For The Love of Beads BlogThe adventures of Suzanne, Emily, and friends in the world of beads and jewelry making crafts

Don’t think twice if you want these special beads for your next jewelry project.

Lava stone has drawn my attention not only for its deep black color and rough texture but also for the way it was developed. The simple fact that lava stone is indeed solidified lava makes my imagination go wild.

This stone is a genuine testimony of one of the most impressive and destructive forces on Earth and now is at your reach, through For the Love of Beads, as the central piece for your next beading project. It can be found in our other gemstones section.

When you have a lava stone bead in your hand you can feel through its unique texture, that this stone is one of a kind. Its rare and pitted surface tells you how powerful the natural process was to make it.

Literally, lava stone means fire. And I don´t think you can say that of any other stone. This stone has been used in the construction industry for centuries due its light weight but strong and majestic appereance. No wonder why the Spaniards used it to cover the facades of huge and stunning palaces and churches in Mexico City after the Conquest of Mexico.

It wasn’t until the 19 century that jewelers makers around the world, incorporated lava stone beads to their designs. Its black and red color makes it very appreciated for people who are looking for that earthly look and want to make an homage to Mother nature as well.

We have this beautiful stone in black color and 3 different styles and sizes. It works very well if you combine it with other natural beads or silver or glass.

Although there are plenty of places where there have been a constant volcano activity the material is not always available in the beads market because the shortage of lava stone bead´s skillful artisans.

Hurry up because the demand for this stone is growing up and we are running out of these unique beads.

And be aware of fake lava stone beads. There are some people who create faux lava rocks with polymer clay. The way to know if they are fake or not is simple. The real ones are resistant to pressure and scratching.

Lava stone has been considered for many cultures as the stone of the survivor. And because its obviously straight relation with fire, lava stone is also regarded as a powerful and energetic rock.

It´s said that the wearer feels a flow of energy as soon as they connect on a metaphysical level with this stone and also that they strenghten our connection to Mother Earth.

So, let fly your imagination and start making beautiful pieces of jewelry with the stone made with fire and please, send us pics of your creations.

Are you thinking to make a piece of jewelry that not only you can wear on a daily basis but also symbolizes the love you feel for your beloved one? If that’s the case we can help you out with that. At For the Love of Beads we have in our gemstone section the stone you are looking for. Rose quartz is considered by definition the stone of love. Choose this stone and make a piece of jewelry that expresses loudly to the world that LOVE is in your heart.

Cherry Quartz Oval Shaped Pendant

OK. There are several kinds of quartz used in the jewelry industry but rose quartz is the only one that it’s universally regarded as the love stone. No matter if you are planning to use it in a necklace or a bracelet, there are several reasons why a rose quartz piece of jewelry must be in your wardrobe accessories.

For starters, rose quartz is not only one of the most popular quartz stone on Earth but also one the most beautiful. Rose quartz is found in Madagascar, Scotland and USA. but the biggest mines are located in Brazil.  It’s a curious fact that in early times, it was thought that crystal quartz was water ice frozen through time.

Rose Quartz Ovals

Rose quartz has always been used in jewelry although it has never reached high prices like other gemstones. It’s very frequent to use it in cabochons, beads and shaped like hearts. It comes in a range of colors from pink to rose red but all hues related to love.

It’s said that rose quartz stones add love and energy to sentimental relationships. It’s also said that replaces negativity with harmony and it heals emotional wounds. It’s believed to hasten recovery from surgery. It can help balance the body and physical emotions as well. It also helps as the rejuvenator of the skin. It’s said that if you wash your face in water charged with rose quartz, it will keep your skin young.

To take care of the beads you have in your stash, we recommend you to keep your rose quartz away from the sun, as it tends to fade when it’s overexposed to the sunlight. We have this beautiful stone in 4 models and in 6 sizes, along with others kinds of quartz beads.

Have you ever seen one of those artisans who sell their beautiful jewelry on the streets? These guys are in the streets of almost every large city in the world and yet you can´t help wondering why they prefer to be selling such nice things outside rather than in a store.

Well, today we are going to present to you an interview with one of those enigmatic guys. He lives in Mexico City, but you can find him almost anywhere. He´s that kind of artisan who likes to travel around the country selling his stuff at the main public squares or in the Zocalos. I met him one particular weekend when he came to my hometown. His name is Pedro Lopez and he sells semiprecious gemstones hand coiled in silver wire. He likes to use amethyst rectangles, black agate coins, coral beads, lapis lazuli beads, turquoise beads, jade beads, among other stones. Sometimes he mounts the stone in a silver frame with a loop at the top for stringing. He sometimes uses chamois leather or silver wire when he adds more little stones.  His prices range from a few pesos to hundreds and despite the simplicity of his designs they are made with good taste. He seems to balance perfectly the color, size and quantity of stones.

So, we approached to ask him a few questions about his work.

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One day, my wife and I had decided to expand our beading business and we came up with the idea that the best way to do it without neglecting our booth, or our jewelry making was to approach to a retail store. We soon found out that it was more complicated than we thought; putting your things in another place where you are not going to be selling them personally requires from you a lot of organization, even before going to talk to the store’s owner or the manager-in-chief.

For starters, you need to realize that you are going to attach yourself to a big promise that, in some cases, could involve legal liabilities. Therefore, you must be very serious about this. First of all, it´s very important to establish what kind of jewelry you are making and its potential market. From this, it decides what kind of store you want to approach. Once that´s settled, go to pay a visit and look around, but don´t make any appointments yet. Your goal here is to check out if they already have similar items to what you are trying to sell. Store owners always want to sell originals products.

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Displaying jewelry is always a process as creative and fun as the jewelry making itself.  There are so many possibilities doing so that we need to determine several factors beforehand.  What kind of market do we want to target?  Are we selling on the Internet or at a craft show?  Are we going to start selling among friends and family or delivering to a local retailer?

Whatever the case might be, we need to look for a big contrast between our jewelry and the display case in order to accentuate the beauty of our work.  This is not a moment to be shy, rather be bold and audacious.

Rustic Log Jewelry Display

Since my wife and I started working in this craft we have found out that either you are selling at your own booth or you are delivering to someone else’s.  The way you display your jewelry is a very important issue.  We are always looking for that eye-catching and sometimes dramatic look.  The other day we delivered to a very important local retailer and we had a display case made to exhibit our merchandise.  That case actually turned out to be more attractive by itself than the products exhibited in it.  But it worked out perfectly in selling the goods.  Unfortunately, we don´t have any pictures of it.

You can also make a statement through the way you display your own products.  Say you are concerned about global warming and want to avoid buying necklace and bracelets in plastic displays and packaging.  In this case, going green and getting an organic and earthy look would be your best option.  Grab some dry sprigs to hang up your necklaces and your bracelets and you can even use branches like fingers for showing off your rings.  Here is a picture with the same idea by sculpture-design.com

We came across with this idea, when we went to sell at the beach in Puerto Escondido, Mexico and we weren´t able to carry our cumbersome display case.  We figured out that the best way to show our products was using what Mother Nature had in that place.

But, if you think it´s more suitable to have commercial displays, our advice would be to wrap them up with contrasting colors and fabrics to bring out the colors in your jewelry.

The Economy Necklace by Amber Stone Pets

If you are selling by Internet then the options are unlimited.  Of course you need a good camera but mostly a great deal of imagination.  Taking pictures using members of your own family or friends of yours is a lot of fun and you can create the appropriate environment for specific items.

Take for example this picture of man´s best friend modeling a nice necklace by http://amberstonepets.com/

Take a look at these sites for some more great ideas:
http://jewelrydisplayideas.com/

http://www.jewelrybyannalea.com/Jewelry_By_AnnaLea/Home.html

We hope these ideas are useful for you and send us pics of your own ideas about how to display jewelry.