Whats on My Bench

Hello and welcome to another edition of Whats on My Bench with the JET Team. This week Gaetana of SatinDollCo shares the beautiful custom gift she made for her Godmother this Mothers Day...

We love sharing behind the scenes of custom piece we work on! With Mother's Day just around the corner, we got to work on a unique gift for our Godmother. She loves buying our pieces but for special occasions like Mother's Day, her birthday and Christmas we always design a custom piece - or pieces - for her as a gift.

This time we decided to keep with the same theme as her last purchase, and based our gift on the rich and earthy piece she bought from us. We came up with what we're calling "Tribal Queen" - a carnelian, wood, amber and leather necklace with matching earrings (shown below).

First we selected the round carnelian beads, brown wood beads and detailed brown amber dagger beads - we purchased a while back (actually, a year or two ago!) at the Whole Bead Show. Next we explored a configuration, working on our jewelry board.

We strung the beads together on beading wire, but it was missing an element. Perhaps leather would complete the look and make it a true statement piece?

Yes! We cut a piece of leather then added a chain extension, for times when she might want to wear it longer or shorter. And voila, it's done!

No necklace is really complete without matching earrings, so the final step was to create a pair featuring the brown wood and carnelian beads. The set is complete!

Since we were on a time crunch, and wanted to get it in the mail it time for Mother's Day, we took her handcrafted gift even further - making a handcrafted card using some of the stamps, washi tape and blank card that we always have on hand. We got to work quickly, and created our own Mother's Day card.

With a quote we found on Pinterest and a sweet handwritten note, our gift to our Godmother was complete. Now we just had to wait for her reaction when she got it in the mail. Fast forward to the day before Mother's Day, and my Godmother called to say a big "Thank You".

She LOVED it - and we do mean love! Because she went on about the pieces for about 5 minutes!!! She put her jewelry on immediately, and our Mother's Day gift was a big success. Now to figure out her birthday gift... but how on earth will we top this?!

What a wonderful gift you made for your Godmother, Gaetana - don't forget to come back and tell us what you make for her birthday! See you next week for another edition of Whats on My Bench!

Val

Friday Finds - Turquoise

Turquoise may be the birthstone for December, but it is the perfect color for summer jewelry. Turquoise colors and beads feature strongly in Boho and Southwest fashions, both of which are very on trend just now. This week on Friday Finds we bring you a fabulous selection of turquoise colored creations from the JET Team - so no matter what your taste, there's a style to suit everyone here. Enjoy!

Clockwise from Top Left Above:
Turquoise Beaded Bracelet, JemsbyJBandCompany Forget Me Not Howlite Earrings, SatinDollCo Turquoise Silver Bracelet, BeadzNBling Steampunk Rose Necklace, AuntMatildasJewelry

Clockwise from Top Left Above:
Turquoise Earrings, ELEVEN13 Knotted Turquoise Bracelet, DeetabyDesign Turquoise Blue Howlite Bracelet, JewelrybyIshi Turquoise Glass Necklace, BeadsMe

Clockwise from Top Left Above:
Turquoise and Pearl Earrings, BrookeJewelry Turquoise Pendant Necklace, seemomster Kingman Turquoise Bracelet, EarthEnergyGemstones Guilloche Enamel Earrings, LovesVintageDelights

Clockwise from Top Left Above:
Turquoise and Silver Necklace, ErinAustin Turquoise Oval Ring, LoveStoneArts Turquoise Blue Hoop Earrings, TraceDesigns Aqua and Turquoise Earrings, DesignsbyCher

Clockwise from Top Left Above:
Turquoise Talisman Pendant, Foret Turquoise Tassel Necklace, malves1009

May Faire 2015

On a lovely, sunny, third weekend in May, my dear friend Diane and I took our craft booth and the EZ-Up tent, and went to the beautiful little park in the center of the village of Holland Patent, NY to participate in the fifth annual May Faire Renaissance Fair. We set up our wares and settled in to enjoy the participants and the visitors. My side of the booth, Every Day A Promise, featured my jewelry:

Diane’s beautiful stained glass, The Glass Menagerie, was set up across from it.

During the weekend we saw various entertainment presentations including singers, instrumentalists, dancers, and jugglers. Many people there were dressed for the occasion, in costumes representative of the Renaissance era, and it was such fun seeing all the interesting variations. These vendors were next to us!

Across from us was a vendor who made sculptures from shells...

And my friend Judi, below, was vending her wonderful Renaissance Garb and Notions!

I caught one of the singers performing in the gazebo!

And the Renaissance dancers performed very near our tent. They were dressed in costumes made entirely of rags!

Some of the people who attended were also dressed in costumes. They really added to the festive atmosphere as they shopped at the various booths.

And on this warm, humid weekend, you could always cool off by visiting the dragon - who was dragging the "Dragon Ice Cream" cart everywhere!

Everything in the park was decorated. Our booth was near this lovely little bridge, over a tiny water feature. The bridge looked so festive decked in flowers! On the other side there were some tents, since some of the vendors came from quite a distance and spent the night in the park.

Diane and I really enjoyed this show. It was the first year we had participated in it, but we are planning on returning next year and having another wonderful time!

Laurie

Wednesday Kitchen - Food on a Stick

Hi everyone, and welcome to another Wednesday Kitchen with the JET Team! While I'm not presenting any of my own recipes today, I will be directing you to the internet, where you will find thousands of delicious offerings at the touch of a finger!

Summer means BBQ time and who doesn't love food on a stick? It's easy, it's fun and it breaks all the rules. Out with the silverware, this is finger food season! To get you started, here are a few mouth watering recipes courtesy of epicurious.com.

How about these glazed Japanese chicken meatballs as a great appetizer - serve them poolside, right off the grill!

Photo: David Malosh

And these apricot chicken skewers just scream summer!

Photo: Christopher Baker

My dad's Meyer lemon trees are already heavy with fruit, so these chicken skewers with Meyer lemon salsa will be just perfect!

Photo: Marcus Nilsson

And now, dessert time!! How about these delicious frozen chocolate-dipped bananas with peanut brittle, for a perfect end to a perfect day!

Photo: Lara Ferroni

Food on a stick is a wonderful and fun way to host a dinner party, or a night of family fun around the grill. Easy, colorful and always fun! Welcome back, Summer!!

Lynn

Assessing Colored Gemstones, Part 2 - Colour

In this second part of our JET Team discussion about assessing fine colored gemstones, we look at the most important factor in grading the stones, color. All gemstone images are courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

Color is without doubt the most important factor in grading all colored gemstones. Of key importance is whether the colour is natural, or has been achieved through treating the stone in some way - untreated, richly colored gemstones are generally worth far more than those that have been enhanced by being heat treated or dyed. The gemstone industry has accepted methods of enhancing certain stones - for example amethysts, aquamarines, sapphires, citrines, rubies and tanzanite may be heat treated, while blue topaz is often irradiated, to improve their color.

From left: Very good emerald-cut smokey quartz, 158ct
Very good oval sapphire cabochon, 7.55ct
Excellent modified-rectangule topaz, 35.95ct

Because different stones have different characteristics, each type of gemstone has its own unique standards for optimal color and clarity. Regardless of the grading scale being used, three factors determine the grading of gemstones for color. These are hue, tone, and saturation:

• Hue is the basic color itself, such as blue or red, and the most valuable colored gemstones will have the purest color. The GIA grading system describes 31 basic colors or hues
• Tone refers to the lightness or darkness of color, such as dark blue or light red. The GIA system has 11 tones describing depth of color, of which medium-light to medium-dark tones are generally the most valuable
• Saturation refers to the purity and intensity of the colour, and often determines how a gemstone will be cut. The GIA system groups colours into cool hues such as blue, and warm hues such as red, each with six degrees of saturation. The most valuable gemstones usually display strong color saturation

From left: Excellent oval natural ruby, 2.09ct
Very good rectangular apatite, 2.38ct
Good oval peridot cabochon, 18.04ct