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December 15th, 2007
10:25 am - Hello and Welcome!
Thanks for checking out "Kate's Sparklies!"
Feel free to look through my Photo Gallery (click here) to see my designs (click on a gallery to select it, then on each picture for a larger version, then again for a really enormous version). Feel free to ask me anything about the pieces themselves; I can make anything you see in any colour(s) you like (as long as I can locate the supplies!).
You will see in the filenames "Available" or "Custom Order."
"Available" means the very piece you see in that picture is available for sale.
"Custom Order" means the piece pictured is not available for sale, but can be reproduced. The price of the piece may vary if you ask me to make it with more expensive supplies than those pictured (different colors are not more expensive; more sterling silver is!).
Please don't hesitate to contact me (katessparklies@gmail.com) about custom work! No charge for estimates. :)
I will not charge you for shipping unless you live outside the continental US or you request rush shipping. The price you see is the price you pay!
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November 16th, 2007
01:52 pm - A Note For Allergy Sufferers
Recently I've come across a non-zero number of people with an allergy to nickel or other metals. The sterling silver I use is ".925" (92.5% pure sterling silver), and I cannot guarantee what the other 7.5% is (sometimes it's nickel, and sometimes it's not!). It's rare to find a person with an allergy to pure silver; usually the allergic reaction is brought on by whatever the sterling is mixed with.
In that vein, I offer Metal-Free jewelry! Any piece you see can be recreated to close with a beaded clasp, or a shell (or other non-metal) button. You can have sparklies that are made purely of crystal, glass, precious and/or semiprecious stones, and nylon beading thread. And nothing else.
Please be aware that this method of construction is more durable in netted jewelry than in strung jewelry, and plan and care for your pieces accordingly. As always, feel free to come to me with your ideas.
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September 10th, 2007
11:37 am - A Bit About Rocks
I dig rocks. Oh, what, you couldn't tell? :-)
I enjoy rocks that have depth and character. My favorite stone is Botswana Agate (see pic here and here). It has always looked, to me, like little planets. Each stone is unique and each one has its own story to tell.
Recently I happened upon a stone called "Cripple Creek Picture Jasper." It's mined in Montana, and like Botswana Agate, each stone has a story to tell. Each one is a landscape; sometimes mountains and sometimes ocean (Brown Earth, Green Sky" (or ocean).
Another beauty is Imperial Jasper. These are not so much landscapes as beautifully painted abstract art. It's the "Pre-Dawn Mountains" centerpiece of this necklace.
Keep an eye out here for more jewelry crafted around these amazing rocks!
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December 19th, 2006
03:17 pm - Pearls
If you've looked through the descriptions of my pieces you'll notice that I use Swarovski glass pearls, and not real cultured pearls.
For a long time I was a fan of real pearls. And then I did a little research into what it takes to generate a pearl, and what's done to the oysters. And then I asked a jeweler how to tell a real pearl necklace from a fake one.
When that jeweler replied "well, if it's a quality strand of pearls, you have to take a scraping from one of the pearls, and you put it in a liquid chemical and wait for a certain reaction..." I stopped him, and thanked him. That was all I needed to know.
If you cannot tell real from fake on sight, or even on close inspection, without resorting to a lab test, why spend the money, and why put the oysters through it? Do you know that pearl farmers perform surgery on their oysters, and treat them with antibiotics? Now, I know it's a bivalve without much of a nervous system... but still.
Swarovski pearls have the weight, luster and warmth of a real strand of quality cultured pearls. Not only that but they're free from defects -- something not guaranteed unless you're prepared to spend on order of $1,000 (or more) on a really nice strand of real cultured pearls. And not only that, but they come in a truly dazzling array of colors!
So if you're looking for a nice knotted strand of pearls, and want one that no-one (except a jeweler with a lab) can tell from the real thing, and you don't want to spend more than $100, well, go with Swarovski. I've been wearing a 15" strand regularly for over four years now, and it hasn't dulled, chipped or peeled.
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