Feature Friday: Jade Pendant Tourmaline Necklace

Happy Friday!

Just yesterday I decided to make Fridays, "Feature Fridays" where I'll highlight a jewelry piece from the Crystal Allure Creations Jewelry collection. It made perfect sense since many pieces are created and posted on the website without ever being highlighted. And of course, like anyone, I love a good sale and so for each Friday Feature, some will also be accompanied by a great sale or discount offer. BUT, don't wait to long to grab it to add to your own collection, most pieces are one of a kind.

Today's very first feature is this gorgeous handmade gemstone necklace.

Watermelon Tourmaline Jade Pendant Beaded Necklace (N054)

SOLD

This lovely piece is only on feature for today, so hurry on over to the website to take advantage of the offer!

Watermelon tourmaline has to be our absolute favorite! Watermelon tourmaline is a rare variety that displays three different colors in the same crystal - green (the skin of the watermelon), pink (the sweet fruit) and white (the rind). As in the gem stone ametrine, the colors of the watermelon tourmaline occur 100% naturally. This is a rare occurrence in nature.

According to folklore, watermelon tourmaline brings the wearer love. It is considered a powerful healing stone for immune system disorders and life-threatening illnesses. Watermelon tourmaline removes imbalances (and guilt) caused by conflicts and confusions. The green part feeds your life force, while the pink soothes and harmonizes.

All tourmalines offer strong healing effects and the watermelon variety encourages regeneration of the nerves, helps with paralysis and multiple sclerosis.

Looking Ahead: Pantone Fashion Color Report Fall 2008

The Pantone Fall 2008 Colors are out and what an exciting trend this is going to be! Quoting the New York Fashion Week February 1-8, 2008:

A Season of Change

Best described as a season of change, fall ’08 is defined by rich, elegant hues that offer a vibrant selection. New York's fashion designers emphasize cooler blues, greens and purples in the top five tones used in their collections, followed by variations of warm red, orange and yellow.

"Fall is traditionally a time for subdued, quiet colors, but this season we are seeing a shift toward cool hues with bright, exciting undertones," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. "Conventional tones such as warm autumn hues, chocolate browns and steel grays are also among the fall color choices. Blue and purple tones have become staples, as illustrated by Blue Iris, one of the top 10 colors chosen by designers this season, and Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2008."

Preview Fall 2008 colors here!

Keep a watch out on the Crystal Allure Designs website for new Fall 2008 designs. Better still, sign up for the newsletter and you'll be notified when new designs roll out!

4th of July Show Recap

To be honest I thought the first show of the season wouldn't be so great since it was being held on the 4th of July. But I was pleasantly surprised the Chil-E Festival 2008 show was a success and the Rochester weather was perfect (minus a little wind, here and there). It was a pretty nifty idea to close off a portion of the street to house the vendors, food and entertainment. Our location was excellent and it didn't hurt we were near bathrooms (you know that goes -you can't watch your booth and take a 5 or 10 minute walk to a bathroom). In fact, many thanks to Mia for reorganizing where my booth would be set up (originally I would have been right next to another jewelry booth -although our styles and materials used were very different, it doesn't help to be placed next to another jewelry designer) -so thank you, thank you, thank you Mia!!

The show was well attended and we put in about a 12-hour day (and that was just the show itself, it didn't include preparation, packing, unpacking, etc) and so by the end of the night, we were ready to pack it in. We were so tired we didn't even stay for the fireworks and we had a prime location to see them. But that's okay. The show went well, the parade was great (loved all the bands!!!), the classic car show was fabulous and the good music sealed the deal. Of course, it helped that my husband was the muscle behind packing, setting up, tearing down and re-packing the tent, tables and buckets! Thanks hon!!

It was a pleasure meeting and talking with a variety of people and I was quite surprised there was a fair number of men who looked at my handmade beaded jewelry designs. Maybe an upcoming birthday surprise? Or a sparkling Christmas gift? Regardless of the reason, they'll know where to find my pieces as I saw they did take my business card. I had designs out that sold that I didn't even have pictures of yet, just didn't have the time and most of them had just been designed in the few days prior to the show. In the same respect, I had so much inventory, that what was out was only about 1/4 of what was in stock! (psst...for those living in or near Rochester, NY, stayed tuned for an upcoming porch sale -but you have to sign up to the newsletter to hear about it).

Although I love all my designs, I did sell some of my more favorite designs and there were a few ladies who didn't even wait until they got home. They asked to wear their one-of-a-kind purchases that day! As well, I had a customer ask about the difference in metals used in handmade beaded jewelry designs and I thought it would make a great article for the website, that I will post soon.

Thank you to everyone who purchased a one-of-a-kind Crystal Allure Designs handcrafted beaded jewelry piece. To get an exclusive look at the newest designs (not on the web yet), check out my show dates and stop on by my booth. At each show I try to do something different and you never know, I might be doing a jewelry raffle that you'd be interested in entering.

Show Reminder : Chil-E Festival

If you don't have plans already for the 4th of July, stop in at the annual Chil-E Festival. It starts at 12 noon and runs through 10:00 pm, with fireworks afterward. Crystal Allure Designs will have a table set up showcasing some of our latest designs -you won't want to miss out. The festival will be held along a portion of Chili Avenue (Rochester, NY) near 3235 Chili Avenue. Hope to see you there!