 SPARKLECOVE HANDMADE EARRINGS | |||||||
Bali Sterling Silver Bali sterling silver beads and toggles are each special and unique. They are handmade in Bali, Indonesia by silversmiths who over the generations have perfected their skills in creating sterling silver bead masterpieces. Each step involved in creation is done by hand with the beads decorated with silver ball granulations and/or silver wire. Bali sterling silver has an "antiqued" finish to give a look of depth and brings out the special details of the designs. Bali sterling silver is more expensive and harder to acquire so be aware of "bargain" Bali sterling silver that is usually made in India or made by machine. Instead of purchasing our Bali beads and toggles from a mass market broker, we purchase our beads and toggles from a company who often provides us with the name of the artisan. That artisan is paid fairly and provided with proper housing and food if needed. Approximately one half of the artisans are women. When we use the term "Bali style" we are being very careful to properly identify our materials. Unlike most websites, if the bead or toggle was not handmade in Bali then it is "Bali style" to indicate that it is sterling silver and finished like Bali silver but is not handmade. The quality of "Bali style" beads is very high and the sterling is of the highest quality. The only difference is whether or not it is handmade in Bali. Freshwater Pearls A freshwater pearl is a pearl that has been formed in a freshwater mollusk, rather than an oyster that lives in the sea. Pearls produce an intense, deep shine called luster. This effect is created when light reflects off the many layers of tiny calcium carbonate crystals that compose the pearl (this substance is called nacre). Quality is determined by the size, shape, color, degree of translucency, texture, ability to match and blend color and luster. Be assured that every pearl used in Sparklecove jewelry is AA grade and hand selected for superior quality. Lampwork Beads Lampwork beads are made by using a torch to heat a rod of glass and spinning the resulting thread around a metal rod covered in bead release. When the base bead has been formed, other colors of glass can be added to the surface to create many designs. All of our glass beads are skillfully hand made and always kiln-annealed so they won't break easily. Annealing means that every bead is put into a temperature controlled oven (kiln) which cools down the glass and gives molecules a chance to slow down. This process ensures that the glass becomes more stable and less breakable. Most of them are made from Effetre glass. Miracle Beads Our Miracle Beads are made of a Lucite core with a silver mirror plate finish, followed by many layers of colored lacquer. Even ambient light will pass through the layers of lacquer, reflect off the mirror core, and back and forth between the layers of lacquer, resulting in the "miraculous" illusion of depth. Semi-precious Gemstones Today, there are more than 130 types of stones that may be considered semi precious gemstones. These include opal, amethyst, turquoise, garnet, peridot, and aquamarine. Traditional “precious gemstones” are diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds. The semi-precious gemstones of today often surpass the precious gemstones in quality and beauty. Semi-precious gemstones come in nearly every color and hue. We have included in this section some basic information on some of the semi-precious gemstones that we use in our current collection. Sterling Silver Pure silver is too soft to stand up under constant wear, and is therefore mixed with copper to form this marvelous alloy known as sterling silver. Sterling silver contains 92.5% pure silver blended with 7.5% copper to provide the lasting stability needed to create quality jewelry. Swarovski® Crystals Made in Austria, Swarovski® products are considered to be the finest of their kind in the world. Made from the finest crystal lead glass, Swarovski® crystals are precisely cut and finely ground with such precision that they sparkle as brilliantly as diamonds. They have a weight and style which sets them apart from normal beads. The names for Swarovski® crystals come from several sources. A number of them are just colors (Rose, Light Peach, Burgundy). Others are named after objects to convey a feeling of that color (Sun, Volcano, Night Blue). Most of the colors though, are taken from their natural gemstone counterparts. For instance, Chrysolite and Indicolite are both actual gemstones. Indicolite is a bluish tourmaline in nature. Chrysolite is a light-colored Peridot. Interesting to note, Olivine, also a Swarovski color, is what darker colored Peridots are called in nature. The extra shimmery, rainbow shine to some Swarovski crystals is due to their aurora borealis finish (named for the Northern Lights). In costume jewelry, a term for crystal stones that have a highly iridescent surface. The effect is achieved by vapor blasting the facets of the lower part of the crystals with an invisible, micro thin metal sheet. This stone was created by Swarovski® in 1955 in collaboration with Christian Dior. Also known as AB, the term now refers to any iridescent finish. Swarovski® Pearls Swarovski pearls are formed with iridescent, mother of pearl-like layers applied to a Swarovski crystal core. The crystal pearls are perfectly round and are weighted to feel the same as real pearls. Swarovski pearls are resistant to wear, perspiration, UV rays, scratches, perfumes and washing. Click here for Gemstone Healing Properties information. Click here for Gemstone Properties and Descriptions. |
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