HilemanSilverJewelry's Blog

Hileman Silver Jewelry Blog
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White Sapphire as a Diamond Alternative

Published: 01-03-2012 09:17am
Most people think of sapphires as being blue, yellow, pink or maybe even orange, but very few people are aware of white sapphire.   A sapphire’s color is determined by the presence of trace amounts of other elements such as chromium, iron and titanium when the crystal was formed.  White sapphires are a pure form of corundum which is not commonly found in nature.  Large white sapphires of high quality are a rare find and are highly prized by collectors.  The best white sapphires are found in Kashmir, followed by stones from Burma and Sri Lanka.      White sapphires make a great alternative to diamonds! White s... » Read More

Fossilized Red Horn Coral Jewelry

Published: 01-03-2012 09:16am
A few weeks ago we purchased some fossilized horn coral from a local gem dealer.  He had acquired a nice quantity of it and thought it would be perfect for our inlay jewelry.  We had never heard of red horn coral, but the nice range of red to pink colors and the dealer’s assurance that it would take a nice polish persuaded us to give it a try.  Here is our first piece of jewelry utilizing the red horn coral.  The coral we inlaid in this silver ring is a nice red-orange color with great depth.  Fossilized horn coral is fairly hard and does indeed take a great polish.  Check out the ring!   http://www.artfire.com/modules.ph... » Read More

Dinosaur Bone Jewelry Roars to Life

Published: 01-03-2012 09:15am
If you are anything like me, you probably are not familiar with gem dinosaur bone or dinosaur bone jewelry . My experience with dinosaur bone began last year when I discovered it on Ebay. We decided to try inlaying dinosaur bone in our sterling silver jewelry and it was a big hit. The dinosaur bone we use in our jewelry is usually referred to as “gembone”. It is actually not bone but is a combination of minerals that replaced the dinosaur bone over time. Dinosaur bone is found in a rainbow of colors with the webbing color and cell size varying greatly from piece to piece. The varying cell size and colors create some truly unique patterns... » Read More

Here Comes the Bride! (and the Groom)

Published: 11-21-2011 10:57am
Hileman Silver Jewelry's focus lately has been on creating an alternative to mass produced, cookie cutter wedding ring sets.  We have created several his and hers wedding sets in sterling silver featuring white sapphires, black diamonds and blue sapphires for the center stones.  We have accented them with inlaid black onyx, Australian crystal opal and bright blue lapis.  So far, the new handmade wedding sets have received rave reviews, so we are working to expand our color palette and introducing a few more style choices.  Look for several new wedding band sets to hit our shop page in the next week or two.  Follow us on Facebook and Twi... » Read More

Mark Hileman interviewed for Artizen Magazine

Published: 11-21-2011 10:37am
Artizen Magazine Interviews Mark Hileman Last week Mark Hileman was interviewed by Cindy Marks of Artizen Magazine and we have been waiting (impatiently) for the new issue to hit our inbox.  What a pleasant surprise!  Cindy did a great job sharing Mark’s background and shedding some light on how the jewelry has evolved and grown into what it is today.  The article also includes some nice photos and live links to all of our jewelry and social sites.   This issue of Artizen  includes an article about designer Kat Swank and a great article on beer and cheese pairings as well as some amazing photos by Peter Lockwood.  Che... » Read More

New Hileman Jewelry Videos On YouTube

Published: 11-21-2011 10:24am
If you haven't visited the Hileman Jewelry YouTube channel you need to check it out.  We are adding new jewelry videos almost every week.  It is a great way to see the rings, pendants and other designs from all angles and watch the changes in the opal flash as the piece revolves.  We just added a video of an Australian opal wedding ring set and a dinosaur bone inlay pendant.  Come by and take a look at http://www.youtube.com/HilemanJewelry.  You can subscribe to our channel and receive an update every time a new jewelry video is added. Thank you! Mark and John www.HilemanSilverJewelry.com www.AustralianOpalJewelry.com... » Read More

New Dinosaur Bone Jewelry

Published: 11-21-2011 10:19am
If you are anything like me, you probably are not familiar with gem dinosaur bone.  My experience with dinosaur bone began last year when I discovered it on Ebay.  We decided to give it a try in our sterling silver jewelry and it was a big hit.  The dinosaur bone we use in our jewelry is usually referred to as “gembone”.  It is actually not bone but is a combination of minerals that replaced the bone over time.  Dinosaur bone is found in a rainbow of colors with the webbing color and cell size varying greatly from piece to piece.  The varying cell size and colors create some truly unique patterns and virtually one of a kind pieces of... » Read More

Semi-custom Jewelry- Working with customers to create that special piece

Published: 11-21-2011 10:15am
You have scoured the internet and your local jewelry stores looking for that perfect piece of jewelry but just can’t quite seem to find it.  Working with a jeweler to create a “custom” piece of jewelry might seem like too daunting of a task for some.  The extra time involved and costs incurred to create a custom jewelry piece may also be prohibitive if you are short on time or on a limited budget.  What if you could get involved in the design process of your special piece of jewelry by  selecting the color of the inlay stones used, as well as the arrangement of the stones, to create a semi-custom piece of jewelry j... » Read More
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