Rena Klingenberg has done it again!

Anybody who has even the slightest interest in jewelry making needs to check this out. Rena has updated and upgraded her entire site, she even changed the name to a more modern title and look " Jewelry Making Journal". It's great!


Now that Rena has included short videos you can see and hear her, what a great addition. Love it!

Go here to see an introduction: http://jewelrymakingjournal.com/about-jewelry-making-journal/

With all the marketing, display, information and business news you will get tons of info all for free, sign up for her newsletter, it is packed with help. 

The Jewelry Trend?

The more I read about jewelry trends the more I question the authority by which that news is written.  In New York, big color, big size, big money appears to be an on-going trend. The problem I see with that is first, not all of us like NY trends.

I just read an article about how New Yorkers are always (with emphasis on always) in style. I’m not trying to alienate New Yorkers but I don’t feel that is the fair representation of the vast majority of jewelry fashion today.  Ok, so if I live in the Midwest and I go out to the theater and wear a necklace that weighs more than I do, am I in style? Or do I want more sparkle hanging around my wrist than the chandelier?

As we are all individuals with individual taste a more practical attitude would seem appropriate from those reporting news about what the jewelry market trends are. After all there are thousands living in “small town” America.

Ok, what about a city like Portland, Oregon? The down to earth “keep Portland weird” types can be trendy, upscale and fashion conscious.  What Portlanders seem to appreciate more is the handcrafted wearable art and less is more types.

I have a habit of looking for what jewelry is being warn when I watch TV and I guarantee you that it isn’t that “in your face” or “look what I’m wearing” kind of jewelry. Oh sure, there is a couple of hosts that wear that type of jewelry but it isn’t the majority by any means.

I’d really like to see jewelry news report what is happening rather than being the advertiser for high end, runway type jewelry. I’d like to see HSN admit that their “one of a kind” jewelry piece has 10,000 replicas sitting in their warehouse waiting to be shipped!

 I think all of us who are self-representing home based jewelers should start our own, on-line jewelry news publication.

Rita Juhlin

Jewelry Making: Random Picked vs. Hand Picked Cabochons and Focal Beads

Thoughts about buying Cabochons, Focal Beads and Strung Beads for New Jewelry Designers

Random Picked vs. Hand Picked

Not all suppliers are created equal. Granted some suppliers are better at some things than others. I'm sure everyone strives for great customer service but that's not the issue of this article.

What does random pick mean? Basically, you see something on aweb site you want, the picture is phenomenal, and you buy it. When the cabochon or the focal bead arrives you are disappointed sometimes very disappointed. Larger suppliers don't take a picture of every cabochon or focal bead they sell. They have bins full of stones and they just randomly pick one to send you.

Look for "What you see is what you get" better known to some as WYSIWYG.

In most cases if you see "Natural Stone" you are not going to be able to buy two of anything. The exception is when a person cutting the stone is able to cut it in half for a "matched pair" but then it will be listed as such.

In the event that you can buy as many of the "same identical" stone as you want, the stone is probably man-made or synthetic; in addition to "cheap"; and probably looks cheap.

Smaller more personalized on-line stores selling cabochons either choose their own stock piece by piece or perhaps they are creating their own cabochons with lapidary equipment. Either way you will know what you are getting.

There is one more point to consider about choosing stones for jewelry making and that is color. Your monitor may not be set to true color or the seller has enhanced the pictures with computer software to enhance the color. It's not always easy to take a perfect picture and other than perhaps some Ebay products, most on-line store try very hard to provide accurate pictures.

A couple years ago I personally have experienced a "bad deal" on ebay. The cabochon appeared to be absolutely beautiful; I bought it and when cabochon arrived what a let down. Oh, it was the same cabochon that what pictured, but something looked odd. I flipped the stone , or what I thought was a stone, and scratched the surface with a pick. Hmmm, it peeled a substance that appeared to be some sort of plastic.

Well, you get what you pay for and it wasn't worth the expense of postage back to Hong Kong. Yes, I contacted the seller and he profusely denied there could be any such problem.

It is very important to understand what you are buying. Read the description and look for key words that describe the stone; not just fancy names and over the top statements.

Add your own opinion!

Rita Juhlin
Private Stock Jewelry

PopKiss NYC presents: 3 Fun Jewelry Tips To Try This Season!

PopKiss NYC.com

The hottest jewelry trends for Spring/Summer 2010 will be bright colors and bold accessories. It seems these days, the bigger the accessory, the better! And of course we all like accessories that can transition from day to night. Here are three fun jewelry tips to try this season.

Color! The two most wanted colors this season are turquoise and coral. As a matter of fact, turquoise was just voted pantone color of the year! Combining qualities of blue and green, it is an accent color with both warm and cool undertones and pairs beautifully with any other color. Coral is an almost orange color with a hint of pink undertone and looks great paired with neutrals. These two colors are popping up everywhere, from jewelry, to shoes, and even clothing.

Cocktail rings! These large and dramatic rings became popular during the US prohibition at illegal cocktail parties. Who knew?! The most popular cocktail rings today are embellished with large precious or semi-precious stones. They are the best statement maker while holding your glass of champagne at that super hip rooftop party in the city! With so many types to choose from, stack up on a variety! They are even a great fashion statement during the day!

Unique handmade jewelry! Each day people are getting more and more creative with their jewelry and taking a step to be more daring in the accessory pieces that they wear. Women love to wear new and dramatic jewelry that is different from what everyone else is wearing. A great way to search for unique fashion jewelry is to check out handmade jewelry. This is where designers can get creative. We have also been seeing a lot of costume jewelry made from fabrics. It just shows that not all jewelry has to be made from the traditional materials.

For years, people have been asking us where we get our unique costume jewelry. So we finally decided to bring it to you! Popkiss was launched straight from the streets of New York. The designers, Anna & Julie Reinberg, bring you handmade fashion cuff bracelets. These t-shirt accessories are knitted by hand from jersey fabric. The designers have come up with a great way to recycle their "I love New York" t-shirts by cutting and reassembling them into cuff bracelets. The two-toned Pop Cuffs are the most popular and come in various colors. To view color combinations please visit the Popkiss website or request a combination of your own. These really set off an outfit and are easy to wear!

Order your Pop Cuffs and cocktail rings at Popkissnyc.com, join our facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/POPKISS-JEWELRY/108870982483716?ref=ts) or twitter us (twitter.com/POPKISSjewelry ) and make a statement this summer!


Thank You!