Why Not to Buy Chinese- Made Jewelry for Children

China downplays risk to children from lead poisoning: report

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/15/us-china-lead-pollution-idUSTRE75E14O20110615?feedType=nl&feedName=ushealth1100

This news article today in Reuters proves that the Chinese don’t care about their own children, much less ours. That’s why I continue to stress that Americans should not buy their cheap jewelry products for our daughters. We know that lead is a serious toxin and quite detremental to the intellectual development of children.

We as a nation, have gone to considerable lengths to irradicate lead from any where there may be exposure.Since the 1960’s when the data first was presented, we mandated that lead be removed from household paint. We have emmission standards.We regulate safety standards for workers to protect them from harm and exposure. We continue to this day conducting tests on children that grow up in urban areas. Just recently in New Orleans two playgrounds were closed due to unacceptable levels of lead in the soil. These grounds had been treated previously, and then declared “safe”. The ground when the grounds re-opened, were covered with a cushioned surface, designed to be a further protection. recently, testing indicated that the lead had come through. Therefore work immediately commenced to removed more soil from the ground, re-seal the ground and again add a protective covering.

Given that level of concern for lead in the environment, why then do parents continue to allow their daughters to wear toxic jewelry, that comes in direct contact with the skin?

Another reason this is untenable is while poisoning our children, we are paying them to do it! That transfer of wealth takes away from our economic strength as a nation. A simple way to put a dent in that trend would be to shop for American made jewelry for your children. There are many jewelry artists and jewelry stores in everyone’s community. Support them. They are using quality, safe materials, including lead-free pewter, surgical steel, silver gold, goldfill, sterling silver, or vermeil which is an overlay of high karat gold (18-24) over silver. Goldplate is a lower karat gold (8-10) over base metal, such as nickel, brass, copper. There are items to accommodate everyone’s budget. THis is especially true at local art shows. When local artists are supported, the money spent there goes right back into the community.

Furthermore, in a recent survey conducted by the prestegious Pam Danziger of Unity Marketing, there continues to be a strong perception that goods manufactured in the United States continues to be perceived as better quality, better made. more valuable.

“According to a recent study by Unity Marketing, affluent consumers associate certain attributes with countries of origin of luxury goods, and the USA is associated with the qualities affluents desire most.

That elevates manufacturing decisions beyond the sourcing department to marketing where place of manufacture becomes a core attribute of product branding and positioning. “If you make your luxury product in the wrong place, you can seriously harm your brand,” warns Pam Danziger president of Unity Marketing and author of the recently published Putting the Luxe Back in Luxury: How New Consumers Values Are Redefining How We Market Luxury (Paramount Market Publishing, 2011).

“Affluent consumers believe that the country where luxury brands are produced implies information about the product quality, regardless of whether the company’s manufacturing standards and their production facilities in far-flung locales are held to high standards. Luxury consumers identified a slate of key qualities most important to them when they shop for luxury goods, including craftsmanship, authenticity, classic nature, distinctiveness, and trustworthiness. These attributes line up with affluent perceptions about domestically-produced luxury goods,” says Danziger.

However, this does not mean that affluent consumers are solely choosing goods that benefit them individually, with no thought of national impact. “Affluent consumers recognize the positive impact that purchasing domestic luxury goods can have on U.S. jobs and on the country’s way of life, and they want to contribute to that. It is a much more altruistic form of luxury consumption than we saw before the recession hit,” says Danziger

With this in mind, I call on everyone in the American jewelry community, our manufacturers, jewelry designers, jewelry retailers and wholesalers, the media who cover the jewelry industry, all jewelry associations, local arts councils to come together to promote our American-made quality jewelry. This really is a no-brainer. It could only be to our mutual benefit. If we present a united front to our consumers, parents wouldn’t have to worry about the safety of the jewelry that our children wear.

Beadbear
http://www.beadbear.com

Gold by Rajiv Mehta

This is such a great discussion of gold purity and explanation of karat weight, and how gold is tinted that I just had to share it with everybody.
Regards,
Beadbear
http://www.beadbear.com

Gold Colour
Gold, the most commonly used precious metal in jewelry has a distinct colour of its own, and is so popular, that the term ‘golden colour’ is used to refer to a blend of orange-yellow colour. But you will be surprise to know that there are much more rare and exotic, colors such as blue, purple,
red, and various shades of green and not just the orange-yellow shade called Yellow Gold. This is definitely the most popular of the gold shades. Yellow Gold is closely followed by White Gold and Rose Gold.

Gold Colour & Carat Relationship

18kt yellow gold is more yellow than 9kt yellow gold with 18kt yellow gold having a richer golden color making 18kt yellow gold a more popular choice of yellow gold than 9kt for ladies engagement rings.

9kt rose gold has a darker rose-copper color than 18kt rose gold which has a more subtle rose color.
9kt white gold and 18kt white gold have a similar white color (as normally both have a rhodium plating finish).

When trying to decide between the gold carat types there are three things to consider.
1. The metals performance with every day wear
2. The difference in color between the 9kt, 14kt and 18kt gold
3. The difference in price between the gold carats.
9kt, 14kt and 18kt are each suitable equally suitable for use in rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets and necklaces. Many people choose 9kt and 14kt for their earrings and pendants due to its lower price.

Tones

Jewelry can also be made using a combination of different gold colors. These jewelry items are sometimes called two-tone, three-tone or multi-colored gold..

Rhodium Plating

White gold rings are new they can be coated with another white metal called Rhodium. Rhodium is a metal very similar to platinum and rhodium shares many of the properties of platinum including its white color. The rhodium plating is used to make the white gold look more white. The natural color of white gold is actually a light grey color. The rhodium is very white and very hard, but it does wear away eventually. To keep a white gold ring looking its best it should be re-rhodium plated approximately each 12 to 18 months. Most local jewelers are able to rhodium plate jewelry for a cost effective pricet.

Purity

The gold content of yellow gold is measured in the same way it is measured in, for example white gold. So an 18kt white gold ring contains 75% pure gold, just as 18kt yellow gold contains 75% pure gold..

Rajiv Mehta
Surat Diamond Jewellery
http://www.suratdiamond.com/

How to Avoid Walkouts and Other Customer Service Disasters

http://pressroom.consumerreports.org/pressroom/2011/06/consumer-reports-survey-two-in-three-consumers-have-walked-out-of-a-store-because-of-poor-customer-service.html

The solution to most of those problems is have enough good quality employees. Of course, to attact those individuals, companies have to cease the ‘race to the bottom’, and having respect for the people hired. That means investing in your staff. Whether your accountant realizes it or not, your staff, not your inventory, is your most valuable asset! If you indicate that you do not repect your employees, it will reflect in your business. Customers will walk out, complain, take their business elsewhere. You will not be able to keep staff. Your business will suck. I call it voting with the pocketbook.

Pay your employees better. If you cannot afford more employees, you need to explain honesly to them where you stand financially and actively recruit your help to become “stakeholders’ in the day to day operations.Take the time to get to know all of your employees. Invite them to offer suggestions. Listen to them w/o being judgemental. Chances are they’ve got good ideas on how the business can be improved. Reward good performance, either monetarily or verbally in a way that demonstrates that you truly appreciate their efforts to make you look better.

Show your employees that you owner, manager etc.aren’t afraid to work. Let them see you cleaning cases, untangling chains, answering phones, cleaning jewelry, running the vaccum.Be able to jump in and lend a hand when necessarily without stepping on your employee’s toes. Don’t hide from your difficult customers.

Have constructive meetings where goals are clearly outlined, along with the means to accomplish them.Everyone should have goals, and a reasonable means of achieving and charting them. Provide training sessions to learn about new products, sales techniques.Don’t ream your employees out in public. In fact learn to criticize constructively.

Be what you wish to seem. Come in every day with a smile and a good additude yourself. If you are honest and with your employees, they will respect you and be loyal and your business will grow.
How am I doing?
http://www.beadbear.com

Lead Violation Causes Children’s Jewelry Kit Recall

Lead Violation Causes Children’s Jewelry Kit Recall
By JCK Staff
Posted on June 8, 2011

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and EKSuccess Brands announced on June 7 a recall of nearly 75,000 units of a children’s jewelry-making kit that contained excessive levels of lead.

The surface coating on some of the beads in the American Girl Crafts Pearly Beads & Ribbon Bracelets kit contained excessive levels of lead, the CPSC reported.

The kits were sold at Michaels Stores and other retailers nationwide from September 2009 through June 2011 for $8.

No incidents or injuries have been reported.

As I have said many times before:Stop Buying Your Children Anything From China! They do not give a damn about anything other than their own self-interests. They do not care whether our children are poisoned or not. We should care enough about our own children to buy safe, made in the United States beads and findings and supplies. They’re out there, and they’re better made than the cheap imports!

Contact your local Arts Council and find out who the glass artists are in your city town or community. Take your children to see how beads are made, and buy your local artists’ beads. Purchase quality findings for your children, like stainless steel,sterling silver, gold fill or karat gold. Ask the craft store what the country of origin is for their products. Only buy the one that are made in America.

That will not only keep our money in our community as well as in our country. Your children will develop a better appreciation for the arts. You will support an artist in your community. What could be better?

Jewelry Shopping Tips

It’s summer, when many take cruises to the Caribbean and shop for jewelry. There are a few things to know and have before you plunk down your hard-earned cash.

First, get yourself either a jewelrer’s loupe, which can be either 10x or 15x magnification, or a magnifying glass, also 10x or 15x. Why? You may ask. Simple. I do not want you buying fake gems unless it’s on purpose.

If you get a loupe, here’s how to use it. One of your eyes is stronger than the other. For me it’s my left eye. Therefore, hold the loupe in the opposite hand. I hold it with my right hand. Now, put your elbows on the table so that they are braced and you hands will be steady holding your loupe. Hold the ring in the other hand. Bring the loupe all the up to your strong eye, but KEEP BOTH EYES OPEN. Otherwise, you will screw up your depth perception; it’s how your brain works. Now, bring the ring up to where it comes into focus in the loupe. I want you to look at the edges of the facets. They should NOT be darker than the rest of the stone. Yes, natural gemstones can have “color zoning” which simply means that there are areas in the gem that have higher color saturation. However, if the edges are clearly darker than the rest of the gem, chances are it’s not a genuine whatever.

Granted, many stones today are heat-treated or irradiated (heating a gemstone with various metals or chemicals) to inhance the color. Always ask whether the stone is treated or not. Ask what the treatment is. I recommend if the sales clerk cannot give you straight answers, don’t buy from them.You will hate yourself if you buy a gemstone, whose color washes out when you wash your hands. Emeralds and opals may to be oiled, which is very typical and traditional. In arid climates like Mexico and Australia where opals are mined, they are store in vials of olive oil, to prevent their drying out and cracking.No worries. However, you need to know because natural, untreated gems are more valuable, and I want you to know what you have.

Inclusions are not necessarily a bad thing. Some inclusions can be very interesting(think Pink Panther) Those are identifying characteristics that your appraiser will look at when they plot your stone for insurance purposes. (Not all stones have identifying number lasered into them) No two stones will be the same, just like your identical twins (one is a wee bit taller than the other, etc). Further, natural stones will have stuff in ’em. Those inclusions can even help experts determine where the gem was mined. Lab created stones tend not to have them. Further, they also do not tend to have color zoning. Also, ask after the country of origin. Some countries have dubious mining practices and should not be supported.

If the color is more intense on top of the stone, which is called the “table”, compared to the rest of the stone, then it may be a “triplet”. That’s a lesser quality stone with a slice of better quality gem glued on.

Thre are a lot of counterfeit rubies like that as well as tanzanites.

Speaking of tanzanites, I’m going to teach you a fifty dollar word: pleochrism (pronounced plea-o-crow-ism). It means that the stone will show two different colors, which occurs because light passes through and exits through more than one path. (Remember when you looked through a prism in grade school?) Tanzanite will show blue, like a sapphire, but it will also appear purple, too.

Alexandrites also exhibit pleochroism. They will show variations of red and green (By the way alexandrite is the June birthstone, along with the more traditional pearl). There are a few color-change sapphires. However, they are very rare and priced accordingly, tend to be small-less than three carats.

One more note, check to see if the metal(gold) is stamped.When buying gold jewelry, always look for the karat mark. Generally, the higher the karat, the more expensive the piece (unless it’s “hot” or stolen). In the United States, 14-karat gold, or 583 parts pure gold, is the most common degree of fineness. Nothing less than 10 karats can legally be marked or sold as gold jewelry in the U.S. However, lower karatages, such as 8-karat gold and 9-karat gold, are popular in other countries.

18-karat gold is 18/24ths, or three-quarters pure gold, and jewelry of this fineness is marked 18k or 750, the European designation meaning 75% gold.

Always look for the karat mark or “k” that appears on the back of the piece. By U.S. law, if a karat mark appears you should also see the manufacturer’s trademark to assure you that the karat marking is accurate. The country of origin should also appear.

In addition to the karat mark, every piece of gold jewelry should be stamped with a hallmark or trademark of its maker, and sometimes its country of origin. These designations assure you that you are buying genuine karat gold jewelry. Heavier pieces contain more gold.

Finally, if you buy a loose stone, don’t have it set while you’re there. You may become the victim of a bait and switch. And once you’re back on the ship, or back home, there isn’t anything you can do to recover your damages. If you find a setting that you cannot live without, buy the setting and take both home with you. Let your jeweler in your home town, whom you know and have a relationship with, set your stone.

Of course, there are lots of other things to look for. However, with these basics you are better prepared.

Regards,

the Beadbear

http://www.beadbear.com

How to Keep Your Jewelry Clean Between Trips to the Jeweler

When was the last time you cleaned your jewelry? Bet you can’t remember. That’s alright. We can fix that. Here’s how. And you don’t need any fancy-schmancy equipment to get the job done, either.

GOLD jewelry: Fill a large (like a salad bowl) bowl with tepid or lukewarmwater. The container should be big enough to hold about a quart of water . DO NOT USE AMMONIA! DO NOT USE ANYTHING WITH CHOLRINE! Chlorine dissolves gold, so if you clean house with your jewelry, you’re losing gold everytime.Squirt a little dishwashing liquid in, about a quarter teaspoonful.I prefer Dawn(it’s petroluem based, did you know that?) because it’s inexpensive and effective at lifting the skin oils, lotion, hairspray, makeup, etc. away. Add one capeful of rubbing alcohol. When you put your necklaces and bracelets into the bowl, make sure you’ve closed the clasps. If you’ve got earrings to clean, pour some of your cleaning water into a teacup, and drop in your earrings. If they’ve got posts with backs, take them off and drop them in with the earrings.

Let everything soak for a little while. Take an old toothbrush, and if you’ve still got crud on the earring nuts, or on the clasps, gently scrub them with the toothbrush to loosen it up. Use the bristles to get underneath the mounted stones. When you’re ready to rinse, fill another big bowl with tepid or lukewarm water. Put the jewelry in the clean water and swoosh everything around very gently. Get a clean towel, and lay everything out to air dry on the towel, except the earrings.

For the earrings, get a tea strainer or a tea ball, and put them in there, and then put that into the bowl of water to rinse. That way those little pieces won’t get away from you. I DO NOT recomment rinsing your jewelry out under running water in to sink. That’s a great way to lose an earring or an earring back and we don’t want that to happen. If you give a little shake to the strainer or tea ball, anything your brushing and soaking didn’t remove should lift off the earrings. Note: when pouring out the water, pour it out through a strainer, just to make sure you don’t lose anything! Use a seperate clean washcloth to lay out your earrings to air dry on.

If you don’t have a polishing cloth, use an old cotton (nylon or acrylic socks aren’t absorbant) sock to polish, and wipe away any excess moisture. If you use polishing cloths, you’ll need one for you silver, and one ofr the gold, or platinum. Silver tarnishes like crazy (I know you’ve noticed) and you don’t want to rub that onto you nice clean gold. Gold tarnishes too; it just takes longer.

If you have lots of chains, do them seperately from your pearls or other gemstone and bead jewelry. I recommend doing them last, after the earrings. Make sure they’re clasped. If you don’t have a jewelry box with hangers for them, I suggest keeping them in seperate lunch baggies. That way they won’t get tangled up together between wearings, and they’re less likely to get kinked.

SILVER: Keeping silver free and clean from tarnish can also be a challenge. A good quality paste silver polish generally can be found at your local hardware store. In a pinch, baking soda may be used. Pour a some into a saucer. Dab it with a soft damp cloth. Rub gently on the silver. Be very careful that you do not scratch the suface! Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Pat dry with clean, soft cloth.

Remember:
DO NOT USE AMMONIA! It will pit and blacken your silver!
DO NOT SWIM IN CHLORINATED POOLS OR ALLOW CHLORINE to touch your jewelry. Chlorine with dissolve it, little by little.

Always take your jewelry with prongs, like earrings and rings to your jeweler once a year to have them checked. That way, if one has gotten a little loose, you can have that fixed, and hopefully not lose the stone. And a good jeweler generally will not charge you for that service, unless a prong needs to be replaced, which is more cost effective than replacing the stone!

And, as general rule, never go into a pool with any jewelry, or anything loose. It can:

• a) come off and go into the drain
• b) if you’re in it, YOU can get stuck along with it.
• c) if you’re in a body of water, like the ocean, Gulf, lake or river, a good current can pull your rings from your fingers, and your earrings out of your ears. I witnessed a woman lose her engagement ring at the beach in St.Petersburg. She was not a happy camper. (Nor was her husband)

Final Note:
To prevent build-up of tarnish, when piece is clean (brand new, BEFORE it’s worn) paint item with clear nail polish, on one side. Let dry thoroughly. Do other side.

And for good measure, when it’s not being used, store your silver in an air-tight container, like a baggie. The next time you are at your favorite jewelry store buying silver, ask your jeweler for some anti-tarnish strips, so that you can keep your silver shiny.

Regards,

Anne the Beadbear

http://www.beadbear.com

Wear Your Beads In Good Fortune!

Liberty

Liberty Earring & Necklace Set

I have always considered myself to be patriotic, although initially I didn’t know what it meant. When hearing Jimi Hendrix’ rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner”during Woodstock, it suddenly became clear to me.I wept at the pride that I suddenly felt. At the same time, all the anguish of being of African, and Native American ancestry.Because not everyone acknowledged “that all men were created equal”, although much lip service it made.

I appreciated and understood the statement when Abbie Hoffmann’s wore the shirt made out of the American flag, meaning we Americans wore our patriotism like a brand or logo.It depressed me that some people chose to interpret a desire for peace and racial equality as somehow not being American.It made me physically ill a few years later when it became ‘chic’ for the Bicentennial to wear red, white and blue bikinis, and baseball caps, when the Confederate-sympathizing Southern rednecks adopted it as statement,it became a symbol to me of the dichotomy between the words of the Constitution, and how people of color, women and gays were still being treated.

It wasn’t until the election held in 2008, that I started to become more optimistic. When Mr. Obama was inaugerated, I designed my first piece in the colors of the flag. This is the second piece I have created, in hope for the future.

The colors of freedom and liberty, the American flag rendererd in blue aventurine, and carnelian, with vintage Venetian glass rose or “wedding cake” beads. They are hand-knotted with Bohemian glass rose beads, and gold-coated seed beads, 14/20gf findings; clasp is 14kt vermeil. Approx. 18 inches, earrings approx. 1¼ inches. Available online at A.R.T. Precious Collectible Jewelry http://www.beadbear.com/e0211.shtml

Wear Your Beads in Good Fortune!

Talismans & Charms in Jewelry

News from the Couture Blog Trend Report 2 indicates that charms and talisman jewelry is trendy again.

At A.R.T. Precious Collectible Jewelry we feature many items that include eye beads from aroung the world ans well as other talisman to protect for evil and to attract and promote good fortune. I have collected eye beads for over thirty years.

I use antique and contemporary Venetian, French, Dutch, Bohemian and Turkish glass beads to make necklaces, bracelets, earrings and other unusual ornaments. Precious and semi-precious gemstones of the highest quality, gold and silver are used to accent. Quality craftsmanship distinguishes my work from the rest.

Beads reflect a tradition dating back to 3000 BC These beads were worn to promote good luck, and for protection from misfortune (the evil eye or malocchio). Archeological evidence suggests that concepts linking eyes and protective magic to beads evolved in western Asia and Africa, and were carried west and east with developing trade routes. The oldest eye beads made were drilled stones like agate and carnelian.

The evolution of glass beads began with human discovery of glassmaking techniques in ancient Egypt. Beads were incorporated into jewelry, personal adornments, and everyday utensils of Egypt, the Hebrews, China, India, Persia, and Italy.
Beads are still used and admired in Africa, the Middle East, and southern Asia, as well as the Americas. As in ancient times, they adorn people, homes, pets, livestock and vehicles as protective talismans.

I see both antique and contemporary beads as a link to the past through work that will last into the millennium. Beads and jewelry reflect where we are today, what we were, and who we will become. One can neither break nor ignore the thread of history, for like a strand of beads, the result would be chaos. Below are links to a few of my evil eye bead and talisman items.

http://www.beadbear.com/g0904.shtml

http://www.beadbear.com/c0905.shtml

http://www.beadbear.com/e0901.shtml

http://www.beadbear.com/f1003.shtml

http://www.beadbear.com/h1001.shtml

Wear your beads in good fortune!

turkisheyebead

Gold

Gold jewelry demand declined 10 percent by volume in the United States in the first quarter year over year, according to the World Gold Council’s Q1 gold demand trends report.

http://www.nationaljeweler.com/nj/fashion/jewelry-fashion-reports/article_detail?id=26496
Fear not Goldbugs! I am here to satify all your aurous jewelry desires
At A.R.T. Precious Collectible Jewelry we offer jewelry designed with a variety of different media to provide affordable beautiful fashion jewelry. I use vermeil, which is sterling silver overlaid with thick coatings of either 18, 22 or 24kt gold. I also use Swarovski aurum crystal (crystal beads with gold (overlay), as well as your favorite high-karat goodness! Shop today at beadbear.com
Wear your beads in good fortune!

Green is the IT Color this Year

Serpentine & Moretti Bead Necklace

Green is the hot color this year. All shades of green as indicated in the May 16 at Couture Trend Report 3
Couture Jewelers are always on the cutting edge — setting trends and keeping their customers in vogue.
This year everyone will be green with envy over this bevy of Couture jewels that showcase the color of the year from pale seafoam to deep, dark emerald.

Visit A.R.T. Precious Collectible Jewelry http://www.beadbear.com has your favorite shade of green, in pearls, gemstones from amazonite to turquoise with all kinds of unusual glass beads. Shop today! We use Google Checkout for your secure shopping convenience.

Aventurine Dream Necklace