No, this is not a necklace for nurses. It’s a necklace for those who nurse. b5media’s breastfeeding blogger, Angela White, author of Breastfeeding 1-2-3, has written a few posts about these popular mommy-type necklaces (one on how to make a nursing necklace and another on safety issues), and she asked me to see what I could come up with. So here goes. Oh, and to cover myself, I’m not a nurse, nor nursing, nor a mommy to humans, so don’t let your little ones stick any of this in their mouths.
You’ll need the following supplies:
10 – 12mm barrel-shaped onyx beads (I got …read more

Men are notoriously difficult to buy or make something for as far as gifts. Most wouldn’t mind a number of electronic doo-dads, but you basically have to be a rocket scientist to figure out all the RAMS, ROMS, etc that go with whatever their dream machine is. Plus, of course, that stuff isn’t cheap either. So, what’s a busy jewelry maker to do? Charm him.
Charms are a great way to personalize just about any piece of jewelry, and this goes for both men and women of course. Obviously, a charm bracelet may be a little over the top for your …read more

Silver lovers are warming up to Argentium Silver, a low-tarnish version of the white metal that is so popular. Yes, it does cost a little more, but considering the overall cost of precious metals these days, that’s not that surprising.
A few years ago, I spoke with Mike DiRienzo of The Silver Institute about this new form of silver, and at the time, it wasn’t easy to find.
However, now things are different and you can find Argentium available from many metal suppliers including Wigjig.com and Rio Grande, who happens to also have a free technical guide in .pdf format as well …read more

 This little tin looks unassuming, but don’t let it fool you – It rocks! In it is an assortment of sterling silver jump rings from Urban Maille, and it has got to be one of the handiest little tins I’ve ever had in my jewelry supplies collection. It goes for about $13.50 (not including shipping), and is full of all kinds of different gauges and sizes of rings. I’m constantly reaching for this little guy. If you think about how often you find yourself needing one or two jump rings but don’t necessarily want to take the time to make …read more