Christmas Giveaway

This giveaway is very short term -- and very lovely.

I am giving away a pair of the most favorite item in my Etsy shop:

That's right -- my Christmas colors Garnet Wire Wrapped Hoops.  This is short term -- and in celebration of my husband moving home this holiday season.    This time I opened the giveaway to a variety of entry forms, and I will be drawing a winner this Saturday morning, the 15th, so that I can still get it to the winner (presuming you are stateside) in time for Christmas.    So, enter, enjoy, share at will.  Rafflecopter below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Working new designs at the 11th hour

So, the holiday season is officially upon us -- and I have gleefully put every item in the shop on sale. The sale is 20% off, taking most items very low indeed -- but hopefully you can get some fabulous gemstone jewelry for those you love.

Or frienemies. You could do that as well.

But, even as I add new items, I am still putting them on sale --and holding true to what larger stores are doing, I will leave this sale open a little longer than cyber Monday.
Here are a few new gemstones I am working with:
These are ametrine -- a mix of amethyst and citrine. And peridot, such a pretty tender shoots green. Very hot colors for spring.

Look for the in the shop tomorrow :)

~Maggie~

Holiday Sale Coupon Codes

I have been putting a lot of thought into the sale for this year -- so that I can include most holidays under the umbrella that will likely become "Black Friday," "Shop Small Saturday" and "Cyber Monday."

Here's the thing -- I have decided to open this sale way earlier than I previously thought for a variety of reasons.

1) I know it's easier to plan things when you know when the sale will be anyhow -- so I am starting it today.

2) I know it's easier to plan when the sale is open for a longer period of time -- and available to my international customers to order early, using the same sale code as my stateside customers.  That's just plain fair play.

3) Hanukkah falls early this year -- While not as early as next year, the festival of lights does begin December 8th -- cutting "Black Friday Sales" a bit too close for my comfort.

4) By opening it now -- and using a coupon code, you can tell how much something is that you will like and plan around pay-days since I know, as a military wife, sometimes the holidays are tight.

5) It's frankly easier for me -- I like to upgrade the speed of the shipping for early orders, and ask personally if you want anything special, i.e., a gift box, a personalized note, do you need me to wrap it for you?  All of these items I do at no extra charge during the holidays...and early orders make it so nothing is rushed on my end.

 I quality check my items 3 times -- once before the photo shoot, once before I place the item into tarnish resistant bags, and one final time before I ship.  I know, it's a bit obsessive, but I need to know the quality I send out is the quality I would expect to arrive -- and I am all about high quality.

So, there you have my stance on the holiday sale this year  -- and why I have opened it today.

Use Coupon Code Holiday2012 for any item in the store, your discount will be 20% off. 

And now for Shameless self-promotion.  Here are some birthstone ideas for holiday gifts -- I have difficulty shopping for some members of my friends and family, and birthstones can be a go-to for difficult to shop for.

You can visit the shop at Maggie's Jewelry for more gift ideas.

Happy Holidays!

<3 br="br" maggie="maggie">

Sometimes, it's just a disappointment

I left the show yesterday with two strands.  That's it.  Often I leave s show with at least 100 strands of gemstones -- and big plans.

But, I was disappointed yesterday.  For a few reasons -- one the quality didn't seem to be there and two the prices certainly were.

I want to get gemstones at reasonable rates because it all goes back to my fundamental goals for this project:  To make jewelry that is affordable to everyone, but still has that absolute quality you expect from a professional.

Maybe it was me -- maybe bringing my kids wasn't the best choice yesterday.  But they are very into this business I run -- often I allow them to chose stones and products they think would work well in the store.  Providing that they give me an honest, well thought out argument as to why.

I know I sound a bit like a Tiger Mom there -- and I guess some would argue I have that in me.  But really, it's about getting them to think about things -- how things in the business are affected by decisions made.  Without that at a young age, how are they going to be fully critical thinkers, right?

Aidan, my youngest, recently went to a "young entrepreneur training" session with Boeing.    He's 10.

I have spent most of their lives fostering this thought process in them: frame the argument, back it up with facts and then explain to me analytically why you made that decision.  I have allowed them to make decisions for themselves their whole lives -- supposing they can argue their point.

Which is why I allowed my oldest to frame his argument that my emotions played to large a role in leaving the show disappointed yesterday.  And, why I allowed him to decide if we go back today.

He won.

Earrings Sale

As we are heading into the holidays -- I am getting ready with this earrings only sale.  Plus, I am excited that I learned how to play with an editor and create this collage.

I am excited this year about the holidays -- there is a lot going on.  This sale will probably be going on for a few days -- so enjoy, favorite and have fun.  Get some early holiday gifts.  Remember if you want it gift wrapped, just convo me when you order, I will gladly make it as special as you wish with no extra cost.

Use code "20Earrings" at checkout.
~Maggie~

Inspiration...or something like it.

Here's the cold, hard truth:  I can not draw to save my life.    No, I mean it, if I had to draw a picture to literally save my life, the consequences would be grave.

There is only one thing I am worse at than drawing, and that is spelling.  Luckily -- there are all kinds of programs for that, to help a girl out.   But, even with all my schooling (You know, just a few classes until I finally get that master's degree), I still can not spell -- and I have to work rally hard at proper grammar.

But back to the main topic -- okay I have my coffee ready, so I can certainly write this, right?

So when you have inspiration, I see that most of my artsy friends see things in their mind's eye, and often, if they design like me, they draw it out.  Huge hindrance for me, since, again, I can not draw.   Literally, I need help with a circle.

This is not to say things do not inspire me -- they do, and I look for inspiration everywhere, the autumn leaves, the winter snow, the many colors of spring and summer.  But, my favorite place to find inspiration for my designs?

The lyrics to songs.

Seriously, I sit there, or am running around the house picking up after my three kids like a mad woman, with crazy red hair and half bleached pants, blasting my iPhone (which is currently charging so that I can do this inspiration thing while cleaning again today) and a lyric, or line from a song will hit me and I will see colors and stones in my head.

Then, since I can't draw, I have to make it.  Then and there.  At least the design elements.  Maybe it's not the stones I saw in my head, because potentially I do not have those on hand -- but something has to be made so that I capture the essence of what my mind saw. 

Then, I will go back to the song, holding the piece and sort of give a yes or no as to whether it works.  Most of the time, however, it doesn't, and I see something else when it's produced -- or even in the middle of production. 

Currently, one of my daughter's favorite song's is "Firework" by Katy Perry.  Listening to that, I saw a fire work earring design in my head -- it was difficult to make it because I wanted it to be perfect, and colorful -- but I am pre-show right now, so my gemstones are a tad limited.

I ended up with these because of my gemstone limitation right now -- I will still have to work out the full "Firework" design.  More stones, more colors, more wire wrapping, but still a hoop earring -- remember watching fireworks as a kid on New Years or the 4th of July?  Yeah, that's what I am going to Evoke there. 

That set above, while beautiful, became "Fire"  without the "Work."

How are you inspired?

~Maggie~

Scorpio Birthstone

There is something absolutely fascinating about looking up alternate birthstones.  Well, mostly because I am not a big fan of my own birthstone for a variety of reasons.  Knowing that when early December arrives I will have alternates to choose from -- you know if I want to trust my hubby with purchasing jewels that is-- I will be able to choose something I will potentially enjoy soothes me.

My mother is a Scorpio, and she was very excited when I started researching all the variety of stones available to her during both her birth month and her Zodiac sun sign.   See, traditionally for October she has opal -- she is not fond of opal and calls it an "emotional stone."  Which is somewhat true metaphysically or mystically.

However, she loves her alternate birthstone: Tourmaline.  And so do I, but I am not born in October, sigh again.  Being under the sun sign Scorpio affords her certain rights to claim Topaz as her own -- I suppose since Topaz is November's birthstone, and Scorpio is mostly November.


Onwards and upwards to Scorpio's alternate birthstone:

Beryl:  This stone I consider the biggest win for my mother, because beryl is chosen as a broad term here, meaning it can also be any of the 4 main beryls.  The four main beryls being Heliodor (Golden), Morganite (Pink), Aquamarine (Need I say more? Blue)  And the one I think she really likes (no doubt due to our mutual coloring, making green stones shine) Emerald.   Decisions, Decisions.

This "Lady Sings the Blues" includes both Topaz and Aquamarine

"Rain" is designed with Moss Aquamarine Briolettes, Moss Aquamarine Roundelles and Sapphire, evoking Seattle Rainy Day Weather.

Amethyst:   Ahh, lovely purple Amethyst.  I am certain they mean the stark purple Amethyst, and not any of the man-made types, such as Green Amethyst. Since Amethyst is in fact a description of the definitive color of said semi-precious quartz crystals, I don't have much doubt is saying:  they probably are going traditional here.

To be honest, I am a bit jealous of my Mommy. Hopefully, I will be able to find out I have some rockingly awesome alternate gemstones in lieu of Turquoise.

~Maggie~

Trails and Tribulations of Custom Work

When I get an order for something custom, I am filled with adulation.  I am ecstatic, I can hardly wait to match gemstones and design to personality.

It's so much fun when it's someone I know too -- love it. Oh, this person loves this color, and has such and such personality, I will put this together with that in this artistic way.  It's really my favorite part of jewelry design.

My mother recently gave me some Hessionite Garnet that she has been holding onto for at least four years -- I remember she bought them before I went to Texas. That was exactly 4 years ago.

They are AAA grade teeny tiny hessionite garnet briolettes, and when she handed them over so that I could work them out for the store, I knew I would have to honor her and wire wrap about a million little garnets.   This would be a design for her, though she probably didn't know it when she handed them over. I would custom design something for her personality. 

Hessionite Garnet I can not bring myself to post -- because the design detracts from the beauty of the stone.  Don't you just want to start humming Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain"?

But the thing is, I love these stones myself -- and while I can't possibly pull off the fire color with my red hair and coloring, they are lovely. They invoke a desire to make something inspired by a song.  Maybe I will do that.

But, back to custom work -- yes I do do a lot of custom work, and honestly I give the customer options.  When someone asks for something custom, they will generally know that person better than I would, so while I can choose stones for color and personality, design has to be a work with the person ordering it.

I recently designed this as a first option custom job, but I said to the customer, "Her's will be blue stones to go with her coloring."

So I showed these to the customer, who wants something special to give to a special someone for the holidays.  Turns out my dogmatic approach to blue for her coloring isn't going to work -- her favorite color is purple, but the design is spot on.

Luckily though, my friends who want something special custom made and designed know to ask early for it, because I will give them choices -- after all, anything they didn't choose for their personalized design can go in the shop.

Bt here is the thing:  it's October now, the holidays are in December -- if you want something custom, ask me now, because I have a couple of gem shopping trips coming up in November and to custom design something absolutely unique for who you are thinking of -- I will need to add certain gemstones to my list. 

When you ask me for something custom, tell me what you are thinking, and I will gladly give you options, so the jewelry you give this season is absolutely one of a kind for your gift.

It's almost time for Scorpio's birthstone, and some long winded discussions on inspiration.

As for Inspiration, Richard Dryfus and Audry Hepburn discussed it well in 1989's "Always:"  Inspiration Mission

~Maggie~

Creative Ethics

I have been battling to write a blog post today.   Sometimes it happens, even for someone who writes all the time and easily as I do.  Sometimes creative juices just stop flowing as words. 

I have, however, been really trying to expand my line, with fits and bursts of inspiration, muddled down with and internal dialogue that screams at every turn: "Do your homework," and "Get the house clean."  and worse yet: "How on earth are you going to fit your husband into your room when the Army finally lets him move home, now that you set up the studio in your room for comfort and ease."

Yes, my mind really does rage like that all the time.  It's hard to keep it quiet.

Now when it comes to the title of this post, I am certain you readers are like:  "What the heck is she talking about?"

No, I am not saying be creative in your ethics, I am saying, be ethical in your creativity.

My dear friend asked me about this today, she phrased it as something like: "How would you feel if someone took a piece of your jewelry and redesigned it to how they thought it should look. 

Interesting.  I am not opposed to taking apart "vintage" jewelry and redesigning it myself.  Heck, I have been known to do so even on commission, quite a few times.  And, I am certain we have all considered taking that hand me down diamond wedding ring and resetting it to suit our modern desires.

But where do we as creative individuals draw the line?  We know not to steal other designer's or srtist's ideas, and especially not to undercut them in a process somewhat similar.  But when it comes to design, when you are like me and you go for the heirloom, everlasting look and appeal -- where is it my design or public domain?  Is it in the number of wraps?  The stones I choose?   Where do I ethically say:  No, this is wholly my design and my personality and artistry are shown here?

Another dear friend of mine, from way back also, recently asked me to come up with something for his wife for the holidays.  I wanted it to be more modern, and special and unique for her.   I played around with a design, with stones I will not be using for her piece for the holidays and came up with this:

Amethyst Big Hoop Earrings by Maggie's Jewelry

There are certainly similar designs out there, but none that I have found are quite like this.  Now, what if my first dear friend had purchased these and reassembled them to say, be a mix of copper and amethyst?  Or maybe she moved the small amethyst and put them all together and dangled the briolette from the center sort of asymmetrically?

Is that ethically okay?  Can she argue that it's not my design she took apart, but just the raw materials, in order to make something really her style?    If my design as a designer is scrapped -- and that work I put into it is changed, because someone thinks they can do better, is that really okay?

I honestly don't know.

Let's look at this from another perspective.  Take a photograph I took of some of my jewelry, something I worked exceptionally hard on, because right now I am really trying to add interest by playing with bokeh in my jewelry photography.

See at the bottom of my picture where the watermark says "Maggie's Jewelry"?  Now--is it okay for another photographer to take that picture and re-edit it because they think it would look better more saturated?  I mean it's not copyrighted through any copyright offices, right?  It's just watermarked through my downloaded trial version of Adobe Lightroom.

Suppose for instance they thought what's above was more artistic, or a better rendering in the creative process of my photo?  Granted I am sure no one would go to that extreme (I added all the saturation, clarity, luminance I could on lightroom, just to make a dramatic change), but still, where would the line be drawn?

I am sure there are some thoughts out there on this subject, please respond in the comments...

~Maggie~

Tourmaline: October's Other Birthstone

Lucky you October.  First you get flashy Opals, which dates back to at least the 15th century as your birthstone -- then something magical happens and jewelrs decide to also give you the lovely tourmaline as a birthstone.

I am very happy about this, because my Mother was born in October, and is very finicky when I have to shop for her.  There is a reason I have so much labradorite in my shop--it's the mommy, loving the gray flash of labradorite.

However, when researching birthstones, I round that there are so many versions, that I just have to write a whole bunch on the subject.  Sadly, she is a Scorpio, making my libra post null and void for shopping for her astrological birthstone.

But tourmaline, oh sweet tourmaline, Mom, you are one lucky chica.  Tourmaline is one of my favorite stones, but I am born in December, so I am mostly straddled with turquoise and blue topaz. Not a huge fan.

Super Chunky Tourmaline Necklace

Tourmaline comes in every color under the sun, including a remarkable "Watermelon Tourmaline" that actually has a few colors in the same cut of stone.  Each of the wonderful colors have different mystical properties, making it a really unique stone to play with. 

Plus, it's just super pretty -- my favorite is the pink and green, but that's just me.  I am pretty certain my sister would love the black tourmaline, which has some interesting historical references on its own.

All tourmaline enhances understanding, increases self-confidence and amplifies psychic energies. Tourmaline is said to neutralize negative energies, alleviate fear and grief and finally aid in concentration and communication.

• Green tourmaline regulates blood pressure and strengthens the heart and nervous system. It  also stimulates digestion and strengthens the immune system.
• Black tourmaline is a protective stone; especially against radiation. Black tourmaline also has a  positive effect on the body's loco motor system, while strengthening musculature.
• Blue tourmaline helps combat water-retention, promotes detoxification of the entire body, strengthens the immune system. Blue tourmaline also reduces throat issues and bronchial problems.
• Watermelon tourmaline  alleviates pain, protect the nerve cells and strengthen the immune system.

 ~Maggie~

Weekend Giveaway

I seem to be getting ready for the Holiday Season a bit early this year.  So in Order to get into the Full Swing of things, I have decided to do a giveaway of some of my most trendy earrings:

These hammered Sterling silver and Natural Emerald earrings retail for 49$ in my shop.  I will ship the Winner the earrings in a Gift Box, so that if they so choose, they can give them as a gift for the holidays.

I won't judge if you keep them yourself.

This Giveaway is for the weekend only and ends Monday, October 1st for a drawing Tuesday Morning. 

The only stipulation?  Become a fan of Maggie's Jewelry on Facebook.

Already a Fan?  There is a Tab on my Facebook page also :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Many Colors of October's Birthstone

Traditionally, October's Birthstone is Opal.  And, being me, I am certain that when jewelers got together to decide this, they meant the Australian Opal which comprises over 90% of the world's supply. 

But, opal, being a form of silica with certain properties making it refract light, also come in a myriad of other forms, colors and degrees of 'flash'.  

Australian Opal comes in two main forms:  light and dark.  Generally gem quality opal is considered the light with the million plays of light opal is so well known for.  When I bought my first full strand of opal at the Tuscon Bead Show  (jewelry designers, you probably know this show lasts about a month and has vendors from all over the world) the guy who sold it to me explained that opals in Australia (He called them Ridge Opals, meaning they come from a certain mine) are all in the same family, even the same rock formations; just growing in different parts of the 'cave'.

I went with the dark Opals, and came up with this simple Design:

She sold pretty slowly, because Opals are often expensive.  (This necklace was $152, the wholesale cost of the beads was a staggering $120).

But, when we think outside the box on gifts for October Birthdays, Opals can be gorgeous, and come in a variety of colors and textures.  

The second most well known Opals are from Mexico, generally from one mine in Querétaro.  The opals come in a varitety of colors that look like fire.  Absolutely Stunning!

These lovely earrings were designed by angryhairjewelry on Etsy

As you see in the design above, by angryhairjewelry on Etsy, Fire Opals from Mexico really do look like fire.  And, are firmly within the realm of a gift of opals for an October birthday. They also have the added bonus of coordinating well for Halloween.

Other lesser known opals are from Ethiopa and Peru. 

Pink Opal from Peru is one of my all time favorite stones.  Mostly because I love, love love the color pink, but usually do not openly admit it.  I guess that dirty little secret is blown now.

Sea of Love Mismatched Pink Opal and Aquamarine Earrings by Tara at AstridLily

These lovely pink opal and moss aquamarine earrings were designed by Tara at AstridLily on Etsy.  Aquamarine is actually the birthstone for March, so these could actually do double duty, suppose you have a mother who was born in October and who has a child born in March?  What a wonderful statement to make when giving her this gift.

The following is the blue version of peruvian opal: similar in transparency as the pink, but the peacock or robins egg blue this opal comes in is just divine for gift-giving.

This lovely Blue Peruvian Boho necklace was designed by Alexis at AnnikaLane on Etsy

Note how timeless, yet trendy the necklace is, and since Blue Peruvian Opal comes in many shades of blue, this piece will go with most anything.  The Peruvian blue doesn't have the multicolored 'flash' of the Australian Opal -- but rather has varying degrees of transparency [to opaqueness] even in a given strand. Still, it's most difficult to get the richness of the variation in blues in a photograph.

Ethiopian Opals are very similar to Australian Opals upon appearance, except they seem to be a little more milky than the flashy translucence of Australian Opals.  Absolutely lovely and a wonderful alternative for birthstone gifts. 

Welo Ethiopian Pendant by DestinyGenuineGems on Etsy

Note the pendent above has all the flash and fire of Australian Opal, but is a little more opaque.  It's also a reasonable price, for such flash.

One of the least recognized as opal, but still an opal nonetheless, is Boulder Opal, which usually comes in earthy tones of greens and browns, but can also be other colors like blue. 

This Oregon Boulder Opal is an earthy brown, green, black and golden hue, from Oregon.  The milky parts are the actual full-bodied opal, as opal is a water stone. 

 Most opals have between 3 and 14 percent water, but that amount can go up to about 20 percent.  This means that opals sometimes want a little bath to stay hydrated and not shrink or crack.  Sudden changes in temperature can also cause Opals to crack.  Do not wash Opals in jewelry cleaner or dish detergent, as they absorb liquids. And finally do not store in a dehumidified room without proper precautions such as keeping the opal in a zip tight back with a scrap of moistened cloth.

Now for those of you who are interested in the mystical aspects of Opal,  I will write about that tomorrow, in a separate post.  However, it should be known, Opal is a pretty emotional stone, how could it not be with all that fire and color?

Happy Shopping for those October Birthdays!

~Maggie~

The statistical data I avoid

So this is a little (well a lot I guess) off topic from Jewelry.  However, later this week, I will start looking into October's Birthstone, "Opal"  which is just super fun.

So, over the weekend, I have been playing with statistical data on the shop.  I do this not because I am any good at mathematics nor because I understand what any of it means-- but because it seemed interesting at the time.

I have been watching my Etsy shop a lot lately, not only because I hope that my customers really enjoy what I try to do.  Which honestly, what I want to accomplish is to bring very high quality, heirloom level jewelry to customers at the most reasonable price I can muster. 

However, there is a lot of talk about "everything having a value"  I have been reading up on.  Which is absolutely true.  But, I also know that because I lower my prices to almost cost of components and production -- if you get my designs appraised, they will be valued by appraisers for much higher than you paid.   Trust me, I have seen it done.

But the statistical data I am looking at is really a basic visual of views to sales, and favorites to sale, which any Etsian may see as well in a similar fashion.

I opened my Etsy store in 2010, after much prodding and pleading by my dear old friend in Vermont, who incidentally designs fantastic jewelry herself every once in a while -- although right now she is focused almost entirely on her absolutely stunning photography of Vermont. (Moonshine Designs and Photography)

Since 2010, I have gotten a total of 5,989 views on either my shop or my items within the shop.  However, it should be noted that during the year of 2011, I did almost zero marketing of my store as I was on a mad quest to get a J-O-B.    Those views have generated 41 orders of over 50 different items.   That gives me an all time average of 146 views to 1 sale.

The kicker is, however, I started seriously marketing again about 30 days ago.  During that 30 days, using such social media locations as Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook, I have generated 1998 views and 6 orders of seven items.
 Making my 30 day average about 285 views per purchase.   Kinda blows the overall average out of the water.

So my mother says I need more data -- which I wholeheartedly agree, because you can't really make a statistical revelation based upon such different data sets.  (3 years versus on month).

So I tried two things over the weekend -- a facebook deal, and asking some followers to retweet some of my items.

From the deal, there were no sales, even though I broght the price down to below cost by offering a 20% off sale on all earings.  Seriously, my prices are that low compared to how much the items are worth.

For the Retweets, I asked ten people to RT one single item so I could track over the course of several hours the number of views for a timely item (A pair of earrings that are October's birthstone).  From my own tweet today, and 10 other people tweeting the same item, I garnered a whopping 26 views today.  6 of which I know came from my tweet alone, making my tweet to view ratio of others tweeting my item 1 tweet to 2 views. 

That's kind of not good news when it comes to marketing. There really should be better views and views to purchase ratios, wouldn't you say.  Or better, at least views to "favorites" ratios.

Again, I certainly need more data, but I wonder if other Etsian's have run into similar statstical data?  Tell me about it in the comments section.

These are the test Earrings--Pink Peruvian Opal

Promotional Offer

So, I logged into my facebook 'like' page this morning, like I do every morning, and there was a little Facebook Offer scripting jumping out at me. 

Now you should probably know, I do not pay for advertising if I can avoid it at all.  It's just far too expensive for someone sitting at home trying to build a business from scratch while couponing to get food on the table. You all know how the economy is these days :(

But I have to admit, the offer facebook was offering me in order to offer a deal to the customers was too much to pass up.  10$ in free money to 'promote' my offer. 

So, I had to come up with an offer. But their offer and my offer couldn't go along with each other, really.  I have discovered that when I have a sale, it works better if it covers a longer period of time than a "one day flash sale"  like I did for my anniversary this week. 

So while Facebook offered me a one day deal to offer my offer--my sale will actually be the entire weekend this weekend.

But, being the analytical obsessive I am, I still need more data on this process.  See, I am pretty skeptical of Facebook promoted posts, I think they make it too easy for big business to be seen more readily since they have such huge advertising budgets -- but small businesses (like me, or more to the point, TINY) have little to no chance to be seen by potential customers. 

I know what you're thinking:  but Facebook does give the little guy a fighting chance out there in SEO and customer connection land.  Really?  Does it?

I am not so sure -- I need more data on a personal level to see if business is truely better when I work to create conversation rather than sales.   For now, I will try that 10 bucks out and see if it does anything.  While I clean house and post new items I have been designing.

In case you're wondering however, the deal is for 20% off all earrings in the store through Monday morning.