Trinkets' New Designs with Kasumi Flameball Pearls

Trinkets Jewelry is pleased to offer new designs with the beautiful Kasumi flameball pearls recently acquired from Japan. These pearls have a beautiful luster combined with 18K gold and silver findings. Here are three of the designs, priced at $85...these make wonderful gifts...they come boxed ready for gift-giving.

                                             18K Full Bloom Lotus Flower with Pearls

                                                          18K Filigree with Pearls

                                                        18K Open Weave Bar with Pearls

Sterling Silver Jewelry...Care & Cleaning

Sterling silver jewelry looks fabulous year 'round, but especially in the summer! Unfortunately, .925 sterling silver has copper in it which reacts with oxygen and produces tarnish. Pure silver jewelry does not tarnish.

For general cleaning, use a polishing cloth. Commercial dips & polishes are too harsh.

For cleaning sterling silver jewelry with crevices, try this easy method:

1.  Fill a bowl with enough warm water to cover your jewelry.
2.  Pour in a small amount of mild soap and slosh it around to mix.
3.  Add jewelry and use a brand new sponge to gently scrub it.
4.  Don't allow jewelry to soak very long; this prevents water spots.
5.  Rinse each piece well under running warm or cool water to remove soap.
6.  Don't forget to dry each piece well with a microfiber cloth or towel.

Enjoy the sparkle and shine of that favorite piece!

Mixed Media Rooster..."Gerdie"

This Mixed Media Rooster is my latest project. I love working with mixed media! My interest in Mixed Media was sparked when I took workshops with Robert Miller at Sunshine Village Art Gallery. If interested in purchasing, this rooster was delivered to Ann Peden Artisan Marketplace in Watkinsville, GA yesterday. The rooster is an original, one of a kind, 24 x 36, $225. If you don't live in the area, e-mail Ann at annpeden@gmail.com & they will be glad to ship it to you.

                                                     "Gerdie"...Mixed Media Rooster

Trinkets has new designs in 18K Gold-Plated Earring Collection

Trinkets is so pleased to announce new designs for spring in the 18K Gold-Plated Collection. These designs have been very popular. They not only have the look of gold without the price, but the designs are lightweight & flattering on the ear. If interested in any of these designs, they can be purchased in the Trinkets' Etsy Shop, www.trinketsjewelry.etsy.com or at Athens Interiors Market, 250 Old Epps Bridge, Athens, GA beside the Hilltop Grille on the Atlanta Highway.

Crazy in Love...What Happens to Your Brain When You Have Chemistry

I read this article by Victoria Fletcher and thought it was very appropriate for Valentine's Day reading. Doctors have unraveled the mystery of why love can make us giddy...irrational...and even ridiculous! The frontal cortex, vital to judgement, shuts down when we fall in love...wow, doesn't this explain a lot!
When you look at someone you are passionate about, some areas of the brain become active, but a LARGE part is de-activated, the part that plays a role in judgement. If judgement is suspended, the most unlikely pair can get together. Someone in love will still be capable of making serious major decisions in other areas. The area of the brain that controls FEAR and other negative emotions closes down explaining why people feel so HAPPY with the world.
Love is a Drug...chemicals such as dopamine & adrenaline kick in causing desire, heart racing, sweaty palms to name a few feelings.
This makes it harder for friends to convince them, "they have taken leave of their senses" when it comes to LOVE, and explains why some of our choices were irrational!

                                                               Happy Valentine's Day!

What are Flameball Baroque Pearls?

Trinkets is so excited to have acquired these wonderful rare pearls, but many people need some background information on them. It's a bead-nucleated freshwater pearl...it's called, "flameball" or "fireball" because the pearl has a tail that makes it look like a comet.

Traditional tissue nucleation is done with mussels that are 6 months to 1 year old.

For bead-nucleated freshwater pearls, three year old mussels are used. It starts with insertion of a coin bead and a 1mm square piece of mantle tissue. The host mussel's mantle completely encloses the flat coin bead. The first step is the creation of a one-year coin pearl.

The mussel is left in the water to add nacre to the coin pearl which takes an additional year.

The third step is the production of freshwater pearls that have a spherical bead nucleus. When the mussel is 5 years old, the farmer removes the coin pearl. He then inserts a spherical bead nucleus in the existing pearl sac...except it's in the mantle rather than the gonad, the technique is similar to growing second-graft Tahitian or South Sea cultured pearls. Both techniques use the existing pearl sac.

The pearl sac, which forms a bulge in the mantle, is a perfect nacre-producing pocket. The pearl growth period at this point can be one or two years. Because beads as large as 12.5 mm are implanted, the resulting bead-nucleated pearls can be of substantial size.

This bit of info should give you an appreciation of these wonderful pearls and the jewelry that will be in the works to come out in Trinkets' Spring Collection.  For our new designs, we will be combining these with 18K gold plated findings instead of 18K solid gold to keep this line affordable.

Happy New Year, 2015

My friend, Suzanne Burgess, had a small dinner party to welcome in 2015 at her condo on Peachtree in Buckhead...enjoy the pictures!

         (From L-R) Vickie Sanders, Suzanne with Oliver, the wonder dog, Richard, Jeff & me