Happy Summer from the JETs!

Summer is here! We're all out more, and we don't have to wear every piece of clothing we own just to keep warm. As a matter of fact, most of us wear as little as possible just to stay cool!

This means ... now you can show off your jewelry! Don't have any?

The JET team has a solution for that. Shop for some now!

You'll find a huge variety of handmade jewelry made by JET members on Etsy. I can't play favorites here ... it really is all amazing. You need to explore for yourself. Start here:

https://www.etsy.com/teams/6429/jet-jewelry-on-etsy-team/members

But I'm warning you ... You'll want it all ...!

Mother's Day is on the way!

May 11 is Mother's Day in the United States, and while pampering Mom with breakfast in bed and a coupon for the local Spa is great - and appreciated - it really is nice to have an actual gift to help her remember the day as a special one! One of the best ways to do this ... is with jewelry!

Of course the JET membership has been busy making goodies for Mom, and they all want you to have these fabulous gift ideas in hand before the big day arrives. So without further delay, here are a few suggestions from me!

Moms are busy people but they do like to look good, and jewelry is a big help ... especially jewelry that's easy to spot! Earrings frame the face ... and so they're front and center!

Ombre Lucite Flower Earrings

These pretty lucite flower earrings are made with top quality brass leverback earwires and findings. The shaded ombre floral components are beautiful, and complete the vintage look. Made by Cheryl of DesignsByCher, these pretty earrings will please any Mom and they'll be appreciated all year!

Visit SatinDollCo for a great variety of earrings! This shop

Wild Thang Earrings by SatinDollCo

features very affordable, unique jewelry for the fashion conscious woman. You'll find earrings of every type in this shop - dangles, hoops, colorful, earthy ... there's always something for Mom here. Right now the Owner / Designer of this shop, Gaetana Parris has over 170 pair listed in SatinDollCo for you to choose from!

Maybe your Mom is a bit  well ... unique. Does she like things that are just a little quirky? Edgy? Does she like to wear something you're just not gonna see everywhere? Debbie, the Artisan Jeweler at stoutdg2 has something that might just be in your Mom's orbit. Admittedly, Debbie calls them "Organic Shaped Lampwork Bead Crystal Sterling Silver Earrings - Fall Leaves". I don't know ... Looks to me like they're actually alien spaceships ... 

Keeping with the quirky thing ... There is a new

Asymmetrical Gemstone and Silver Earrings

way of looking at earrings that says ... as long as there are design elements in common, they don't need to match to be a pair. This is called asymmetrical design. We have a couple of members who do this very well. Laura Stamper is one of them!

The earrings on the left are a great look at asymmetry. They are different. But ... they do go together! These amazing earrings are made with natural rough gemstones and sterling silver. 

Find these in Laura's shop: laurastamperdesigns

 Every Mom loves butterflies! This pair from Barbara at CapitalCityCrafts is so cute ... they're done in a contemporary style and are just the right size! These dangle from a wingtip, so they appear to be flitting around ... like butterflies should! Simply fabulous worn with just about anything Mom has in her closet, she'll wear them again ... and again!
(IF you can give them up) ...

Find HUNDREDS of items for Mom created by talented JET members here: Gift Ideas for Mom from the JET Team!

JET Artisan Profile:Debra Jeffries of DebrasDivineDesigns

Hi! I'm Debra Jeffries, and my Etsy shop is called DebrasDivineDesigns. I create unique jewelry and accessories.

You'll find a very diverse line of jewelry creations when you visit DebrasDivineDesigns. I use many traditional and some not so common supply items and components to create. The usual metals - silver, gold filled, copper ... are the basis for what I make. I do my best to use recycled metal parts to make my metal jewelry and findings, and I spice up my jewelry with fused glass, a large assortment of beads and stones, fiber, leather, feathers - and real butterfly wings!

My specialty is Butterfly Wing jewelry. I'm one of the original artisans to offer this type of jewelry on Etsy, and have worked very hard to perfect my own methods and techniques, resulting in a fantastic piece of unique jewelry people love to wear!

Real Viceroy Butterfly Necklace

I offer Butterfly Wing Pendants, for people who have a chain or necklace they prefer to use. A Butterfly Necklace can be on a chain (see left) or a Torque (I'm wearing one, above).

This jewelry is amazing. People love it!

Spring and Summer are the perfect time to show off your real butterfly jewelry. This nature inspired line of unique butterfly rings, butterfly wing earrings and bracelets is naturally colorful and a nice fashion accent!

Genuine Dotted Glory Butterfly Wing Ring

These butterfly wings are ethically sourced. The wings I use to make this jewelry are harvested from butterflies that are farm raised, and have lived their natural lives. No butterflies are harmed or killed for their wings.

I am heavily inspired by nature, the flight of a butterfly, the trail of a vine, the color in flowers, the ripples in water, the change in leaves. Love the organic feel of it all!

I am mostly self taught, but watch a lot of online tutorials and have had basic classes in jewelry soldering, patinas and stained glass.

Chiseled Copper Fan Earrings

I got this love of jewelry making as a child. I made jewelry all the time with broken costume jewelry! I sold my first piece of jewelry in 2002. I  was asked by a Woman's group at my church to do something crafty for an event on Time Management.

I had everyone make pendants or pins using broken watch parts and jewelry pieces. It was a hit and I was asked to create some jewelry for someone in the group - to sell for me.

 I'm working on my silversmithing and stone setting skills; there are no classes near me, so I'm doing it by practice, videos and reading. I just love banging and torching metal, and am loving my tools -  my soldering iron, my torch and my hammers are all important ... I can't pick just one. I'm having so much fun! I just learned how to enamel metal with a torch ...!

I'm active on Social Networks, and you can also find me here:

debrasdivinedesigns.wordpress.com/
www.debrasdivinedesigns.com/
shoply.com/shop/debrasdivinedesigns1/
www.facebook.com/debrasdivinedesigns3D?ref=hl
twitter.com/DesigningDebra
www.pinterest.com/3ddd/
www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=235272183&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profil...

JET Artisan Profile:Delores Malcomson of JewelrybyIshi

Hello - I'm Delores Malcomson, owner of JewelrybyIshi on Etsy!

I started beading in the spring of 2009, as a desire to add some simple stone jewelry to my art gallery (Ishi Gallery) on Etsy.

I thought that it would be interesting to incorporate a few natural stone necklaces into the gallery, to complement my painted rock artwork. Not knowing anything about beading, I solicited the aid of a friend. I wanted to add a clasp and a pendant to a string of natural stone beads to make a necklace. She happily taught me how to do this. Then she talked me into going on a tour to a huge jewelry supply warehouse, that has beads and pendants from all over the world. Right then and there, I was bitten by the beading bug!

Turquoise and Silver Necklace and Earrings Set

I met several other beaders on the tour, and a small group of us decided to meet once a week to bead. The women were very encouraging and willing to teach me all that they knew about the art of beading and making jewelry. Little by little, I was learning the basics of beading and building up my own collection of tools and supplies. Soon, my gallery became overwhelmed with jewelry creations (no longer looking like a gallery!) so I decided to open a third Etsy shop - Jewelry by Ishi - for my jewelry creations, and also my collections of Vintage Designer Jewelry.

Cobalt Blue Dichroic Glass Necklace

 I sold my first piece of jewelry in 2009 from Ishi Gallery to a lovely woman in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. It was a beautiful necklace made with a Vintage red and gold Chinese cloisonne fish pendant that I beaded with yellow quartz beads, red coral, freshwater pearls and gold plated beads.

I get inspiration for my jewelry designs from everywhere and anything. I can look at a pendant and the design and colors in it will start the creative process of designing a necklace for it. Next I'll go looking for beads and accents that will complement it. Sometimes just seeing a design in nature will inspire me to create a piece of jewelry.

Inspiration is all around me and just comes up in me, as well. I can see a piece of jewelry in a magazine or on someone that will spark an idea for a design. My design will not look the same, but elements of what I have seen will be incorporated into my own design.

Designing and beading my own creations has led to the never ending pursuit of searching for interesting and beautiful pendants and beads that will allow me to create unique, one of a kind jewelry pieces.

I especially favor Vintage Chinese cloisonne, hand carved cinnabar, hand carved stone, Mideastern inlaid stone metal pendants and beads, Dichroic class, semi-precious stones, coral, abalone, other shells and freshwater pearls. I also love to use lots of accent beads in the form of metallic gold, silver, copper, brass, and pewter metal spacer beads.

Initially I started out making only necklaces, but I have been expanding my interests to designing and creating earrings and bracelets. I have recently learned how to make some of my own custom designed findings. Now when I desire to make a particular pair of beaded earrings or a special
pendant that requires a unique finding, I can create it myself.

 My favorite tool is round nose pliers. It allows for more creative work, since I can create loops and circles. I look forward to creating my own pendants with polymer clay, and it would be fun to create pendants and beads with Silver Metal and Copper Metal Clays.

It would be wonderful to learn how to work with metal and enamel to make cloisonne pendants, using my own designs. Wire wrapping is of interest to me and something that I would like to learn to do. Bead embroidery is a beautiful art that I would love to learn and to incorporate into my shop.

I love all sorts of animals and creatures, and over my lifetime I have had many! Currently, my husband Jack and I have 3 indoor cats (Betsy, Shadow, and Tiger) and lots of wild outdoor birds that we feed in the yard, and who keep our cats entertained at the sliding glass doors.

We also have a resident squirrel (sometimes two) and some years a chipmunk or two, that run all over the back yard and hillside keeping all of us entertained.

Jack supplies them with delicious nuts, seeds, and dried fruits to pamper and bribe them into staying around. The skunk wanders through the yard every night to nibble on any leftovers. She is very pretty and we enjoy seeing her.

Then, there are the deer and raccoons that make their way through our yard to the river, nibbling on whatever is available depending on the time of year (I have to take care to get my share of the cherries and apples!).

I enjoy sewing, crocheting, embroidery and cooking (mainly because I love to eat a variety of foods). The study of Nutrition has always been of interest to me. Science, archaeology, and historical personages are of great interest to me and I enjoy the programs on the History Channel.

I have more interests than I will ever be able to pursue in this lifetime, which include the desire to learn to play the piano and guitar! I want to get my hands into clay and create ceramics. I have a few clothing designs that I would like to create and possibly have put into production. I would like to do character portraits, in oil or acrylic. The list goes on and on ...

I'm active on Social Networks! You can find me here:

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/jewelrybyishi/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/#!/JewelrybyIshi
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Jewelry-by-Ishi/283229351724933
StumbleUpon: www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/Ishidee
Tumblr: www.tumblr.com/blog/ishidee

Here's a look at my Jewelry Shop ...

JET Artisan Profile:Pam Robinson of CoolJewelry and CoolJewelryJR

I have always loved jewelry. It's  personal female fave of mine ... I'll take jewelry over handbags and shoes ..

How I Became a Jewelry Artisan

 It unfolded like this: a friend who was selling a line of jewelry asked me to become part of her downline. It got really creepy. During training sessions we were "supposed" to wear the jewelry. Honestly, it WAS pretty, but I just could not conform. I'd show up wearing just one piece of the designated jewelry, and the rest was from my jewelry box.


Then I found Etsy. I did a bunch of research via direct purchase of goods from all over the U.S. Spent a ton of money! But I was working, I loved jewelry, and so it was a win-win.

Mahogany Obsidian Murano Glass Sterling Silver Bracelet

And THEN I spent a mega ton on stones, beads, lampwork and hardware. I still have a LOT of it in the studio from which I cull when making jewelry today! I sometimes wonder ... you bought THAT??

What I do comes naturally. With color matching in my DNA and a love of texture ... I was off and running, no training, no anything and have not ventured away from my original style which is "random chaos."

Bohemian Beaded Bracelet / Carnelian Boho

I so love to see others moving into other areas
and techniques. I don't trust me with a torch.

I haven't been making jewelry a long time. I made my first piece in late 2007, and sold my first in early 2008. I still recall the gal who put my pathetic earring photo in the TOP row of her treasury and it hit the FP ... she is no longer on ETSY and I hope it wasn't a side effect of the photo ......oh, it was awful.

I love to use all kinds of stuff in my designs. Anything is fair game! Why? When you have a chaotic personality like mine that slides over into the process of making jewelry just about anything can catch my eye.

Orange Tangerine Coral Asymmetrical Dangle Earrings

Lampwork is a definite. Polymer clay and vintage beads are used as embellishments. The gemstone beads and hardware are top dollar; and there's a definite boho style that pervades my work.

I like making necklaces and earrings. But I truly LOVE making braceles because they are small works of art ... oh sure, there are the "safe" strand of whatever stretch bracelets ... but I am bringing ME to the stretch bracelet ... for folks who love them, and hate to fool with clasps.

 Oh, and I make some more mainstream pendant necklaces for folks buying a gift and don't know *exactly* what to get. That might be guys.

My method of inspiration is sorta strange but it works along with my eclectic style. My creative

Bright Boho Lampwork Wire Wrap Necklace

process consists of me heaping mounds of everything except for precious metals on the kitchen table.

I then go about my madness of finding the *exact* (in Pam's eye) perfect matching components ... yes, this has morphed from the studio into the kitchen -- photos would be scary.

My tools are basic; pliers, cutters, files ... there is one tool I use for just about everything though. The magnifier I need to wear to see up close ... I love it, and I even got a second one for closing wire wrapped jewelry.

Modern Glass Post Earrings

Of course I would LIKE to learn more jewelry making techniques and expand my skills. In my next life - with a fire dept close-by, like maybe next door I would love to work with a torch, patinas, PMC, etc.

My current sport is adopting Sir Theodore Nibbles (a Norwegian Forest / Angora cat) who is a diva ... never lived with one before now. And I need to visit Sephora a LOT for all of his black eyeliner.

Need to get my passport renewed so I can get back to The Netherlands ... I enjoy traveling!

You can find my jewelry on Etsy, in my two shops there. My original shop is CoolJewelry, at  www.etsy.com/shop/cooljewelrydesign. Also visit CoolJewelryJR, at www.etsy.com/shop/cooljewelryJR -- Cool Jewelry at a much lower price point!



Here's a look into my shop ...