Triple-Drop Pearl Earrings

I want to get back to some more old photos from last year's Holiday Sale. I wanted to make a pair of pearl earrings that I thought were special in some way. I'd just bought these beautiful blemish-free creamy white pearls and wanted to show them off. So I started with 6 of them:


And then I used 3 head pins per pair of earrings and cut 1 of them down so that the pearls would be staggered.



As you can see from the side shot, the pearls are a bit flat, like lumpy or rounded coin pearls, which enhances the look of the earrings.


Because the head pins move as you wear the earrings, you end up with 2 different looks.


I like this shot from the bottom.







And here they are, hanging in the case at the sale. I sold 2 pairs of them and I think I would've sold more if I had been able to fit in some time to make them!



All metals are sterling silver and the pearls are genuine freshwater babies.

Price: $14.

New Item at My Etsy Shop: Ocean Bracelet

Everyone loves blue. They really do. Don't you? I do.



It's my favorite color, actually. I think I probably look best in pastels, but when I wear blue, my eyes really pop.










I've been noticing my eyes a lot more, lately. Both of my grandmothers had blue eyes, and so does my father. I think his father did too, but I never knew my grandfathers (met one once, the other not at all). I feel that the eyes are, in some ways, a connection among the members of my family.


Unfortunately, I took these photos on one of the greyest days of the year. I made this bracelet for a friend who commissioned it, and I didn't want to wait to give it to her just because I couldn't take nice, sunny, happy photos.



























Price: $22.

Finally!

Finally! The journey comes to an end, and you get to see why I bothered making a button ad to begin with!

I still wasn't completely sold on no. 8, or at least I wanted to see what the final product would look like in its intended spot. So my friend superimposed numbers 8 and 9 onto the Handmade in PA entry page. Take a look:




I think it's quite obvious he was right. He and most everyone else. But it was a good exercise to see for myself. I have to give major props to my friend. He's a very talented man. Talented and patient. Though, honestly, I don't think I was really all that demanding.

And, check out the new Handmade in PA page!

The Hunt for Button October...Pt. 3

7.


More of the 2-tone font. It was good to see what it looked like, but it wasn't my favorite.

8.


This was the design that my friend said was the best out of everything we tried. I liked it,but I still wasn't sure. I asked him to try the same look but with the 1 line of text going across the top, just like his very first try. That yielded no. 9:

9.


And while I like it, you can tell that no. 8 clearly trumps no. 9.

In other words, he was right! No. 8 was the winner. And in my next entry, I'll show you why we bothered with all of this in the first place.

The Hunt for Button October...Pt. 2

Ok, back to our search for the perfect 'button' ad:

4.


Here, we staggered the words a bit, for more interest.

5.


See if you can detect the slight darkening of the sand dollar--this helped the white letters 'pop' a bit more.

6.


And this one was just for fun. Cheeky monkey! I wanted to see what 2-tone letters would look like. See if you can see the addition my friend made...

Our winner is still to come.

Craftcult.com Mention

Take a look at this...something interesting at Craftcult.com.

From what I can tell, Craftcult is another Etsy interface, though it's not affiliated with Etsy. Some crafty people good at coding found a way to take Etsy's content and use it to make some advertising dollars! Still, my Etsy shop got some traffic from the site, so I'm not complaining.

If you click on the various tabs atop my entry, you can experience my shop in different ways. Cool!

Yesterday's Etsy Treasury

Here's a screenshot of the Etsy Treasury I mentioned in yesterday's blog post. My necklace is featured in the 2nd row from the top, middle column. It's a bit hard to see, but you get the general idea. These things expire, so I'm glad to have a copy to keep for eternity, or at least past Saturday, when the original is gone for good!

I asked the woman who assembled the page how she found my work. I guessed she searched 'aqua' and 'orange' which she confirmed, and she also searched 'circle.' Luckily, I'd used all 3 tags to describe my work. We discussed how poorly some people tag their items, and I mentioned that tagging subjects is something I do all day long. Literally. As a librarian, that's my job!

Turns out it comes in handy for more things than my monthly paycheck from the office.

I'm Part of An Etsy Treasury!

(We interrupt this blog to share some time-sensitive news!)

I'm part of an Etsy treasury--meaning, someone in Florida put together a group of Etsy products based on an orange/blue color theme, and chose my necklace (in Funk) to be part of it! Exciting and fun!

And as soon as I figure out what this actually means (though I think I've pretty much explained it above, though there might be other angles), I'll be sure to share.

For now, check it out!

The Hunt for Button October...Pt. 1

And now for something completely different... At the end of last week, I decided I wanted to take out an ad on a website for my jewelry biz. Luckily, I have a super-talented friend who was more than willing to help. And by help, I mean: basically do the entire thing for me.

Well, not quite the ENTIRE thing; I provided the photo, and some of the text, but he gave me the font, and the tagline and the general look and style of the thing.

Let's take a look, shall we?

1.

This was the first take, and I fell in love immediately. But, there's always room for improvement, so...

2.

We brought the size down to match the required pixel height and width, thickened up the lines for the font, and slightly changed the tagline (and I'm so glad he created one in the first place, as I hadn't thought to do it myself).

3.

And then, a variation on the original. My friend suggested increasing the letter size yet again and doing so meant we couldn't fit them onto 1 line anymore. I fought this for a long time, because I'd already fallen in love. It's hard to fall in love twice in a day or 2, no? Well maybe not for you hot-in-the-pants types, but definitely hard for me. I had to take this iteration under advisement, as they say.

More to come in my next update!

Cobalt, Aqua, Lake Blue Earrings

At first, I thought these were pictures of opposite earrings...



...you know, 1 color in the bottom in 1 shape, and then the reverse in both color and shape in the other earring...



...but I was wrong...


...because the the first pair of earrings features aqua beads under cobalt beads, and the second pair features cobalt beads atop lake blue beads.

When you can't even remember your own work, it's probably time to take a break!

Both pairs: $10.

Aqua and Orange Coin and Sterling Silver Earrings

Go Illini! Some of you may know that my alma mater is the University of Illinois--our school colors are blue and orange.


Of course, our blue is a darker blue, not this aqua, but I love how the 2 colors of beads in these earrings play off of one another.


And it turns out that this color combination is surprisingly popular.






These earrings coordinate with the Funk color palette in my 3 Coins in the Fountain Collection.

$10.

TreeBoom's Made In Philly

Late Thursday night, and I do mean late, I was finalizing my submission for an online retail shop and catalog venture named Made In Philly. Here it is, short and sweet:






Your name:
> Jennifer
Name of product:
> Czech Glass and Sterling Silver Coin Drop Earring
Product Description:
> Fresh, simple and modern earrings for any girl/woman with pierced ears and a sense of style (and anyone else who wants to give her a gift!). Materials: Czech Glass, Sterling Silver, Rubber Ear Nut. The earring measures 2 inches in the drop; the glass coin bead measures 15mm in diameter. Colors available: Lake Blue, Olive-Lime, Cobalt, Red and Aqua
Is your product currently sold in stores, online or through other venues?
> Yes
If YES, where:
> VIX Emporium (Philadelphia); my own Etsy shop; University City Arts League Holiday Sale (Philadelphia)
Current status of production:
> Designed and fabricated exclusively by hand, myself
Would you like to offer this on a CONTINUING BASIS or as a LIMITED EDITION?
> On a continuing basis
If as LIMITED EDITION what is your maximum quantity:
> N/A
How much is the current cost of item:
> $10.00
Did you attach a photograph of object?
> Yes, several
If NO, link to pictures of item:
> N/A
Link to your portfolio, shop, blog, or other online venue that shows your work:
> Etsy shop: www.jericasjewelry.etsy.com; Blog: www.jericasjewelry.com
Email address:
> jennifer@jericasjewelry.com







I think that the cobalt and lake blue earrings are similar enough in color that offering just 1 or the other would be fine. In the flesh, they're not as closely hued as these photos indicate, but I can see the trouble of offering 2 similar hues.

I should hear the status of the submission in a month or two, as the catalog will be coming out in May. I think this is a long shot, but it's always good to try, right? Please cross your fingers and toes for me!

An Orange and Blue Philly Etsy Treasury

Treasuries are collections of Etsy products that make a nice display in some way (they are usually organized by theme, or color, or something similar). One of the members of the Philly Etsy Team put together this treasury and included a pair of my earrings. Looking at it, I'm guessing she chose items that were blue or orange or, like my earrings, blue AND orange. Not too hard to pick out my item:

Take a look!

All of the items featured are made by members of the Philly Etsy Team.