Hello Everybody...
My teams and I are at it again... giving away items to lucky winners that sign up for our mailing lists.
http://ArtCreated.com - I will be picking a winner every week and giving away my signature perfume, hand carved candles and jewelry.
http://EclecticJewelryArtisans.com - Three winners will be picked on Sept. 23rd - the Fall Equinox. Items will include: jewelry, jewelry and more jewelry.
http://SpiritofDarkArt.com - Three winners will be picked on Nov. 1st - All Saints Day. Items will include: hand painted art, candles, perfume, t-shirts and jewelry.
Don't say I never gave you anything. :)
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
The Wire Competition by EJA – Your Chance to Vote and Win!
Here's your chance to vote for your favorite wire project by the artisans of EJA and your chance to win a free gift bag that will include hand made jewelry and other goodies!!
Just visit http://eeja.org/wire_com/wired.html and fill out the form. On July 25th, we will draw a lucky e-mail address from those that have voted. One vote per person. Voting on an item will sign you up for our newsletter that will inform you of future sales and other prize drawings.
Thank you,
Team EJA
http://EEJA.org
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Ah, Ruby...
Ah, Ruby!
by Jill of JQJewelryDesigns.Etsy.com
Member of http://EEJA.org
The Queen of gems, deep red ruby is the rarest and most valuable gemstone. It's the second hardest natural mineral, next to diamond. Above all other gemstones, including Diamonds, Rubies are the most expensive per Carat - a 15.97 Carat faceted Mogok Ruby was sold at Sotheby's in New York for an amazing $3,630,000 in October 1988. This comes to $227,301 per Carat!
It is from the Latin "ruber" meaning red. Because of its beauty and rarity, the Greeks called it the mother of all gemstones. The Romans called it a flower among stones. Ruby varies in color from dark to purple red, and is the July birthstone. It's the anniversary gemstone for the 15th and 40th year of marriage and the Zodiac Birthstone for Capricorn.
The earliest record for the mining of Rubies goes back more than 2,500 years ago in Sri Lanka. Burma is the world's largest provider of high quality Rubies. Burmese Rubies from the Mogok Valley are considered the finest in the world. Thailand, with large deposits near the Cambodian border, was previously the world's largest provider of Rubies, but the mining has fallen off recently. Bright red stones are mined in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Vietnam. Brownish-red rubies are from Thailand. Darker stones are generally produced from the mines in Australia, India, Russia and USA (Georgia, North Carolina and Wyoming). African Rubies have heavy inclusions and India is famous for supplying Indian Star Rubies. Gems without inclusions are very rare. Most have inclusions which are not visible to the naked eye, and they don't reduce the value of the stone as long as there is brilliance.
This gem can be many shades of red including orangy-red, purplish red or brownish red. Once it becomes too pink it is really pink sapphire. Most Rubies are heat treated to permanently improve their color and appearance. It was one of the earliest gemstones to be synthesized in a laboratory. Manmade Ruby has been around for generations. It is often found in estate and antique jewelry from the very early 1900's through today.
Few other gems have as much myth, lore and romance surrounding them. Many people believe that mystical powers lie within a ruby. The ancient Burmese believed that the stone generates a mystical force when it was inserted beneath the skin. They believed that this force protected the wearer from accidents and attacks. These gems were believed to provide their owners the protection from misfortune and bad health. In the ancient world, many believed that Rubies contained prophetic powers, enabling the wearers to predict their future based on the color changes of their gemstones.
It is known as the stone of love and it was once believed that if worn in a ring on the left hand or in a brooch on the left side, it would give the magical ability to live in peace among enemies. This stone was once thought to ward off bad luck and sickness. Ruby is given as a symbol of success, devotion, integrity, health, and passion.
DID YOU KNOW?
The largest ruby is in the crown of Charles IV, of Luxembourg, King of Bohemia. This birth stone is 250 carats and Charles placed this crown on the skull of Saint Wemaslas, duke of Bohemia, in 1346.
The Carmen Lucia Ruby is the largest faceted ruby in the National Gem Collection and one of the finest Burmese rubies known to exist in the world. Christian Sampler, director of the National Museum of Natural History, says it's the most significant addition to the National Gem Collection since the Hope Diamond came to the museum in 1958. It is a spectacular 23.1 carat Burmese ruby ring, donated to the Smithsonian Institution by billionaire Peter Buck in memory of his wife Carmen Lucia.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
)))Meet FRED(((
IMPORTANT: If you ever rescue a bird, never try to give it water, you can easily get it into their lungs and drown them. Go to a pet store and buy food, follow the mixing instructions.
6/12/07 On the way home, I asked Jimi to swing into the liquor store for some water. Got out of the car and on the ground was a baby birdie, at first I thought it was on it's way "out" but then Jimi came along and the birdie started squakin. So, we took birdie down the street to the vet's office which turned us away and told us to go to the pet store. Birdie was sitting up with its mouth open for food. The pet store gave us baby birdie food, I mixed some up with the water I had using a key and the lid to the bottle and used the key to feed birdie. So, on our way home, birdie starts squakin again and I started squakin back... and he replied!! So, birdie and I talked about how he was coming to live with us and he said ok. In my studio now, I have the 3 kittens and 1 baby bird... oh, and the birdie is a pigeon which the pet store guy said "OH", as in good grief. Guess we didn't rescue a good enough bird. Anyway, he's as cute as can be. I can't believe he's alive after the fall he took... only time will tell now cause one thing is for sure; he's got a full belly.
At home, I have a lot of pet tanks from when I had lots of lizards. I put birdie in one of the tanks but he kept falling over. Well DUH, he needs a nest. A bowl and a towel worked and I can tell he is happy. I read that they strengthen their legs by bracing themselves against the nest walls.
I was going to name him “Bungie” but then my friend Jane came up with F.R.E.D.
Fernando
Rodriguez
Eduardo
Domingez
6/13 I noticed a lump on Fred's neck, it goes down after he rests for a while and then when he chirps it puffs back up. I thought it was an infection at first, don't know what it is now.
6/14 Ok, the sack fills up with food! Weird. This is fun, I'm his mommy. Fred does the cutest things, before each bite of food, he chirps! Then once he starts chewing, he stomps his feet!!
6/23 Fred flew around my room
6/24 Fred gave me ringworm - to rid yourself of ringworm, use anti-fungal cream (athletes foot cream).
6/28 Fred grew up so very fast, amazing that in 4 days he had all his feathers out. He's beautiful… a small bird, maybe a finch. Teaching Fred to eat worms and seeds was interesting. Took him 2 days of staring at the seed branch to figure it out. It also took two days to get him to eat worms on his own.
Well, one day I had only about 5 little worms and there was no more baby bird food for him, Jimi would bring some home after work. What a noisy day I had… Fred squaked in protest. I went to the kitchen and we had some honey wheat berry bread so I tried that. Well, Fred didn't like it and he spit it out! I looked for oatmeal but we didn't have any, then I saw corn flakes. Fred spit them out. I had fish food so I tried that. Fred spit it out. I took the corn flakes and soaked them in water, made a mush like his bird food. He spit most of it out. The UPS man showed up with the package of gourmet almonds I ordered and as I was enjoying them it dawned on me to try giving Fred some almonds. So, I chewed up a bunch and I spit them out!! Sure enough, Fred loved it. Finally, Jimi came home with worms and seeds.
I've been opening the lid to the enclosure that Fred is in. What a smart bird. He jumps up to the stick I put in there and then hops out onto the lid. Then he will jump back down to the stick and into his house. He does this all day. He's flown around a few times but it looks like something is wrong with one of his wings. Most likely from when he fell as a baby. He has a hard time flying up. If he doesn't improve, we may just have to keep him. I'm not one that likes to keep wild animals locked up, I rescue and release but in this case, I may not have a choice. Our other option is to bring Fred to my Father's house and let him live in the front yard. My Dad doesn't have any cats and Jimi works there so would be able to feed Fred as needed. We thought we could make him a bird-house.
I had a lot of fun with Fred yesterday. I was taking photo's of my jewelry and put Fred in the photo with me. He sat on my hand, nice and still. What a bird!!
Ahna
ArtCreated.com
Founder - EJA
6/12/07 On the way home, I asked Jimi to swing into the liquor store for some water. Got out of the car and on the ground was a baby birdie, at first I thought it was on it's way "out" but then Jimi came along and the birdie started squakin. So, we took birdie down the street to the vet's office which turned us away and told us to go to the pet store. Birdie was sitting up with its mouth open for food. The pet store gave us baby birdie food, I mixed some up with the water I had using a key and the lid to the bottle and used the key to feed birdie. So, on our way home, birdie starts squakin again and I started squakin back... and he replied!! So, birdie and I talked about how he was coming to live with us and he said ok. In my studio now, I have the 3 kittens and 1 baby bird... oh, and the birdie is a pigeon which the pet store guy said "OH", as in good grief. Guess we didn't rescue a good enough bird. Anyway, he's as cute as can be. I can't believe he's alive after the fall he took... only time will tell now cause one thing is for sure; he's got a full belly.
At home, I have a lot of pet tanks from when I had lots of lizards. I put birdie in one of the tanks but he kept falling over. Well DUH, he needs a nest. A bowl and a towel worked and I can tell he is happy. I read that they strengthen their legs by bracing themselves against the nest walls.
I was going to name him “Bungie” but then my friend Jane came up with F.R.E.D.
Fernando
Rodriguez
Eduardo
Domingez
6/13 I noticed a lump on Fred's neck, it goes down after he rests for a while and then when he chirps it puffs back up. I thought it was an infection at first, don't know what it is now.
6/14 Ok, the sack fills up with food! Weird. This is fun, I'm his mommy. Fred does the cutest things, before each bite of food, he chirps! Then once he starts chewing, he stomps his feet!!
6/23 Fred flew around my room
6/24 Fred gave me ringworm - to rid yourself of ringworm, use anti-fungal cream (athletes foot cream).
6/28 Fred grew up so very fast, amazing that in 4 days he had all his feathers out. He's beautiful… a small bird, maybe a finch. Teaching Fred to eat worms and seeds was interesting. Took him 2 days of staring at the seed branch to figure it out. It also took two days to get him to eat worms on his own.
Well, one day I had only about 5 little worms and there was no more baby bird food for him, Jimi would bring some home after work. What a noisy day I had… Fred squaked in protest. I went to the kitchen and we had some honey wheat berry bread so I tried that. Well, Fred didn't like it and he spit it out! I looked for oatmeal but we didn't have any, then I saw corn flakes. Fred spit them out. I had fish food so I tried that. Fred spit it out. I took the corn flakes and soaked them in water, made a mush like his bird food. He spit most of it out. The UPS man showed up with the package of gourmet almonds I ordered and as I was enjoying them it dawned on me to try giving Fred some almonds. So, I chewed up a bunch and I spit them out!! Sure enough, Fred loved it. Finally, Jimi came home with worms and seeds.
I've been opening the lid to the enclosure that Fred is in. What a smart bird. He jumps up to the stick I put in there and then hops out onto the lid. Then he will jump back down to the stick and into his house. He does this all day. He's flown around a few times but it looks like something is wrong with one of his wings. Most likely from when he fell as a baby. He has a hard time flying up. If he doesn't improve, we may just have to keep him. I'm not one that likes to keep wild animals locked up, I rescue and release but in this case, I may not have a choice. Our other option is to bring Fred to my Father's house and let him live in the front yard. My Dad doesn't have any cats and Jimi works there so would be able to feed Fred as needed. We thought we could make him a bird-house.
I had a lot of fun with Fred yesterday. I was taking photo's of my jewelry and put Fred in the photo with me. He sat on my hand, nice and still. What a bird!!
Ahna
ArtCreated.com
Founder - EJA
Monday, June 25, 2007
Winners of the EJA Summer Solstice Giveaway
We have our 3 winners in the EJA Summer Solstice Jewelry Giveaway!! These girls are going to be stylin with all the jewelry we sent them.
Jill from Ohio
Alissa from PA
Lesha from Indiana
Congrats girls!!
Didn’t get a chance to enter? Well, you’re in luck. EJA is having another drawing on the Autumn Solstice!! All you need to do is visit: http://EEJA.org and sign up for our mailing list.
Jill from Ohio
Alissa from PA
Lesha from Indiana
Congrats girls!!
Didn’t get a chance to enter? Well, you’re in luck. EJA is having another drawing on the Autumn Solstice!! All you need to do is visit: http://EEJA.org and sign up for our mailing list.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Free Jewelry??
Yes, sign up for our news letter to be entered into our Summer Solstice giveaway. Three people will win artisan crafted jewelry and gifts - just for signing up.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
What's So Great About MAY - Emerald!
Ahhh, Emerald - gem of eternal Spring!
Emerald is the birthstone of May, the anniversary gemstone for the 20th and 35th years of marriage and the birthstone for the Zodiac signs of Taurus and Cancer.
The emerald has been a highly prized gem in many cultures for over six thousand years. Carat for carat, a fine emerald may be two or three times as valuable as a diamond. Unfortunately, this lovely gem has had a violent history. In Columbian region, it began with the murder of local Indians by the Spanish conquistadors trying to force them to reveal the location of emerald mines. The murder of over 900 people in 1972 was due to disputes over the control of emerald bearing regions. Many corporations, groups and government agencies have controlled the emerald mines over the years, and each of them had their share of theft, murder and corruption. After the violence of 1972 the Colombian government closed down the mines and gave private businessmen leases to run the mines. Although this has stabilized the region and reduced the violence, a good percentage of emeralds are mined illegally, or have strong connections to the drug cartels.
Emerald mining in the US has had it's share of tragedy, including a lawsuit in the mid 1980's. An emerald crystal of record size was discovered in North Carolina. The dispute was resolved when one of the parties cut the 14 inch crystal in half, destroying the value of this priceless gem.
Emeralds are found in many countries, but Columbia and Brazil are the major producers and Columbia is recognized as the source for the finest stones. They are also found in Pakistan, Russia, Australia, South Africa, India, Norway and the United States.
Lore:
Green is considered Nature's most soothing color, and early doctors had their patients look through pieces of emerald to treat eye diseases. Medicine made from powdered emeralds was used to "cure" diseases such as epilepsy. Many people believed that placing an emerald under the tongue enabled them to see the future. Legends tell of a Spanish settler who discovered a beautiful emerald stuck in the hoof of his lame horse. When it was backtracked, it led to the now famous Muzo mine.
Emerald is a stone of love and romance. It brings joy, enhances intuition, faith and promotes truthfulness. Another legend says that if an emerald is given by one sweetheart to another, it will pale and grow dull when the love between them fades.
My personal favorite is the legend of Emerald City . . . follow the Yellow Brick Road!
by Jill Quisenberry
Emerald is the birthstone of May, the anniversary gemstone for the 20th and 35th years of marriage and the birthstone for the Zodiac signs of Taurus and Cancer.
The emerald has been a highly prized gem in many cultures for over six thousand years. Carat for carat, a fine emerald may be two or three times as valuable as a diamond. Unfortunately, this lovely gem has had a violent history. In Columbian region, it began with the murder of local Indians by the Spanish conquistadors trying to force them to reveal the location of emerald mines. The murder of over 900 people in 1972 was due to disputes over the control of emerald bearing regions. Many corporations, groups and government agencies have controlled the emerald mines over the years, and each of them had their share of theft, murder and corruption. After the violence of 1972 the Colombian government closed down the mines and gave private businessmen leases to run the mines. Although this has stabilized the region and reduced the violence, a good percentage of emeralds are mined illegally, or have strong connections to the drug cartels.
Emerald mining in the US has had it's share of tragedy, including a lawsuit in the mid 1980's. An emerald crystal of record size was discovered in North Carolina. The dispute was resolved when one of the parties cut the 14 inch crystal in half, destroying the value of this priceless gem.
Emeralds are found in many countries, but Columbia and Brazil are the major producers and Columbia is recognized as the source for the finest stones. They are also found in Pakistan, Russia, Australia, South Africa, India, Norway and the United States.
Lore:
Green is considered Nature's most soothing color, and early doctors had their patients look through pieces of emerald to treat eye diseases. Medicine made from powdered emeralds was used to "cure" diseases such as epilepsy. Many people believed that placing an emerald under the tongue enabled them to see the future. Legends tell of a Spanish settler who discovered a beautiful emerald stuck in the hoof of his lame horse. When it was backtracked, it led to the now famous Muzo mine.
Emerald is a stone of love and romance. It brings joy, enhances intuition, faith and promotes truthfulness. Another legend says that if an emerald is given by one sweetheart to another, it will pale and grow dull when the love between them fades.
My personal favorite is the legend of Emerald City . . . follow the Yellow Brick Road!
by Jill Quisenberry
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