The Virtues of a Strech Bead Bracelet

I'm going to switch gears here for a bit and talk about some experiences I had as a new Jewelry Designer...and there were many of them, let me tell you.

When I first started to design jewelry I said that I would never make a stretch bead bracelet…those are for children. Well, never say never. I had designed a bracelet for a client and after about a week she called and asked if I could change the catch on the bracelet. She couldn’t open and close the catch because of her arthritis and there wasn’t always someone around who could do it for her. She asked if I could change it to a stretch bracelet. Well, of course I said yes and changed it for her. It got me thinking about others who might want a stretch bracelet and why. This is my list of the virtues of a stretch bead bracelet.

• It’s easy to put on and take off, especially for those with arthritis.
• It’s easy to put on and take off period.
  
• You will never lose it because there is no clasp to come undone.
  
• The clasp won’t keep sliding to the top of your hand. You’ve seen the wrist shakers in action.
  
• One size fits a lot of wrists.
• It’s very hard to break a stretch bead bracelet. That’s where the stretch part comes in.
• The bracelets can still look quite stunning even without a clasp. Look how lovely bangles are.

Classification of Gemstones

The title is a little misleading as I really want to discuss the terms Precious and Semi-precious gemstones. You hear and read statements such as “Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald are the only true precious gemstones. The rest are considered semi-precious” or “Emeralds, Rubies, Diamonds, and Sapphires were precious by definition and everything else, regardless of relative value, was semi-precious”. This is now somewhat misleading as it suggests that some gemstones have inferior value. Actually, all stones are now considered precious and their prices are determined by the availability and quality of the gemstone. But, you will still see these terms on a regular basis. I even slip myself, as evidenced in other articles.

The two groups of gemstones are Mineral gemstones and Organic gemstones. Mineral gemstones are naturally growing rocks found in the earth's surface. There are 16 groups of mineral gemstones, including: Beryl, Chrysoberyl, Corundum, Diamond, Feldspar, Garnet, Jade, Lapis Lazuli, Opal, Peridot, Quartz, Spinel, Topaz, Tourmaline, Turquoise, and Zircon. Technically, Lapis Lazuli is a rock and not a mineral but is generally still classified under mineral gemstones.

Organic gemstones are not as durable as gemstones from minerals, and consist of four groups. Amber, a fossil resin found in the sap of ancient tree pines, usually lacks a crystalline structure. It is most often brown or semitransparent and mined. Coral is calcium carbonate extracted from the sea when a small marine animal, known as a coral polyp, uses it to build a protective home for itself. Gem coral ranges from semi-translucent to opaque and can be white, pink, orange, red, blue, violet, gold, or black. Jet is a black fossilized coal that can be used for making beads. Pearl is formed inside an oyster, or any other mollusk that deposits substances inside of its housing. Mollusks creating pearls can be found in either fresh or salt water, but salt water pearls have traditionally been more sought after for use in jewelry. This is changing however, as the Japanese have developed new methods of creating freshwater pearls that are uniform and round -- the 2 greatest attributes of saltwater pearls.

The following link will take you to a fascinating chapter of a book on gemstones. It is very easy to read and extremely informative.

www.secretsofthegemtrade.com/images/chapter2.pdf

Coral

White is the most common color in Coral, but a variety of other shades can be found, including pink, orange, red, and black. The rarest color is a deep red. Coral is commonly enhanced to improve its color and durability. White coral is bleached. Pink coral is permeated with a colorless wax and orange coral is stabilized with a polymer. Black coral is sometimes bleached to create gold coral, although gold can be a natural color of coral as well. Occasionally, red coral is dyed to deepen or to make its color more uniform. All commonly used forms of coral enhancement are stable.

There is an ecological concern regarding coral and a lot of the coral reefs are dying off due to pollution, changes in water temperature and poaching. To combat this concern all coral reefs are protected by various governments and coral sea farms have been created for Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Integrative Biological Research, especially in the South Seas and Australia. There is apparently still enough supply, either from new sources or stockpiled inventory, to meet demand, whether for precious red coral from the Mediterranean Sea, dyed Tibetan coral, or pink coral from the Pacific. However, the coral industry is bracing for an eventual worldwide shortage. The availability of new coral is dwindling as underwater supplies are depleted. Japan has already imposed strict quotas on coral divers, while Italian divers must dive deeper and deeper to get new red coral. Hopefully the coral sea farms will be a new source of coral in the future, just as pearl farms have become.

Special care is required for Coral regardless of whether or not it is enhanced. A soft and porous gem, coral scratches and abrades easily and chlorine, alcohol, ammonia, nail polish remover, and other chemicals can damage it. Remove coral rings when washing and moisturizing your hands. Avoid exposing your coral to extreme temperatures. Your jeweler will tell you how to best care for coral.

And of course, Coral and Turquoise look stunning together when combined in jewelry.

Turquoise

Turquoise is an opaque, light to dark blue or blue-green gem. It can also have a distinct yellow or limey green tone as seen in Chinese Turquoise. The finest color is an intense blue. Turquoise may contain narrow veins of other materials either isolated or as a network. They are usually black, brown, or yellowish-brown in color. Known as the matrix, these veins of color are sometimes in the form of an intricate pattern, called a spider web. The stone ranges from soft/somewhat porous to hard. The hard Turquoise is compact and wears well and is never enhanced and is found in the most expensive pieces of Turquoise jewelry.

Turquoise is mined all over the world, but a great deal comes from the West and Southwest United States. Natural turquoise is often too unstable to be used in jewelry so it is often subjected to a stabilizing treatment that soaks in various binders such as polymers to add strength. This is a common trade practice and in my opinion should not prevent a person from buying specimens or jewelry containing stabilized Turquoise. Be aware of simulated Turquoise, and so-called reconstituted Turquoise. Simulated Turquoise is generally the mineral Howelite which is dyed to emulate real Turquoise.

You can see from the pictures that Howelite has a similar matrix as Turquoise and once dyed it’s difficult to distinguish from natural turquoise if you’re not familiar with the stone. Personally, I purchase my stock from Dealers that mark very clearly whether a product has been enhanced and they follow the Industry Standard Guide faithfully. I never use dyed Howelite in my jewelry. When in doubt, ask!

Reconstituted Turquoise is crushed up Turquoise that has a binder applied, then reformed in to blocks which are cut in to gemstone shapes of carved in to figurines etc. The dealer should tell you if you are buying reconstituted Turquoise, it should not cost as much as natural or natural stabilized items. This type of Turquoise can still make lovely pieces of jewelry at a much more affordable price. Even dyed Howelite can make some fun and fashionable jewelry…just know what you’re getting.

Special care is required for Turquoise regardless of whether or not it is enhanced. A porous gem, Turquoise can absorb anything it touches. Avoid contact with cosmetics, perfumes, skin oil, acids, and other chemicals. Avoid dehydrating it or exposing it to heat. Your jeweler will tell you how to best care for your natural gemstone.

Gemstone Trivia

There are several scales that are used by Gemologists to determine hardness, durability or the scratch resistance of gemstones. The one that is most widely recognized is the Moh scale, which is really a table that indicates the scratch resistance of gemstones. A German minerologist by the name of Friedrich Moh developed a scale in 1822 to compare the scratch resistance of gemstones. It has become universally known as Moh's scale, with Diamond being a 10 or the most scratch resistant to Talc at a 1, which is the least scratch resistant.

I bring this up because most gemstones are enhanced in one way or another to increase durability, reduce scratch resistance or improve the look of the stone, or to even create a new look. For example, Carnelian can be heat-treated to produce that dark, rich reddish-orange color as found in some of the beads pictured below.

Generally, high scratch resistance is desirable for gemstones, and a Moh's hardness of 7 or higher is important. The principal reason is that a common cause of abrasion is sand, which is silica grit (quartz), and is commonly present in dust. Stones which are softer than quartz are not suitable for everyday use as facetted jewelry gemstones, particularly in rings. Some gems, such as Pearls, Coral, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Amber, and Opal are quite soft, but are usually polished into cabochons or beads, rather than facetted, and therefore do not show scratches so easily. All these gemstones have been successfully used in jewelry for many centuries.

Most gemstones used in jewelry have been treated to improve their appearance. Treated gemstones can be a good choice when you know what you are buying and pay a price that reflects a stone's true quality. There are Industry Standards that indicate the type of enhancement and whether they are permanent or not. You’ll probably come across the phrase “enhanced as per Industry Standards”. So don’t be worried if the gemstones in your piece of jewelry have been enhanced. Sometimes enhancement can make a gemstone more valuable. Two of the gemstones that I would like to discuss that are usually enhanced are Turquoise (a mineral gemstone) and Coral (an organic gemstone) which are consistently at the top of the list for the most popular gemstones and they are always in fashion. Another term that you will hear is Stabilization, or that a stone has been stabilized and it is usually used with stones that are less than a 7 of the Moh’s scale. This is especially true with Turquoise and Coral.

The Beauty of Thai Silver

I work with both Sterling Silver and Thai Silver and each has a special purpose in Jewelry design. I have to admit though, that I have really fallen in love with Thai Silver and use it where ever I can in my designs. There is a distinct difference between Sterling Silver and Thai Silver, each with its own unique advantages.

Sterling Silver

Sterling Silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The minimum amount of silver to be labeled Sterling is 925. Fine silver (99.9% pure) is generally too soft for producing large functional objects, and in Sterling the silver is usually alloyed with copper to give strength while at the same time preserving the malleability or ductility of the silver and a high precious metal content. So, in other words, it’s soft enough to create items such as trays, tea sets and cutlery, yet it is strong enough to maintain it’s shape without breaking or fracturing.

In the US you will see Sterling Silver marked with 925, .925 or Sterling. These stamps are called Hallmarks and depending on where the Sterling comes from you will see different stamps, such as the crown that Sheffield Sterling Silver from England uses.

The downfall of Sterling Silver is that it tarnishes and requires cleaning frequently and this is mainly due to the copper content of the piece. There are new Sterling Silvers emerging on the market that have changed the other metals to those that maintain the integrity of the Sterling, yet create a virtually tarnish resistant finish.

Thai Silver

Fine Silver is 99.9% silver or better. This grade of silver is used to make bullion bars for international commodities trading. In the modern world Fine Silver is understood to be too soft for general use. Thai Silver falls in between Sterling Silver and Fine Silver. It is strong enough to be crafted into smaller items which makes it perfect for jewelry-making. Thai Silver also has the benefit of not tarnishing the way that Sterling does because there is no copper in Thai Silver. Most of the silver comes from the Hill Tribes.

Hill tribe silver jewelry from northern Thailand, though hundreds of years old in its distinct design, works well accessorizing even the most up-to-date fashion trend. Hill tribe bracelets, for instance, can feel classic or contemporary or ethnic, depending upon their individual motif and design.

Over 100 years ago, the Hill tribe peoples migrated south from China into what are now Burma, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. The main profession of all these tribes is farming, and all of them tend to migrate whenever they feel that the soil at their present location is becoming depleted.

Approximately twenty distinct tribes of semi-nomadic peoples, collectively called hill tribes, live in the mountains along the Burmese and Laotian borders of northern Thailand. The largest and most prominent hill tribes are the H’mong, Akha, Lisu, Lahu, Meo, and Karen. Culturally the tribes are of interest because their relative isolation has enabled them to retain almost unchanged customs and traditions that go back centuries.

Each tribe is district, with its own culture, religion, language, art, and dress. With Thailand undergoing rapid modern development, it is difficult yet to say whether these tribes will continue in there traditional ways of life, or whether they will eventually be absorbed into the surrounding and ever more-encroaching Thai society.

A rich part of their cultural tradition is the making and wearing of silver jewelry. What once was a artistic skill honed in the tiny tribal villages in the mountains of northern Thailand now can be found produced in the factories of Thailand’s second largest city, Chang Mai. On Wualai Street in Chang Mai all manners of silver jewelry and silver objects are crafted. Intricate patterns of hill tribe-inspired designs—bracelets, earrings, necklaces and rings—are hammered out by Thai silversmiths.

Aside from the work of the Chang Mai city artisans, a buyer of silver in northern Thailand can still purchase the less refined silverwork of the hill tribes. But, this is not considered a downfall of these silver pieces. The quality is still remarkable and because it isn’t created in the factory, each artisan’s vision of the piece is very evident and this makes each piece a unique work of art.

I love the look of the Silver as it has a warm glow that differs from the sharpness of Sterling Silver. I use silver from the Karen Hill Tribe of Northern Thailand. Each piece has been individually handcrafted by skilled craftsmen, thus maintaining its uniqueness. Thai Silver also blends better with both warm and cool tones in gemstones. No two samples are exactly alike. It's more expensive than Sterling Silver as it is imported and has a higher silver content than Sterling. Thai silver is very easy to care for. No chemical cleaners are necessary. Just dip a soft cloth into some Lime juice and buff gently to bring back the warm patina of this silver.

About DizzyGirl Jewelry

DizzyGirl Jewelry Design is an online store that caters to the individual looking for quality, hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces. I also do Custom design for Weddings, Anniversaries, Birthdays...whatever the Special Occasion may be. DizzyGirl Jewelry is an Avant-garde online store that offers Fashion Jewelry pieces in which each piece is individually hand-crafted from Precious Gemstones, Swarovski Crystal, Lampwork beads, Freshwater Pearls, Sterling and Thai Silver and other interesting beads that I can acquire. You will find original Bracelets, Earrings and Necklaces as well as Bookmarks and Eyeglass chains in my store.

I'm a bit of an eccentric and I have eclectic tastes in Music, Art, Literature, Interior Design and Jewelry Design. I have an undying passion for Nature, especially gardening and I use what I see in nature as a template for my jewelry designs.