Shark Week Inspired Jewelry Designs That Are Nothing To Be Afraid of!

Although the official Shark Week 2014 has ended, for shark enthusiasts the frenzy (pun intended!) continues long after. I'll be the first to admit I'm completely fascinated with sharks. Scared as heck by them, but totally fascinated. Which is a good (and very logical reason) why I won't swim any where I can't see the bottom! LOL

It shouldn't be too far-fetched then to see where the inspiration came from for a few of my beaded jewelry creations. Inspired by the crystal blue ocean water, the deep sea and what lies beneath. The focal of the Blue Artisan Lampwork Crystal Necklace (N124-B) is a mesmerizing handmade glass button pendant of swirling blue colors. It reminds of the ocean, swirling waves and...sharks! Complementing the artisan pendant are two different blue Swarovski Crystals, sterling silver, Bali beads and silver-lined seed beads that sparkle like the surface of the water and waves on a sunny day.

Pair with this beach inspired necklace the Deep Blue Circle Crystal Beaded Earrings (E261), see below for purchase information. A stylish and contemporary pair of handmade beaded earrings featuring a blue ombre' effect. The sterling silver circles are meant to mimic the bubbles in the water while the blue Swarovski Crystals lead from a crystal clear blue surface to the deep blue ocean floor.

If you love this set, you might want to check out the Green Artisan Lampwork Crystal Necklace (N124-G) too. It's a beautiful sea green in Swarovski Crystals and a handmade one of a kind original.

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Deep Blue Circle Crystal Beaded Earrings (E261)

A stylish and contemporary pair of handmade beaded earrings featuring a blue sapphire ombre' effect. Like bubbles in water, sterling silver circle rings showcase a light sapphire, to sapphire to deep sapphire diamond shaped trio of sparkling Swarovski Crystals. Finished with sterling silver french hook ear wires. Length is 1" from the bottom of the ear wire.

What is the Awareness Ribbon Color for my Cause?

On a Facebook group that I belong to, someone asked the question, "Does anyone know the color ribbon for lung transplant?" I was actually surprised to see many responses that were either guesses or just not the correct color. The conversation then expanded into other related diseases and the awareness color for them.

Having designed awareness jewelry for the past ten years, I have become quite familiar with awareness colors and their disease designations. What better inspiration for personalized jewelry than just about any color imaginable!

I thought this was the perfect topic to blog about because it is such an important one. I'll review some of the awareness ribbon colors for the diseases/causes mentioned and then also provide some links to related articles. First, I'll address the question and then I will address two myths that came up during this discussion.

So what awareness ribbon color represents transplant? The nationally recognized color for transplant is GREEN. Appropriately, green is also the awareness color for organ donation -which really makes sense because these two things do go hand-in-hand. To further expand on transplant awareness, did you know the butterfly is the national symbol for lung transplant.

The Butterfly: A Symbol of Lung Transplant

Myth #1:
Awareness ribbon colors represent diseases only.

Actually, that may have been the belief of a small number of individuals back when awareness ribbons first came into popularity. However, today, awareness ribbon colors represent causes, as well. The point behind awareness ribbons and the wearing of them is to RAISE AWARENESS of a particular cause or disease. In fact, many different causes and diseases can belong to the same color.

Although this is not always the case, but, typically colors are designated by the cause or reason for the need or desire to raise awareness. Take for example, the yellow ribbon. This color ribbon became synonymous with troop and military support. How did it become the designation for this cause? The wife of a war hostage tied them around trees to raise awareness and bring attention to his release. Her actions resonated with many people across the world and the color yellow quickly became nationally recognized for raising awareness of troop and military support.

Ever wondered about the History of the Awareness Ribbon?

Myth #2:
An awareness color is set because it is the brand color of the related charity or organization.

It is likely any charity may take a nationally recognized awareness color and adopt it as their brand color. One such organization is Lungs for Life. They serve both the cystic fibrosis and the transplant communities and as such, have adopted the purple and green awareness colors for their brand.

However, it is less likely to be the case that a color became nationally accepted because a charity used it in their brand and marketing efforts. Truth be told, there are so many causes, diseases/illnesses that affect so many people -it's highly unlikely these days that a color has not already been designated.

From my past experience, I've come across the following two examples:
1) The color purple is nationally accepted and recognized as the awareness color for Cystic Fibrosis. Yet, a small percentage of people think blue represents the awareness color for CF. They believe this because the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's brand color is blue. All this means is if they happen to purchase CF awareness products that are blue, they are simply supporting only the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation mission.

2) The colors red and blue are nationally recognized and accepted as the awareness colors for Pulmonary Fibrosis. In fact, with this particular disease, there is a touching story behind why those colors are nationally recognized. But, some believe the color is teal and that is because the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation has adopted teal as their brand color. Again, any awareness products in teal for PF are supporting only that charity and their mission.

Why is Red and Blue the Awareness Colors for Pulmonary Fibrosis?

Following a charities brand color as raising awareness for any cause, with probably the exception of Pink, can really limit: the power of a donors' dollars; the effectiveness of a volunteers' precious time; as well, it could limit the resources a cause recipient might benefit from.

There is no shortage of information (or opinions) on awareness colors. Some causes/diseases have adopted many colors for the different disease sub-groups. You can see this with cancer and the many cancer subsets. For this reason, I have published a Guide to Cancer Awareness Colors. I hope you find it helpful!

If I didn't mention your cause or disease in this post, feel free to read our jewelry articles on Awareness Colors and Meanings and Awareness Ribbons by Cause Color for a more comprehensive article on nationally recognized awareness ribbon color(s).

Feel free to revisit these articles, from time to time, as I am always updating the information contained in them. I'd love to hear what cause you support! Leave a comment below.

Famous Gems: The Rosser Reeves Star Ruby

The Rosser Reeves Star Ruby
Image: Smithsonian

The Rosser Reeves Ruby is one of the world's largest star rubies at a whopping 138.7-carats! This famous ruby originated in Sri Lanka and was actually 140-carats when it first reached London and remained with an anonymous buyer until the early 1950s.

It wasn't until 1953 when Robert Fisher of New York purchased the heavily scratched star ruby. Fisher had the stone restored to its original beauty, however, a few carats were sacrificed in the cutting/repolishing process.

But, even at 138.7-carats the Rosser Reeves Ruby still places amongst the largest star rubies in the world. The next largest red star ruby is the 100.32-carat DeLong Star Ruby.

Rosser Reeves purchased the star ruby in the late 1950s, but did not have the ruby set in beaded jewelry. Rather, he liked the stone so much he carried it around with him everywhere under the belief that it was a lucky stone and even referred to it as his 'baby'. Typically, it is believed your birthstone is a lucky stone for you, so it was interesting that Reeves, born in September, carried this July birthstone around instead.

The Rosser Reeves Ruby is renowned for its excellent color and well defined, six-rayed asterism (star pattern). The star forms naturally when titanium atoms are trapped within the growing corundum crystal. As the crystal cools, the titanium forms minute needle-like crystals of rutile mineral, which position themselves in three directions within the stone.

As is the case with the Rosser Reeves Ruby, the stone was properly cut (or rather, re-cut), as to have the star centered. When the star is centered properly in these rare stones, the light enters and reflects off the three sets of needles to produce the six-ray star pattern (as seen in the image above).

The Rosser Reeves Star Ruby was never placed in a beaded jewelry setting and fifteen years later in 1965, Reeves donated the stone to the Smithsonian Institute, where it resides today.

July's Birthstone: Firecracker Red Ruby

July's birthstone is ruby.

Given that July is host to the all-American 4th of July celebrations -you could say the July born are just like firecrackers!

Equally so, this red gemstone was named for one of Rome's biggest historical firecrackers, the dictator Julius Caesar, who died in a pool of his own blood. A rich blood red, the ruby is said to contain such heat that dropping it in a glass of water would make the water boil -now that it HOT!

July Birthstone Earrings

Crystal Ruby Gemstone Earrings (EBC106)

The fiery crimson red of the ruby is representative of love and passion, which also makes it a popular alternative to the classic diamond engagement ring. In fact, Fergie, the Duchess of York received a ruby engagement ring from Prince Andrew. Rubies arouse the senses, stir the imagination, and are said to be called the "king of gems" because it was believed to protect its wearer from evil. In fact, rubies were worn by royalty as a talisman against evil.

Ruby is the red variety of the gems species corundum and is found as crystals within metamorphic rock. Its durability is second only to diamonds and the fact that it does not require special care, makes it a highly prized jewel for everyday wear.

To find a flawless ruby is nearly impossible. As well, clarity is not the most important factor is determining a good quality ruby -it's the color. The richer the red, the more costly the gem. The most prized color is a medium or medium dark vivid red or slightly purplish red. A ruby is considered a Sapphire in any color except red. In essence, Ruby is a Sapphire, since both are identical in all properties except for color.

There is a special glow to a ruby -literally. The chromium present in the natural reddest of rubies cause a red fluorescence, or 'glow', which is stimulated by UV (ultraviolet) light. Since ancient times, stories abound of rubies being self-luminous and are often called the "glowing stone" or "lamp stone". Greek legends told the story of a female stork, who repaid the kindness of Heraclea by bringing her a brilliant ruby – a ruby so bright that it illuminated Heraclea’s room at night. Fast forward and in 1960, a synthetic ruby was used in the creation of the first laser.

However, long before rubies were used in modern technology, their special allure was purely for their believed symbolic qualities. Used in everything from ruby beaded jewelry to one of the gemstones used on the breastplate of Aaron. It was believed that the ruby held the power to warn its owner of coming misfortunes, illness, or death, by turning darker in color. More notably, Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII, predicted her downfall after seeing the darkening of her ruby.

From its history to modern times, this intensely red and passionate July birthstone continues to be a cherished treasure worn by all, especially when used in birthstone jewelry.

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July Birthstone Earrings: Crystal Ruby Gemstone Earrings (EBC106)
Handmade beaded gemstone earrings designed with ruby Swarovski Crystals, pink dyed agate gemstones, sterling silver bead caps, beads and .925 Bali spacers on sterling silver french ear wire hooks. The length is 1-1/4" from the bottom of the ear wire.