More handcrafted jewelry rings with Australian boulder opals

I have a tendency to decide spontaneously on how I am going to make a piece of jewelry. I leave what is fashionable to the fashion designers. This almost always leads me back to my Opal stone collection.

Many of the stones in my collection look dull to me. They seem to need something extra  to add to them in rder to bring out the best in them. I then begin to think of various designs and materials. I think to myself : "should I integrate them with something larger? should I goldplate the metal I use to enhance them?".. Many times I just give up and put them back in their box, waiting for an idea to come up/ Then I  move on to another project.  But sometimes I pick up a stone in which I fall in love with.

Such are the two following rings:

They were both handcrafted last week. I chose two  most beautiful Koroit Opal stones,  and set them in  bezels which I handcrafted especially for them. Then I added to each one of them, a band which I handmade from two strips of silver soldered one on top of the other. These are the results

First ring:
:

You will find it in my Etsy shop:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83545759/freeform-opal-and-silver-ring-koroit

Second ring where the stone has the shape of a trapeze:

Freeform  Opal stone set in a Silver jewelry ring by Riorita

Link to this ring in my Etsy shop

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83717322/silver-and-opal-ring-australian-boulder

When I look at the stones, their beauty has a special calming effect on me. There are glimmers of electric blue and Turquoise with Yellow, like a fresh natural pool with hidden treasures.

For more of my handmade jewelry designs:

http://riorita.etsy.com

Unique Extraordinary Original Jewelry

 The BEST team ever!!!
I searched for a quote which would suit my state of mind these last days and found the following one:
"In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... self-discipline with all of them came first."
Harry S. Truman 

This week  I would like to introduce you to three most unusual and interesting handmade shops of my talented friends from our BEST team

AncientOil is a shop owned by Lily DelValle who is an expert in Holistic Energy Healing. Lily explains that  aromatherapy  is the practise of using essential oils, which are used for physical and psychological well being. In her shop you will find various blends to help remove blockages in our energy centers and help in lifting our spirits.

One of the items in her shop is Dead sea mud mask. As I live in Israel and part of the Dead Sea is located in my country, I am rather familiar with the wonderful effect this mask may have for your skin and I highly recommend that you give it a try.
www.etsy.com/shop/AncientOils?ref=ss_profile

Another Etsy shop I found with some unusual blue and white beads and pendants is Bluewhitewear.
The beads are Chinese porcelain which remind us of the ancient Chinese dynasty porcelains known all over the world. This type of porcelain represents long life, wealth , happiness, love and good fortune. It was developed in the Dynasty of Yuan (1271-1368) and flourished in the dynasties of Ming and Qing.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/bluewhitejewelrywear?ref=ss_profile

The third shop shows us some cute and colorful items for the youngest people we know. It is called Babamoon and is run by Naomi who is a hard working mom of two of the sweetest kids I've seen around. Naomi likes to show us flowers, pets, amigurami, and her designs are greatly inspired by everything which is bright and colorful. You will learn that what I am saying is quite true! Right here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/babamoon

So please go ahead and watch these wonderful shops, then come back and tell me what you think!
Adieu!

My new Handcrafted Sterling Silver and Kyanite ring




Recently I have acquired a few beautiful Kyanite cabochons,  with non standard sizes. I left everything I was doing and handcrafted a new sterling silver ring design with the stone. The ring design  is handmade with  a round smooth band and a bezel soldered on it , nicely finished in which I set the stone.

About Kyanite:

The name KYANITE comes from the word in Greek kuanos or "kyanos".  which means deep blue.

It is a blue silicate. It is a metamrphic mineral.


In Nature it looks like a bladed crystal  but sometimes it can be found  as  masses of crystals.  Many times it is  associated with other metamorphic minerals , for example:  the garnet.


The mineral was called in the past  DISTHENE  meaning  "two strengths". 

 Kyanite's known healing properties:

It is believed that it helps open and clear one's communication centers. The Kyanite mineral does not need to be cleaned. Known to carry a light energy which attracts spiritual beings such as spirit guides, angels etc.,,.

This is how the Kyanite stone looks when found in Nature , before it is cut for setting:

Beautiful,blue, mysterious and spiritual!

Link to this ring in my Etsy shop:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82687284/sterling-silver-oval-kyanite-ring

More of my handmade jewelry designs:

http://etsy.com/shop/riorita

our home to yours: Saturday Shopping Link Up - decorate for fall

our home to yours: Saturday Shopping Link Up - decorate for fall

Boosting Etsy Shops Team

I am a newbie to the BEST Etsy team. I was accepted to the team with warmth and encouragement, and I have a feeling I am going to love it here.

In this post I shall introduce 3 shops from this wonderful group of talented people, add the links to their shops.

 I believe you will find that they are well worth admiring on Etsy, and even better- you will find here some great items which you can purchase as gifts for the very near holiday season. I personally always like to purchase my gifts well in advance, to save myself the last minute headache of what to buy.

The first shop is Cathy Tuggle's shop:
http://etsy.com/shop/Headpinwear
http:/headpinwear.etsy.com/


Cathy handcrafts's jewelry is created meticulously and with a lot of care and thought, and made from quality materials such as sterling silver and goldfilled combined with unique beads.
I hope you like her jewelry as much as I do:

The second shop is
http://www.etsy.com/shop/UpcycleRecycleReuse

The shop uses waste material and turns them into new lovely items to create better products with a higher environmental value.

htThe last of the three is the impressive:

http://theorangewindmill.etsy.com

Where you will find Hand-bount leather journals.The journals are handcrafted from leather for the covers and individually torn sheets pf paper. Then the papers are bound permanently into the leather.For closure a cord made of thick leather is used to make it easy to use.

And last, but not least here is a new pair of earrings I handcrafted from sterling silver and Peridot beads.
Your will find them here:

http://etsy.com/shop/riorita
See you again in my next post.
L O V E
Irith

My personal tips on How to store your collected handmade, or other, jewelry

I have been a jewelry collector, ever since I received my first heirloom from my mother. It was a gold heart locket and gold chain, with a photograph of my parents in it, and a tiny unpolished diamond on the front. I rweceived it when I was about 10 years old, and  many years later, these days, I still   like to wear it every once in a while

Some of the jewelry  we own has great sentimental  value to  us. They maybe  keepsakes from  a beloved person  or something you found in a jewelry shop which you love .Some of it may be valuable also for its worth in money , whether it is made of gold, silver and very prescious, or simply for the artistic value, when it was created by an a unique jewelry artist.

No matter, what the source of jewelry you own is worth, be it a gold pair of earrings, or a lovely cheaper pair made with beads, one should be aware that they should be protected from breakage, dust, humidity in the air, and tarnish. Handcrafted or industrial jewelry, can break easily, as it is fragile.

The reasons for this is that humidity causes your jewelry to look rusty which might lead to breakage. Imagine you wanting to wear a favorite pai of earrings you own and your dismay at discovering that it has become rusty. Not very pleasant. right? dust can contribute to this too. 

It is true the sterling silver  and gold jewelry can be easily cleaned, but why waste your precious  time on cleaning it, if you can avoid this?

The drastic changes of temperature between cold and warm weather, has an impact on your jewelry too., as metals have the quality of contracting. And expanding. This may "contribute" to cracks in your  favorite pieces. Therefore, it is well advised to keep your jewelry in a box where the changes of weather have no effect on it.

 The solution to this is very simple - just  keep your jewelry in a special box. Never leave it on a hanger near your mirror in the bedroom, even if this could seem very decorative. Keep a separate box for earrings. And one for your necklaces rings and bracelets.

There are many lovely jewelry boxes you can buy for very reasonable prices. They will serve you very well – keep your jewelry in a weather  protected place and do not forget that a cute jewelry box is a wonderful way to decorate your room,.

Here's a lovely jewelry box I have foun on Etsy:

You will find this handcrafted box in the  Etsy shopThedecorativebox. It is created from acrylic painted wood and decorated with rhinestones,silkflowers and more. I just love it. Looks perfect for storing jewelry in it.

My Etsy shop:

http://riorita.etsy.com/
http://riorita.etsy.com
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