Vintage Jewelry Designer of the Week - Who am I?

This is another in my ongoing guessing game series about popular vintage jewelry designers. I'll give you some clues and pictures and you see if you can guess which designer it is. Ready? Here are your clues:

• The dates of operation of the company are 1914 to the present day.
• The founder of the company emigrated from Austria in 1885
• Design Characteristics: use of Swarovski rhinestones and custom color rhinestones
• Used aeronautical glue in their designs
• Switched to the use of sterling silver in the war time years
• Many designs were rhodium plated
• Famous for Christmas tree designs
• Many whimsical designs from the 1940s are very collectible today

Here are some pictures of my designs:


I am considered a high end designer and very collectible today. For more information and the answer to today's riddle, you can go to this designer page of the resource library on my website Vintage Jewelry Lane. (answer is also shown reading backwards at the bottom of this blog post.)
I'll be doing more of these riddles over the next weeks and months. Have fun with the series. Answer: (read it backwards) grebnesiE

Jewelry and Astrology - Scorpio

This blog post is another in my series about choosing jewelry suitable for individual star signs. Today's astrological sign is Scorpio, which is the sign for those born between October 23-November 21. The sign is depicted as the scorpion and it is considered a water sign.

Zodiac Logo courtesy of zodiac-signs-astrology.com/

Scorpios have very magnetic and dynamic personalities. They are generally well liked and can have a soothing affect on those around them. People born under this star sign tend to be very creative and inventive and excel in professional careers such as medicine chemistry and physics. On the negative side, they can be jealous and resentful, somewhat compulsive and obsessive, as well as being secretive and obstinate.

Thinking about buying jewelry for your Scorpio friend and don't know where to start? Let's examine some of these zodiac facts for a bit of inspiration.

• Their special color dark red
• Their lucky numbers are 3 and 5
• The gemstones associated with this birth sign are topaz and opals
• Scorpios love all types of flowers, including geraniums, black-eyed Susans, gardenias and many other types.
• Their best location is near the water

Let's combine some of these traits and see what we can come up with for gifts that might please your Scorpio friend.

Since their lucky numbers are three and five, how about choosing a multi strand necklace for them with this number of rows of beads? My Carolina Collections Jewelry Shop has a lovely range of 3 and 5 strand beaded necklaces.

How about this goldtone Scorpio bracelet? It is a clamper style and features a cute scorpion charm dangle and is available at the give away price of $4.99 from Vintage Jewelry Mall.

Dark Red? That is an easy one. All of my stores have a lovely range of red jewelry to choose from. How about this blood red rhinestone brooch that incorporates both their color and their love of flowers. It's available on Vintage Jewelry Lane for only $18.99

Since Scorpios love to be near the water, they would probably appreciate any piece of jewelry with a nautical theme.

Finally, here is a Georgian poem which depicts the Scorpio personality well:

Who keeps an arrow in his bow,
And if you prod, he lets it go?
A fervent friend,
a subtle foe-Scorpio!

Vintage Jewelry Find of the Week - Pretty Rhinestone and Pearl Bracelet

This week's vintage jewelry find is perfect for the upcoming holidays. It is a mix of the romantic and the elegant and would be great for both daytime or evening wear.

This lovely bracelet features four strands of prong set diamante rhinestones and a single center strand of hand wired creamy faux pearls.

The length is 7 3/8" and it is 3/4" wide, so fits right in with the current popular trend for wide bracelets. It has a secure fold over clasp and is set in goldtone metal.

The multi strand bracelet is available from my Ruby Lane Shop - The Finishing Touch Vintage Jewelry for only $22. Hurry - it won't last long at this price.

You can see more photos of this lovely rhinestone and pearl braclet as well as other details in my Ruby Lane store.

Memory Wire Wrap Bracelets - Make a Fashion Statement!

Readers of my blog know that I love glass jewelry of all types. It is colorful, feels substantial and so cold to the touch and has such an earthy feel about it. Also, glass jewelry is very undervalued, in my opinion, when one considers the price of glass beads.

Memory wrap bracelets often use glass beads and depending on the length of the wire used, can be quite a fashion statement when worn. Some of them end up several inches wide, depending on your wrist size.

My online stores all have glass memory wire bracelets for sale. The one featured here is from my Vintage Jewelry Lane shop and consists of a fabulous combination of cloisonné enamel and faceted glass beads. The price is $22.99, and it is just stunning in both color and design. I don't normally think of burgundy and red matching well together, but on this bracelet, the combination just works for me.

Feeling creative? Why not try your hand at making one of these? Head off to Michael's, get some memory wire, and glass beads and use your imagination. You'll end up with a lovely hand made creation.

October - Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This month is breast cancer awareness month. I'm sure that most of you may know someone who has been affected in some way by this disease. This is the month to show support for the cause.

This year is also a special anniversary - In 2009, NBCAM celebrates its 25th anniversary. Since its inception a quarter century ago, NBCAM has been at the forefront of promoting awareness of breast cancer issues and has evolved along with the national dialogue on breast cancer.

While October is recognized as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the www.NBCAM.org Web site is a year-round resource for breast cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and the general public. I encourage you to visit their site in October and regularly throughout the year as they add updated breast cancer information and resources.

A simple way of promoting the cause is to wear a breast cancer awareness pin on as sweater or on the lapel of a jacket during the month. There are many styles available.

Many companies make breast cancer pins, but Avon makes several designs including the unusual one shown here which is called Walk around the World for Breast Cancer. One of the great things about purchasing from Avon is that is affordably priced at only $3.00, with all net proceeds ($2.27) donated to the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade to fund breast cancer research, access to care, support services, screening and diagnostics, and education. (f you like the pin, my friend Marilyn is an avon representative and will help you with the purchase.)

It's nice to know that doing something so simple can possibly make a difference.