Happy New Year and Happy Birthday January babies!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and wish all of you a very Happy New year! Happy Birthday to all of you born this month! You are all blessed with one of the most sultry of gems as your birthstone.Garnet is both the traditional and modern birthstone for the month of January. The pretty, deep red gem is so luscious ...who needs another one? Well, variety is the spice of life, so if you are not a big fan of the blood red Almandine Garnet, you can choose a garnet color from just about any in the rainbow.

There is the pretty pinkish red to purple variety of Rhodolite or the orange of the mandarin garnet. If you favor brown tones, then go with Hessonite. Green lovers will lust for the multiple shades of Tsavorite and Grossular Garnet, which are also available in golden and yellow tones. Don't forget the brilliant sparkle in Andradite, a black Garnet.
There are just too many Garnet varieties to go into detail here, so I will just talk about the popular red Almandine Garnets. The name Garnet comes from the Latin granatum malum which means pomegranate, the fruit that bears juicy red seeds. Through history, Garnets have been thought to promote healing - especially with blood disorders. It is also considered the protective gem of travelers. A gift of garnet is a symbol of love and the desire for a loved one's safe travel and speedy homecoming.



If you would like more info on the jewelry pieces featured in this article, just click on the pictures.

-Ann Marie

Dear Santa ...

... I have been a very good girl this year. In addition to some super important things like world peace, an immediate end to global warming and a speedy quick recovery for the economy (I can wish, can't I?) I want some quality time with my family and time to play with my beautiful gemmies. Wanna see? I got these two strands at a gem show recently ...this one is gem silica...and these are some very cool malachite slices...I know I am asking for a lot of stuff, but I have been on my best behavior and I did bake you some really yummy cookies. You'll see :) Merry Christmas!

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Marie and I will be taking some time off for the holidays. We will be checking e-mail, but please be patient with us if we don't respond as quickly as we usually do. We wish you all lots of peace and love and a very Happy New Year!

-Ann Marie

Happy Birthday December Babies!

Happy Birthday to all you December babies! I feel extra guilty for being so late this month because it is my birthday month, too!

So, how lucky are we to be born in the most festive month of the year? There are parties all over the place, and some beautiful blue gemstones to call our own.

Blue Topaz and Turquoise are considered our modern birthstones. The traditional gem is Blue Zircon.

Topaz is actually a colorless stone that turns blue when it is heated, either through a natural source or man made. A gift of Blue Topaz represents love and fidelity.

These sterling silver earrings are handmade with two beautiful flawless, faceted sky blue Topaz nuggets at the top and a drops below of London Blue Topaz , Swiss Blue Topaz and Blue Zircon. Click here for more info.

The Native Americans believe Turquoise prevents illness and if given as a gift it brings wealth and happiness. Turquoise is also said to be a symbol of luck and friendship.

Nowadays, most Turquoise has been treated in some way either to stabilize it or enhance its beauty, but the smooth rondelles in this necklace are all natural...a very rare find. These have an amazing black and brown matrix. I could stare at them all day! Click here for more info.

Blue Zircon is as beautiful and has as much fire as a diamond. It is a natural stone so don't confuse it with the man made gem, cubic zirconium. Zircons are used to increase intuition, durability and steadiness. The zircon gemstone aids in the easing of depression and insomnia. I love the delicate nature of this blue zircon necklace because even though the gems are small, they sparkle a-plenty.
Click here for more info.

Ruby and Lapis are also considered traditional December birthstonesand, as of 2002, Tanzanite has joined the list of modern birthstones. More on those gems at another time. I think I have a party to get to ;)

-Ann Marie

I'm a Double Winner!

The official announcement was made today of the winners in the Bead Star jewelry design contest and I am a double winner! That is, I won first place in two categories, metals and stones. I am especially honored to have been chosen as the winner in these categories, because winners were selected by a vote taken of the public. Thanks to all of you who cast your votes and selected my pieces. Special thanks also to The Bead Goes On and Lima Beads for their generous prizes. I received a $1,000 gift certificate from each of them. What a lucky girl I am!

These two necklaces are my Bead Star 2008 winners...

The first place winner in the stones category is this piece of mine that I call Sand, Sea and Sky necklace. It is made up of aquamarine, chalcedony, impression jasper (purchased from Lima Beads) and Swarovski crystal. In my opinion the most intriguing part of this necklace is the roman glass framed in sterling silver that is at either end of the three strands. I haven't seen the pictures used in the magazine yet, but I hope they did a better job of showing those in the picture than I did.

Fantasy Filigree was the design of mine that won first place in the Metals category. I really love this piece which is comprised of vintage brass filigrees which have all developed various gorgeous shades of brown, red and gold patinas through the years. This type of piece is a lot more complicated to make than it looks. I compare the process of making this to doing a monochromatic jigsaw puzzle where you don't have a picture to reference when putting it together. You just have to keep trying different pieces to see if they fit. Although this one is not for sale, I have created a Fantasy Filigree II that is available for purchase on my website -
hearts desire jewelry.com

The contest was sponsored by Interweave Press. Interweave.com They will be releasing a special magazine featuring all of the Bead Star winners, called - what else? - Bead Star - on Monday, Dec. 15. Some of the winning pieces, including my two designs, have been donated to be auctioned off to raise money for the American Heart Association's women's heart-health initiative. All auction items will be on display at Bead Fest Santa Fe, March 12-15, 2009. Interweave will host a silent auction for five of the pieces live at the event on March 14 and 15, while the rest of the jewelry will be auctioned on eBay from March 6-16. Look for the symbols Auction Item... Ebay and Auction Item... Bead Fest, throughout the magazine to see which pieces can be bid on to benefit this worthy cause.

Instructions for making both of these necklaces can be found in the magazine. If you would like more information on the contest or where to buy the magazine, check out their website, www.BeadStar.com .

-Ann Marie

Holiday Events

It was great to be a part of the IFCSF fashion show a couple of weeks ago. The models looked great - and so did all of the beautiful people in attendance.

I can't wait to get some pictures to show you.

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Some upcoming holiday events where you can see our designs in person will take place both

in San Francisco and in the East Bay.

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First in SF ...

Mission Bazaar: The Shopping Spectacle. This event will take place on Saturday & Sunday , Dec. 6 & 7, 2008; 10am - 8pm in the Mission Armory Community Center, 14th & Mission in San Francisco. I've never been in this historic building that was built in 1914 to resemble a Moorish Castle, but I'm looking forward to seeing it.

One of my customers was telling me that she use to go see women's roller derby here in the 1970s. In addition to all of the artisans that will be selling their work, there will also be three stages of all sorts of performances.

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The following weekend we will be in Oakland at ...

The Crucible's Annual

Holiday Gifty Art Sale and Open House
Saturday & Sunday, December 13 & 14, 2008

10AM to 4PM

1260 7th Street, Oakland

I have heard that this amazing non-profit facility that provides an educational collaboration of arts, industry and community is having financial troubles and may have to close if it doesn't get some help, so please come out and support the Crucible and all of the wonderful artisans that will be selling their work there.