Chakra Jewelry is derived from the belief the body has certain areas or Chakra's. Learn more http://ping.fm/HkG5f

Something old, something new~ antique jewelry and writing for Bella

I'm finding that I really love to write and I think BellaOnline is a great outlet for this facet of "me". Deep down, I've always been a "teacher".... I love to help others learn. The focus at Bella aligns with this completely and compliments the jewelry designing perfectly; looks like this is a great match. During the time I spend preparing for articles I find I have to research (another love!).

I am becoming familiar with jewelry history and learning about antique and costume jewelry. I'm fascinated with the fact that Providence was once the "jewelry capitol of the world"! From where I work, I can walk to the jewelry district down city.....but those days of glory are over. If you are interested in reading more about Providence's jewelry hayday check out this hub I wrote. Lucky for us the jewelry of that era still remains. I'm tossing around the idea of creating a few pieces based on some antique pieces.....we'll see how that goes.

If there are any articles that you would love to read about please contact me! I'd love to hear from you and I can always use ideas on new collections to write about.

I've listed a few more items in my Etsy shop...stop by and take a look!

Esmarts Team Challenge and BellaOnline

Jamie, our Esmarts Marketing manager has polled our team and asked what we would like to do for a springtime/Easter challenge? Here were our choices:

Butterflies butterflies and more butterflies! Use butterflies in some form in your project! 25%

Pastels! Pink, green, baby blue, yellow, all the great colors of the spring! Base your project on those pastel shades for something beautiful! 66%

Babies. Who doesn't love a baby? Tie babies (human, furry, feathery, whatever) into your chosen project. 8%

When we tallied up the results it was clearly pastels. We could design anything we wanted as long as we used pretty pastel colors. Here is what I came up with. I posted it tonight to my shop. Candy jade in pink and green with pearls and pastel pink and green Swarovski opaque crystals all wrapped up with sterling silver. Thanks Jamie for coordinating this fun team event and I can't wait to see who wins~ all those great entries....It's going to be tough to decide....

Here is an update on my BellaOnline training.... I am set to graduate this Tuesday!! Yes I have managed a 97% on the quizzes and have kept up the required articles even during the Christmas and New Years holidays. I have been given moderator status for the Jewelry Collecting forum and continue to shape the site based on visitor feedback. If you have not already signed up for my newsletter here is the link to do so! http://www.bellaonline.com/about/JewelryCollecting
Scroll all the way to the bottom. You can also find this link on the bottom of any article I have written.

BellaOnline has a very strict policy regarding spam and keeping your email addresses private. The editors can not even see them! They never sell or trade this information and take your privacy seriously. So.... sign up to keep up to date on all the newest information.

Thanks to all those who visit me there!!

Handmade Product Directory and meet Dani Garcia of eSMArt's team

MyGemStoneBox by Diane is now listed in the Handmade Product Directory and the Arcade! A different storefront- but the same great items! Come by and visit.

I’d like to introduce you to Danis Garcia known to us at eSMArt’s as Dani. She is an independent jewelry artisan living in the Texas Hill Country just outside of San Antonio. She runs a Bulkbuy group on Yahoo selling lovely gems, stones and jewelry supply for those who share the love of creating their own designs.

Besides selling gems she also started making jewelry years ago, mostly for her, family and friends but it blossomed into a full time love of creating after her four children were grown and doing their own thing. She also loves creating that one truly unique element for some of her jewelry designs by custom wrapping stones, shells and other materials with sterling silver, copper or gold filled wire as well other handmade findings. Dani is currently learning to make pendants and other elements in glass and precious metal clay.

You can find Dani at DG Designs on Etsy and on her blog. I invite you to check out her store and here are a few of her wonderful pieces.

I created a new necklace this weekend… this is the first showing and soon to be listed on Etsy. I have always loved the sun/moon motif maybe that is the Aquarius in me?? Most of the beads came from Dani .... Here I used the translucent seaglass mixed with dumortierite round faceted beads, Bali style sterling silver and a touch of light blue Swarovski crystals. This has become my new favorite for everyday wear. It matches my jeans perfectly. This stone is said to act as an aid to your mental capabilities in overcoming tough situations. It opens the third eye chakra to enhance mental (and emotional) intelligence. Another good reason to wear it!

BellaOnline, More Seaglass and Another Special Rosary

I have an annoucement... I've been accepted as the Jewelry Collecting Editor for BellaOnline website! This is a great opportunity for me personally- to exercise and improve my writing skills and also to use this interface to promote my work and the work of my eSMArts team-mates. (Don't forget to click the link to see what is new in our team store!!)

I'm thrilled to have been accepted into the one month mandatory training offered by BellaOnline as a free service to their editors.

Here are more links about BellaOnline:

2nd largest woman's online site;

over 400 topics and 300+ editors volunteer their efforts to inform and entertain;

over 20 million pageviews a month!!

I am eager to be an active member in this community founded by women for women and they are not for profit... they run enough adds to cover the cost of the site and donate the rest to charity... click here to see those organizations that BellaOnline has helped.

Another Seaglass Adventure

My husband and I thought we would take advantage of the unseasonable warm weather today (60 deg...and to think my last post was about a snowstorm leaving behind over a foot!!) and head to the beach for more seaglass. WOW did we hit it right! We spent less than an hour beachcombing and have over 50 new pieces to show off! Cobalt blue, green, aqua, yellow, amber, brown, clear, pink all but my elusive red! Oh well, maybe next time!

I'm designing yet another special rosary for Lisa in the UK... this one is for her boyfriend's mum who will be celebrating her 50th birthday. I'm honored she thought of me to make this special treasure. Besides representing the family's birth-months with Swarovski crystals she loves Egyptian motif. I will be using some special scarab beads and an Egyptian Anka all in silver. I will post the finished product when it is ready to ship.

After Christmas sale 10 items deeply discounted!! http://ping.fm/yKOua

Winter in New England, eSMArts Team update and new earrings for Christmas

Ok, I am a life long New Englander..born and raised in Rhode Island. Snow should be no big deal...right? I'm already sick of it.... This pic was taken on Friday afternoon. The storm started out about 2pm and quickly progressed. We really didn't have the howling winds that are usually associated with these storms but none the less it packed a punch. It snowed all day Saturday...tapered of Saturday night and right back at it come Sunday.

Are you cold yet just looking at these... yes, it does look lovely....yes even Christmassy

Try shoveling!

Moving on.... given the seasonal rush is subsiding our attention turns to Valentines Day. Yes... already. We are all working on our creations to get our Etsy stores stocked with those special "I love you" gifts. Keep a look out for them coming soon. During this time as the new year fast approaches, we are also in the midst of reorganizing our team. New minimum requirements are being established... all good stuff that will make us more effective with our Marketing initiatives both on line and off. I'm looking forward to seeing us progress this year and become stronger as a team. I want to extend a sincere congratulations to Jamie Elliot of Creations by JAE who is our new Marketing Manager and Membership Coordinator and Helene Turnbull of Glass0Beads who will be serving as our Editor-in-Chief and our Website Manager. Good luck to you both in your new roles with eSMArts!

What to give a special friend (and hair stylist) yes.... very important person!! Johna is a great friend and I wanted to do something a little different for her. Her birthday is in February so incorporated some lovely amethyst faceted rounds at the center and crocheted from sterling silver the outside of these earrings. I'll have to make a few more for the store! I hope she likes them.

One more pic for you:

Brrrr....