Bead shows are a great place to see our new styles and hand pick silver charms in person (and without a minimum purchase). As of Jan 1, 2011 we have changed some of our tradeshow procedures and I wanted to give you a heads up so that you can be prepared and help make check out a breeze!
All wholesale customers purchasing at California tradeshow are now required to fill out a Board of Equalization (BOE) form for every trade show purchase. This means even if you have filled this form out for us before at a prior show, and even if you’ve sent one in to our office, you will still have to fill one out for your current purchase, as I cannot check with the office to make sure we have a current copy filed.
Trade Shows are fun & checking out can be a breeze!
To make this process faster, download the BOE form, fill it out with your business info and your resale number. But do NOT sign it until you’re checking out because you’re required to sign and date it at the show. Bring this copy with you and just hand it to me when you are ready to checkout. Trust me, it will make everything easy-peasy.
If you are a retail customer, make sure you give us your e-mail and address so that we can add you to our mailing list so we can send you postcards with discounts for upcoming bead shows, and our newsletter. The newsletter is packed with great stuff like exciting new website features, new styles, new design ideas, sale items and more!
Take a look at the Tradeshow calendar to plan your next shopping trip. Looking forward to seeing you!
When life gets hectic it’s important to try to funnel some of that energy towards something creative, like jewelry design and playing with your favorite silver charms. Life is life and tends to get in the way, but I try to never let difficult times clog up my creative energy. I feel much healthier when I let it all out and can’t think of a better emotional outlet than jewelry design.
I’m going through a boat-load of changes and tend to feel like I’m on an amusement park ride that won’t stop spinning. Although change is positive, exciting and filled with anticipation it can also be very daunting with an added element of fear. Conclusion: With all of this change… I need some serenity in my life!
As I sit down with my tools and collection of silver charms, I find myself always going back to color. What color is going to make me feel at rest? I did a little research about color and the emotional responses it evokes within us. I’m hoping it will be helpful for other designers out there looking for some inspiration!
Red: The most energetic of all, red represents desire and passion.
Orange: A very social color. Orange radiates vibes of warmth and energy.
Yellow: Often a favorite of creative minds, yellow is very imaginative, philosophical and full of good cheer.
Green: Represents new beginnings, vigor, fertility and renewal.
Blue: On the calm end of the spectrum, blue speaks tranquility, confidence and loyalty.
Purple: Purple is also very mysterious, full of wisdom and enlightens the soul.
Pink: Pink is gentle, soft calm and filled with sympathy and compassion.
Brown: Establishes a connection with the earth and is always stable and reliable.
Black: Bold to say the least. Black is associated with power, sexuality and sophistication.
Grey: Timeless, neutral and solid. Grey is always a good choice.
White: White is very balanced, clean and symbolic of innocence and purity.
Dickens' Amelia Earhart
Need some jewelry design inspiration for your next fabulous configuration of silver charms and precious findings? Check out the work of my dear friend
Dickens Bascom (also known as Dickens 44, born in 1944). His work is wacky, fun, and totally creative… and the best part? It’s made completely out of stuff that any other person would call trash. He calls it “found art.” I call it pure inspiration!
Dickens’ intricate sculptures (including a life-size Amelia Earhart!) and spiritually symbolic paintings elevate artistic creativity to a new dimension. He has totally inspired me to create jewelry out of found objects. I believe that “found jewelry art” has great potential to be an innovate trend in jewelry design. (I need to be selective in my decisions though, because it could also turn out looking rather trashy).
Here are a few ideas I had:
1) Pair our sterling silver buttons with old buttons out of your collection at home.
2) Braid a few strands of our hand-dyed silk ribbons with vintage fabric scraps.
3) Match assorted sizes of our hammered flat teardrop silver pendants with decorative fishing lures (be sure to remove hooks)!
4) Contrast any of our silver coin charms with real old coins (I especially like old corroded pennies that have turned green)!
5) Weave vintage bottle caps into our colorful leather cords.
The ideas are spinning in my head like a merry-go-round. The possibilities are limitless when you expand your jewelry to found items! One woman’s trash is most definitely another woman’s treasure!
Silver Pendant sales at Nina Designs allowed us to donate to Namaste Direct, a non-profit organization working to alleviate poverty in rural communities in southern Mexico and Guatemala. They provide women entrepreneurs with micro credit loans as well as business training to enhance their chances for success. The training focuses on business development and financial literacy. Each woman works with a personal business adviser for two years. Our contribution of $500 will provide a loan and training for one woman for an entire year. It has been demonstrated that as a woman’s income rises, she typically invests in nutrition, education, housing and health care for her family. We think this is a fabulous investment. Thank you for your purchases of silver pendants and jewelry making supplies. You helped us assist Namaste Direct in their work to alleviate poverty! 
One of the neatest parts of my job is discovering the innovative ways customers use silver charms and pendants in their jewelry lines. For instance, Karen Battles, a graphic designer, and James Shanley, a printer, run B Designs Letterpress and have paired the beauty of letterpress stationery with silver charms in a line of cards they call Sterling Thoughts. These gifts combine meaningful quotations and classic imagery with sterling silver charm necklaces. I fell in love with the deliberate simplicity of each card. They make such thoughtful gifts and each under $30!
Later I got a chance to talk with Karen and learned that when she was looking to expand the offerings of B Designs Letterpress, she thought silver charms were a natural choice because they were in keeping with the iconographic imagery found in the rest of the B Design line. Silver charms are a three-dimensional representation of some of the motifs they currently use in their greeting cards and stationery. Karen really enjoyed finding silver charms that extended the meaning of the quotes.
The next time a special occasion comes up in your life, like graduations and anniversaries, consider a gift from B Design Letterpress.
Silver Thoughts from B Designs
Silver Thoughts from B Designs
Silver Thoughts from B Designs
Lucky Silver Charm Necklace
Lots of us out there love to wear our favorite silver charm bracelet or necklace to important occasions, but now there is scientific proof that these keepsakes can actually change our luck! According to a study conducted by the University of Cologne in Germany, there truly is power in positive thinking.
The study found that positive superstitions, such as belief in lucky charms or personal talismans, can boost confidence in ourselves and our abilities, resulting in improved performance overall. This means your favorite silver charm bracelet that makes you smile when you see it or your personal mantra really will help you through a tough week, or give you that needed boost for a stressful event. Some of my favorite lucky charms are our gold vermeil wishbone charms paired with our inspirational quote silver charms.
What are some of your favorite lucky charms? How have they helped you?
As the weather is warming and the days are growing longer, I’m beginning to gravitate to silver charms and pendants that reflect the carefree attitude of the coming summer. The bohemian spirit is always present in summer fashion, but it’s always been a bit too “hippie” to fit my style. In an effort to find a way to make this trend work for me I focused on silver charms that have a talisman quality, like carved wood claw pendants and feather charms. With these silver charms and pendants in mind, I was able to imagine a bohemian warrior.
More fierce than hippie, the bohemian warrior blends a carefree attitude with a tough one. The bib style necklace was a natural place for me to start because they remind me of armor. A bib necklace with silver chain is the epitome of bohemian warrior, but you can also use alternatives to metal, like leather cord and silk ribbons, to add color and texture to your creations. I designed a necklace that combines one of my favorite feather silver charms with the carved claw pendant to create a look that is bohemian and fierce all in one. It can be difficult to adapt a seasonal trend to fit your style, but it’s a perfect opportunity to challenge yourself as a jewelry designer.
What fashion trends have you blended with your personal style?
Bohemain Warrior
March 8, 2011
Nina Designs just introduced an adorable new line of birthstone silver charms. I’ve always loved the idea of birthstones. My grandmother wore a ring with four gemstones – the birthstones of each of her children. She never took it off. And, like most little girls, my two sisters and I were excited to learn our birthstones. My sisters were very happy with theirs – emerald and ruby. While I was not as pleased with pearls, over the course of my life they have become one of my favorite stones and an important part of my jewelry line.
But depending on your sources, birthstones are defined differently. The one we’re most familiar with is the traditional definition based on the Gregorian calendar. Then there’s the modern birthstones created in 1912 by the Jewelers of America in an attempt to standardize the list. This is why we have options for what our birthstone may be. A little less familiar are the Mystical and Ayurvedic birthstones. Mystical birthstones are of Tibetan origin and date back over a thousand years. And, the Ayurvedic birthstone list is based on ancient Indian medicine and philosophy dating back to 1500 B.C. In fact, almost all ancient cultures, from Egyptian to Hebrew to Russian, have their own birthstone lists and their associations. There’s also a different list of birthstones based upon your sign rather than your month of birth, called your zodiac birthstones.
Learning your birthstone is a rite of passage for many young girls. Like learning your astrological sign, it can be a defining moment and, if taken with a grain of salt, a lot of fun. The important thing is passing on a tradition and making the birth of loved ones a meaningful and celebrated moment.
March 7, 2011
In support of my new found interest in silver charms, my dad made a comment that he “wished he had pierced ears” so he could wear a pair of my earrings. He has yet to pierce his ears and I have yet to make him a pair of earrings.
Silver charms make wonderful bookmarks!
However, I recently put my jewelry making skills to use and created a wonderful birthday present for him. I combined a few simple
silver charms and bold piece of our
hand-dyed silk ribbons to create a stylish and functional bookmark. My dad absolutely loved it! It was a very unique gift, made that much more special as a gift from daughter to dad – made with lots and lots of love.
I have plans to create more personalized bookmarks for all of the men in my life. Maybe one day I’ll create a piece of man-jewelry for my Dad (I’m thinking a strip of leather with one of our bear-claw pendants). Before I get to work, he needs to prove himself hip enough to rock the man-jewelry! Until then I’ll stick to jewelry “alternatives”… like bookmarks.
Do you use your jewelry-making skills for alternative projects? Any ideas for home-made gifts for the men in our lives?
March 4, 2011
We all love to make jewelry with silver charms but did you know that your last charm purchase helped orphans in Bali? Though you won’t see them when you visit as a tourist, Bali has a community of about 4,000 orphans. In the past, when these children became ill they often went without treatment. Bali Kids was opened in 2009. The project provides a clean, safe environment for orphans requiring special care. The center is open to any children registered in Bali’s orphanages who need medical attention. Children from the local village who’s family hold a ‘poor family card’ can also receive free treatment and care. Bali Kids also operates a mobile medical team that treats 600 children a month. In addition, they teach hygiene, health and diet to orphanage staff and in local schools. Nina Designs made a $1,000 donation to Bali Kids in February 2011. Thank you for helping us help these kids!
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