Keep your jewelry free of tarnish to make it look its best!

I know most of us just throw our jewelry into piles. 

Even if they are in a jewelry box, jewelry pieces that are all piled together, make it very difficult to find and can also damage your fragile pieces.
Learning more about your jewelry will help you in preserving it for a long time. Be cautious of the way you store your precious pieces.

Here is a picture of the display box I made,
to showcase my Modern Gems Collections

My Advise!

You will want to avoid jewelry getting tangled, which can damage them. Try to find some really cute hooks to hang them on. If you click on this link to my Pintrest page and check my board titled " Craft Show/Display/Branding Ideas" http://pinterest.com/moderngems
There I have some great DIY jewelry display you can recreate, very cute, very affordable and very easy to do.

Jewelry holds on to memories, important occasions, joyful memories of an event in our lives. Jewelry holds a special relationship between the owner and the giver.
Be cautious of the way you store your precious jewelry pieces.

My Advise!

Make sure to store your jewelry away from humidity and air. Keep your jewelry in a velvet drawstring bag or even plastic zip lock bag, is O.K.  A jewelry box is the best, because it is made specially for your jewelry.

It is best to use holders, compartments, and hook for keeping pieces separate. Air and Humidity a women's worst enemy! It can frizz our hair and it can tarnish the metals in all our jewelry.

To see more of my creation visit Modern Gems on Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, Pintrest and at my Etsy shop as well.

  Keep your jewelry free of tarnish to make it look its best! 

My Advise!

Precious metals can be easily polished with a polishing cloths, you can keep anti-tarnish strips, were ever you store your jewelry. 

Non-precious metal are coated with a finish. After awhile and with some time these finishes can wear and can be very easily damaged. 

When that happens the piece will never go back to their previous state. 

Try not to wear your jewelry in water. Water causes some metals to patina (change color) and tarnish heavily. 

To contact me just email, moderngemsartisanjewelry@gmail.com

 To invest in jewelry is to invest in your memories. 

Take care of those memories because they are truly priceless. Every piece of jewelry is filled with emotion, it could be the promise of a lifetime of happiness ahead, or the celebration of a child's birth. Whatever occasion each time you look at your jewelry it will invoke that memory.   

One~Woman Operation

About Modern Gems Blog 

I am the sole owner and creator of Modern Gems. I am a one~woman operation.
I realize how much work goes into everything.
My hands are involved in every aspect of my business and that is exactly how I like it.
From the packaging to creating and blogging.

Thinking of an idea, getting the words out, uploading/editing/taking photos and then publishing the final entry. Now think of doing all of this at least 3x wk, maintaining a household, creating designs and social networking.
All to promote my small business.

This website is not only a gallery of my handmade gemstone jewelry made just for you but also a way for the readers to find the latest jewelry trends, tips on how to care for you jewelry, to educate my readers on precious/semi~precious gemstones and other jewelry materials used in today's modern world. I'm here to also show and explain to my readers, what I do to create my piece, my designs process and inspiration.

Please feel free to explore my etsy shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/ModernGems    

The slang word/acronym/abbreviation OOAK, What does it means...

You see the expression OOAK in online conversation, but what exactly does OOAK mean?

What is OOAK? 

This Internet Slang stands for "one of a kind," which is an acronym that is widely used on the Internet by artists who make original items.

Making wire jewelry is very time demanding. A simple looking design can take several days to finish. The items are priced accordingly, for its originality.

To commission this or any other piece please email inquires to moderngemsartisanjewelry@gmail.com

Modern Gems artisan gemstone jewelry fuses classic with modern design's. 

Fine sterling silver and gemstone jewelry are Heirloom pieces. They do not deteriorate in the same way some glass and non-precious metals do. They are considered lifetime pieces and should be viewed as such.

Whether you're looking for an heirloom piece visit and explore Modern Gems 2013 Collection on these sites.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ModernGems
* If you want to see more pictures or other designs check out my facebook and twitter pages
https://www.facebook.com/ModernGems                      https://twitter.com/moderngems

Modern Gems Grand Opening on Etsy!

Modern Gems Grand Opening On Etsy!!!

I have been working really hard to get my website and etsy shop set up for business.

Well, today is the day. For the Etsy Shop at least.

It has taken all my creative juices up. 

Thank God I am a Graphic Designer as well as business owner. 

But that leaves all the work solely to me, but I will not complain.

When it comes down to it I will have all the glory of accomplishing these feats.

I am excited to announce Modern Gems Grand Opening on Etsy... Today to all my follower,  supports,  and to all my friends and family here is a special offer coupon.

Silver and its {want-to-be} types

Silver now a days... 

Silver comes in many names and quality hallmarks it's good to know how to recognize them. Since I posted a new album of my sterling silver jewelry on my Facebook page I thought learning to identify the various silver names can eventually lead my readers and followers in smart jewelry buying.

So what is silver?

Silver is known from ancient times for its quality and its great properties as a metal. It has been used in jewelry making since ancient pharaoh times.
When silver is in its purest form found in nature 100% clean, it is too soft to be used. To make silver more durable and harder other metals are added. The most common metal used for jewelry, dinnerware and ornametation today is Sterling Silver.

Sterling Silver in its solid silver form is a mixture of 92.5% pure silver and 7.55% metal alloy, usually it's copper. Surprised, hence the hallmark of .925.

So how can you identify sterling silver?

One way to recognize sterling silver is to look for the hallmark or (stamping) on the back of rings and pendants, but if you are buying sterling silver jewelry pieces at a show and or there is not a hallmark or stamping use some of these tips I used them my self.

You never know, you could end up with a one of a kind artisan made jewelry piece.

Rub the piece of sterling against your skin this will usually leave a black mark on your skin. If it does it is real sterling silver if not then it is not sterling silver but a substitute.

Another way is by using a magnet, you might not always have this, but it is a good thing to know. If the magnet stick to the piece of jewelry it is a fake, Sterling silver is not magnetic.

Then there is the "ping" test, for example if you have a sterling silver coin and drop it on a table it makes a dull thud sound. If it's anything other than silver it will emit a ping sound. But when it comes to jewelry I do not recommend this because you do not want to break a piece of jewelry.

One of the most common ways to make jewelry with a different metal look a like, is Silver Plating.

So what is silver plating?

Silver plating may look very similar to sterling silver but it can wear off pretty quickly. Sometimes sellers, who are not being honest with you try to pass it for silver.

Silver Plating is a very thin layer of silver that is added to a base metal. I call it a bath in sterling. If you are not careful in exposing the base metal it looses its beauty.

Mexican Silver has its name because it comes from Mexico. In order to be considered mexican silver it must contain 90% purity in silver.

Britannia Silver contains 95.84% pure silver.

Last and Newest in trend is a metal called Agentium Silver.

Agentium Silver is a modern Sterling silver alloy which  modifies the traditional sterling silver (.925) by replacing the copper with a hypo-allergenic alloy called metalloid germanium, as it retains the (92.5) silver content of traditional alloy, it is still referred to as sterling silver.

Should I use this new Sterling Silver?

Please leave your comments below the article. I have been thinking about all those women out in the world that are allergic to different types of metals, my mother being one of them. Should I offer this to my customers, Let me know, please.

 Until my next post here are some pic of my Sterling Silver Jewelry.
   

Aquamarine~March Birthstone

The modern birthstone for the month of march is Aquamarine.  This stone is a sky blue gem, a member of the beryl family. Making aquamarine siblings with Emeralds, and Morganite and although they belong to the same family they are surprisingly different. Emeralds are usually oiled to fill in fractures and improve their color. Aquamarine, do not require any special treatment  and are suitable for any type of jewelry piece.

From my own personal experience most aquamarine stones have been heat treated at low temperatures to reduce the levels of green or yellow tones and bring out the original blue tones.
Unless when purchasing the gemstone it specifically says unheated stone, please be aware not to use an ultrasonic cleaner for that piece of jewelry. Soap and water will do just fine.

Aquamarine derives its name from the latin term for sea water and has a long tradition for being the sailor's lucky stone. Legend has it the the aquamarine were the prized possessions of mermaids and thus would protect sailors from danger and even warding off sea sickness. This stone can be found faceted, in cabochon and even in its original rough chips cuts. I am currently working on some unique pieces for the spring season, using this beautiful stone. As soon as they are finished I will post pictures of my new creation, until the next post by Ivellisse {owner/ designer}of Modern Gems Artisan Jewelry.

Options for jewelry that go beyond expensive to rare

Costume jewelry and fine fashion jewelry have provided women with the ability to look and feel glamorous while being mindful of their money. Having these different options is one of the reasons why Modern Gems was created (by Ivellisse, an artist at heart) an online Genuine Artisan Jewelry store, that provides women with accessories and genuine hand~crafted jewelry that go beyond expensive to rare and  unique. The other reason was to create jewelry that go beyond expensive to appeal to the everyday women with genuine gemstone beads and precious metals that will not break the bank.

Every creation is entwined in sterling silver wire (.925) with new and age old techniques. Dating back hundreds of years but having grown in popularity in the 20th century, Wire Sculpting was practiced by ancient Mesopotamians over 5,000 years ago. This ancient art form of using wire has reappeared in the world of fashion as trendy modern jewelry. Everyone of these jewelry pieces are fashioned by hand and unlike the one crafted before it. 

There are several similarities and differences between costume jewelry and fine fashion jewelry. Both styles of jewelry revolve around the same concept, which is to provide some kind of  replication of high end Fine Jewelry. In costume jewelry some typical components of the jewelry are rhinestone and colored glass beads. The metals and stones used are not precious but tend to be plated metal and or lower cost plastic beads.

Fine fashion jewelry  was created to replace more expensive pieces of jewelry that would otherwise  be worn only several times and then passed through generations as an heirloom piece of jewelry. In the last few decades, Swarovski crystals has become a staple in costume and fashion jewelry as it provides a middle ground for between cheap looking rhinestones and real genuine gemstones. Though more expensive, they still allow for a very reasonable priced piece of jewelry.    

 Choosing the finest silver and using only the highest quality semi~precious and natural stones in today's market is what Modern Gems strive to provide.  Innovative, forward thinking, classic, and modern jewelry pieces and as often as possible, designs with earth created materials, like pearls, wood or bone beads, and even sea shells. Integrity and Honesty is the core foundation. 

Women have enjoyed being able to acquire a sizable collection of jewelry and expand their personal style but by adding to it with hand~crafted, genuine Fine Art Jewelry is more desirable. If a more bold statement need to be made or something is needed to dress up one outfit in particular, Modern Gems,  Artisan Jewelry  

for Today's Modern World, comes from the idea that follows the latest trends and allows women to keep current with what is fun and exciting without having to invest hundreds of dollars on one piece of jewelry.  Contact Modern Gems at: moderngemsartisanjewelry@gmail.com or follow on twitter at: @moderngems on facebook at: moderngemsartisan@facebookmail.com.

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