The Nature
|
Almost nothing in nature is perfectly round, smooth or even, so I deliberately avoid making my glass fruit and leaves too perfectly. I put on splotches and speckles, make them a tidbit lopsided, and add other imperfections so that each berry or leaf is unique. This makes them look much more "real". |
Durability |
My jewelry designs survive daily wear quite well because everything on them can move, including moving away from the other beads or a general source of impact. Dropping the jewelry from waist height onto a ceramic tile floor might break something due to the high impact and unforgiving surface. Be wary of knocking your jewelry against other hard surfaces such as ceramic bathroom sinks or glass table tops. Though you should not wear my bracelets to prepare meals in a kitchen with granite countertops, they should tolerate the clickety-clack motion of moving your hands around on a desk surface just fine. |
Repairs |
If jewelry that I made breaks, I can repair it. Please contact me at 303-908-0593 or orders@elizabethjohnson.com to discuss your needs. |
Custom
|
I am happy to accept custom orders. I can make most of my jewelry designs in either Sterling Silver or 14/20 Gold-Filled. I am happy to substitute different clasp styles, necklace or bracelet lengths or earring wire styles as needed – just ask! Most custom orders can be completed within a day or two. I can also make most of my designs in solid karat gold at market prices, although there will be a little more lead time required. |
Jewelry Cleaning |
The oils on your fingers and skin cause silver to tarnish, so it a good idea to wipe off your silver jewelry as soon as you are finished with it. You can store your silver jewelry in tarnish-proof bags or you can place desiccant packs (that are often shipped with new clothing or leather goods) in with your jewelry to absorb moisture, since it also contributes to tarnishing. You can use a mild commercial jewelry cleaner solution (available in many department stores) (NOT Tarn-x!!) to clean lightly tarnished silver and gold items. 14K gold and gold-filled jewelry tarnishes much more slowly than silver, but it does darken over time and will benefit from occasional cleaning. Soak the pieces for a few minutes and brush gently with a soft toothbrush. When the items are bright again, rinse with clean water and then buff with a soft cloth. To clean silver jewelry that is more heavily tarnished you can use one of the online recipes for a home process that uses no toxic chemicals. Here’s a good one: www.mtoclean.com/homemade-silver-cleaner. The advantage of this method is that it doesn’t harm the silver. It’s okay to use the hottest water you can get from your tap, but do NOT use boiling water as the sudden high heat could crack your glass. If all else fails with very heavily tarnished silver, you can use Tarn-X or a similar liquid tarnish remover - but proceed with caution! These liquids eat the silver itself as well as the tarnish. They pit the metal surface, making your jewelry tarnish faster in the future. Use them only for the briefest possible time to remove the tarnish and rinse very, very thoroughly. Do NOT use Tarn-X or similar products on gold-filled jewelry. If you need to clean moisturizers, lint or other substances out of the crevices of your blackberries or raspberries, it’s safe to do so with lukewarm water, a soft toothbrush and mild soap. Then rinse carefully, being sure to remove all traces of suds from inside the bead holes of any crystals, where they might leave behind a cloudy haze. The glass raspberries can tend to look a bit dry after they've been soaped. They actually improve with wearing because picking up a little oil from your skin gives the surfaces a soft sheen. It’s possible to hasten this process by dabbing a little baby oil or mineral oil on your fingers. Wipe off most on a cloth so there's just a little gloss on your fingers - then rub them over the surface of each raspberry to give it a lovely soft glow. |
Metal
|
My silver-colored jewelry is all made with 925 Sterling Silver, which does not contain nickel. Occasionally I may use findings made of Argentium Silver. Argentium Silver contains a small amount of germanium (to prevent tarnish) but it does not contain nickel. I am told by my suppliers that the 14K yellow Gold-Filled items I use do not contain nickel. In summary, to my knowledge my jewelry should not cause irritation to anyone with a nickel allergy. The stems on some of my berries such as blueberries and cherries are made of pure copper wire. Copper is also present in the alloys of Sterling Silver, Argentium Silver and 14k Yellow Gold. So my jewelry WOULD be a problem for someone with a copper allergy. I would also be happy to custom-make any of my designs in a metal of your choice that you know to be safe. |
About
|
Many of my jewelry designs feature warm-colored berries that look wonderful paired with gold. While I love working with karat gold, its market price is now so high that using even 14 karat gold in solid form can make jewelry prohibitively expensive. Using 14 karat Gold-Filled chain and findings lets me make the beautiful warmth of gold available in my jewelry while keeping the quality high and the price affordable. Gold-Filled materials are quality materials that can be expected to last a lifetime. I use 14/20 gold-filled, which is made by using extreme pressure and heat to bond a sheet of 14 karat gold over a brass base. The resulting product is a wire or tube in which the gold layer represents 1/20th of the volume of the piece. This material is then formed into chain and other jewelry findings that are strong, durable, and resistant to tarnish. The gold layer of gold-filled materials is many, many times thicker than the coating on gold-plated or “gold vermeil” materials. As a result you can expect to wear and enjoy your gold-filled jewelry for many years without worry of having the gold layer wear out. |
About Gemstones |
I enjoy designing one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces using the sparkle of faceted semi-precious gemstones to highlight my glass berries. I often use gemstones with good clarity, but many times I opt for more opaque stones because they can give the best impression of immature berries or leaves in the "background" of the piece. Where true sparkle is the goal I often choose colored faceted Cubic Zirconia. By using these manmade gemstones I get all the incredible clarity and refractive index of high quality diamonds, at a fraction of the cost of natural stones. This allows me to make the most beautiful jewelry possible while keeping the prices within the means of most collectors. |
Safety Warnings |
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD. Glass beads and sculptures are not toys. Like all small, hard objects they represent a choking hazard. Keep your glass beads, jewelry and sculptures out of the reach of children. Do not display or store glass berry beads or sculptures where they could be confused with real fruit. Never put glass beads or sculptures into your mouth, even as a joke. WARNING: BROKEN GLASS HAZARD. Like all objects made from glass, my glass beads and sculptures are fragile. Dropping them onto hard surfaces may chip, crack or break the glass. My glass bead jewelry is delicate and should not be handled roughly or given to children. Inspect your jewelry frequently to check for signs of damage to the glass or fatigue of the metal parts. If you find signs of wear and tear, do not wear the jewelry - instead please contact me immediately to arrange for repair. Always use caution when handling cracked or broken glass. Protect yourself from cuts by wearing gloves or using tools to handle the pieces, and dispose of them properly in the trash. |
|
|