handcrafted jewelry goodness

jill • i

2006-03-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I adore the designs of jill • i. This stunner features a wrapped floral design of mandarine garnet, citrine, and tourmaline.

It's a pity gold is at record highs right now. I think it's become too cost-prohibitive for designers to use gold or gold-filled materials. While I LOVE silver, gold just looks better on me. *This* piece on me would be gorgeous (hint, hint to those who still want to get me a bday present...).

Designer: jill • i, Price: Unknown

amy tavern

2006-03-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

I find that I say this about every designer I like, but here goes: I had a hard time selecting just one piece from this collection. I chose this necklace because it's modern and feminine -- almost dainty, really -- and simple but not ordinary. Great craftsmanship and a keen eye for detail make Amy's jewelry stand out.

Designer: Amy Tavern Price: $82.00

I have lust in my heart for KILNenamel

2006-03-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

I don't think a piece of jewelry has ever made me squeal. That changed upon finding KILNenamel's offerings. The colors, shapes, and materials of their wares are so perfectly balanced and flawlessly executed. If only everything in my life could be this beautiful. This bit o' lovely is the disc necklace from their jewelry line.

Designer: KILNenmael Price:$52.00

No small thing...

2006-03-01T09:18:00.000-08:00

Modern pieces can look the same from designer to designer. Small Things breaks out of the pack with their hip and sexy necklaces. They're fun, modern, and elegant. It was difficult selecting just one piece to display here. I choose the large horizontal necklace with the pod motif because, well, it rocks.

Designer: Small Things Price: $95.00

On to the goods - Men's Jewelry

2006-02-28T11:20:00.000-08:00

Now that my moment of snark of over, let's go back to reviewing jewelry goodness.

Today I bring you something for the guys. Jewelry for men is hard to do well. It can either look femme or garish. Tracy Matthews gets it right. Her designs are simple, masculine, and hip. This ring is a fave from her men's line. I love the Maltese cross and that she used wood.

Designer: Tracy Matthews Design Price: $130.00

(P.S. I'm LOVING all you designers who are finding new ways to make hip wood jewelry.)

A note on reviewing websites

2006-02-27T08:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Jewelry Designer:

While I am absolutely delighted to check out your beautiful jewelry creations, I am loathe to wade through your crap of a website to do it. Harsh? Yes. But I'm doing you a huge favor by pointing out why people are bailing on your site and not purchasing your lovely designs.

A good design is essential for e-commerce. I'm not saying you need to invest in a high-price designer or have a degree in graphic/web design. I'm saying there are plenty of free web design sites (and templates) available online and I urge you to use these references to build a better, more user-friendly site.

So, why does your site suck so much? Choose one:

• The navigation is horrible. It took me 4 clicks to find your product images.
• Music. GET RID OF ALL MUSIC ON YOUR BUSINESS SITE. Nothing cheeses me off more than being subjected to loud, crappy music. If I have to scramble to find the "off" button or if there is no "off" button for the music, I leave the site no matter how cool your product may be.
• Flash Overload. I dig Flash and other animations -- IF they have a purpose. Do you have a spinning logo? A little movie playing on the side? Do you have a splash page that opens up a new window when clicked? Garbage. Get rid of them. If the Flash serves as your navigation interface or your gallery, make sure they work correctly.
• Too much information. I love learning about who the designer is, what makes her tick, how she got started... However, that stuff belongs in a "blog" or "about me" section, not on the front page. Also, be vary careful about what personal information you share on your business site. Knowing about the fight you had with your boyfriend's mother is a huge turn-off. I, Buyer of Jewelry, do not care about your personal drama when I'm shopping on your site.
• Cluttered site. Please organize your site in some manner. Categories are your friend and will help people find the items they want to buy from you.
• Fake light bursts on jewelry images. You know when you take a picture and light reflects off a shiny surface? Some you are putting fake light reflections on your items. Ugh!
• Distracting background images. Your site should showcase your designs, not distract from them. If all else fails, use a solid color background (white is better than black).
• Broken links. Fix them.
• "Sold" items mixed with the currently available pieces. I understand that you want to showcase your past works. Great! I love to see them. I ask that you move them to their own category as to not get my hopes up. (It's a little nit-picky, I know.)
• Slooooow loading sites. I have broadband. If it takes more than a minute (ok, 30 seconds) to load your pages, it's too damned big. Make sure your images are properly sized and that all of your scripts are working properly.
• Confusing shopping cart, no return policy, no privacy policy, no way to contact you with questions ... all equal bad customer service. Please make my shopping experience as painless and simple as possible. I work hard for my money. Don't make me work harder to spend it.

What makes me sad is that you have lovely products that I want to buy. If you spend just a little time cleaning up your site and getting rid of the "fluff", you'd gain me (and likely many others) as customers.

Your pal,
kzt

Subtle & Stunning

2006-02-23T08:34:00.000-08:00

Selecting only 1 piece to showcase from Rebecka Boyd was a challenge! I just adore her designs and color choices. I chose the Greta necklace because it's stunning in its simplicity. The subtle color palette enhances the design instead of over-powering it.

Available at Rebecka Boyd Jewelry Design. Price: $78.00

[For friends and family looking for that perfect gift for my upcoming birthday... HINT, HINT. See also the Amy Powers entry.]

Charming Charms

2006-02-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

Amy Peters is one of my favourite jewelry artists. I've been coveting her designs for a couple of years now and drop in to her site to get my fix quite often.

Amy is a master of charm design, as seen here. The "follow your heart" design really speaks to me these days and I happily share it with you.

Availabe via Amy Peters Studio. Prices begin at $40.00.

Yikes!

2006-02-23T08:16:00.000-08:00

Amazing how time just flies on by, isn't it? Many apologies for neglecting to update the blog. I have a ton of new discoveries to share and will begin posting soon.

By The Sea

2006-01-25T14:32:00.000-08:00

I'm really drawn to sea-inspired colors this season. This little treasure, by Catherine Weitzman is mimicked sea class and silver.

Available at Uncommon Goods for $170.00

Wood & Swarovski

2006-01-24T09:20:00.000-08:00

I'm finding I'm drawn to pieces that incorporate wood in unique ways. This pendant, for example, features a pine bead encrusted with Swarovski crystals. Not a combination I would've ever thought of, really. It's different and beautiful.

Available via ona Price: $60.00

2006-01-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

Wendy Culepepper is genius. Combining wood, vermeil, and beads makes this lariat necklace to flippin' die for. I'm deep in necklace love, baby.

Designer: W • Culpepper {Jewelry}, Price: $140.00

Acrylic Kimono Ring

2006-01-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

I'm absolutely mad about The Carrot Box's Kimono rings. Love, love, love.

Designer: The Carrot Box, Price: $16.00

Sculpture in Silver

2006-01-17T10:59:00.000-08:00

The designer's website describes her creations as sculpture in silver. I completely agree. The architecture-inspired pieces from Wire & Ice are gorgeous. These earrings are my favorite.

Designer: wire & ice Price: $54.00

Resiny goodness

2006-01-16T10:35:00.000-08:00

Cara Markowitz brings together clear resin and broken auto glass in a beautiful pendant (and other jewelry). What a fabulous way to recycle! Be sure to check out her other clever resin designs.

Design: C Linea, Price $56.00

Oh la la

2006-01-13T14:37:00.000-08:00

These are impossibly outside my price range but, goodness, aren't they the epitome of beautiful? I think of the sea when I gaze upon these lovelies. Made of mint ice quart and 14 k gold.

Designer: Anthony Nak; Price $1,800 available at YLANG|23

Carved Silver

2006-01-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

This bit o' loveliness is made of carved silver. What strikes me about it is the scallop design. The red cord really makes it unique -- an unexpected and striking contrast.

Designer: Erica Hite Price: $31.50 at day-lab

Future Organic

2006-01-10T12:08:00.000-08:00

I love how organic and simple this pendant is. Silver and balsawood mix so beautifully together, don't they? I'd never have guessed.

Designer: Emma Chalmers, Necklace: £130.00 at Velvet Boutique in the UK.

The ring's the thing

2006-01-09T08:21:00.000-08:00

I'm not much of a ring fan but these lovelies caught my fancy. I love the idea of a dangly ring. Flirty. Fun.

Beaded "Calm Rings" from I Dream of Beads. Cost: $25.00

Hip & Sweet

2006-01-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

I want this necklace soooooo bad.

The talisman from METALSgirl is hip and feminine without being cutesy. Love the pink and silver combination.

Designer: METALSgirl Price: $70

What started it all...

2006-01-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

I received this necklace as a gift for Christmas 2005. The designer is Green Halo.

About This Blog

2006-01-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

This blog is an odd thing for me, really. In my daily life I wear little or no jewelry and carry as few accessories as I can get by with. I'm usually satisfied with wearing only my engagement and wedding rings + carring my decrepit black kelly bag on any given outing.

So, for me to have a blog about jewelry is a bit strange. It's not that I don't like jewelry, you see. I honestly adore it. I just don't have many pieces in my accessory arsenal to adorn myself into fabulosity. That's party due to a very limited clothing budget and, well, I'm just not very good at wearing the stuff. Wearing jewelry is akin to wearing a mask for me -- intriguing but somewhat uncomfortable. I think I lack the jewelry-wearing-confidence gene that most women seem to possess. Yet I still admire jewelry (and those that can wear it well).

For Christmas I received a stunning necklace from my sister-in-law. It's something that I'd never, ever select for myself and I'm madly in loooooove with it. I wish knew the name of the stones but it's an opaque, light blue briolette pendant flanked by little deep orange crystal beads on either side. My description does it no justice, unfortunately. It's a beautiful, beautiful piece and it awakened an interest in seeking out talented jewelry designs. This blog has been created to share my finds with you. I hope you enjoy the blog and the jewelry goodness shared within.