I'll fix that!

Of All The Beads

Newsletter

Feb. '11

Hazel Brutsché

JOIN ME ON SATURDAY!

At the McLean Jewelry Showcase, Feb. 5th, 11 AM to 5 PM: Just in time for Valentine's Day. This wonderful one-day event is filled with jewelry artisans from all over the region. Choose gifts for yourself and others that you won't find at any shopping mall, and support local artists at the same time. Stop by and see all the new designs! Details.

I'll Fix That!

As many of you know, I do repairs of all kinds on costume and vintage jewelry. Sometimes that means keeping a piece of jewelry for months, until I can find the right match to make the repair. I had an email exchange with someone recently that went a bit differently, though.

He contacted me to say that he'd bought his girlfriend a pair of vermeil and amethyst earrings, only to find out that she's allergic and can only wear titanium. I told him that in most cases I can convert the earrings, but since these earrings had posts, I would have to see them to be certain.

We discussed cutting off the posts, filing down the back of the earrings, then gluing on the titanium posts. I told him I'd still need to see the earrings to be sure that it would work. He lives in a different state, and we'd have to mail the earrings back and forth if I were to fix them.

He wrote back to say that he has access to a research lab, tools, and all he needed was the posts to do the job himself. He asked if I would sell him the posts. I smiled, and went online to look up the source I use for titanium and niobium components. Then I sent him the link. In this case, it seemed better for him to buy them directly. I hope he writes back to let me know how it went . . .

--Hazel

More new designs this month include some wonderful, mixed jasper and gemstone bracelets:

Fire jasper is a beautiful burst of brick red and gray, punctuated with a dazzling carnelian clasp:

Cubes, my favorite shape, and jasper, my favorite stone! Here in a stretchy bracelet and earrings:

And another with chunky jasper barrels and sterling:

And to finish off, 2 more bracelets. The first has flat lemon jasper disks with dumortierite spacers, and the second has faceted quartz with a dark finish painted on one side of each bead:

Valentine's Day was my inspiration for the many pinks and reds in this month's designs. What can I say? I'm a romantic.

First is a necklace of glossy red coral that I found in London last year:

These pink quartz earrings are wire-wrapped in free-form style. What a fabulous color!

Flat ovals of red matte glass are see-through in a bracelet and earrings:

Pale pink glass earrings with Swarovski clusters:

Darker pink glass earrings with Swarovski clusters:

Magenta glass earrings with Swarovski clusters:

Pink lampwork bead earrings with Swarovski clusters:

Peach pearl and moonstone trio earrings:

And for a blue valentine, these lovely scored glass bead earrings with Swarovski clusters:

Of All The Beads » Hazel Brutsché

	Of All The Beads Newsletter	Feb. '11 Hazel Brutsché
Newest Designs	JOIN ME ON SATURDAY! At the McLean Jewelry Showcase, Feb. 5th, 11 AM to 5 PM: Just in time for Valentine's Day. This wonderful one-day event is filled with jewelry artisans from all over the region. Choose gifts for yourself and others that you won't find at any shopping mall, and support local artists at the same time. Stop by and see all the new designs! Details. I'll Fix That! As many of you know, I do repairs of all kinds on costume and vintage jewelry. Sometimes that means keeping a piece of jewelry for months, until I can find the right match to make the repair. I had an email exchange with someone recently that went a bit differently, though. He contacted me to say that he'd bought his girlfriend a pair of vermeil and amethyst earrings, only to find out that she's allergic and can only wear titanium. I told him that in most cases I can convert the earrings, but since these earrings had posts, I would have to see them to be certain. We discussed cutting off the posts, filing down the back of the earrings, then gluing on the titanium posts. I told him I'd still need to see the earrings to be sure that it would work. He lives in a different state, and we'd have to mail the earrings back and forth if I were to fix them. He wrote back to say that he has access to a research lab, tools, and all he needed was the posts to do the job himself. He asked if I would sell him the posts. I smiled, and went online to look up the source I use for titanium and niobium components. Then I sent him the link. In this case, it seemed better for him to buy them directly. I hope he writes back to let me know how it went . . . --Hazel More new designs this month include some wonderful, mixed jasper and gemstone bracelets: Fire jasper is a beautiful burst of brick red and gray, punctuated with a dazzling carnelian clasp: Cubes, my favorite shape, and jasper, my favorite stone! Here in a stretchy bracelet and earrings: And another with chunky jasper barrels and sterling: And to finish off, 2 more bracelets. The first has flat lemon jasper disks with dumortierite spacers, and the second has faceted quartz with a dark finish painted on one side of each bead:
Valentine's Day was my inspiration for the many pinks and reds in this month's designs. What can I say? I'm a romantic. First is a necklace of glossy red coral that I found in London last year: These pink quartz earrings are wire-wrapped in free-form style. What a fabulous color! Flat ovals of red matte glass are see-through in a bracelet and earrings: Pale pink glass earrings with Swarovski clusters: Darker pink glass earrings with Swarovski clusters: Magenta glass earrings with Swarovski clusters: Pink lampwork bead earrings with Swarovski clusters: Peach pearl and moonstone trio earrings: And for a blue valentine, these lovely scored glass bead earrings with Swarovski clusters:
Of All The Beads » Hazel Brutsché