Pink/Purple Coin Earrings

Continuing on with selected pieces from my 3 Coins in the Fountain collection...








...we have these coin-shaped pink Czech glass beads under round purple glass beads.







These earrings measure approximately 7/8 in. in the drop. All metals are sterling silver.






These earrings coordinate with the Iris bracelet and necklace available in the 3 Coins in the Fountain collection. I love this shade of pink and the simple style of these earrings...they're feminine but not overly girly, and they catch the light beautifully. I think I have some photos of the Iris bracelet, so we'll see if I can't throw them up here in the ole Jericas Jewelry blog in the next few days.

Price: $10.

May's Birthstone

Emerald is the birthstone for May.

Emerald is a member of the beryl family and frequently has flaws or inclusions. Chromium and/or vanadium give this stone its green color and it is thought that its name derives from the Persian word for "green stone." Large deposits can be found in Brazil, Columbia and South Africa.

Emerald was Cleopatra's favorite gemstone and for two thousand years, almost all emeralds mined were from Egypt.

The "emerald cut" is indeed named for this gemstone; cutting off the corners of the emerald helps this brittle stone from getting chipped.

According to legend, wearing an emerald can soothe one's eyes, improve one's low IQ and cure infertility. That's one-stop shopping, right there!

Ears Ears Ears

Ok. Ears:








And more exciting still, I've finally thrown up another item (or 13, actually, through 1 listing) over at my etsy store.

Go shopping.

No need to buy, clicking the link with longing in your heart and admiration from afar is enough.

Kiva Lender Page

Look, I made myself a Kiva Lender Page!

check me out

Just Plain Love This Photo!

The title of the entry says it all: I love these shots. These earrings are very popular--they're very simple, modern and striking all at the same time. I came up with this design 15 years ago (in the cobalt blue). Materials: sterling silver and Czech glass. They're just under 2 inches long in the drop and available in, at last count, 13 colors:

cobalt
lake blue
aqua
yellow
orange
plum
grape
red
white
black
emerald
lime-y olive
pink



Price: $10 (pair).


I'm going to be putting these up on Etsy soon. Check back to see a photo of them on a real live ear...

Good News For Carmen!

Well, look at that--the Kiva banner to the right has now changed to another entrepreneur, meaning that Carmen's loan request has already been satisfied! Good job, Kiva.

Women Helping Women; Crafters Helping Crafters

Meet Carmen.



Carmen and her family live in Peru. Needing more money than she was already making, Carmen and her oldest daughter taught themselves how to make jewelry in order to sell their work around the city they live in. They work at home and travel to markets to find customers. Their earnings supplement other meager sources of income.

Carmen's goal for the future is to have a store from which to sell her work...and I think just about any crafty person has thought about that dream at one point or another. Sharing a store, owning a store, being able to decide, organize and make everything that goes into a store. It's not an uncommon dream, certainly.

But in Peru, with no savings and sporadic income, it's not a realistic dream. That's where I come in. And you. And anyone else who wants to help Carmen and her family.

I found Carmen through Kiva, an organization that connects lenders with the entrepreneurial working poor throughout the world. Borrowers assess their needs, find a field partner in their own country, and open themselves up to a world of possible lenders. After securing a loan, Kiva entrepreneurs begin to pay it back (usually over a period of 6-12 months).

Carmen's Kiva field partner is Microfinanzas PRISMA (MFP), a Peruvian NGO. Kiva lenders have funneled over $850,000 dollars to MFP borrowers since last summer. Of that money, 100% has been repaid to the lenders, meaning a default rate of 0.00%.

Carmen is asking to borrow $550. I have loaned her $25. Loaned, not donated. Carmen and the other Kiva entrepreneurs are not asking for charity, they are asking for the tools they need to help create sustainable economic and social development for themselves, their families and their communities. The wealth generated by women's labor improves the health, education and future of their children. Carmen will use part of this wealth to pay me, and her other Kiva lenders, back monthly over the next 6 months. I probably won't even notice that my $25 is back in my bank account, but it might help Carmen get her own shop...no small feat for someone living below the poverty line.

So, why did I choose to lend to Carmen? Look at her workspace, and think back to this Jericas Jewelry blog entry I made a few months back about my OWN workspace...

Where the magic happens

The answer should be obvious!

I'll be leaving this entry up for a bit longer than some, hoping a lot of you see it, and that Carmen's loan comes through as we're 'watching.' Kind of like the giant telethon tote boards of yore! Check out the counter I've added to the right hand of this entry. Check back to see if Carmen's entire loan comes through. And if you're motivated to become a lender, check out Kiva.org.

Boxes...Pt. 2

Natural boxes in a natural setting.







These boxes measure 1 3/4 in. x 3 3/4 in. and are perfect for earrings, small bracelets and even small necklaces. I have my contact information stamped on the back in red.






Unfortunately I can't always send boxes through the mail because including them really increases the shipping costs, which I try to keep as low as possible. If someone is willing to pay the increased shipping charge, I'm happy to include the boxes.

Boxes...Pt.1

I thought I'd share with you some of the packaging I use for Jericas Jewelry.


With the help of my friend Heather, I decided on using small cardboard 'kraft' paper(covered in something akin to an unbleached paper bag) boxes.




I knew I wanted to emboss the boxes with a design, using gold embossing powder.







Because I am always drawn to images of nature, I collected all the rubber stamps I have that feature natural designs (and 1 heart. What can I say?).




So, we have leaves, flowers, a twig with berries, and my favorite, a little pine cone.





Not only is it less expensive to buy boxes and decorate them yourself, but I also find it really satisfying to put my own stamp (literally!) on them. It's one-stop-shopping with Jericas Jewelry!

Have You Seen These VIX Pix?

I'm not sure if I've posted one of these shots before, but at least a few of them are new. A small bit of my work is in the big glass case on the floor, but some of my earrings are located on the small, beige window-shutter display almost exactly in the middle of the photo above.







Here's another view.


This last shot is fun because it shows the earring display, but includes a lot of the attic-treasure fun that is the small, independent craft boutique.

If you haven't read other VIX entries in the Jericas Jewelry blog, here's the information (taken from the VIX site):

5009 Baltimore Avenue, diagonal to the Firehouse, 50th & Baltimore

VIX Emporium is a nifty new store at 50th and Baltimore in West Philadelphia. VIX (with a bar over the V) is the Roman numeral for 5009, our street address on Baltimore. We carry the work of over 140 artisans (and counting!), local and otherwise.

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11-7

If you're local (or related to me by blood) go check 'em out!

In the Pink

Moving from new turquoise and red pieces to pink, we have:



a rose quartz and cherry quartz multi-strand necklace with pendant.




The striated smooth cherry quartz pendant is a disc, approximately 2 inches in diameter.



I like the interplay of the 2 shades of pink, here. Rose quartz is a very light, milky pink color. This necklace features 2 strands of rose quartz: a strand of round beads and a strand of large irregularly-shaped tumbled beads.



The light pink of the rose quartz is mixed with the darker, more salmon/coral pink of the cherry quartz beads and pendant. The cherry quartz beads are also tumbled, but smaller than the rose quartz beads.

The necklace measures approximately 16 inches long, with a pewter clasp that has a 3-inch extender. The pendant is connected to the necklace with sterling silver wire. Not only is the piece one of a kind, but you twist the strands when you put it on, so it looks a little bit different every time you wear it.

It's a nice piece for spring and summer and I wish I'd taken a photo of someone wearing it, but I was lucky enough to sell it the day after I made it to a friend of mine here in Philadelphia. She said she had the perfect outfit to wear it with. I'm hoping her ears are burning and that she'll snap a photo of herself wearing the necklace and send it to me to post here (we can crop out your face, E., if you prefer!). *fingers crossed!*

Price: $34.

Letters, We Get Letters! Pt. 2

Any of you remember the first quiz I held, here at the Jericas Jewelry blog? And remember how I promised that there would be prizes! Well, there was indeed a prize and it went to the winner of the quiz, a woman named Ginny.


I'd picked out a pair of earrings to send her before I ever learned that she loved the color combination I'd alread chosen! I asked her to send along some pix of her in the earrings and to write up something as a ...guest blogger, as it were. She outdid herself and made me feel pretty darned special, to boot.





Growing up, I was never much of a jewelry person - I was much more of a tomboy. When I was about 14, I got my ears pierced, but really only wore earrings on special occasions. It wasn't until I went to college that I really gained an interest in jewelry (and even then, I didn't wear it every day). Finally, I graduated, and jewelry suddenly became an enormous interest. I've always admired high-quality, artisan-made jewelry, but could never really afford it (and still can't). Therefore, all I've been able to do is admire Jericas Jewelry pieces from afar. I've had many secret longings for a piece of her jewelry, most especially since she began blogging. I wanted to own these tiny pieces of art, but knew I could never afford to pay her what they were actually worth. The contest she held earlier this year was a dream come true for me - a way to finally own some of Jericas Jewelry designs. When these earrings arrived, February blues were in full swing - and these bright, colorful harbingers of springtime truly cheer me up every time I wear them. They are modern yet classic, elegant but not obtrusive, and eye-catching without being gaudy. I truly love the shades of blue and green - they remind me of the ocean, of hills and blue skies, of spring and summer. I haven't worn them much yet (because, frankly, I love them so much, I'm afraid something will happen to them!), but I have received multiple compliments when I have. People love fun-but-classy jewelry, and these pieces are exactly that. One day, when I can, I'll be ordering set after set from Jericas Jewelry - her pieces are an automatic day-brightener.



So, thanks Ginny, both for taking part in my first quiz and for sending me a blog entry.

Look, A Real Neck! Two, Even!!

I spend each Wednesday at the local pottery studio, playing with clay and chatting with friends. They all indulge my insanity which is kind of them. Then again, they probably couldn't get away even if they wanted to. Anyway, sometimes I bring over jewelry on which I'm working and I ask for design feedback, sizing information and lately, models! Take a look at the sponge coral and chalk turquoise necklace that I blogged about a few entries ago:


The other night, I asked 2 friends, Heather and Chris, to let me slap some jewels on 'em and take a few very quick shots. You'll see what I mean when I say: quick. The lighting in the studio is terrible--no natural light and those funky fluorescent light bulbs. But anyway, the beauty of these shots is that they show you the scale of the piece on someone with an average, or slightly smaller than average, neck.


I also asked the ladies to try on another necklace of mine, and I'll be blogging about that one in the next few days, I think. Stay tuned to the Jericas Jewelry blog! Keep your eyes peeled. Ow. On second thought, staying tuned is fine.