstones/minerals/rocks in Jay King's line.  He is primarily known for turquoise and opals, however lapis and many colors of tiger's eye, spiney oyster, mother of pearl, or coral are also at the top of his offerings.  The Mine Finds line is known for providing new and unique gemstones direct from the miners.  Sometimes they have been able to acquire and offer higher end stones like pearls, emeralds, ruby, sapphire, and tanzanite.  A popular style by Jay King is his "traveler" peices where he mixes various stones from his travels all over the world.  Buy the jewelry anytime on-line or get the best deals on the dates Jay is at HSN, so check the show schedule and watch then for special deals.

Anyone that has bought any of the Mine Find necklaces, bracelets, rings, or earrings in the HSN line or at one of the boutique jewelers probaly noticed his trademark stamp DTR and wondered what it stands for.  It means Desert Rose Trading (DTR), which is based in New Mexico and has a outlet store that is open for two weeks each quarter to sell their sale samples, as well as  overstock jewelry items and excess beads.  In addition to the storefornt outlet, DTR has a Desert Rose Direct website where unique items can also be ordered which are not available elsewhere (prices on their site maybe higher than similar items on HSN).  The website is the only place to find the dates the factory outlet will be open for browsing and buying direct.  The website also offers repair options for any Jay King purchase, including links for HSN customers.  Find out more about Jay King, the rockhound and his jewelry collection on YouTube or his rock hunting travels as the GemHound on Pinterest. 

Southern Pearl Girls Explain Mabe vs Blister Pearl

Since I do lots of pearl posts,I have been asked what is the difference between a mabe pearl and a blister pearl by people trying to learn more about pearls.  Typically they have seen one or the other offered on a TV shopping channel and want to know why they might want it in their jewelry collection.  

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The way this Texas Pearl Girl answers is that a blister pearl is a pearl that is actually growing on the inside of the host mussel or clam shell.  Blister pearl jewelry usually includes part of the mother-of-pearl shell when they cut widely around the pearl to make a necklace or earrings.  The blister may be centered for a strand or it could be at the top or bottom of a large cut of shell for more interesting pendant  Sometimes you even get bonus blisters! If you like this natural look, then consider blisters for your collection.  Blisters may be just drilled holes in the shell to hang from an earring finding or a chain.  Or they may be in silver-tone, gold-tone, copper, or other metal settings - including sterling silver.

If you like a more classic look, then go for a mabe instead.  A mabe is typically a blister pearl cut completely off of the shell and then mounted without any shell around it.  Mabes are more expensive, possibly because of the precision cutting required.  However part of the cost is that they are in jewelry quality metals like gold or .925 silver.  Although most pearl mabes are often found in vintage or estate jewelry - it has been making a comeback in the last couple of years.  The natural blue and pink colors are the most prized but white is the most traditional. However, less pearl farmers are taking the time to culture mabes, so they may go up in price as they may end-up being rare again.   

Instead of looking for images of blisters and mabes, I thought a video would make it easier to understand. Below is a video by one of the southern Pearl Girls from Georgia with her explanation of mabes.  To find out more about their store and their repair functions, check out ThePearlGirls website or find their other videos on YouTube.

Pearls: History and Science Education

Pearls are the birthstone of June and a lot of information about pearl jewelry has been shared on this blog.  In case you want more education on pearls, you may want to view some  videos from experts.  Now to share a few good choices from GIA to increase your knowledge are shared below.  

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The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) offers degrees and certifications in Gemology, including specialty in Pearls.  During the COVID shutdown, they offered a series of "Knowledge Sessions" via live webinars to help educate people in the jewelry industry and others who were interested in learning more about various gemstones.  If you ever wanted to learn more about pearls, you can still check out some of those webinars on YouTube.   Below is a list of the 1 hour video seminars from their series to check out.

• Gemstones from the Sea (History of Pearls, MOP/Shells, Coral, & Fossils with Dr. Chunhui Zhou)
• Fascinating World of Pearls and Shells (Identification & Biology with Nick Sturman)
• An Overview of Pearl Identification Techniques (History & Science with Dr. Chunhui Zhou)
• Diving into the GIA 7 Pearl Value Factors (Gemology Grading with Akira Hyatt)

If you want to view older and shorter videos, check out these from the GIA 7 Pearl Value Factors of around 2 minutes each. 

• How GIA Evaluates Matching 
• How GIA Evaluates Luster 
• How GIA Evaluates Surface 

Or check out these GIA videos including the highly-valued saltwater pearl types and the less expensive freshwater versions of 1-2 minutes each.

• Akoya Pearls harvested  in countries such as Japan, China and Vietnam
• South Sea Pearls found in Myanmar, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines
• Tahitian Pearls cultured in the French Polynesian islands
• Freshwater Pearls cultured in China and naturals from USA
• Not video - Large Edison FWP article AKA trademarks: Genesis, Kasumi, Ming 

Sea Pearls

Thrift Store Beading - Finding the Good Stuff for Jewelry Making

You can find great beads at craft stores, gem shows, or on-line outlets.  However, if you are just starting to make jewelry or are a budget-conscious experienced jewelry designer, you may want to find a cheaper alternative for finding the valuable beads you crave.  Thrift stores often sell jewelry for really low prices and you have the benefit of helping a charity.  You may find a good piece you love to wear as is.  More likely, you will find a broken necklace, stuff with a few chipped stones, something missing clasps, or perhaps a badly constructed piece - all with some really great beads.  You can recycle these thrift store finds by cleaning and re-purposing the beads into new trendy necklaces with other beads in your stock or turn them into stretch or wrap bracelets.  Your jewelry making can then produce some fashionable new item for yourself, a special piece to give as a gift, or if you craft for extra income - an addition to your sales table.  

As an example of this idea, a few months back, I found some Hubei turquoise beads in some really ugly necklaces at the thrift store.  One necklace was short and extremely heavy (about 2 pounds), the other was free-form bead nuggets rounded and polished.  Both necklaces had a few chipped or cracked stones.  Since the store was having an extra discount sale that day, I decided to buy them and re-construct them into something more wearable.  I also thought I could use the bad beads to test some of the various stone polishing techniques I had seen on hobby sites.  I had also bought  a multi-strand necklace featuring green African turquoise on another trip to re-create into something new as well.  

Over the last 2 weeks, we have had several days of freezing rain, sleet, or snow, so I decided to start on my turquoise projects. I started by creating 2 traditional Southwest looks of graduated necklaces with the disc/tire beads and modernizing it with contrasting-color round beads as spacers/finishers.  Using all the disc beads still made the necklaces too heavy, so I left out the largest beads of each color and ended up with necklaces that weighed around a quarter-of-a-pound each.  Then I took two of the strands from the multi-strand necklace and combined them to create a longer southwest-style nugget  and chip necklace.  Since I still had beads leftover,  I thought I'd try a mixed nugget and disc necklace that would feature the matrix on the larger tire beads by treating them like a donut bead.  They were TOO heavy and broke the wire I used to test my design idea (see middle photo).  Instead, I decided to try wire-wrapping and corded necklaces for some boho-chic looks featuring the blue or green colored disc beads as focal points.  Finally, I took the miniature turquoise colored round beads layer on the multi-strand and combined it with small glass pearls to create a choker-length necklace. Details on each finished piece of jewelry may be found on my Pinterest page (photos of all new in top of this post, photo of original finds in bottom of post)).

After making 7 necklaces and 2 pendants from the original 3 thrift store finds, I still have a short strand of crystal bends, a partial strand of small baroque pearls, and many silver-tone spacers beads to use as spacers in future jewelry or craft projects. I also have 10 polished stones from the bad ones for my rock collection or cactus garden.   I re-purposed the clasps from the two Hubei necklaces in the new ones and will use the chain from the multi-strand in another project later.

Speaking of re-purposing, the chain on the nugget necklace was an old pocket watch chain of my Dad's.  It still had the watch bow attached, so I'm guessing the watch fell and broke when the chain did.  The chain was in a small drawer of my Mom's jewelry box with other broken chain sections.  Before Mom passed, she told me she kept them there for Dad to use for repairing chains or when he needed to replace a clasp.  She said I could keep them or throw them away, so I dumped them in a plastic container because I thought they might be re-purposed as necklace extenders and heavy-weight clasps.  

Those Cute Beads Are Too Tiny

I bought this really cute 100-inch 2mm black spinel and 5mm pearl long endless necklace from a mail order site.   I thought it would go great with other black jewelry. The first time I wore it, I created an approximately  25-inch frame for a black stone pendant by looping it 4-times and putting it over my head.  The next time I wore it, I thought I would wear it alone as a messy multi-strand choker by just wrapping it over my head and around my neck several times - it looked great.  However, when I went to take it off, it was a tangled and knotted mess.  After working over half an hour to try to untangle it, I decided to just cut it off by leaning over a bowl to catch the beads and pearls.  I then put them in a small storage container to consider reconstruction options later.  

We recently had a day of rain and snow, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to create and repair jewelry.  I started with the longest strand left from the above necklace.  I removed a few beads to get it to look like it came built that way.  After knotting the thread ends, I quickly ended up with a 56-inch version of the first endless necklace.  I will use a looped necklace extender or pearl shortener (links are examples on Amazon) in the future when wearing it doubled or tripled to avoid the tangle issue.  Then I looked at the remaining beads to decide if I wanted to try to create versions of shorter things I had seen on various websites. 

Since they a fashionable, I had been thinking about making a jewelry tassel and decided these tiny beads would make a great beaded version.   Depending on how I constructed it, I could put the tassel on a chain, small beads, or regular-size pearls.  Looking through my remaining intact strands, I found four that were the same size which would create 8-strands once folded over and knotted on each end.  I removed the pearls from those strands to use on a shorter necklace.  I then added a large jump ring that could slide over small beads/pearls, thread wrapped around the top for tassel look, and topped it with a large acorn-shaped pearl. The 4-inch tassel took longer than I expected, but was pretty easy to do and I thought it looked lovely.

Finally, I decided to make an 18" necklace with a large center pearl and tiny pearl stations using the ones taken off tassel above.  If I had extra beads after the necklace I would try to create a bracelet.  I could not get any wire I had or a small needle with thread to go through the holes in the 2mm black spinel beads!  After going to the craft store and buying 28 gauge (tiniest size) wire, I started stringing through the teeny holes in the tiny beads.  This part of project took most of the day!  The bead holes were hard to find with the shinny facets confusing my eyes about what I was seeing plus I do not have a bead spinner.  While stringing, the beads kept spilling or coming off the wire!  So I lost some beads and had to use multiple tiny clamps to keep them from slipping around on wire.  I did have beads left over and my bracelet ended up at 6.5 inches so I added an extender to it for extra length.  I added an extender chain to the necklace as well, so it can be worn longer when desirable.  As a break from the tiny bead stringing, I created a pair of matching 1.5" hook earrings from other beads and pearls leftover from past projects.  

Lessons learned:  Do NOT buy extra long necklaces made with micro-tiny beads!  Do NOT try to make custom jewelry with 2mm beads.

Making Jewelry Tassels

Tassels have made a resurgence in jewelry!  To get the vintage feel of a tassel pendant, you can make your own or buy finished ones on-line.  

Thread tassels are big for light-wight earrings as well as finishing touches on a Y-style necklace o beaded bracelet.  To make your own thread tassels, check out Beadaholique 5- minute video. 

There are also chain-style tassels to add a more edgy look to necklaces or to create really dramatic earrings.  To make your own chain tassels, check out JTV 6-minute video.  you can get creative with the chain tassel and put  pretty bead at the bottom of each chain too.

What is really IN right now for necklaces is tassel pedants made with beads or pearls.  Beaded tassels should be a fun new idea for those who are already jewelry makers.  Or if you are new to jewelry making, have a beaded necklace that broke and saved the beads, you can restring it as it was or consider trying to create a tassel for an updated look. Below is a great 15-minute Potomac Beads video explaining an easy technique for creating beaded tassels.    

Outer Space Rocks as Gemstones in Jewelry!

Whether you believe in extraterrestrial beings or not, you probably are aware of stones falling from the sky to earth.  These stones have attracted interest of both rock collectors and jewelry makers. Most rocks from outer space are parts of asteroids. comets, or meteorites that fell to earth.  Higher quality gemstones often are created through the process of these objects passing through the earth's atmosphere or created by impact with earth. Sometimes the stones used in jewelry are kept natural for one-of-a-kind Boho-style. While other jewelry designers may choose to shape, facet, and polish the stones to create more traditional jewelry pieces.

Diamonds are believed be prevalent in space and some resulting from asteroids may be found in Russia, Brazii, and Africa.  Diamonds in space there are mostly black (aka Carbonado Diamonds or Enigma Diamonds), which are not typically found in natural diamond mines on earth.  

Impactites (aka Libyan Desert Glass or Moldavite) is melted sand particles burned by the impact of a meteorite.  Libyan Desert Glass are pale yellow-colored stones, which are soft or brittle - therefore it is used sparingly in earrings or pendants.  Gemstone quality desert glass is rare for use in faceting or cabochons, so most jewelry will be wire-wrapped or hole-drilled if the shape and size of stone is appropriate. Moldavite is a unique dark green gemstone that has been placed in jewelry for about 100 years.  However, it is not readily accessible everywhere.  Check TV shopping networks and seller websites where many new designers sell their wares to get a Moldavite piece to mix into wearing with your other green gemstones.

Meteorites of iron of other metallic substances have become very popular for jewelry.  People are fascinated by owning these mostly in their natural form.  However, the do make interesting cut cabochons and beads too.

Pallasite (aka Palladot or Space Peridot) is a meteorite containing another green stone called Olivine.  Olivine is the mineral family that the August birthstone Peridot comes from, but is not the same quality as that well-known gemstone.  Although some Peridot -quality may come from outer space and be cut out of the meteorite part, most of the Olivine is not removed from it's meteorite host. Typically it is used as an interesting combination of colors. sold as Pallasite to collectors and occasionally fake versions are wire-wrapped or drilled for an extremely rare version of jewelry. (Learn about Olivine from volcanoes too.)

Tektites are usually black stones formed when an asteroid or comet hits the earth.  Since it is drop-shaped and glass-like, it is used in the same types of jewelry as Impactites.

The above gemstones are linked more to the science of space and the uniiverse, also known as astronomy.  There may be other gemstones in space that have not yet made it to earth.  However, if instead of space science you are more interested in astrology, which is a using stars and planets to try to explain life, then check out zodiac gemstones from earth.  

Gemstones from Volcanoes Can Rock in Jewelry

Did you know that some gemstones made into jewelry were formed by volcanic ash or during the lava flow?  Many of the volcano rocks turn into tourist souvenirs, but some are so beautiful they end up in jewelry.  Others in jewelry may be man-made stones created using ash left by the volcano eruption.  Below is a guide to some of the names for volcanic gemstones you may see in the marketplace.

First, let us begin with Lava Stone, which is not really gemstone quality material.  However, the rocky-looking stone is becoming quite popular for the natural or BoHo look in jewelry, whether made into beads or just drilled as is.  It makes lightweight jewelry, can be dyed, and mixes nicely with other natural stones.  It also appears in aromatherapy jewelry since its porous nature makes it hold onto fragrances for a short time.  

You may or may not have heard of Helenite (aka obsidianite), which is typically a green gemstone formed as a result of Mount St. Helens in Skamania County, Washington eruption in 1980.  Although it mostly comes in emerald green color, it has been treated to other colors like ruby read and ceylon sapphire blue for use in jewelry.

Obsidian, Quartz "diamonds," and Xenolith discovered from eruption that happened over a thousand  years ago of the now dormant Mount Konocti in Lake County, California.  Hikers and self-proclaimed miners may find their own stones around the mountain or nearby lake.  Collectables rocks and hand-made jewelry are most likely sold in local stores and tourist areas too.

Non-jewelry quality Olivine may be found in Hawaii from Mount Kilauea eruption in 2018.  You can not collect it yourself but may be able to buy some small stones from shops there.  However, the Olivine found there was not the jewelry quality known as Peridot.   

You may not have heard of Vesuvianite (aka vasonite or idocrase), which was discovered in 1795 around in Italy's Mount Vesuvius within the lava rock formations.  The main color associated with the volcano is the light yellow-green and sometimes brown-green. Other colors are more rare, as are the jewelry quality stones for faceting or cabochons.

This may not be all the gemtones created by volcanoes.  It certainly is not all the volcanic rocks out there.  It you have favorites not listed, please share the name of the stone and its volcano in the comments for this blog post.  

American Gemstones and Rocks: Chart by State

I finally compiled the promised list of gemstones by state!  It took a lot of research as there were several reference websites, none had complete list, and only a few said “official” for states.  There was also some confusion about the difference in gemstone (typically used in jewelry), rock (common collectable for state that may or may not be in jewelry), and about a state’s main mineral (gems are minerals and rocks are composed of minerals).  The chart below is not every stone produced in the state, just the ones selected to represent the state. To find the stones frequently mined in a state, click on the state in first column of chart below. If you live in, or go mining during travel to a particular state and see that I missed something or your state has made a change, please let me know in the comments under the post.

If you want to look at pictures, most gemstones in list below are on the USA state symbols site.  Some of the best photos I saw for USA rocks and minerals was on Wikipedia, where you may also find additional details about each. Links within the chart will go to blog posts where I have written about the particular stone.

American Gemstones and Rocks per State

STATE (Abbreviation)	GEMSTONE	METAL/MINERAL	ROCK
Alabama (AL)	Star Blue Quartz	Hematite (Red Iron Ore)	Marble
Alaska (AK)	Nephrite Jade	Gold
Arizona (AZ)	Turquoise	Copper or Wulfenite (Yellow Lead Ore)
Arkansas(AR)	Diamond	Crystal Quartz	Bauxite
California (CA)	Benitoite	Gold	Serpentine
Colorado (CO)	Aquamarine	Rhodochrosite	Yule Marble
Connecticut (CT)	Garnet	Almandine Garnet
Delaware (DE)		Sillimanite
Florida (FL)	Moonstone	Agatized Coral
Georgia (GA)	Quartz	Staurolite
Hawaii (HI)	Black Coral
Idaho (ID)	Star Garnet
Illinois (IL)		Fluorite
Indiana (IN)			Salem Limestone
Iowa (IA)		Petrified Palmwood	Geode
Kansas (KS)	Jelenite Amber	Galena	Greenhorn Limestone
Kentucky (KY)	Freshwater Pearl	Coal	Kentucky Agate
Louisiana (LA)	Lapearlite (Oyster Shell)	Agate
Maine (ME)	Tourmaline
Maryland (MD)	Patuxent River Stone
Massachusetts (MA)	Rhodonite	Babingtonite	Roxbury Puddingstone
Michigan (MI)	Chlorastrolite (Isle Royale Greenstone)		Petoskey Stone (Fossilized Coral)
Minnesota (MN)	Lake Superior Agate
Mississippi (MS)			Petrified Wood
Missouri (MO)		Galena	Mozarkite
Montana (MT)	Sapphire		Montana Agate
Nebraska (NE)	Blue Chalcedony		Prairie Agate
Nevada (NV)	Virgin Valley Black Fire Opal or Nevada Turquoise	Silver	Sandstone
New Hampshire (NH)	Smoky Quartz	Beryl	Granite
New Jersey (NJ)
New Mexico (NM)	Turquoise
New York (NY)	Garnet	Herkimer “Diamond” Quartz
North Carolina (NC)	Emerald	Gold or Garnet	Granite
North Dakota (ND)		Petrified Wood
Ohio (OH)	Ohio Flint	Trilobite Fossil
Oklahoma (OK)	Selenite Crystal		Rose Rock (Barite)
Oregon (OR)	Oregon Sunstone	Oregonite or Josephinite	Thunderegg (Agate)
Pennsylvania (PA)		Trilobite Fossil
Rhode Island (RI)	Bowenite		Cumberlandite
South Carolina (SC)	Amethyst		Blue Granite
South Dakota (SD)	Fairburn Agate	Rose Quartz
Tennessee (TN)	Tennessee River Pearl	Agate	Limestone
Texas (TX)	Texas Blue Topaz	Silver	Oligocene (Petrified Palmwood)
Utah (UT)	Topaz	Copper	Coal
Vermont (VT)	Grossular Garnet	Talc	Granite or Marble or Slate
Virginia (VA)			Nelsonite
Washington (WA)	Petrified Wood
West Virginia (WV)	Lithostrotionella  (Fossil Coral/Chalcedony)	Bituminous Coal
Wisconsin (WI)		Galena	Red Granite
Wyoming (WY)	Nephrite Jade