Happy new year! While many of us resolve to achieve new goals or to make lifestyle changes in the year ahead, sometimes the conclusion of the holiday season can simply provide an excuse to focus on putting the past behind us and embracing a fresh new outlook. Or, maybe you’re just suffering from the winter doldrums, and are looking for ways to bring a bit of sunshine into your days. Need a little inspiration? Incorporate a pretty new color into your home, your wardrobe, your cosmetics, or your accessories.

Each year, the widely acknowledged color authority, Pantone (www.pantone.com), declares a particular color or group of colors to be the “color of the year.” In 2018, the color of the year was a shade of purple, referred to as Ultraviolet. In 2017, it was called Greenery. In 2016 Pantone chose two colors – Rose quartz and Serenity, and in 2015, the color of the year was called Marsala, and on it goes. For twenty years, the Pantone Color Institute has been influencing interior decor and furnishings, fashion, and even industrial design. According to the Pantone web site, the colors of the year are chosen by taking into consideration global trends, color psychology, and factors such as social media influences, popular travel destinations, art, culture and lifestyle trends, and even sporting events that capture global attention.

This year, the Pantone color of the year is called Living Coral. Here is the short description of the color of the year as per the Pantone web site:

“An animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge.”

Pantone offers fabric swatches and color chips to designers who want to incorporate the color of the year, along with coordinating and contrasting shades, for purchase on their web site. They also offer some pretty slick marketing copy that describes not only the color, but the emotions that can be evoked by its use. As an example, here is a snippet from the web site: :Living Coral embraces us with warmth and nourishment to provide comfort and buoyancy in our continually shifting environment. In reaction to the onslaught of digital technology and social media increasingly embedding into daily life, we are seeking authentic and immersive experiences that enable connection and intimacy. Sociable and spirited, the engaging nature of PANTONE Living Coral welcomes and encourages lighthearted activity. Symbolizing our innate need for optimism and joyful pursuits, PANTONE Living Coral embodies our desire for playful expression.”

That’s asking an awful lot of a color, but there it is.

As it happens, the color coral, as well as the natural substance coral, makes a lovely embellishment in jewelry, whether used as the primary tone or a vibrant splash of accent color. Coral encompasses a range of shades, from a deep red with an orange undertone to a pastel peach with a tinge of pink. Coral is a cross between pink and orange, or a blend of red and orange. A more vibrant, tropical hue is achieved by mixing a fuchsia with vivid orange, or for a shade that’s more subdued, a combination of soft pink and muted peach creates a color that’s closer to the color of salmon, or the naturally occurring angelskin coral, which is a beautiful quiet color. Coral is one of those nuanced shades that combine two secondary colors, one a blend of red and white, the other, a mix of yellow and red. The variations resulting from the attenuation of tint, hue and saturation make coral one of those colors that can be both stimulating and soothing.

Don’t be confused by the interchangeable use of the word for the color coral and the sea creature coral. Actual living coral, the undersea variety found along the shores of Australia, for example, can be found in a rainbow of colors. White, red, pink, yellow, and blue are among the colors you’ll find growing on reefs all over the underwater world. However, it is important to remember that natural coral is a marine animal, and is subject to some regulation in the United States by the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). If you are using coral in your jewelry, take a moment to read this article by the Jeweler’s Vigilance Committee (jvclegal.org):

Failure to ensure that your products, and those of your suppliers, are compliant with requirements pertaining to the import and use of coral can result in severe penalties. Some material is prohibited altogether, so take the time to educate yourself before purchasing natural coral.

If you do incorporate either the color Living Coral or the natural substance coral into your home furnishings or jewelry designs, you’ll love the vibrant colors and freeform shapes. It’s the 2019 color of the year, so you’ll see it everywhere. It’s a truly beautiful, flattering shade, though, so if you plan to wear it, sparkle on!

Laura

About the author:

Laura Legendary is a speaker, author, and educator specializing in disability awareness, accessibility, advocacy, and assistive technology. She is the owner of Elegant Insights Braille Creations, a handcrafted collection of jewelry and accessories embossed in braille. Go here to shop the boutique.

While I’m working to build a readership for the Sparkle On blog, I’ll remind you periodically about our mission statement, so that for anyone who happens to randomly stop by and peek at an article, they will understand why I make reference to details, or provide extensive descriptions of jewelry features that would be obvious to anyone who glanced at a photo. So, here is the reminder: The Sparkle On blog is written specifically for readers who may be new to jewelry, and/or who may be blind or visually impaired. I’ve said this before but it bears repetition – a picture may be worth a thousand words, but not for someone with vision loss. The purpose of the extensive descriptions is to enable readers to feel confident about making a jewelry purchase, which can be intimidating for anyone, but to walk into a retail jewelry store to buy a gift without the ability to clearly see what’s in the velvet-lined, glass display cases can be a little nerve-wracking. As a consequence of low vision, along with not feeling particularly knowledgeable about jewelry terminology, some people may not feel the least bit comfortable buying an expensive jewelry item either online or at retail. If these articles can be of some assistance as you venture forth to choose a pretty bauble for yourself or someone you love, then the goal is achieved.

With that in mind, today I’m going to describe another of the iconic pieces of jewelry that has become a category unto itself. Have you ever heard of the Cartier “Love” bracelet? Certainly, you’ve heard of the legendary design house of Cartier, which you probably already associate with exquisite, luxury offerings. Yes, you are correct. That Cartier.

The famous love bracelet is a piece of jewelry designed in 1969 by Aldo Cipullo for Cartier. It is a flat bangle bracelet studded with screws. Yes, exactly like the screws in your toolbox, except not at all. The bracelet was originally crafted of 18k yellow gold, although it was soon offered in 18k rose gold, 18k white gold, and also in platinum. Later variations included diamonds studded throughout the bracelet, and more recently, pave diamonds. As is typical with popular pieces of jewelry that become iconic, symbolic of luxury, or in this case, symbolic of an unbreakable commitment of love, it is almost immediately copied. The famous Cartier love bracelet has been mimicked by low-end jewelry brands and counterfeiters alike.

The novelty of the love bracelet is the locking mechanism, which requires a screwdriver to unfasten, and once slipped onto the wrist, the screwdriver is used to lock the bracelet on so that it cannot be removed without said screwdriver. The screwdriver itself has also been made into a necklace, with the idea that the bracelet wearer is “locked,” or committed to the wearer of the screwdriver “key,” symbolizing an unbreakable bond. Pretty romantic, no?

As the design of the original love bracelet was copied and changed just enough to avoid violating the original trademark, it became known by other names, such as the “nailshead bracelet,” or the “screwhead bracelet.” If your love bracelet does not have the Cartier hallmark, along with the gold fineness stamp, does not have the weight or the flawless execution of all parts and design elements, or come with a certificate of authenticity in an actual
Cartier box, yours is likely a counterfeit, or low-end copy. If you have enough eyesight to magnify a photo, there are some good pictures online comparing the real thing to the fakes. Also, when written in the font designed for the bracelet, the word love appears with a vertical line through the letter “o,” which is a nod to the appearance of a screw. The original bracelets were sold for over $6,000 back in the 1970’s, and it has retained its value. If you want one, I’d go directly to a Cartier boutique to ensure you are getting the real deal. If you have inherited one, or purchased one at auction, there are a number of ways it can be authenticated, and I’d start by bringing it to a Cartier salon.

If you are fortunate enough to be presented with one of the iconic Cartier Love bracelets, then you are abundantly blessed, indeed, as you not only have a beautiful piece of jewelry to wear, but also a devoted admirer presenting it. No one drops that kind of coin on a bracelet that is literally locked onto the wrist unless they really like you a lot. Lucky you! Sparkle on!

Laura

When it comes to jewelry, what could be simpler than a necklace? Wrap it around your neck or drop it on over your head, connect the clasp, and get on with your day. You don’t have to think about it until it’s time to take it off, right? Sure, unless you are wearing a necklace that keeps getting caught in your collar, or the pendant drops below the edge of the neckline inside your shirt and you spend the day pulling it out every ten minutes. Or, the chain rides up against the base of your throat and you spend the day pulling it back down every ten minutes. Or, every time you lean over, your necklace gets tangled up inn your jacket zipper or blouse button, the knob of your desk drawer, the ID badge, headset, microphone, pin, or name tag you’re wearing on your lapel. A necklace can actually be one of the more challenging pieces of jewelry to wear, because there are so many different chain lengths, you have to take a number of factors into consideration when you make your jewelry selection, such as the type of garment you plan to wear, the type of neckline, and whether or not the necklace is going to be in constant contact with your skin or the fabric. Another variable that can affect how the necklace wears is the thickness or gauge of the chain links or beads. A strand of pearls or beads that are larger in diameter can mean the necklace falls differently than a fine gauge chain would, even if the overall length is the same. Wearing the wrong length necklace can be really irritating, and can add a source of annoyance to your busy work day if you end up continuously fidgeting with it. If you are a jewelry collector, and have lots of pieces in your jewelry box from which to choose, then you may already be well aware that your favorite heart pendant isn’t going to work with your favorite top, because the neckline of the shirt is too close to the length of the necklace, which slips underneath the neckline, and you spend the day pulling it back out. What’s the point of wearing it if it’s just going to keep slipping below the neckline of your top, never to be seen?

Conversely, you may have thought your choker-length bead station necklace would be perfect with your mock-neck cashmere sweater, only to discover throughout the day that the clasp keeps snagging on the back of your neck, and that the fabric is too thick to allow the necklace to hang freely, and the necklace gets tucked up under the fold of the turtleneck, making it uncomfortably tight around your neck. Granted, these are first-world problems, but you certainly didn’t bargain for being driven crazy by your necklace when you got ready for work that day. By your boss, yes, your jewelry, no.

So how do you know what necklace length is right for the outfit you want to wear? Here are some standard length measurements that may help you to group your chain or bead necklaces together in such a way as to make choosing the best one to coordinate with your outfit effortless. After all, you have other things to focus on than tugging at your jewelry during your workday, job interview, or hot date.

14-15 inch length is a choker length. This length wraps around and sits high on the neck, above the collarbones.
16 inch length falls right at the base of the neck on most people, and if a pendant is attached, the pendant will nestle right in the hollow of the throat. If you want your pendant to peek out from the little “v” created by the opening at the top of a button-down shirt, this is a great length.
18 inch length will fall over the collarbones, and fall below the hollow of the throat. This is probably the most common necklace length. It may interfere with higher necklines, such as a boat neck or jewel neckline, so use it when wearing a V-neck or higher scoop neck blouse.
20 inch length necklaces are long enough to fall over the edge of a crew neck, with a little room to spare. For men, this is a good standard length for wearing a chain or pendant that will show over the top of most T-shirts.
22 inches long is perfect if you are wearing a plunging neckline such as a low V neck or scoop neck. The pendant will sit right at mid-chest for most, yet not slip below the fabric of the neckline.
24 inch lengths will usually fall somewhere close to the top edge of your bra or undergarment, and is an ideal length if you want to wear a spiritual medallion, cross, or other pendant you prefer to keep close to your skin. It’s also a great fashion length for when you want to wear a turtleneck, or a shirt with a more elaborate collar, as you can tuck the chain under the fold of the collar at the back of the neck. Also, 24 inches is the length at which most people can put on a necklace over their head without having to fuss with a clasp, so if you just did your nails, have manual dexterity issues, arthritis, or have no time in the morning and need to grab and go, this is the length to choose.
30 inch lengths are great for wearing a bead strand or chain you want to wear long and dramatic.
36 inch lengths are typically long pearl strands, and can also be comfortably worn doubled around the neck, either wrapped around twice and secured with the clasp, or doubled up using a pearl enhancer clip.

Obviously, depending upon your height/build, your mileage may vary. Taller people might find that an 18 inch length, which is what is typically sold most in jewelry retail, is too tight, or rubs against your neck in an uncomfortable way. Do a little experimenting with a variety of shirts and necklaces to find your best length. There are also plenty of choices in chain lengths that are in between any of the above “standard” lengths, which may suit you better. Instead of wasting time searching for the perfect necklace length, though, which may be hard to find, consider using a chain extender to add length to a necklace you already own. Chain extenders can be a very handy fashion tool.

One of the best pieces of advice I can give for putting together an outfit, especially if it’s an outfit you plan to wear to a special event, is to conduct a wear test. I would even more strongly recommend this if you will be wearing something new, whether garment or jewelry. Finding out at the last minute that your jewelry doesn’t work with your outfit can add a great deal of stress to your need to get to, or enjoy, your event.

If you intend to do a dry run of your outfit for a job interview, if you are in a wedding, or if you plan to have pictures taken, be sure to include all the jewelry you want to wear in the dry run. You might learn a couple of really important pieces of information by doing this that would have caused a problem throughout the event, had you not known in advance. Maybe those shoulder-duster earrings keep getting caught in the embellishments of the sweater you wanted to wear. Or the bracelet clasp catches on the lace at the cuff of your sleeve. Or maybe that super stylish, oversized pendant hangs exactly over top of the super stylish, oversized buttons on your blouse, and every time you move, you hear click, click, click. Not good. Remember, you always want to keep the focus on you, your witty bon mots, your beautiful face, your vocational achievements,rather than create distraction by constantly fiddling with troublesome jewelry. You want you to shine through. That’s how you sparkle on!

Laura

Since we’re rocketing towards Christmas, I thought it might be fun to do a little research on the most extravagant jewelry gifts ever presented. I ran across a number of articles on the subject of over-the-top gift-giving throughout history, so I thought I’d just link to the articles here. Whether jewelry, real estate, or monuments, these gifts are not exactly stocking-stuffers.

Note: I know posting “raw” links is not an attractive way to post an article, but since these links will be taking you off-site, away to advertiser land, I decided to leave the actual link intact instead of burying it under text. I found no malware here, but lots of ads, which you may consider to be the same thing.

Anyway, if you enjoy living vicariously through the rich and famous, have fun with these silly articles. Kind of makes every gift I’ve ever given seem pretty pathetic, but the good news is that none of my gifts will ever be the subject of a contested divorce litigation. There’s something to be grateful for.

15 of the greatest gifts of all time – by Mental Floss

mentalfloss.com/article/29559/historical-gift-guide-15-greatest-gifts-history-presents

From Forbes, the top 10 most expensive gifts of all time:

www.forbes.com/sites/christianbarker/2016/12/02/the-top-ten-most-expensive-gifts-of-all-time/#3e1f81ba3b07

From the sublime to the ridiculous, well, it’s all ridiculous, here is a list of The 15 Most Expensive, Luxurious, and Ridiculous Gifts Hollywood’s Elite Have Ever Given:

www.cheatsheet.com/culture/the-15-most-expensive-luxurious-and-ridiculous-gifts-hollywoods-elite-have-ever-given.html/

So, if you are of the mind that it’s the thought that counts, I’m sure Dad will adore this year’s tie, and your BFF will love her foot massager. Merry merry, and sparkle on!

Laura

There are lots of ways to attach jewelry parts and pieces to a chain, a bead strand, or to connect one part to another. Depending upon the desired effect, a connection can provide flexibility and movement, keep a focal point facing in one particular direction, can provide strength, or can enable a visually seamless and attractive transition between design elements. Most of the time, the way one jewelry component is attached to another is by way of a jump ring.

A jump ring is a tiny ring, almost always made of metal. When I say tiny, I mean a jump ring can be as small as just 2mm, 4mm, or 8mm. These minuscule rings can be purchased from a jewelry supplier, or they can be handcrafted. Jump rings can also be open, meaning they are literally an open ring that requires closing after it is used to attach a part, or it can be closed, which means the ring is soldered closed, and the part to which it is being attached has an opening through which to thread the jump ring. Jump rings can begin their life as open, and with the skills of a practiced hand, can be closed by working the ends of the ring so that it forms a closed circle, or it can be touched with a tiny bit of metal solder to close the ends. Creating a seamless, tightly closed jump ring ensures that whatever bead, clasp, or embellishment is being attached will remain securely fixed to the chain, or to whatever it is being connected.

Jump rings are usually made of plain wire, but they can also be decorative. I’ve used diamond-cut jump rings in designs for Elegant Insights, just to add a tiny bit of sparkle that catches the light in a really subtle way, and I’ve also used jump rings that look like flowers, snowflakes, and rope designs to enhance a theme or motif. Jump rings can be tricky, though. Because they are such a tiny jewelry component, they are not usually very strong, and they are used for a big job – that of keeping the piece of jewelry securely closed, or to keep a pendant or pearl bead safely connected. That’s asking an awful lot out of a little wire ring smaller than a quarter of an inch! That’s why the best way to use a jump ring is to solder it closed once the two jewelry parts are connected. There are also what are called “locking” jump rings, and these have a tiny tab at one end of the ring, and a notch at the other, which enables the two ends to snap together and stay locked closed. The more elaborate the jump rings used to craft a piece of jewelry, however, the more expensive the end result, as most jewelry designs require many jump rings. Jump rings are a very tiny component that can make a big difference in the overall success of a design, including whether or not the piece stays together. Jump rings are usually the weak link in a piece of jewelry, and in some cases, it’s meant to be. Think of a breakaway dog collar, and how it’s meant to come apart if subjected to stress, so as to guard against a choking or constraint hazard, should the dog become ensnared by the collar. The same is true when wearing a bracelet, when, for example, the jewelry gets caught, and instead of the entire bead strand or chain breaking apart, the jump ring that attaches the clasp to the chain gives way, preserving the overall integrity of the expensive aspect of the jewelry, thus only requiring the connecting jump ring to be replaced. That’s an easy and inexpensive repair.

Now that you have a strong attachment to jump rings, sparkle on!

Laura

Jewelry clasps come in all shapes, sizes, metals, and styles. Some clasps are purely functional, such as the spring ring clasp, which I wrote about here.

Other clasps have a very specific function, such as magnetic clasps, which make it much easier to connect the ends of jewelry chain for people who have trouble managing the tiny mechanisms of standard clasps. Still other clasps are so decorative, they become part of the design itself, and one would be hard-pressed to recognize it as a clasp at all. today, though, I’m going to describe one of the more mundane variety of clasps, another of the more functional, and among the most commonly used, types of clasps…the lobster claw.

Believe it or not, despite the funny name, the lobster claw has its namesake in an actual lobster’s claw. Unless you’ve had a lobster claw on your dinner plate, you may have never seen one, but the description is apt. A lobster’s claw is elongated, somewhat oval or teardrop shaped, and opens by way of a joint that allows for a lobster to open the end of the claw and pinch it around whatever it is the creature is trying to grasp.

A lobster claw can be similar to a spring ring in that the mechanism that opens and closes the clasp is a spring inside the tubing of the clasp that is compressed or expanded by a tiny trigger that the wearer pulls back, usually with a fingernail. Once opened, the clasp can be connected with a loop or ring at the other end of a chain, securing it closed. Lobster claw clasps are usually larger and can be heavier than a spring ring, and because of the oval or elongated shape, they work well in most jewelry designs because the clasp is more in line with the chain or bead strand. Unfortunately, lobster claws suffer from the same fatal flaw as the spring ring, though, as the spring inside the mechanism can “pop” or weaken, and the clasp can cease to function properly. Broken clasps are probably the greatest cause of jewelry loss. Once the spring inside the clasp breaks, the clasp can get stuck open, and the chain can slip off unnoticed.

another similarity to the spring ring type of clasp is that lobster claw clasps are inexpensive, and they are found in an abundant array of sizes and metal colors. Lobster claw clasps are commonplace, easily understood, and used throughout the jewelry industry, both in fashion as well as fine jewelry. No doubt you have at least one in your own jewelry collection. If you are visually impaired and can magnify the photos below, compare the spring ring clasp with the lobster claw depicted below it.

Lobster claws…they’re not just for dinner anymore. *Groan*

Sparkle on!

Laura

When it comes to choosing gifts for your colleagues, friends, and loved ones, there are almost always a few people on your list who are easier to buy for than others. It can be frustrating when you are racking your brain to come up with a gift for that person who has everything, or for a new friend, love interest, or boss. Giving a gift can be especially anxiety producing when you want to give something meaningful, and not just a token or throwaway gift.

What if there is someone on your gift list who has vision loss? You want to give a gift that will be useful, right? A tech gadget? Some sort of daily living aid? Before you go there, realize that people with disabilities are people first, and just like everyone else, people who are blind or visually impaired enjoy the fashionable, fun, and frivolous as well! Not every gift has to be practical, useful, or sensible. So, what makes an ideal gift for a person with vision loss?

Presenting the Elegant Insights Braille Creations 2018 holiday gift guide. When you want to give a gift that is beautiful, personal, sentimental, or romantic, we’ve got you covered. Here is a short list of suggestions, categorized by price and recipient. Happy shopping!

For Mom, Sis, Nana, or GF:

The “I Love You” necklace. Really, what else is there to say? This necklace says it all. A large heart pendant is braille-embossed with the words “I love you” in grade 2 braille. It’s available in three color ways, either copper with rose quartz beads and copper accents, brass with lavender jade beads and brass accents, or steel and aluminum with blue agate and hematite accents. The pendant hangs from the ring of the toggle clasp, which is worn in front, and is enhanced by a pretty little cluster of the beads and embellishments. the chain is a solid cable chain in the metal that matches the pendant.

The I Love You Necklace, $50.00. Shop the I Love You Necklace here.

The “Always and Forever” dangle earrings are a great match to the “I Love You” necklace, as they are heart shaped charms, and they are available in the exact same metal and bead colors. One earring says “always” in grade 2 braille, and the other earring says “forever” in grade 2 braille. The hearts and bead clusters dangle about an inch or so from a leverback earring finding.

The Always and Forever Heart Dangle Earrings, $25.00. Shop the Always and Forever Earrings here.

For Dad, Bro, or best bud:

The Spot-on Military-style Dog Tag is available in your choice of metals and sizes. We call these “military-style” because the tags are just like the ones worn by our men and women in uniform. They feature a rolled edge, and they are available in brass, copper, and shiny stainless steel. We offer the tags in your choice of ways to wear them. As a necklace, we drop them onto a 24 inch ball chain. If you want to use it as a key tag, we offer a carabiner clip and split ring so it can be attached to backpacks, belt loops, laptop bags, or just about anywhere. Most importantly, the dog tags can accommodate up to 2 lines of up to 7 braille characters, so if you want us to personalize one for you , don’t forget to include punctuation, spaces, and special characters such as the numbers sign or the capital letter dot. Want more space? We also offer a jumbo tag, available in steel only, which can accommodate up to 4 lines of up to 9 braille characters. the jumbo tag is a great luggage tag.

The Spot-on Military Style Dog Tag, standard size, $20.00. Get the Spot-on Dog Tag here.

The Spot-on Luggage Tag, jumbo size, $25.00. Go here for the Luggage Tag.

Our Decanter Enchanter ID Plaques are elegant identifiers for your libations. If you decant your wine or spirits, we have a set of brass, copper, or aluminum charms that will help you to identify or differentiate between the contents of your containers. Each set of 3 plaques is available braille-embossed with the names of popular wine varietals or spirit types, but you can also request a custom set. Add the Elegant Insights tactile touch to your home bar.

Decanter Enchanter Plaques, set of three, $60.00. Find the Decanter identifiers here.

For the Big Kahuna, Fellow Office Drones, Teacher, or the Hostess with the Mostest:

If you know someone who is an avid braille reader, perhaps your boss or book club members, our Mark Your Spot Bookmarks are a classy gift. Available in shiny brass or gleaming copper, we can custom emboss a name, date, or even a company name or special quote for a gift that’s perfectly personalized. A leather cord and bead accent drapes over the book binding to add a pretty touch to the bookmark, even when tucked inside their favorite braille book.

Mark Your Spot Custom Embossed Bookmark, brass or copper, $30.00. See the options here, then call to request your customization.

The set of 6 Sublime Vine Wine Glass charms add a touch of style to any stemware, and are a great gift to bring to a holiday party. Make everyone’s wine glass easy to identify with charms that are both visually as well as tactually distinct. Each set includes 6 different words in braille, and are available in several shapes and themes.

Sublime Vine Stemware Charms, set of 6, $65.00. Check out the choices available in our Sublime Vine Stemware Charms. Cheers!

For your Girl Gang:

When you want to give a little somethin’ somethin’, but don’t want to go overboard on the budget, you’ll be a hit when you give a personalized gift of a bracelet or necklace with your recipient’s initials in braille. Choose from 3 shapes in 3 metal colors, brass, copper, or steel/aluminum, and request up to 3 initials on a heart, star, or mini dog tag. Each necklace is 18 inches long with a toggle clasp, worn in front, and the bracelet is 7 and 1/4 inches long secured with a toggle clasp. They’re pretty, personal, and perfect for your best friend forever.

Initial Impressions Bracelet, $30.00.

Initial Impressions Necklace, $35.00. Shop for both Initial Impressions Necklace and Bracelet here!

Our Zippity-do-dot Zipper Pulls Set is just plain cute. Clip them on any standard zipper that has a hole, and add a fun flash of style to a jacket, wristlet bag, or backpack. Available in several styles and metal colors, we have some that are already braille-embossed, and some that are available for you to customize. Let us know which set you’d like to give, and enjoy the gratitude. You’ll get a set of two zipper pulls.

Zippity-do-dot Zipper Pulls Set, $20.00. Click or tap to check out the choices of zipper pulls sets.

The “wow” gift for Daughter, Sis, or BFF:

Our Butterfly Dreams necklace and Earrings Set is so pretty, uplifting, and flat-out happy-making. If she loves butterflies, this set will let her dreams take flight. A gleaming golden brass pendant butterfly is braille-embossed with “dream,” and features a cluster of white and blue faux pearl beads and crystals that all dangle from the toggle clasp, worn up front. Matching earrings feature baby butterflies with blue beads and crystals on a steel ear wire. Chain is an 18 inch solid brass cable chain. earrings are an “in line” style about an inch long from top to bottom.

Butterfly Dreams Set, $75.00. Make her butterfly dreams come true here.

The “wow” gift for the LOYL (love of your life):

Will you love her always and forever? Proclaim your adoration with our 3-piece “Love Always and Forever” necklace, bracelet, and earrings suite. The set comes with our “I Love You” necklace described above, with the coordinating “Always and Forever” earrings. Additionally, you’ll receive our beaded bracelet with a heart charm on one end embossed with “always” in grade 2 braille, available in the same 3 color configurations as the necklace – copper with rose quartz beads, brass with lavender beads, and our stainless steel and aluminum version with blue agate beads. It’s a stunning set, and it’s a gift that we promise will keep on giving. She’ll love it, and you.

Love Always and Forever 3-Piece Set, $125.00. Shop for the Love Always and Forever Set here.

Need more gift ideas? Just drop us a note or call us! We also offer a complete custom design service, so if you want to know whether or not your braille jewelry gift ideas will work, we will help you make it happen. the final date we can accept a custom order for guaranteed on-time holiday delivery is Monday, December 10th, so get your ideas on our drawing board! Call 702-605-1265 or email customer.service at elegantinsightsjewelry.com.

Wishing you a very happy holiday season from all of us at Elegant Insights Braille Creations!

Sparkle on!

Laura

Genuine precious metals are expensive. As of the date of this writing, the spot price of gold is $1,222.10 per ounce. That number varies daily, and it also has very little to do with what you pay for a piece of gold jewelry in a jewelry store. Since fine gold is out of reach for many, you may be interested in picking up a piece of jewelry that looks like gold, but…isn’t…quite.

Gold plating is an alternative for consumers who may not wish to pay for fine karat gold, but may instead want to achieve the look for less. After all, if it’s just the look you’re after, well, then the joke is on all the chumps who are shelling out for the real deal, while you sit back and admire your nicely padded bank account. When jewelry shopping, you might see designations in ads or on the price tag such as “gold filled,” or “gold plated,,” and wonder, what’s the difference?

There are several different types of gold plating techniques, and some are better than others. The biggest downside of gold platings is that they simply do not last. Depending upon the manufacturing process used, and how thick the plating, how long it will last on a piece of jewelry largely depends on how often it’s worn, and how carefully the jewelry is handled and cleaned. Fine karat gold, on the other hand, lasts just about forever. Ever heard a news report of some lucky treasure hunter who stumbled (floated? swam?) across a sunken ship filled with gold coins from centuries gone by? Well, the reason it’s worth hunting for sunken treasure is that gold does not tarnish or corrode, and it can last a very long time in the harsh environment of freezing depths and seawater. The ancient gold coins will look just as gloriously luminous as the day the ship went down. Genuine gold is impervious to practically everything. There’s only a finite amount of it, though, and since it is a natural substance which requires great effort to extract from the earth, real gold can be very pricey.

If you decide to go the plated route, be aware that there are different methods used for plating metals, and if you are going jewelry shopping, there are some signs to look for that may help you to decide how much you are willing to spend for a look-alike.

Plating can be applied by a few methods, including pressure bonding, dipping or overlaying, electroplating, gold washing, or gold flashing, and a technique called rolled gold. Each of these processes deposits a different quantity of gold onto a base metal.

If you are comparing techniques as to good/better/best, the plating technique that offers the most gold thickness is called Vermeil, pronounced “ver-may.” Here is what the Federal trade Commission has to say about gold vermeil, from the www.consumer.gov web site: “Vermeil, a special type of gold plated product, consists of a base of sterling silver that is coated or plated with gold.” The FTC allows a product to be described as “vermeil” if it consists of a base of sterling silver coated or plated on all significant surfaces with gold or gold alloy of not less than 10 karat fineness, and a minimum thickness throughout equivalent to 2 1/2 microns of fine gold. A micron is a metric measure and is defined as 1 millionth of a meter or 1 thousandth of a millimeter. An average piece of paper is about 100 microns thick, so that’s not much gold.

How do you know what type of plating or coating is on the jewelry you’re considering? Like with karat gold, if an item is plated, there should be a quality mark somewhere on the piece that identifies what technique was used, and the fineness of the gold plate that was applied. If an item was plated with 10 karat gold, the quality mark should look something like 10KGP. If an item is gold filled, the piece should be stamped with 9KGF, if an item is rolled gold, the item might be stamped 14KRGP.

Gold Flashed, or Gold Washed, are terms that describe products that have an extremely thin electroplating of gold (less than .175 microns). This will wear away faster than gold plate, gold filled, or gold electroplate. Gold electroplate describes jewelry that has a layer (at least .175 microns) of at least 10 karat gold applied on a base metal by an electrolytic process. “Gold filled” does not mean the jewelry is filled with gold. In fact, an item marked as gold filled is also plated, but the manufacturing process is different. Gold filled jewelry is usually heat and pressure bonded in multiple layers over a core metal of jewelers’ brass.

One of the many desirable properties of gold is that it is extremely malleable. According to www.chemicool.com, one ounce of gold can be drawn into a wire 1,250 miles long (if the thickness was 1 micron). This means that you could make a gold wire long enough to go around the earth with just 20 ounces of gold. A layer of gold can be applied so thinly you could read a newspaper through it. Ever seen a baseball card with a gold overlay? Yeah, that’s really gold, but it’s also really thin gold.

Finally, you may have heard of a type of plating called gold foil or leaf. This is a process whereby gold is hand-hammered into very thin sheets. The sheets are then wrapped or applied to jewelry as an embellishment or fine detail. It can also be melted and either painted onto furniture, a picture frame, vase, or art object as decoration.

If you decide to save your hard-earned dollars for something more important to you than jewelry, and you are willing to go the gold plated route, go with vermeil. Gold plating is available in all of the gold colors, such as white gold, which may be the best option. Since the underlying metal is sterling silver, and not an unsightly mystery metal which may eventually show through, or irritate your skin after the plating wears off, you’ll probably get the best and longest wear out of a white gold vermeil, which is what matters if it’s a design you really like. I promise, I won’t tell, so sparkle on!

Laura

Laura Legendary is a speaker, author, and educator specializing in disability awareness, advocacy, accessibility, and assistive technology. She is also a jewelry designer and the owner of Elegant Insights Braille Creations at elegantinsightsjewelry.com/. Elegant Insights offers a distinctive collection of jewelry and accessories, all handcrafted, made in the USA, and embossed in braille. Follow us on Twitter @ElegantInsights, Instagram at www.instagram.com/elegantinsights or Facebook at www.facebook.com/Elegant.Insights

Earrings have a special place in my jewelry-loving heart. One of the reasons I am especially fond of earrings is that, unlike other jewelry, they are worn close to the face, and therefore can make a big difference when trying to achieve a particular look. The right earrings can be quite flattering, they can bring light and warmth to your skin, they can balance the shape of your face, enhance your bone structure, and can be very eye-catching if wearing earrings that have movement. Unfortunately, the wearer is unable to enjoy the earrings unless one is looking into a mirror, but earrings can certainly be appreciated when looking at others. They frame the face, can set off the color of the eyes, and can really make an outfit by adding a perfect finishing touch.

There are so many styles of earrings, and so many ways they are made, that I plan to devote a post to each type. Today, I’m going to share a bit about one of this year’s jewelry trends, that of the hoop earring.

Hoops have come into and out of style over the decades, enjoying popularity in the 1960’s, and finding a resurgence in the 70’s, 80’s, and at some point in each decade since. However, hoop earrings date back thousands of years, and may have originated in a part of the Middle East that is now Iraq. Hoops have also been found to have been worn by people in the ancient cultures of Greece, Egypt, Rome, and many others. Sadly, hoops have not always had a great reputation. Associated with slavery, pirates, and thieves, hoop earrings have even been at the center of a controversy calling out certain wearers of hoops as engaging in cultural appropriation. Hoops are also not usually permitted as part of business attire in more conservative workplaces, as they are seen as casual, unprofessional, and distracting. Bad hoop earrings. Bad, bad!

Negative vibes aside, hoop earrings are trending now, so I thought I would give you a rundown of hoop styles and sizes.

For those of you who do not own hoop earrings, or who have never seen them on anyone else, a hoop earring is exactly what it sounds like. It is a round ring, usually formed using metal tubing, unbroken except for a short segment open just enough to allow for a straight post or wire to be attached to one side of the opening, and a catch or notch at the other side. The post may be either flush with, or “in line” with the metal tubing, or soldered atop the tube. Once slipped through the pierced ear, the post snaps down into the tiny catch on the other side, at the back of the ear, which creates the appearance of a continuous circle. Hoop earrings can be made out of just about anything – precious metals, various types of wire, shell or other organic material, even pearls or seed beads threaded onto a strand of wire and curved into a loop. Generally, the standard size hoop is approximately 1 inch in diameter, no matter if the gauge, girth, or thickness of the material used to fashion the hoop itself is wider.

Whether or not a hoop earring looks good on you can depend upon your face shape. Some people can look fabulous in huge hoops three inches in diameter, while others would look ridiculous trying to pull off that look. If you want to rock a hoop but want to keep it real for your sense of style or lifestyle, type of work or workplace, then you might prefer a more demure diameter.

A hoop earring that is three quarters of an inch is roughly the size of a nickel, a half-inch in diameter earring is approximately the size of a dime, and there are even tinier hoops that are just about one quarter of an inch across, referred to as “huggie” hoops, as they appear to hug, or tightly wrap around the earlobe. Side note: For my screen reader users, you may have heard a mispronunciation. The word huggie is spelled H U G G I E, and pronounced hug-ee.

When referring to the size of a hoop earring, a hoop is typically measure from one side of the circle to the other at the widest point, if laying the hoop down flat. Another measurement that may interest you is the “front view” measurement, which is from side to side as you are looking at a person wearing the earring. An earring may be a diminutive gauge of 1/8th of an inch as you measure the girth of the metal, but it may be 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Or, a hoop might be a mere quarter-inch in diameter, but the side-to-side width from the front view is one-half inch, meaning the hoop is wider across the front than it is in diameter. Some hoops can be shaped more like a donut, a life preserver, or a bike tire. It could be flat like a ribbon or as bulbous as a bagel. I’ve seen some pretty crazy big earrings, some that have looked more like a bangle bracelet in the ear, rather than a hoop earring.

Hoops can be set with gemstones, have charms or beads hanging from them, or be highly polished or diamond cut. The post that slips through the piercing can be straight like any post earring, or it can be slightly curved so as to provide better symmetry hanging from the earlobe. If the post is too long, the size inappropriate for the face or placement of the piercing, or the earring is not well balanced, the hoop can tip forward or backwards, exposing a length of the post, getting caught in your hair, or sitting oddly sideways as one views the earring from the front. If you are blind or low vision, I recommend that you try on several hoop styles with someone who can objectively assess what size, shape, and style of hoop earring best suits your features. Too small, and the hoop can get lost in your lovely locks. Too large, and it might become impossible to talk on the phone, the earrings may rub against the side of your neckk or jaw line and irritate your skin, or the earring may catch on everything, including your collar, necklace, or hairbrush. Ouch.

If you have a round face, you may not like the way hoop earrings look on you. Round hoops can emphasize a round face shape, and exaggerate it. Round eyeglasses can also create a repetitive shape that may not be as flattering, so go with a smaller hoop. On the other hand, if you have a longer face shape, or sharp features, a round hoop can provide a bit of balance and soften your look. Hoop earrings aren’t always round, though. I’ve seen triangle hoops, teardrop shapes, rectangles, and hoops within hoops within hoops. I’ve even seen some that aren’t really hoops at all…just sort of a large continuous spiral that starts in the earlobe and curls around and around, terminating in the very center of the spiral, like a snail shell. There are multi-tiered hoops, where one hoop is hanging from another, hoops embedded with diamonds all the way around, and a style that was popular about ten years ago called the “inside outside” hoop, where gemstones, usually diamonds or CZs, were set around the hoop both on the inside of the hoop as well as the outside, or front view, and even around the side of the hoop as you would view the wearer in profile. Hoops can also be made using tubing in a variety of shapes. Metal tubing can be round, again, think of a bike tire, or it can be square, which is usually what gemstones are set into, or the tubing can be triangular or D-shaped, creating interesting angles with which to catch the light.

Thinking myself more conservative, or classic in my taste, wearing hoops for me was way outside my comfort zone. My first pair cost a whopping $29.00, made of very small 14kt gold wire, and purchased from QVC. they were so cheap, I thought if I hated them on me, I’d just give them away. I was on the fence about wearing them for the longest time, I didn’t really see what they did for me, I kind of felt tragically unhip, and not really able to pull it off. Since then, I’ve found my ideal size and shape, and I now have a dozen pairs of hoop earrings, mostly in sterling silver. They are great fun to wear.

Whatever style of earring you love, you can look forward to lots more posts on earrings, which are my second favorite type of jewelry to wear. I’ll tell you my very favorite in a future post. That’s the hoopla on hoops, so sparkle on!

Laura

I have to admit, when preparing to write this post, I thought I knew what there was to know about birthstones. I mean, most of us probably know what our own birthstone is, if not those of our friends and loved ones, but I could easily rattle off all of them if you asked, along with a list of the alternates, the less expensive versions of the more pricey standard birthstone such as the one for April, which is diamond. So, in the spirit of “the best way to learn is to teach,” while reading up on birthstone lore, I discovered a few details I did not know. For starters, I always thought the whole birthstone thing was little more than a marketing gimmick. you know, a lure to drive customers into a jewelry store in pursuit of their gemstone talisman, a way to personalize an otherwise frivolous item which was out of reach for most people, and create demand.

Well, I was wrong. Okay, partially wrong. turns out, in 1912, an organization called the Jewelers of America published the definitive list of birthstone gems, which in fact became the modern marketing masterstroke we know and love today. However, experts claim birthstones can be traced all the way back to the bible.

According to the American Gem Society (americangemsociety.org), the origin of birthstones is believed to date back to the breastplate of Aaron which contained twelve gemstones representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

“There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.” Exodus 28:17-20.

The Breastplate was set with twelve Gemstones set in four rows of three: Sardius, Topaz, Carbuncle, Emerald, Sapphire, Diamond, Ligure, Agate, Amethyst, and Beryl, Onyx, and Jasper. In the 5th century AD, these gems became associated with the 12 signs of the zodiac, and eventually, with the 12 months of the year.

Not only have historians had difficulty in determining exactly which gemstones were being referred to in the breastplate “blueprint,” changing styles as well as changing availability of certain gems altered the standard birthstones list throughout the centuries. In 1952, the list was updated by the Jewelry Industry Council of America to include the addition of alexandrite to the month of June, citrine to November, pink tourmaline for October, replacing alternate lapis with zircon for December, and flipping the March standard and alternate gemstones of aquamarine and bloodstone. In 2002, tanzanite was added as a December alternate.

So, here is the standard birthstone list for your reference:

January – Garnet, February – Amethyst, March – Aquamarine, April – Diamond, May – Emerald, June – Pearl, July – Ruby, August – Peridot, September – Sapphire, October – Opal, November – Citrine, December – Topaz.

Here is a complete list of the alternates, according to the International Gem Society (gemsociety.org), along with the corresponding astrological signs:

Aquarius (Jan.21 -Feb. 21)
Garnet
Pisces (Feb.21 – Mar. 21)
Amethyst
Aries (Mar.21 – Apr. 20)
Bloodstone
Taurus (Apr.20 – May 21)
Sapphire
Gemini (May 21 -June 21)
Agate
Cancer (June 21 – July 22)
Emerald
Leo (July 22 – Aug. 22)
Onyx
Virgo (Aug. 22 – Sep. 22)
Carnelian
Libra (Sep. 22 – Oct. 23)
Chrysolite
Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov 21)
Beryl
Sagittarius (Nov. 21 – Dec. 21)
Topaz
Capricorn (Dec. 21 – Jan. 21)
Ruby.

Does it really matter which birthstone is yours? Not in my opinion. If you don’t like the color of your birthstone, then adopt a new one. Call it your “half birthday” birthstone, or your dog’s birthstone, or whatever you want. They’re all beautiful, so whichever you choose, sparkle on!

Laura