Why Our Sterling Silver Prices On Jewelry Has Increased

by Sam Ryder of NexusMaille

The price of silver has just skyrocketed in the past few weeks:

Rising price of sterling silver - January 31 to March 1, 2011

Looking at the price per gram in which I purchase my supplies, I calculated that if it were to continue at this rate, a bracelet made at the end of the year will cost $50 more in raw materials than it would if made now.

$50! I can’t sustain that, and I’m sure most of you out there wouldn’t see the value in it.

I’d like to say “surely it can’t continue like this”, but I’m afraid I don’t have history on my side.

“The silver price has bounced 27% since January 28, a huge advance for a measly 16 trading days. It’s already soared past its 2010 high and was selling for less than $16 this time last year, a double in 12 months” said Jeff Clark, Silverseek.

Will this push the price of sterling silver jewellery out of the reach of the average person?

Is it time to look at base metals, such as copper, brass and bronze? These are now becoming more popular, driven by necessity based on the price of silver.

What are your thoughts?

———————-
Sam Ryder

Handcrafted vs Mass Quantity

Why we choose Artists over anything Manufactured...

Some of my friends have asked me "Why is the jewelry that you carry so much more expensive than what they carry at Target or Kohl's or any other discounted big box store". Well friends, we only carry jewelry made by artisans. Each piece is individually handcrafted in the artist's own studio and has taken many hours of sweat and time.

While some people like authentic and expensive handcrafted jewelry, others may simply want to stock their wardrobes with trendy and fashionable items. Honestly, both have their own pros and cons. Let’s try and compare both types of jewelry on the basis of their quality, durability and affordability.

Let’s begin with understanding what machine-made and handmade jewelry are and what makes them popular?

Most of the modern jewelry available today is manufactured using machines and hence is called machine-made jewelry. Jewelers today are preferring machines over artisans because machines copy exact and accurate jewelry design elements and produce a considerably large volume of high-end fashion–jewelry within no time. No wonder, they offer more variety, better finish and are easier on the pocket too thereby offering better profits to the jewelers.

Talking about the authentic handmade jewelry, it is carefully handcrafted by skilled artisans after putting in hours of labor to produce intricate designs using age-old methods. Though not as well-finished as machine-made jewelry,handmade jewelry is highly valued and priced for the art and skill that has been put in during its preparation. Handmade jewelry has a special charm and elegance to it and hence makes for a perfect gift for someone special.

Machine made jewelry whether precious, semi-precious or low-end materials are often fashionable and offer beautiful range of designs and finishes to choose from. However beautiful it might appear initially, it can easily wear down. And, repairing machine-made jewelry is difficult and often leaves ugly scars only to leave your precious item worthless. Finishes and polishes that make this jewelry attractive, are actually a limitation when it needs to be repaired. The polish burns easily and causes irreparable damage to the articles. Recycling the metals then is almost impossible and cannot be considered an investment. However, if you know how to maintain your precious things well, nothing promises more variety and elegance than extremely beautiful, fashionable and guaranteed machine-made jewelry.

Authentic handmade silver and gold jewelry fitted with precious, semiprecious or Swarovski crystals have always been coveted by designers and consumers alike. Handmade jewelry is an investment and can easily be repaired whenever required often with minimum effort. The metals and stones can be recycled or rearranged into a new design altogether at considerably low costs when compared to purchasing a new machine-made jewelry item in the event of an irreparable damage to the article. Beautiful , authentic and specially handcrafted fashionable jewelry can be manufactured using almost all metals and gemstone combinations. Handmade jewelry gives you best value for money. However, skilled artisans are required to create and repair these beautiful pieces of art.

In summary, is there a better way between trendy fashion jewelry and handcrafted? I think so, which is why our websites support crafters. Handcrafted is a dying art that we choose to support. All of our designs on our website are truly unique pieces and you can see the love and man hours involved in creating each piece. Another interesting fact is that handcrafted jewelry can be melted down and recycled when you're done with it, which is on just about every consumer's mind these days. We are now carrying a whole section dedicated to recycled jewelry.
But more on that later.....

Parts of this article were excerpted from Rob Colburn

Don't Forget Mom This Year Kids!

Put Your Best Foot Forward for Mom

Excerpted from MothersDayCentral.com

1. Do Your Homework. Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, so why not get your homework out of the way early in the weekend so you can spend Sunday with Mom?
2. With some planning, you can dedicate a good grade in school to Mom. Work extra hard on a school project or paper or tell her you earned that good grade for all the help she’s given you.
3. Clean your room. She’s nagged you and nagged you. Make the chore part of your gift to Mom on Mother’s Day.
4. Mom’s Day Off. Plan a Mother’s Day in which Mom is completely off the hook. If you’re old enough to drive, be her chauffer for the day. If she normally does housework on Sunday, take over the chores for her special day.
5. Wash Mom's car. Scrub the exterior and vacuum the interior for a unique and impromptu Mother’s Day gift.
6. Give her car a tune-up. If you’re an older child with driving privileges, take Mom’s care for an oil-change.

Help Mom Relax and De-Stress

7. Set Mom’s mood with candles. In the morning light an aromatherapy candle in her bedroom or bathroom. In the evening light a richly scented candle in the kitchen or living room.
8. In addition to candles, why not urge Mom to take time for a bubble bath? Don’t interrupt her with chores or questions about dinner, but deliver her a good book, a cozy robe and run a hot bath, complete with candles and her favorite bath oils, salts or bubble bath.

Create a Special Homemade Gift

9. Draw or paint Mom a picture. Whether it’s a kindergarten crayon drawing or a college art studio object d’art, Mom will proudly display your work.
10. Plan a Skit. Get siblings together and plan and act out a short humorous skit that honors Mom. Playfully re-enact a memorable family event, a funny camping trip, or a time when Mom did something especially caring or courageous. A comic sketch can tactfully and light-heartedly poke fun at Mom’s quirky traits while letting her know how much you enjoy and appreciate her as a Mother.
11. Play Mom your own Music. If you play an instrument, love to sing, write your own songs or even play other peoples’ songs, then consider performing for Mom on Mother’s Day. Whether you’re studying for the conservatory, or simply like to jam with a local garage band, Mom will be touched by the effort you’ve devoted to composing and practicing a piece in her honor.

Use Food to Win Her Heart

12. Fix Mom a fresh Mother’s Day smoothie. Choose a simple smoothie recipe and surprise Mom with an early morning fruit rush. For simpler fruit fare, squeeze fresh oranges for an elegant morning juice glass.
13. Bake a cake. Does Mom like fancy desserts? Choose a cake recipe that will surprise her—not your average run of the mill yellow box cake, either.

Show Her How Much She’s Loved

14. Balloon Poetry. Hang balloons around the house with personal, thoughtful messages written on them. Be specific. Think of Mom’s positive characteristics, and the nice things she does for you. TIP: Instead of writing something generic like “Happy Mother’s Day,” try something like “Thank you for being there at our baseball games” or “We love the delicious dinners you cook for us.”
15. Free Mom to spend time with Dad. Older siblings—take your younger sisters and brothers out to a movie, walk in the park, or on an extended day trip so that Mom and Dad can enjoy quality time together on Mother’s Day.
16. Mother’s Day Essay. Write about what Mom means to you, what she does for you, and what makes her a great Mother.
17. Tell Mom something nice about her. Did someone say something nice about Mom? Whether it was a neighbor, friend or even a family member, let her know about it.
18. Give Mom a Mother’s Day hug. You can’t get much simpler or sincere than this.

User Submissions:

19. Put messages in balloons or sticky notes around the house, telling mom to look in certain hiding places for little surprises
    

From a Distance:

20. Call Mom and spend more than your perfunctory couple of minutes with her. She’s wanted to know all about you, so share your week’s exploits, highlights of your job, boss gripes, favorite wines, good movies, favorite coffee shop, current date, etc. She’s dying to know.
21. Write Mom a thoughtful handwritten letter. Tell her all the same you’d tell her over the phone, but choose a pretty piece of notepaper or a card and write it yourself. The handwritten note is fast becoming a rare gift.

Want something more personalized? Check out all the handcrafted jewelry for mom at LiveLoveGoods.com
http://www.livelovegoods.com/mothers-day.html

Choosing a Wedding Photographer

Important Things To Consider When Choosing a Wedding Photographer

Excerpted From FrugalBride.com

Experience Level - Has this person photographed other weddings? Does he/she do this for a living or for fun?

Photographic Style - Are the images that you are shown, what you would like to see? There are "buzz" words flying about everywhere about photojournalism, formal, classic candid, and so on. Do you want a mixture of black and white or only colour photos?

Truth in Advertising - Is this the photographer that will be photographing your wedding or will they send in whomever is available. Don't be shocked, this happens more often than you can imagine. Be certain that you know which photographer is going to be there and that you see HIS/HER work and meet with that individually face to face.

Personality - Is the photographer that you meet someone that you can get along with? Is the "chemistry" there?

Appearance - Ask the photographer how he/she intends to dress. Is this person well groomed?

Price Range - Although, the last thing you want to do is shop by price, is this person within your budget? If not, is he or she worth the price difference? Make sure you understand what everything costs, including reprints and albums.

Delivery - How long does it take to get your proofs back, thank you cards, your finished album, your bridal portrait, etc.?

Offering - Whether it's a la carte or a package, do you understand what you are getting? Is there any room for changes and will it cost to do so? Sometimes the packages are fixed, sometimes they can be customized, in any case, ask. How much time will he/she spend? What if you need more time? Make sure that you know what's coming.

Contract - Do you understand the contract. Is it fair? Is everything spelled out? When it comes down going to court, only what is WRITTEN really counts, not what was promised. Make sure that you have no doubts before signing. Read it ALL.

What about deposits and payments? What does it say about cancellations and the photographer not being there? If the photographer protests, ask him why? This is one area NOT to take lightly. You could be disappointed for a long time.

References - A personal reference is always the best and people love to talk. Get a list of references from the photographer and check them out personally. A photographer who doesn't have references or is afraid to give them to you may not be the person that you need to hire.

Other Questions: (some questions may be repeated from the list above)

• Have you shot a wedding at my location before?
• Do you have an assistant?
• Do you have backup equipment and is it the same quality as the primary equipment?
• What time will you begin and how long will you stay until?
• When will the proofs be ready?
• Do we get to keep the proofs?
• Do you mark your proofs?
• Where and how are your proofs marked?
• How much extra for unmarked proofs?
• Do we get to keep our negatives?
• How long do you keep the negatives and will you sell them to us?
• Do you use high speed film to expose natural light?
• Do you have tele-photo and wide-angle lenses?
• Do you work well with the other vendors? i.e.: coordinators, caterers, videographers.
• Can you work from a photo checklist that we create?
• How will you be dressed?
• Do you process and develop your own film and prints?

What goes on the all important contract?

• The name of your photographer
• The time that he/she arrives and leaves
• The number of proofs you will view in order to pick your enlargements and/or keep
• The description of the package you ordered
• A list of guaranteed prices for enlargements. If they have a brochure with prices then get the photographer to write down that the prices on the brochure they gave you are the prices that you will be charged.
• The cutoff date for these brochure prices.
• All additional charges, services, taxes, travel, etc... Get the exact cost on the contract.
• An explanation of what happens if your photographer doesn't show up.
• The date and deposit amount and how much is still owing.
• Your name, address and phone number. The names and addresses of the ceremony and reception locations.

Our favorite photographer is a sweetheart...Chelsea Sanders with BluelineWeddings.com. She has a contemporary angle when shooting weddings, and it is always so fresh. She specializes in destination weddings, but will go anywhere. Check out her site and book her early!

Inexpensive Ideas For Wedding Rings

I love the fact that people are moving away from the classic wedding ring. It could be to save money, going for the 'green' effect or they just want something more contemporary. Check out our new stackable ring collection. These rings are simple and understated. Made of re-claimed sterling silver these rings look fabulous worn alone or stacked, and at only $19.00, it's a win-win situation!

For all the rings shown and more, check out this link:

https://www.charmingwords.com/shop/catalog/inspirational-rings-stackable-rings-c-21_43_123.html

Give The Timeless Gift of Sterling Silver This Holiday Season

People come to my website and say 'Your jewelry is really fantastic, but it's so expensive, you must make a great profit'. My answer to this is, 'No, but you're making a great investment'.

I only sell sterling silver and 18kt gold jewelry on my site. All of it is handcrafted and not manufactured. You are going to pay more for this, because the pieces are individual, made by an artisan, and not a machine. The other factor to consider is the rising cost of precious metals, ie..silver and gold. When you buy a piece of this timeless classic, it is only going to go up in value. Historically, silver has matched gold in it's rise in value. This year, silver has been holding and has not gone up like gold, but you can bet that it will moving forward to 2010.

When I started my business in 2004, the cost of silver was $6.67/oz in US dollars. Today, it is hovering between $18.00 - $19.00/oz. You can go sell the piece that you don't wear anymore, that you purchased five years ago and actually make money off of it!!!! How's that for an investment?

Women are fickle, they buy a piece of jewelry and may not wear it anymore after a few years. So, they can take it to a silver (or gold) broker and get paid more money than they originally purchased it for!!!!! You can't do this with clothes or that cheap costume jewelry!!! Come on guys.....get out your wallets and make an investment in a fine piece of jewelry this year! Oh, and by the way, don't forget to check out my websites!


www.CharmingWords.com
www.LiveLoveWoof.com

Wedding Traditions and How They Came To Be...

There are many traditions that are honored during wedding ceremonies. But do you know what some of them mean or how they originated? Here are some of our most loved traditions, and how they came to be.

The Bride’s Bouquet
(You may opt to have the band announce this as the bride tosses her bouquet)

Bridal bouquets have evolved through the ages. Saracen brides carried bouquets of orange blossoms to symbolize fertility, and Roman brides carried sheaves of wheat to symbolize prosperity for their husbands. In the eighteenth century, the practice of carrying a bouquet of flowers or herbs became a popular tradition, which symbolized fragility, purity, and new life. Bouquets of dill were among the most popular herb carried. Today bridal bouquets are tossed to assembled single women to symbolize new life and to pass on the bride’s good fortune.

White Aisle Runner
A white aisle runner symbolizes walking on holy ground. A marriage covenant is not made merely between two people and their witnesses. It is made in the presence of God and He is actively involved in the agreement.

Kissing the Bride
During the Roman Empire, the kiss symbolized a legal bond. Continued use of the kiss to seal the marriage bond is based on the deeply rooted idea of the kiss as a vehicle for transference of power and souls.

The Bride and Groom Feeding Each Other the Cake
This represents the sharing of the body to become one.

Arras (Coins)
During Catholic ceremonies in Spain, Panama, and Mexico, the groom presents the bride with 13 gold coins, known as Arras, to represent his ability to support the bride. The coins are blessed by the priest and passed through the hands of the newlyweds several times, ending up with the bride. Want to make the ritual a little more balanced? Consider giving each other coins, to symbolize shared responsibility.

“Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue”
Old and new items jointly symbolize the passage from the old unmarried state to that of the new married one. The wearing of a borrowed belonging demonstrates community participation in and approval of the wedding. Blue is worn because it is the color that signifies purity, love, and fidelity.

Groom's Cake
The tradition of the wedding cake was brought to the New World by the Pilgrims-and it was fruit cake! It was not until the 1800s, with the advent of white flour, baking powder, and baking soda, that the white cake remained and became known as the groom's cake. It was placed beside the bride's cake at the reception, boxed, and given to guest as a favor. Legend has it that single guests who placed the boxed cake under their pillow would dream of their intended; hence, it became known as dreaming bread.

Jumping the Broom
This African tradition is one that's become a part of many African-American weddings. At the end of the ceremony, the couple jumps over the broom that's placed at their feet. The broom, in many regions of Africa, symbolized beginning life with a clean slate, of sweeping away evil spirit, and starting a new home with its many responsibilities. In the United States, when slavery prevented couples from legally marrying, they jumped the broom to seal their vows.

"Bridal"
In the ancient world, there was no marriage, If a man wanted a wife, he simply raided the nearest village and captured her. In Israel, when a man raided a village and escaped with a wife, he spent the night (or moon) with her in seclusion drinking mead, a liquor made from fermented honey. The drink was called bride ale (the origin of the world bridal) and the night of liquor-drinking seclusion became as the honeymoon.

Not Just Calligraphy-Event Planning
by Mayra Etayo

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