Your Jewelry Box

2009-04-14T15:54:00.041-04:00

Greetings! Hope the emergence of flowers and the warmer temperatures have you as excited as we are about Spring's arrival. We revel in the longer daylight hours and in the sounds of birds and happy children playing. This month we feature some lovely pearl jewelry.
Pearls were once worn only by royalty. Today they are worn by everyone and are available in many affordable styles. The traditional string of pearls-whether the beads are the same size or graduated-is still classic. However, pearl jewelry is also popular in modern and unique designs. Look over our featured items, click on the pictures to go to our website and pass along our newsletter to your friends.
Here is some helpful information about pearls:
Natural gem-quality pearls are rare and expensive.
Cultured saltwater pearls are produced by introducing an irritant into an oyster.
Cultured freshwater pearls are produced similarly by mussels.
Pearls occur in a variety, but limited, range of colors controlled by the specie of mollusk and environmental factors.
Pearls are now available in nearly any shade because of methods developed to alter their color.
Freshwater pearl shapes include: semi-round, rice, potato, nugget, coin, keishi, drop or button. Saltwater pearls are also round, semi-round, teardrops, pear or irregular.

Coins For Good Fortune

Beautiful white coin pearls are separated by small crystals. A larger round crystal flashes rainbow colors in the center front. Simply elegant. Click on image to go to the item on our website. Length is 17 inches.Our Price: $ 60

Precious Rose

White 5mm freshwater pearls, pink Austrian crystal and silver beads fashion the necklace from which a rose in fine silver (99.9% pure) is suspended. The flower's petals were hand-shaped of silver metal clay and fired to burn everything but the silver. A pink cubic zirconia sparkles in the center. The silver heart clasp and extender chain allow lengths of 19 - 21 1/2 inches. Our Price: $109

Caring for Pearl Jewelry

Wipe pearls with a soft cloth after each use. Oils, perfume, hairsprays and cosmetics can damage them.
If more cleaning is needed, wipe with a solution of water and gentle non-detergent soap.
Always wash your hands before handling pearls.
Always store pearl jewelry in a soft pouch or separate lined compartment. Other jewelry may scratch the delicate beads.

Keep Your Focus

Hand-fashioned fine silver focal holds a lovely dichroic cabochon. Raspberry freshwater pearls, aquamarine rectangles, and sterling silver rondelles and tiny beads complete this stunning necklace. Sterling toggle adjusts from 18 - 20 inches. Our Price: $ 88

Pearls Galore

Sterling chain joins three strands of freshwater pearls with decorative silver pieces. One strand each of peacock, raspberry, and peach beads. Overall length is 25 inches. Our Price: $ 54

Look Out On The Side

Stunning combination of 6mm and 7mm peach freshwater pearls with silver beads for accent. Peach stick pearls add a fashion note. Silver flower toggle is worn on the side for a dramatic touch. Length is 21 inches. Our Price: $ 71

2009-03-06T10:51:00.021-05:00

Think Spring!

We've made some changes! Our entire inventory is now available on our website. This means you have access to hundreds of pieces of distinctive jewelry directly from the jewelers no matter where you live.

You may also visit us by appointment and take advantage of window shopping beforehand on our website to choose the pieces you are most interested in.
Each month our website will feature three or four jewelry items that we think are exceptional and timely. They are highlighted on the left side of the screen when you select a category from our home page: http://jewelryboxus.com/ . At the right you can see the featured items for the upcoming month.

Sincerely,
Evelyn and Bill ClarkYour Jewelry Box LLC
Double click on an image to go to our website.

FAQs
Q: How does a millimeter (mm) compare to an inch?

A: There are approximately 25 millimeters in an inch. So a 25x18mm stone would be approximately 1 inch x 3/4 inch.

Q: How can I care for silver?

A: Wipe the jewelry - silver and stones - with a soft cloth after wearing. If the silver becomes tarnished, a polishing cloth with a tarnish-removing chemical imbedded can be purchased at jewelry stores. Be careful not to us the cloths on certain stones or pearls.

Express Yourself
Pendant - Amazonite is said to enhance self-expression. 25x18mm stone is wrapped
in round sterling wire that looks like rope. Chain sold separately.
Price: $44

Charming Musician

Necklace - Kokopelli is a deity of native peoples who is said to chase away
winter and call forth spring with his music. Turquoise, coral and sterling silver.
19 inches.
Price: $52

Don't Cry

Ring - Teardrop-shaped 18x13mm black onyx set in sterling
with a double half-round band. Size 5 3/4.
Price: $54
Turquoise & Silver

Earrings - Two shades and sizes of green turquoise beads are separated by an oval sterling corrugated bead.
Price: $18

Forward email

2009-02-07T13:53:00.001-05:00

2009-02-07T10:15:00.013-05:00

Dear Evelyn,

We've made some changes! Our entire inventory is now available on our website. This means you have access to hundreds of pieces of distinctive jewelry directly from the jewelers no matter where you live.

You may also visit us by appointment and take advantage of window shopping beforehand on our website to choose the pieces you are most interested in.
Each month our website will feature three or four jewelry items that we think are exceptional and timely. They are highlighted on the left side of the screen when you select a category from our home page: www.jewelryboxus.com.

At the right you can see the featured items for the upcoming month.

Sincerely,
Evelyn and Bill Clark
Your Jewelry Box LLC
Double click on an image to go to our website.

FAQs
Q: How does a millimeter (mm) compare to an inch?
A: There are approximately 25 millimeters in an inch. So a 25x18mm stone would be approximately 1 inch x 3/4 inch.
Q: How can I care for silver?
A: Wipe the jewelry - silver and stones - with a soft cloth after wearing. If the silver becomes tarnished, a polishing cloth with a tarnish-removing chemical imbedded can be purchased at jewelry stores. Be careful not to us the cloths on certain stones or pearls.

Charming Musician -Necklace - Kokopelli is a deity of native peoples who is said to chase away winter and call forth spring with his music. Turquoise, coral and sterling silver. 19 inches.

Price: $52

Express Yourself - Pendant - Amazonite is said to enhance self-expression. 25x18mm stone is wrapped in round sterling wire that looks like rope. Chain sold separately.

Price: $44

Don't Cry
Turquoise & Silver Ring - Teardrop-shaped 18x13mm black onyx set in sterling with a double half-round band. Size 5 3/4.

Price: $54

Earrings - Two shades and sizes of green turquoise beads are separated by an oval sterling corrugated bead.

Price: $18

Turquoise: King of Gems; Gem of Kings

2008-07-12T05:14:00.011-04:00

Summer News from Your Jewelry Box
Designer Jewelry For Discriminating Women July 2008

In This Issue

Turquoise: King of Gems; Gem of Kings?

Caring for Turquoise and Silver Jewlery?

Quick Links (Use the back arrow to return here)

Turquoise necklace
Turquoise ring
Turquoise bracelet

Greetings!

Imagine! We're already in midsummer. Many weeks of warm weather lie ahead and it's hard to think about anything but having fun out of doors. We hope that you enjoy many wonderful days this summer. However, we are already planning for Fall and Winter. New designs and gift ideas.

People stop to admire the jewelry we are wearing. We proudly hand them a business card and invite them to visit our website: www.jewelryboxus.com. The internet is such a great, easy way to shop for yourself or for gifts.

We proudly stand behind our jewelry and will repair or replace (if materials are available) anything that might fail. Remember that handcrafted items should be handled gently, with the same love with which they were made.

Turquoise: King of Gems; Gem of Kings

Turquoise lore: During ancient times, turquoise jewelry was worn to protect a person against evil forces. Wearing a turquoise stone has always been considered as a symbol of good fortune. It is said that wearing turquoise jewelry helps the wearer feel cheerful as well. It was also considered a way to get the one you love.

Turquoise is a perennial jewelry favorite. It has been prized as a gem or ornamental stone for thousands of years. Turquoise does not occur in Turkey as its name might imply, but was traded at Turkish bazaars to Venetian merchants who brought it to Europe. It has adorned palaces, places of worship and homes, and its color has been used in tiles, cloth, and paints.

Turquoise occurs as opaque blue, blue-green, or green depending upon what minerals are present. Blue is attributed to copper while green -- sometimes yellow -- results from the presence of iron or dehydration. In the American southwest turquoise is usually associated with the weathering products of copper and is often recovered as a byproduct of large-scale copper mining operations.

This beautiful gem was among the first to be mined. Persia (modern-day Iran) or the Sinai Peninsula remain sources of the most highly prized naturally blue turquoise. In the United States, Bisbee (AZ) turquoise has a hard chocolate brown matrix and is considered some of the finest in the world. Because turquoise is found in so many parts of the US Southwest, it is easy to understand why Native American jewelry makers made such wide use of the stone. In China and Tibet, green turquoise is prized and many good quality stones come from there.

Because high quality turquoise is scarce today, some of it is treated or "enhanced." Good quality turquoise polishes to a beautiful luster, but light waxing protects the soft stone from discoloration from oils and moisture. However, some stones are dyed, reconstructed from fragments, or impregnated to enhance color. Imitations such as dyed howlite are also on the market.

If you are shopping for turquoise, it's important to turn to a reliable source. It is fine to buy lesser quality stones that appeal to you but the seller should provide you with the correct information.

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Caring for Turquoise and Silver Jewelry

Turquoise is fragile and sensitive to harsh chemicals. Perfume and other cosmetics will attack the finish and may alter the color of the stone. Also, skin oils and most commercial jewelry cleaning fluids will adversely affect the color. Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight may dehydrate or discolor the gem.

Cosmetics should be applied before putting on turquoise jewelry. It should not be worn to a beach or other sun-bathing environment. After use, turquoise should be gently cleaned with a soft cloth to avoid a build-up of residue. The jewelry pieces should be stored in their own container to avoid scratching by harder gems. Never store turquoise jewelry in an airtight container.

A dilemma arises when turquoise is set in silver. Sterling silver is 92.5 parts silver with the remainder being other metals, mostly copper. The best way to polish the silver portion is with a soft cloth with has been treated with chemicals to remove tarnish. Be careful to avoid the stone(s). A good quality paste silver polish applied with a soft toothbrush to the silver and rinsed in cool water works well, too.

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Click on any photo to view the details on our website.

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Sincerely,
Evelyn and Bill Clark - designers and jewelers
Your Jewelry Box LLC

Contact Us
43 Winton Rd.
East Windsor, Connecticut 06088
860-623-6394
info@jewelryboxus.com
www.jewelryboxus.com

The Season for Weddings

2008-05-15T07:51:00.069-04:00

Mother’s Day is over and we’re entering the wedding season. Unique jewelry plays an important part in the look that brides, bridesmaids, mothers of the bride and groom, and wedding guests strive to achieve. Here are some considerations and suggestions for making that special day even more memorable. We’ve added some interesting tidbits about wedding lore.

The Bride

Did you know that although white wedding gowns are traditional in the west that has not always been the case and, even today, is not the case in some traditions? Queen Victoria popularized white for wedding gowns when she chose her wedding attire in that color. Later, Christian churches attached the aura of purity to the white dress.

Your wedding day is so special and you want your memories to be warm and wonderful. You have spent a lot of time – and money – to select just the right wedding gown, hat, veil, shoes and even special undergarments.

These three necklaces with coordinating earrings were created with brides in mind:

Click on Picture to Enlarge

News:

• Stop by the Brimfield Antiques Show, May 17 & 18. We will be in the Jeanne Hertan area.
• Book a home showcase or fundraiser during June and earn an additional 5% merchandise credit.

If you choose to wear color for your wedding day, Your Jewelry Box has a selection of beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces that will enhance the beauty of your day.

Bridesmaids

Bridal attendants are usually members of the family or close friends. Long ago a bride’s friends wore outfits identical to the bride to confuse the evil spirits who might threaten her happiness. Although we no longer believe this, the tradition of bridal attendants wearing identical outfits has continued. Often the maid/matron of honor wears the same style as the other attendants, but in a different color.

Sometimes brides ask their bridesmaids to wear their own favorite outfit so long as it is festive enough for a wedding. The outfits are unified with similar flowers and jewelry.

These necklaces were created byYour Jewelry Box with bridesmaids in mind:

Mother of the Bride or Groom

Today’s mother of the bride or groom does not fit a particular pattern. Some women wear long dresses with jackets to cover their arms. Others wear elegant pants suits in non-traditional colors. A mother of the groom that we know wore a black silk pants suit with contrasting satin lapels. It suited her so well and was stunning. There are not as many rules these days for mothers, so they can let their personalities and personal tastes determine their choices for the wedding.

A jewelry idea for mothers:

Wedding guests

Depending on the time of day and location the ceremony, guests dress in a broad range of styles. Outdoor weddings are usually casual, while evening weddings in a hotel or restaurant are more formal. Friends of the bride or groom want to honor them by dressing appropriately and it’s a wonderful opportunity to dress up.

Here are some jewelry selections fromYour Jewelry Box:

During this wedding season, let’s celebrate love. The world needs more of it.

2008-02-16T15:23:00.013-05:00

Your Jewelry Box stone of the month is Malachite.

Malachite is a beautiful green stone with irregular black banding. The colors in its bands range from a very light to deep green. It shows beautiful in earrings, necklaces, and pendants. Imitation malachite has white and/or black banding very irregular banding. Malachite also combines with other minerals with wonderful results.

Malachite is a semi-precious stone and also a valuable copper ore. Because of its distinctive bright green color and its presence in the nearly all copper deposits, it serves as a prospecting guide for that metal. Malachite has been used as an ornamental stone and as a gemstone. It is responsible for the green color of tarnished copper and bronze. Malachite derives its name from Greek meaning soft stone. Malachite was used as a mineral pigment in green paints from antiquity until about 1800 when it was replaced by synthetic greens. Even before the first Egyptian dynasty (4500 B.C.), it was used as green eye-paint. In the New Stone Age came the discovery of extracting certain metals from the ores in which they occur. Probably the first such material to be used malachite was easily reduced to copper in a strong fire. This may have led to the search for other metallic ores in the development of metallurgy.
Care and treatment: Malachite should be cleaned with a soft cloth that does not contain chemicals. If the stone is set in silver, a chemically treated cloth may be used on the metal. Malachite is the anniversary gemstone for the 13th year of marriage.Zaire is the primary source of malachite with notable occurrences in the Urals, Siberia, France, South Australia, Namibia and USA (Arizona).
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2008-02-16T14:52:00.009-05:00

Dear Your Jewelry Box Customer,

From time to time we will send short newsletters with interesting information about jewelry and jewelry components. We hope you enjoy them.

Larimar — one of the ‘hottest’ stones on the market today. Even if blue is not your favorite, you have to admire Larimar’s extraordinary color -- similar to a tropical ocean. It was discovered in the 1970s, is found only in the Dominican Republic, and is hard enough to be used in jewelry (5 – 7 Mohs scale). The name "Larimar" was given to the stone by a Dominican who named the stone after his daughter Larissa and mar, the Spanish word for ocean. This unique Caribbean gemstone ranges in shades from pale to sky blue and may be mistaken for turquoise. Larimar is formed when volcanic action combines with the copper in the soil. It is indeed a beautiful and sought-after stone for jewelry. Larimar is said to represent peace and clarity, healing and love. It is reputed to be helpful for those experiencing stress and anxiety.

Everlyn and Bill ClarkYour Jewelry Box

We have some exciting new designs for Spring and Summer 2008. To book a home trunk show,please contact us at info@jewelryboxus.com or 860-623-6394
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