TheGemmedGiraffe's Blog

Blogging with The Gemmed Giraffe
1 2

Modifications Make a Difference

Published: 02-13-2012 06:03am
Posted In: Working on This
Do modifications make a difference? I've been blogging for over a year and I do think it makes a difference. It gives me a chance to share with you some of the work I'm doing as well as announce modifications to some of my designs. The most recent modifications made to my shop is a new banner. I decided that I needed a little color and that it made more sense to feature a few of my pieces. So I used the giraffe coat as a background and then feature one each of my favorite earrings, bracelets and necklaces. I think it made a difference in the look and feel of my shop. Another modification I made the to the shop is to feature all of my tur... » Read More

Green Aventurine Pendant

Published: 01-24-2012 07:06am
Posted In: Information on Gemstones
One of the great things about Artfire is the community of artisans who are so willing to promote one another. One of the ways this is done is through the creation of collections. One of my necklaces, Green Aventurine Pendant Necklace, was included in the Green Me collection curated by Peculiarjewels. The necklace was created using green aventurine Hawaiian chips. The pendant attachment is handcrafted and wire wrapped. Using the top drilled gemstone, I was able to wrap the stone in what looks like 'rams horns'.   Green aventurine is a gorgeous stone and the collection created by the curator reflects exactly how gorgeous a piece of jewelry can... » Read More

Merry Christmas to All

Published: 12-24-2011 06:05am
Posted In: General Information
One of my most favorite childhood stories was the Night Before Christmas. And to this day, I love Christmas Eve. As the years go by, traditional Christmas morning furry of opening up presents with family has transitioned into quieter Christmas mornings. However, we have made new traditions by celebrating with candlelight service and nice Christmas Eve dinner. Tonight I look forward to making a seafood dinner with healthy sides along with a wonderful glass of wine. I hope all of you enjoy your Christmas Eve because it is a very special time of the year. Thank you for all your support this year. Merry Christmas to All! And to all a good night.... » Read More

The Road to Better Blogging

Published: 11-15-2011 06:49am
Posted In: General Information
I've been reinspired to start blogging again. I don't really have a list of topics to discuss but I have decided to take a fresh approach.  First, I need to figure out whether blogging is for me and then I need to evaluate my blog.  I have two blogs. The one you are reading here on Artfire.com and the other is on Blogger (www.thegemmedgiraffe.blogspot.com). I've been reading about blogging and found this great article that enables you to evaluate your blog from a six point perspective. The article is entitled "6 Important Areas of Your Blog to Consider When Building Your Brand". I highly recommend taking a fresh look at your blog and see how... » Read More

February Birthstone - Amethyst

Published: 11-10-2011 02:06pm
Posted In: Information on Gemstones
Amethyst is the birthstone for the month of February. It is a crystalline quartz, purple in color and can be light to dark in color intensity. On the Mohs Scale of Hardness, which was talked about in my last blog entry, Amethyst is a 7.0. The ancient Greeks believed that the gemstone, Amethyst, held many powers, among them protection against intoxication. In fact, the word Amethyst comes from the Greek word “amethystos,” meaning sober. In ancient Greece, the gemstone was associated with the god of wine, and it was common practice to serve this beverage from Amethyst goblets in the belief that this would prevent overindulgence.  E... » Read More

Why Blog You Ask?

Published: 11-10-2011 08:56am
Posted In: General Information
I've been blogging for a year now and I have to admit that I don't keep a very regular schedule of submitting entries. But with the introduction of the new Artfire Blog interface, it is time to question again "Why do I need to blog".  The answers are very clearly articulated in this wonderful article.  Take a few minutes and read through the article, it will convince you once again why you should blog. John Prinzo of the Marketing Zeus writes "Benefits of the Business Blog". And then once you see the benefits, read this article. Here you will find that starting a business blog is a long term commitment of time and creativity.  Charles Fors... » Read More

March Birthstone - Aquamarine

Published: 11-10-2011 08:27am
Posted In: Information on Gemstones
Aquamarine is the birthstone for the month of March.  It is a blue-green or aqua variety of the mineral beryl. If you can picture the cerulean blue waters of the Mediterranean this is the color of the gemstone. Derived from the Roman word “Aqua,” meaning water, and “mare,” meaning sea, this pale blue gem does indeed resemble the color of seawater. The leading producer of aquamarine is Brazil. Aquamarine is a 7.5 to 8 on the hardness scale.  The ancient Romans believed that the Aquamarine was sacred to Neptune, the god of the sea, having fallen from the jewel boxes of sirens and washed onto shore.  Early sailors wore aquamarine... » Read More

So What's the Difference?

Published: 11-10-2011 08:25am
Posted In: General Information
When creating or purchasing jewelry, I'll bet you wonder what the difference is between, 'karat gold', 'gold filled' and 'gold plated' pieces. Gold is very durable. It won't tarnish, rust or corrode, however, in its purest form it is too soft for making jewelry. So it is alloyed with a mixture of metals like silver, copper, nickel, and zinc to give it strength and durability. The markings on gold such as 18K or 14K describe the percentage of gold the item contains. The higher the karat number, the higher the percentage of gold in your gold jewelry. Gold filled is an actual layers of gold-pressure bonded to another metal.  Gold filled is no... » Read More

Promoting Handmade in TX

Published: 11-09-2011 03:22pm
Posted In: General Information
One of the great things about blogging is learning about new blogs. I recently learned of Handmade in TX blog . Cindy Albright of Rustique Art is the author. Her goal is to promote the amazing talent, of artists and crafters whose products are made in the great state of Texas. She features artists that sell online at Etsy, Artfire, Zibbet, and Indie. So I took a chance and submitted a couple of my jewelry pieces to her weekend showcase. To my delight, she featured my Bronze Freshwater Pearl Bracelet in her most recent Lonestar Showcase #10. I am so delighted to have the bracelet featured as it is one of the latest additions and my most recent a... » Read More

January Birthstone - Garnet

Published: 11-09-2011 03:20pm
Posted In: Information on Gemstones
Garnets are most often recognized as deep red gemstones. However, garnet is not a single stone but a grouping of minerals with similar chemical and physical properties. The six types of gemstone varieties appear in shades of green, red, yellow and orange. In the USA, January's birthstone is garnet and is typically the red variety. It is also the state mineral for Connecticut, and the state gemstone for New York and Idaho. Red garnets are of type pyrope and almandine with the rholodite variety being a mixture of pyrope and almandine garnets. One glance at the deep red seeds nestled inside of a pomegranate fruit explains why the word “garnet... » Read More

The Gemmed Giraffe News

Published: 11-09-2011 03:19pm
Posted In: General Information
I recently added a Google Checkout to my payment processor options. For those visiting The Gemmed Giraffe artfire studio, I hope you will find this new option of value to you. For me, it was a very simple addition to my studio. Thanks to both Google and Artfire for making online selling so easy. I also became of member of Lookville.com. The website is a social fashion network made up of people from all around the world who want an opinion on their fashion choices.  As a member, I hope to provide my opinions on jewelry accessorizing for the fashion minded individual. You can find me on Lookville at http://lookville.com/thegemmedgiraffe.  ... » Read More

Birthstone History

Published: 11-09-2011 03:18pm
Posted In: Information on Gemstones
The idea of birthstones, a gemstone assigned to each month of the year, has its origin in biblical history. Scholars can trace it back to the Breastplate of Aaron described in the Bible in the book of Exodus. Over time the idea converted to aligning the twelve stones in the breastplate to the twelve signs of the Zodiac. But it is modern times that has assigned a particular gemstone to a month of birth. Scholars trace this to 18th century Poland, with the arrival of Jewish gem traders in the region. The modern list of birthstones was not defined until 1912, by the National Association of Jewelers (Jewelers of America) in the USA. The list wa... » Read More

Mohs Scale of Hardness

Published: 11-09-2011 03:18pm
Posted In: General Information
Mohs Scale of Hardness was developed in 1812 by Friedrich Mohs, a german mineralogist. Mohs Scale of Hardness is a measure of hardness relative to other gemstones and minerals as measured by scratching. The scale goes from one to ten with ten being the hardest. What the scale means is that a mineral of a given hardness rating will scratch other minerals of the same rating, as well as any minerals of a lower hardness rating. Common tools used to test pencil lead or graphite (hardness=1.5), a fingernail (2.2–2.5), copper penny (3.2–3.5), pocketknife (5.1), knife blade or window glass plate (5.5), a steel file (6.5) and unglazed porce... » Read More

Tibetan Nights Bracelet

Published: 11-09-2011 03:17pm
Posted In: Working on This
I have been designing a bracelet to match the recently added Tibetan Nights Earrings. I wanted to incorporate more silver elements to my original design. You can see from the picture that I am balancing the turquoise and silver beads. I look forward to completing the bracelet and posting the beginning of next week.  Come back everyday and you will see that I have added more items everyday.   ... » Read More

The Stone of Spain - Aragonite

Published: 11-09-2011 03:13pm
Posted In: Information on Gemstones
 Aragonite is a natural occurring carbonate mineral.  It is found in Molina de Aragon, near Guadalajara, Spain. It was named in 1797. An aragonite cave, the Ochtinska Aragonite Cave, is located in Slovakia. In the USA, aragonite in the form of stalactites and "cave flowers" is located in Carlsbad Caverns. Aragonite is a beautiful milky yellow color. It fills out the rainbow of semi precious stones quite nicely.  It is not particulary hard on the Mohl's scale, therefore, it is on the scale of pearls and mother of pearl in terms of softness. However, beautiful pieces can be made by combining with  rust-colored beads and bright translucent a... » Read More

April Birthstone - Diamond

Published: 11-09-2011 03:11pm
Posted In: Information on Gemstones
April's birthstone is a Diamond. Diamonds are a very expensive precious gemstone typically used in fine jewelry. Diamonds are created with extreme pressure and heat and are crystallized carbon. Diamonds are remarkably simple in composition, yet stunning in its unique ability to reflect and refract light into vivid flashes of brilliant color.  The word diamond is derived from the greek word for 'unbreakable'. Diamonds are harder than any other substance on earth, so on the Moh's Scale it is a 10. ... » Read More
1 2
Christmas countdown banner