JTV Blog

Snowflake Pendant

JTV's Dale Cougar Armstrong teaches us how to make a beautiful snowflake pendant, just in time for the holidays!

You can shop JTV's Jewel School Beadalon tools and wire that Dale used in this video at JTV.com.

Eternity Natural Emeralds

Jewelry Television is excited to debut the Eternity Natural Emeralds® collection on air on December 7, 8, and 9.  Eternity Natural Emeralds® are at the luxury end of the Gemstone market with price point versatility.  You’ll find one-of-kind amazing emeralds as well as similarly-sized gems that you can easily have made into stunning pieces of jewelry!

Eternity Natural Emeralds® feature the ExCel® process, the world’s first colorless and stable clarity enhancement. The ExCel® process has been proclaimed the best available and the only one guaranteed not to fade, discolor, deteriorate or dry out. Emeralds could never be placed in ultrasonic cleaners for fear of damaging the stone in some way. Now with Eternity Natural Emeralds®, rest assured the stones can be steam cleaned and/or put into an ultrasonic bath with no adverse effects! Our customers can now experience owning Emeralds without inheriting the fear of cleaning them.

Each Eternity Natural Emerald® will come with a lifetime warranty card, a certificate from Gem World and every gem will be laser enscribed for one of a kind identification. Every Eternity Emerald owner will know that's it's an Eternity Emerald.  

We had the pleasure of meeting Arthur Groom, founder of Arthur Groom & Co. and Eternity Natural Emeralds®. When we asked Arthur if he had one thing to say about Eternity Emeralds, "Everlasting Beauty" was his answer.  We also chatted about the misconception that emeralds aren't very versitile when incorporating them into our wardrobes, Arthur insisted on saying that, "Emeralds go with everything!"  After speaking with him and thinking about incorporating emeralds into my wardrobe I will have to agree.  We're even thinking about doing a feature and choosing some co-workers at JTV to see what emeralds will look like with our everyday outfits.  What do you think? Do emeralds really go with everything? 

Click here to read more about Eternity Natural Emeralds on JTV.com.

Jewel School Weekly with Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

Jewel School Schedule

December Jewel School Hours:                                                                                                                                                      Please note that the times listed below are EST.

Sunday 10am - 1:00pm

Monday 10am - Noon

Wednesday 10am - Noon

Can you believe that Christmas is only 3-1/2 weeks away? Here at JTV, Jewel School is rockin'!! This next week we have scheduled four Guest Artists who will be sharing their special skills and some favorite (and NEW) products on Jewel School! So make your list and tell everyone what YOU would like (or what they are getting you) as your special (and useful) holiday gift this year!

December 2/Sunday = 3 Guests!!

1.  Janice Mae, "Paper Bead Princess", will share the serenity of making beautiful (and useful) "Cocoon" Beads. (To quote Janice, "A person who finds an interesting hobby finds happiness."--Surely something we could all use during this busy holiday season!) She is bringing some lovely new designs, featuring NEW paper bead kits and product choices. (I got so excited about Janice's visit that I posted a bunch of her cool design photos on last week's post, be sure to check them out!)

2.  Laura Timmons returns to Jewel School!! We are very excited to welcome Laura back, who has been working furiously on innovative designs to share with us; created with specialty products from Beadalon!

This soft yarn bracelet was fashioned by Laura, to show how well traditional kumihimo combines with ornate silver tone beads from Beadalon. She also wants to remind us that, " Kumihimo is a Japanese form of braid-making. Cords and ribbons are made by interlacing strands. Kumihimo is Japanese for "gathered threads".

One of Laura's favorite techniques is crocheting with wire (and she is really, really expert with it!). As a Swarovski Ambassador, she uses a lot of crystals in her crocheted designs, such as the flexible ring (above) and comfortable bracelet (below); both constructed from Beadalon wires.

3. Dale "Cougar" Armstrong, yes I will be joining Janice and Laura on Sunday's show, with some of my (and your) favorite Euro Tools! How about a few "stocking stuffer" ideas for your favorite jewelry making enthusiast?  Like the Pocket Wire Gauge or Pin Vise with my personally chosen cup burr set?

Most of these items are "once in a lifetime purchases", meaning you only need to buy the item once, for a lifetime of use! Now is the time to pick up that Italian made stainless steel neck mandrel, or my very favorite stainless steel ring mandrel w/vise that clamps to your table or bench and allows you to create rings "hands-free".

This neckpiece is 1/2 inch wide, and needs to both curve comfortably around the neck and gracefully bend and curve over the shoulder blades. About impossible to make without using a neck mandrel!

Oh!! I have also requested more of Euro Tool's fabulous Silver Dip!! I took this photo to show you why I am so excited about this product. The 12g sterling silver wire collar(above) had become sticky black with tarnish. I dipped the end for less than 5 seconds---with amazing results.

December 3/Monday-- both Janice Mae AND Laura Timmons are staying over!! So if you miss Sunday's show, tune in on Monday to see what you missed!

December 5/Wednesday--

4.  Stephanie Eddy has returned safely, from her amazing teaching-trip to Japan and is coming to Jewel School to share some of her newly inspired designs, as well as some excellent values on her personally invented Viking Knit, Lazee Daizee® kits!

Exciting news: Stephanie will be offering a selection of more than 100 end caps in various sizes, that can be used on both viking Knit and Kumihimo projects AND a very "limited edition" Viking Knit charm bracelet OR necklace project kit, to help bring in the New Year. (Hint: the kit includes a "signed" charm!!)

The Jewel School Team would also like to extend our Congratulations to Stephanie, for winning a major award with her fabulous "Flight of the Dragonflies" (detail below).

Dale "Cougar" Armstrong, yup! I'll be joining Stephanie and our host on Wednesday's Jewel School with great deals on my favorite wire kits, playing with some fun pliers and other special products from Beadalon! (I'll also have a special on my Jewel School DVDs!)

Did you see Christiane's gorgeous Chainmaille snowflake necklace on the 11/28 show? Thought I'd share a close-up with you:

"Cougarism"-- (copyright)

Wondering where to start on this sticky but very important subject, a friend recently asked a question that gave me a beginning. Have you ever heard of "the poor man's copyright"?

What has been called "the poor man's copyright" is when someone writes-up, sketches and/or records an idea/invention/design (aka Intellectual Property/IP) that they believe is their own and then mails it in a securely sealed envelope to themselves via registered mail. The thought is that if they ever have to prove their ownership to that IP, they could present the sealed envelope to the judge in court and their rights would be protected. Although a nice thought, in the USA this is pure myth.

Just what is a copyright?

Do you need one?

How difficult is it to attain one?

How much does it cost?

Next week I will answer all of these questions and more!

Until then,  Stay Twisted!

Dale/Cgr

 

Jewelry Fashion Trend: Stacked Bracelets

If you follow current jewelry trends or possibly follow us on Pinterest you've probably seen the trend of stacking and layering bracelets for a bold statement. I've picked out a few bracelets that would look great stacked or standing alone.  I personally love the bracelet stacking trend, what about you?  

Shop Bracelet 1, Bracelet 2, Bracelet 3, Bracelet 4

Need a little more bracelet or jewelry stacking inspiration? Check out our "Stacks" Pinterest board! 

-Katie 

Holiday Countdown

Well we're now less than a month away from Christmas. Only 29 shopping days left. Who has all there shopping done already? I know I don't.

This time of year is so busy for many of us and shopping tends to fall at the end of the to-do list. Luckily, JTV can help eliminate the stress this year by helping you get all your shopping done without leaving the house.

With JTV's new Wish List it is now easier than ever to keep tack of what everyone on your list wants. Here's a few items that I added to my Wish List for my  mom, sister, and myself!

 

Click here or visit jtv.com to get started on your Wish List today!

Jewel School Weekly with Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

Jewel School Schedule

November & December Jewel School Hours!! Please note that the times listed below are EST.

Sunday 10am - 1:00pm

Monday 10am - Noon

Wednesday 10am - Noon

Only a month or so until Christmas!! If you don't care for the craziness of holiday shopping, tune in to Jewel School this week and learn how to make your own gifts!

November 25 & 26/Sunday & Monday-- two amazing Guest Artists will be joining Kim on Jewel School this weekend. Always laughing, Sara Oehler (aka "Sara O")  will have some amazing new kits from Soft Flex! A self-proclaimed "techie" by day and "jewelry designer" by night, Sara sent me a photo of one of the lovely NEW designs she will share with us this weekend.

Like most of us, Sara knows how crazy life can get this time of year and offered this smart tip, "If you know how to make jewelry, last minute holiday gifts for co-workers, friends and family are a cinch. If you stock up now on all of our beading basics, you will have everything on hand when you have to whip up a present on a short schedule! And, gifts always mean more when they are handmade."

(Personally, I love the way Sara uses simplicity to make gorgeous, versatile designs, like these colorful bracelets!)

AND Sandra Younger is bringing her self-invented, "Knotty Do It All" board back into Jewel School stock!! Now I know that some folks will look at Sandra's jewelry designs and they may say something like, "it's just knotted cords, I can do that". BUT, can they do it by hand, with consistent spacing as quickly and easily as you can with the Knotty Do It All? (I have to tell you that I was amazed at how easy it is to make very cool jewelry with Sandra's invention!)

It doesn't matter the age or the gender, you can make many different designs with this wonderful board, as shown with two of Sandra's personal, organic bracelet designs below; from sheik to chic, your imagination will be your only limit!

November 28-Wednesday-- Christiane Ross is excited to show us some NEW ways to use what we "usually" think of using jewelry for. (This is going to be a very innovative show!) What new ideas can YOU come up with to use jewelry for........besides "wearing" it?

Personal "uh-oh"!   OK, so maybe I got a little more than enthusiastic about the Janice Mae coming back to Jewel School. Our "Paper Bead Princess", will share some new Cocoon and Paper Bead Making Kits, show some fun designs and play with us on December 2nd and 3rd!

Speaking of the holidays, don't you love Janice's idea of using her Cocoon Beads as holiday ornaments that you can put tiny treasure inside of? (The little top slides off and on!)

How about making a special set for a VIP in your life, such as Janice's angels?

Whatever way you choose to indulge in the simple pleasure of making your own paper beads (last year's holiday cards or some of those catalogues we find stuffed in our mailboxes daily) you can be recycling at the same time! Janice made these beads from old magazines and then strung them onto memory wire, creating a very cool (and "green") bracelet collection!

NEW on our Video on Demand page!

Christiane Ross has recently put up 3 NEW Free Jewel School Video Tutorials! Featuring different and innovative ways to use Elasticity, Wire Guardians and Bead Bumpers. (Christiane laughingly said, "Oh please don't count and tell me how many times I say "actually"...Where did that come from and how do I stop saying it??? LOL")

"Cougarism"-- Due to all of the cool news I had for you this week, I will not make you read more today! Next week I begin with words on copyright (yup...ugh).

Happy Thanksgiving to all!! 

Stay Twisted"!

Dale/Cgr

 

 

The Science Behind the Sparkle and Shine

Have you ever wondered what causes gemstones to shine? Or why do they sparkle in the light?

Well there are many aspects that impact the appearance of the gemstone but today I want to look at five main aspects: luster, brilliance, dispersion, refraction, and scintillation.

• Luster is the flash of white light that you see reflecting off the surface of a gemstone. It shows how brilliant or dull the mineral is.
• Brilliance refers to the light that is reflected from the interior of a gem, not from its surface. In a well cut gem, most or all of the light that enters the stone will be reflected by the facets and returned to the eye.
• Dispersion refers to the splitting of white light into the colors of the spectrum. When white light enters a crystal it splits up, and some rays are reflected and some are absorbed, thus forming the mineral's color.
• Refraction is a simple change in the direction of light that occurs at the contact surface between two different substances.
• Scintillation refers to the flashes of light that occur whenever a gemstone, its observer, or the light source is moved.

So next time you admire a beautiful gemstone, you will have a better understanding of why that beauty exists!

Click here or go to jtv.com to read more about the Science Behind the Sparkle & Shine.

Holiday Countdown and JTV's Wishlist

Another week down on the Holiday Countdown! We're officially down to 35 days until Christmas and tomorrow is the 5 week mark! Who's ready? If you're not quite ready for Christmas whether you haven't even started Christmas shopping yet or you haven't picked out the perfect gift for yourself, we've got you covered! JTV just launched an awesome new addition to the website, a Wish List!  You can add any item from JTV.com straight to your Wish List. This is a great way to not only keep up with things you want but if you found the perfect pair of earrings for your niece and the most beautiful strand of pearls for mom it's a great way to keep up with your gifting Wish List as well! 

Ready to get started Wish List-ing? You will find an "add to Wish List" button on any of the JTV.com product details pages that make for easy Wish List adding! When you're ready to view your Wish List you will find the "Wish List" button next to your cart when you're ready to check back. 

Since I'm new to the JTV world I'm pretty excited to get started picking out Christmas gifts and I of course have a few items that are on my Wish List! Here's just a peek at my Wish List with a few items for myself, for my mom and for my friends!

The Marilyn Bow earrings I've picked are definitely on my Wish List but they will make great gifts as well! These will definitely be a favorite among my friends! 

The beautiful and classic Bella Luce Rose Gold Hoops are a personal Wish List item. I'm usually more of a yellow gold person but I'm really starting to love rose gold.  

My Mom loves costume jewelry so I've picked out the Off Park Elephant Pendant and the Off Park Turquoise Ring for her. 

My best friend will love the uniqueness of the Moda Di Pietra Amethyst ring.

I love bracelets and love the versitility of the Moda Al Massimo link bracelet.  Definitely a Wish List item for myself and I can't wait to pair it with some of my other bracelets! 

The Morganite ring (that's unfortunately sold out) is one of my favorite items I've found on JTV.com! 

-Katie 

"EXTRA"!! Jewel School Weekly with Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

Jewel School Schedule

Speaking of the upcoming holidays, is one of your "favorite things" chain maille?

Then this coming Sunday and Monday Jewel School shows are for you!! Tune in on November 18 and 19 when "The Chain Maille Lady", Lauren Anderson will have a NEW selection of clasps from Beadalon and she will share some of her latest design kits and a special tutorial to go with them!

When I asked Lauren to share a bit more about her upcoming Jewel School shows, she excitedly relied, " I was so inspired when I received these lovely beads from JTV that I knew I just had to make them stand out. I really didn’t have a plan when I started making this piece, but I knew I didn’t want the traditional diamond shape for the necklace. So I just started to weave my little jump rings together and this necklace blossomed! I call this my "Freeform Patches Necklace".

Thinking of Chain Maille and JTV's current theme, The Colors of Christmas, I think Lauren's star/snowflake pendant would make a lovely tree ornament that could double as a holiday pendant. (You can find several of Lauren's beautiful designs on our Video On Demand page!)

Lauren also wanted to share a "search" tip with us. "When looking for chainmaille to purchase on JTV’s website, be sure to individually use both Keywords  “chain maille” and “chainmaille”.  There are different items under each keyword."

Ladies, how about whipping up a pair of Lauren's sparkly chain maille earrings for yourself this year?

Cougarism--

Did you know that Jewel School's new Lampwork Studio has its own facebook page now?!!

Remember to take the inner bag out of the turkey before you roast it!

Stay Twisted!

Dale/Cgr

Jewel School Weekly with Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

Jewel School Schedule

NEW November Jewel School Hours!! Please note that the times listed below are EST. Sunday shows will be increased to 3 hour shows while the Monday and Wednesday shows remain 2 hours long.

Sunday 10am - 1:00pm                                              Monday 10am - Noon                                           Wednesday 10am - Noon

November 18,19 & 21/Sunday, Monday and Wednesday--Have you ever wondered about how to use a "square" kumihimo disc? Well the amazing Anne Dilker will be answering that question and more on the next 3 Jewel School shows!

Anne actually designed this square disc for The BeadSmith, that she will show you how to use so you can create lovely Flat Kumihimo Braids! An expert with the art of Kumihimo, Anne says, " I've had a lot of questions about the Square Kumihimo Plate (Board) lately so here's some info about it. The square board that I designed for The BeadSmith is different from all of the others out there in that this board is fully notched on all 4 sides and allows you make ANY shape braid on it, including round. This board is the most versatile of any of the foam boards on the market!"

Anne will also have a lot of other NEW products and kits to introduce, including one where she combines Anodized Aluminum wire with chain in a cool new technique she calls "Continuous Circles" and the awesome "Zebra Strip" tool kit!

These bracelets are some of the very first ones Anne made, while experimenting with Anodized Aluminum wire.                                         (All above photos are the property of Anne Dilker.)

"Cougarism"-- (sales display)

The current theme at JTV is "The Colors of Christmas"!! Have you noticed "how" Jewel School is promoting this theme? Simply by having a holiday tree and a few suggestive embellishments on our set.

I have a question for you this week: When you display your handcrafted jewelry for sale, do you use a "theme"?

It doesn't matter if you are a weekend craft-show warrior or a career professional who makes jewelry for a living. How you display your work is often reflected in your sales results!

Sometimes the show you are participating in makes that decision for you, asking that each vendor decorate their booth for a specific holiday and sometimes it's a personal decision. Does making your booth more festive help to put you in the holiday mood? If so, that will reflect to your potential customers, suggesting that they think of specific gift ideas or reminding them that they could use a new piece of jewelry to wear to a special function.

Yes, it's true that whatever holiday is upcoming, a few decorations are likely to add to these customer thoughts, but keep in mind that you have to pack, set-up and break-down all of those "extras" too! And what about religious holidays? Could you possibly offend someone with your choice of embellishments? Does it really matter? A good tip for the Christmas or any other season, is to keep your decorations at a minimum. Suggest a holiday by adding a small fiber-optic tree or hang a wreath in a back corner, maybe put a bright bow on a gift box near a special jewelry set, or add a few sprigs of silk greenery to set-off the bright metals of bangle bracelets. But...keep it simple! After all, you are selling "jewelry", not holiday decorations!    

It's important to keep your customer's eyes moving, so having a display that has added varieties of height is a good idea, but you don't have to spend a lot of money to do so! I know some folks who carry small crystal goblets and vases (found at yard sales) to hang their earrings from, year 'round, and others who hang their earrings and a few pendants from bare branches in a vase. Another likes to use plastic trays filled with coffee beans, to set-off the lovely colors of their gemstone jewelry.

This is a photo of my current, holiday show display.

                                         

What are your thoughts? Do you ever use a theme to tie your jewelry display together? Do you use specific colors for certain times of the year?

Stay Twisted"!                                                                                  Dale/Cgr