I recently re-discovered the allure of stretch bracelets in jewelry design. I haven’t made one in years and forgot how fun and easy they are to make. Stretch bracelets are not just for kids and teens anymore! They can be quite sophisticated. I saw some in In Style magazine made of wood beads and diamond spacers that were so beautiful.
Stretch Bracelet with Rose Gold
But I admit there are other reasons I love these fun accessories. First and most important, I have tiny child-like wrists that make finding bracelets that fit comfortably very difficult, if not impossible. This is so frustrating because I love bracelets. Nothing beats being able to look down and see your favorite beads right there on your wrists. And stretch bracelets help make that happen! Second, stretch bracelets also solve the universal problem of how to put on a bracelet without the assistance of a friend. They are so easy to take on and off!
Last weekend, I bought a spool of Gossamer Floss to make stretch bracelets with a friend, and I haven’t stopped! Gossamer floss is a step up from regular elastic cord, because it is softer and is composed of many tiny elastic filaments. This means even if one of the filaments break, your bracelet will not snap. I wanted to make a statement bracelet by mixing in edgy jewelry links and fun silver charms! Try using our Bali spacer beads in between gemstone beads and jewelry links, and add your favorite charm or two (or three or four). To add a link to a stretch bracelet you loop the gossamer floss around the link, tie a square knot, add a dab of glue, and hide the knot under a bead!
I love the synergy of soft and hard elements in my bracelet, and with the addition of our new rose gold jewelry components, mixing metals just became even easier! How will you incorporate edgier pieces in with the softness of a stretchy bracelet?
Ruby & Gold Vermeil Cascade Necklace
I made this necklace with gold vermeil beads, rubies, and leather cord for my sister’s Christmas gift. One of the things I love about being a jewelry artist is making jewelry for all the special women in my life. A woman can never have enough jewelry so making a pair of earrings or a necklace can cover a lot of bases – Christmas, birthdays, even a simple thank you. For Christmas my family draws names out of a hat and we give gifts to that one person. My family is very crafty so we have a rule that we must make our gifts by hand or alter them in some sort of creative fashion.
Because they all love unique handmade jewelry, all the women in my family fight over who I get as my person. This year I picked my sister’s name out of the hat and decided to make her something very special. I wanted to make her an eye-catching necklace that’s a bit fancy so she can wear it to holiday parties. She has red hair so the rubies will look great on her. Plus rubies and our gold vermeil jewelry findings compliment each other so well. We recently got in the three tear drop jewelry links in gold vermeil and I love how versatile they are. They make great earrings by themselves, but I thought that they would look nice incorporated in a necklace, cascading from the collar bone. I wanted the rubies to mirror the tear drop jewelry links so I wire wrapped tiny faceted gold vermeil beads to frame and accent their shape.
I had a lot of fun making this necklace and it has given me an idea for some great earrings. Perhaps that will be her next gift. What kind of Christmas gifts are you making this year?
Gold plate charms are widely represented in our collection. Our Vermeil style plating has a gorgeous finish that compares favorably with solid high karat gold. Occasionally we get requests for more Gold Filled items. While we do sell a selection of Gold Filled chain and jewelry findings, we prefer to carry gold plated beads and findings because there is a lot more precious metal in our gold plate than there is in gold filled items.
Gold Plate, Gold Filled, and Sterling Silver
Gold Filled findings have a core of base metal (typically brass) and are covered in a layer of 14 karat gold. Hence, the gold is “filled” with a base metal.
Industry Standard Gold Plate is typically a base metal core (brass, copper, nickel) that has a thin wash of solid karat gold. This type of plating has a layer of gold that is typically 7 micro inches thick.
Nina Designs’ Vermeil style Gold Plate begins with our sterling silver findings that are plated with a thick layer of 98.5% pure gold (24 karat). Our gold plate charms and findings have a layer of gold that is 40 micro inches thick and is considered a gem quality plate.
Our gold plate charms and findings are of the highest quality and are far above the industry standard. Try working with any of our gold plate findings and we’re sure you’ll become a fan. With greater durability and hundreds of styles, what’s not to love? Read more specifics about our plating here.
Gold Plate Vermeil jewelry parts continue to grow as an overall percentage of our sales. It seems like every week we are sending off larger and larger boxes of silver to be plated. Last week it was a 20 lb box of silver! We love the look of the 24k satin finish and we have a number of styles that sell better in gold than in the original silver version.
Gold Plate Vermeil Style rejects that did not pass our Quality Control. We send rejects to a refinery for melting so we can at least retrieve the raw silver for re-use.
However, we also experience quite a bit of loss in the plating process. We quality control every gold plate item before we put it into office stock. Gold styles may be rejected because they physically break during plating; because the satin finish has a rough, almost sticky-looking surface; because the items have black “gunk” in the crevices that cannot be removed; or because the items have major pockmarks or scratches on the surface that are revealed after plating. Occasionally we’ll have a style, like S2460, a large puffy hammered heart, that looks fantastic in gold plate. Unfortunately, due to the item’s construction, it oozes a greenish blue liquid that dries into a crust after plating. After rejecting almost 90% of the stock sent for plating, we no longer plate S2460.
Every week, we personally hand pick our beautiful sterling vermeil for the best quality jewelry findings. Our products are carefully selected in silver, prior to the gold plating process. Once plated, we quality check each item one by one. All our vermeil style gold plate is 40 micro-inch plating using 24 karat gold with a satin finish. So, what we look for is a uniform color and coating and a smooth, silky finish. Click here to learn more about our vermeil style gold plate.
If it has passed our quality checklist and looks fabulous, it is prepared for sale. The jewelry findings are counted and sorted into packs of 10, 20 pieces, and on up, then matched into pairs or sets, if necessary. It’s a pretty time consuming task, but it’s all worth it. Sometimes I can’t help myself and pause to just gaze at all the gorgeous gold plating. I can’t seem to keep up with all the jewelry ideas I have when processing the sterling vermeil. Eventually, I come back to reality and continue with the process. All this attention to detail is to ensure the best quality sterling vermeil products for all of us!
Another weeks worth of sterling vermeil sorting!
Our community garden is in full bloom and the warm sun on the rich orange marigolds brings to mind the luscious tones of Nina Designs’ sterling vermeil jewelry links. I love to take my dog on evening walks among the overflowing, abundant plots of organic veggies, fruits and flowers. The waning sun drifts through the foliage and enlivens the already lush colors. I watch the composition of shapes and colors transition and morph as the evening draws on. I’m particularly struck by the series of circular motifs popping up throughout the garden.
The blooming Marigolds immediately brought to mind a Nina Designs sterling vermeil link. The exploding shape and vibrant orange of the Marigolds served as my muse for my new favorite summer necklace. I combined this sterling vermeil link with one of our finished gold fill chains to create this graceful piece: The Blooming Marigold Necklace.
Blooming Golden Marigolds
Blooming Marigolds Necklace
Summer is buzzing and I’m so excited about all of new Silver Charms here at Nina Designs! Maybe it’s the blooming flowers and extra sunlight, but the colors of summer are always the most luscious. From a blossoming Iris or Lilac, to the petite petals of Jasmine flowers and the textural fringe of a fern, I’m always especially inspired in summer.
In an attempt to find new combinations of colors to use in my jewelry designs, I’ve been excited to try mixing our vibrant sterling vermeil findings with our silver charms and dangles. Adding in a few bright gemstone beads to the mix can create an instant bouquet of color and texture. My Wild Flower earrings combine our bright sterling vermeil jewelry links and earring tops with electric green Idocrase gemstone beads and berry-colored Garnet rondelles. The repeating petal shapes that occur in the sterling vermeil earring tops and links recall the plethora of floral forms of summer, which are perfectly complimented by the sweet Silver Honey Bee Charm.
Colorful Gemstones
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The Balinese practice a form of Hinduism laced with Buddhism and animism. Everything has a spirit, even inanimate objects. It is important to honor the Gods and spirits with ceremonies. Every household in Bali has a temple. Each morning, a woman of the house brings offerings to the temple, lights incense, says a prayer and then distributes more offerings around the family compound to bless and purify the space. These offerings are beautiful works of art handmade from woven palm leaves, flowers, rice, coins and holy water. I have always been inspired by the spiritual traditions in Bali and fascinated by the exquisite offerings. Women spend many, many hours a week creating these beautiful objects which quickly die in the heat. I could not resist exploring the concept of the offering as a landscape. As you can see, our silver charms inhabit them with ease and grace.
Sterling vermeil glows with the warmth of summer. I love to make my jewelry following seasonal themes and Summer is my favorite season. Being mere days away, I find myself anxiously awaiting those long hot days and enticingly warm nights. I’m not sure if it is the longer days or simply my increased joy but I always seem to be more inspired and productive when the sun is shining. I find endless inspiration in one of my all time favorite activities, a Summer garden tea party.
The dappled sunlight falling through the trees tops. Lace covered wood tables. Delicate smells of flowers, fruit, tea, and honey. The soft whisper of birds singing in the background. I attempted to incorporate these tastes, textures, sights and sounds into my Golden Spring Necklace design crafted with Nina Designs sterling vermeil components. I love the play of soft, creamy silk cord mixed with the warm tone gold metals. The sterling vermeil dragonfly charm and batik bird pendant recall the charm of their true life counter parts. The single green peridot stone enlivens the whole necklace and composition.
Anna's Summer Tea Party
