Jewelry Designer Blog

February 26, 2010

Silver Charms Breed Microloans

Silver Charms are often worn for luck, but we know that our customers work hard to create beautiful jewelry. It is a privilege to watch clients blossom from tentative beginners into successful business women. We try to support this process through education, designs ideas and inspirational jewelry making supplies.

Juliana Akandas, Ghana, Mask Carver

Juliana Akandas, Ghana, Mask Carver

It may not always feel like it, especially in this economy, but American designers have opportunities that people in other parts of the world only dream about. In Gratitude for our own opportunities and success, Nina Designs has partnered with NOVICA to fund microloans to 5 women artisans in developing countries. This partnership was a natural match for us since our clients, employees and many of our suppliers are women artisans. The loans have a zero percent interest rate and will rotate to new women once they are repaid. We hope to add to the fund each year, creating a permanent pool of capital to help women fulfill their potential. Read more about the microloan program here.

Microloans were pioneered by Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank . They are particularly effective at relieving poverty when directed to women. In coming months, we will introduce you to the women who have received the loans and share their stories. We would love to hear your stories too!

February 24, 2010

Jewelry Findings for my Tucson Treasures

Filed under: On The Road — Tags: , , Stephanie @ 12:29 pm

Which Nina Designs jewelry findings do I need to complete my Tucson purchases? This was my first year as a Nina Designs representative at the Gem and Lapidary Wholesaler’s Show in Tuscon, Arizona. I have attended several trade shows for Nina Designs in the past, but none quite like this.

While there I had the great opportunity to shop with Leah, a Tucson veteran who brought me to the coolest booths. I was also inspired by the ideas and purchases of my fellow co-workers Clara, Juanita and Yolanda. It was wonderful to have such guidance in the sea of tradeshows and vendors at Tuscon.

Now that I’m home, I need to figure out what to do with all my treasures. I purchased a section of chain made from wood and I knew the moment I saw it that I was going to pair it with our Deer Hide Lace and a handmade ceramic bead from my co-worker Ruth. I’ll also need a five strand clasp for all my rustic glass beads, maybe one with the cross hatch pattern. So many of my purchases were based on Nina Designs jewelry components I already have or really want.

My favorite purchase from the show is a strand of gem quality drop cut Chrysoprase beads. I have so many ideas but can’t decide on a single design. Our Vermeil Style Gold Plate Majapahit Spacer would be great to emphasize the art deco look. But I’m also thinking of our Yemenite Reproduction Silver Beads with Granulation and Wire Work and our Silver Bead with Swirl Granulation. Do I want gold, silver or mixed metal? I’m just not sure. It can be challenging with so many choices! My Nina Designs Wish List is getting bigger and bigger!

Which beads should I choose?

Which beads should I choose?

Chocolate Deer Hide with Wood Chain

Chocolate Deer Hide with Wood Chain

February 23, 2010

Greening Our Jewelry Business

Filed under: Business, Greening — Tags: , nina @ 9:20 am

Greening is a long journey. It can often feel intimidating, especially in an industry like silver jewelry where so many factors are out of our control. In our office, we have made a commitment to move forward steadily. We are hoping that even the smallest steps will add up. When we remodeled our building, we added skylights and staggered our lighting on two grids. Now we can keep half the lights turned off during the day. We also installed energy efficient appliances in the kitchen. We carefully separate all of our trash for recycling and composting and we shred paper waste to use as packing material. We have not found a way to eliminate the ubiquitous zip lock plastic jewelry bags that the city won’t recycle but we found a Bag Guy who recycles them. The number of people in our office bicycling to work recently increased to the point where we had to install a bike rack.

Last month, I purchased a metal mug to use at the local café. It sounds almost silly, but I calculated that I will save 250 paper cups with plastic tops in one year. According to Hillary Feldman at About Our Planet, Americans use 16 billion paper cups a year. “The real cost of 16 billion paper cups is nearly one million tons of wood, 4 billion gallons of water, and 253 million pounds of waste. Every tree used for paper cups is also removed from the ecosystem and can no longer absorb carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, or filter groundwater.” So maybe its not so silly….. We’ll keep you posted as our greening journey continues! Any tips?

Erin Waiting for the Bag Guy

Erin Waiting for the Bag Guy

February 22, 2010

Bali Beads & Art

Filed under: Bali — Tags: , nina @ 10:03 am

Bali Beads are famously intricate and well crafted, a trait they share with a plethora of Balinese crafts. When I first visited Bali, I was stunned by the level of artistry on display. The smallest, most prosaic items were ornamented and made beautiful. It was an impulse that seemed almost compulsive.  Even the cement walkways were embellished with impressions of giant leaves or mosaics crafted from pebbles.  I fell in love with this side of Bali. It forced me to re-evaluate all of my Western ideas about Art.

In the West we tend to divide people into groups who are “artistic” and those who are not. In Bali, they assume that everyone can create art, and they do. In the West we tend to segregate “art” objects from “regular” objects, by putting them in frames or galleries. In Bali, they assume that anything can and should be made beautifully. They put just as much effort into flower arrangements as they do into paintings. I found this attitude prevailed in other Asian countries as well. Flowers are a wonderful example. From Balinese Offerings, to Indian Marigold Curtains, to a Petal Mandala in Thailand, you can see how floral elements are combined in surprising new ways to delight the eye and enrich lives. (The simple dahlia bouquet is from my garden).

February 19, 2010

Silver Pendants for the Beadaholic

Filed under: On The Road — Tags: leah @ 11:03 am

Unique treasures, inspirational silver pendants and relationship building marked this year’s Tucson trade show. Every year we look forward to Tucson as a place rich with inspiration and opportunities to swap all things jewelry and we are never disappointed. We come home brimming with fresh creative energy and all kinds of ideas to implement throughout the year.

A tattoo of P22 on a dedicated beadaholic

A tattoo of P22 on a dedicated beadaholic

One of the highlights of Tucson is the opportunity to meet our customers in person and put a face to a voice. We have the chance to brainstorm and collaborate with our friends and customers, to suggest new styles to compliment existing collections, and to admire the beautiful jewelry made with our components.

This year we had a special treat: a tattoo of our P22 pendant! With tattoos that celebrate and honor her creative and artistic journey, Kriss added this one after purchasing the pendant more than 12 years ago. This tattoo definitely raises the bar in our beadaholic circle!

Thanks to everyone that dropped by our Tucson booth to say hello. We are blessed with the best customers ever! Your positive feedback and continued support is truly appreciated.

February 17, 2010

Bring New Life to Your Sterling Silver Charms

Oxidizing your sterling silver charms, chains, and beads helps you make stand out designs. Oxidized silver has a dark, almost black finish and contrasts beautifully to many gemstones and to Vermeil style gold plate components. Many women love the look of mixed metals, like blackened silver chain combined with gold and silver chains. It’s sophistication with an edge!

Oxidizing your silver components is easy, a lot of fun, and (fair warning) can be addictive. Here are a few facts and pointers to get you started. When exposed to air all sterling silver will oxidize, achieving a beautiful aged patina. Oxidation is a natural process that occurs on the surface of silver caused by exposure to oxygen and pollutants in the air, like sulfur.

If you’d like to speed up the oxidation of your silver, here are a few suggestions to get you going. I always recommend using a dry concentrate of Liver of Sulfur because it’s easier to work with than the liquid form. An 8oz container from Rio Grande is inexpensive and will last you a very long time! Read and follow the instructions carefully. Though not toxic, make sure to work in a well ventilated area – Liver of Sulfur is very stinky, like rotten eggs! I like to get as much done at one time as possible, so I’ll start filling up a bag with items I want to oxidize. Once the bag gets full enough, I’ll oxidize a big batch. Try experimenting with the heat and concentration of the solution to achieve slightly different finishes. Also, try experimenting with the final surface by selectively polishing off certain areas, or rough up the texture with a scotch bright pad.

Check out our Black Satin Collection for styles we carry with a lustrous oxidized finish.

The mysterious look achieved through oxidizing silver

The mysterious look achieved through oxidizing silver

Black Satin Collection

Black Satin Collection

February 15, 2010

India Silver Charms

Filed under: Business — Tags: , , nina @ 9:58 am

India has one of the most ancient traditions of silver jewelry production in the world. From silver charm amulets to necklaces and bracelets, jewelry is a time-honored way for Indian women to store wealth. Silver jewelry in India developed as an art form over thousands of years. Today’s silversmiths channel this rich heritage into their work. Despite this history, Indian silver often fails to meet high quality standards. I believe this is a result of extreme financial pressures. We spent years tracking down a production facility that we trusted. Our Indian silver is the same high quality as all of our other silver jewelry findings. We also have confidence that the silversmiths receive a fair wage and good working conditions.

February 10, 2010

Using Social Media to Market Silver Jewelry Findings

Filed under: Business — Tags: , juanita @ 9:10 am

Everyone knows social media can open whole new vistas for marketing your business – whether that’s selling silver jewelry findings or skincare products. But I didn’t know how fun it could be. When I first began managing our Twitter account months ago it was completely new terrain. And, as with anything new, I was hesitant and timid, not wanting to break some rule of Twitter-etiquette. I was only using Twitter to alert followers of new styles posted, new Nina Designs blog posts, new design ideas, and sales and promos.

Sunshine Industries

Sunshine Industries


Then I discovered a Tweet from Dawn Floen of Sunshine Industries long after it was sent. She wrote: “@ninadesigns doesn’t seem to be following anyone. How will they know when I put up photos of work I’ve done with their gorgeous components?” I didn’t even realize I should follow people! That did it. I resolved myself to just get over it and jump in, and now I’m having a blast. Thanks, Dawn! And everyone, please be sure to check out Dawn’s amazing artisan jewelry I discovered through Twitter!

Now I know how important it is to interact with others on Twitter. You can’t just post routine news and expect people not to get bored. Besides, it’s much more fun to talk to people, and share discoveries and inspirations. In just two days, I have subscribed to our followers’ lists, created our own list of many talented jewelry designers, re-tweeted interesting tidbits, and made friends. With a little poking around I have discovered many talented jewelry artisans, inspirational blogs, and indie artists of all kinds.

Twitter is a unique and fun way of surfing the Internet. It allows you to find like-minded people who share your interests and see what they’re doing.

Join Twitter and get up to the minute Nina Designs News!

Join Twitter and get up to the minute Nina Designs News!

February 8, 2010

Beadaholic

Filed under: Behind the Scenes — Tags: nina @ 9:48 am

Beadaholic. Yes it is true, most of us at Nina Designs are hopeless bead addicts. For some, like Juanita, the condition is relatively new. She only started beading a few years ago when she came to work with us, but she has developed a fierce case nonetheless. Clara claims that she,  “has been beading since birth.” When I asked Ana about it she blushed as only a red head can blush, then admitted to stealing beads from her kindergarten class. Her mother found the beads and forced her to confess to the principal, a trauma from which she has yet to recover.

Erin’s mother served up trips to the bead store as an annual Christmas treat.  When Emily was 12, she moved up from beading to metal-smithing, both skills she still employs on a regular basis. Leah’s love for African beads was honed when she lived in Zimbabwe but her bead roots dig deep into childhood. Personally, I have always loved to bead. My favorite childhood memory from driving cross country was a stop in Sante Fe where I spent my meager life savings on “liquid silver” beads and turquoise. Are you a Beadaholic? How did it begin?

An Early Nina Designs Original!

An Early Nina Designs Original!

Young Leah's first jewelry creations

Young Leah's first jewelry creations

February 5, 2010

Silver Chain Shortage Pushes Design Beyond the Limits

Filed under: Inspiration — Tags: , , leah @ 9:51 am

Last spring I was working late into the night on a necklace design for a friend’s birthday that featured a double strand of delicate sterling silver chain and tiny 3 mm garnets. As I finished stringing the garnets and began adding the second strand of chain, I realized that I was short about 6 inches of chain! Of course, I had waited until the last minute, so the necklace had to be mailed the next day. What was I to do?

Scraps of chain connected with a wire-wrapped garnet enhance the overall necklace design

Scraps of chain connected with a wire-wrapped garnet enhance the overall necklace design


I dug through my chain scraps and found a few more small sections of chain. I wire wrapped the sections together to come up with the required 6 inches, and surprisingly, the necklace was more beautiful with the extra wire wrapped gemstones inserted into the chain! This experience came to mind because we were recently pushed beyond our comfort zone here in the office and as a result, discovered several innovative time-saving modifications to our standard business processes. My experience with the lack of chain had a similar result in my creative process in that it forced me to find another solution, which was ultimately an improvement over the original necklace design!

There is an endless well of creativity within every one of us. Sometimes it takes being pushed beyond our limits before we can be flexible enough to accept changes. Keep this in mind the next time you run out of your favorite gemstone, or cannot re-order that perfect earring top. Be open and you may discover an even better solution!

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