There is a new option for getting custom sterling silver jewelry in Canada.  Beaded Royalty, a Texas-based company in the United States, is shipping to Canada.  US postal regulations require jewelry to either be sent Registered First Class or Insured Priority Mail International.  Priority Mail International has proven to be much faster (5-7 business days) and provides the same measure of security as Registered First Class.  Beaded Royalty recently switched to Priority Mail for all international shipments so you get your jewelry faster.

Beaded Royalty offers Swarovski awareness bracelets, personalized family jewelry, personalized child jewelry, unique scripture jewelry and matching beaded earrings.  A recently updated website provides clear navigation and answers every question you might have regarding your purchase.  Their quality is unmatched and their 100% satisfaction guarantee ensures you will be happy with your purchase.

Visit www.BeadedRoyalty.com today for all your custom sterling silver jewelry needs in Canada.

The new Kidney Cancer Bracelet is just a variation on our simple, sparkling cancer awareness designs. Priced at $49 for every budget!

I have had a number of requests for a Lung Cancer Bracelet, but never added a page for them until now. One of my customers wanted to see what pearls would look like with clear crystals since lung cancer can be represented by either option. She also wanted a unique twist with the charm in the center of the bracelet. Here is the result…just stunning! Priced at just $49 like all of our Swarovski crystal awareness bracelets.

This is the story of my business – I get enough requests for a bracelet design and I add it to the lineup. The Boy Name Bracelet was recently added and is priced at $50.

On the one hand, I am glad to see the increase in silver prices.  My husband manages our finances and he had the foresight to purchase large quantities of silver and gold in our retirement accounts almost 3 years ago when it was trading around $15/oz.  On the other hand, the increase in silver prices has had a significant impact on my business at Beaded Royalty where I sell sterling silver beaded jewelry.  When I started my business in 2006, silver was $8/oz. It closed at $40/oz on Friday.  Ouch.  Here is an 11 year chart of silver prices:

Of course I (and my competitors) have increased prices to compensate for the increase in silver prices.  However, it goes without saying that people are purchasing less sterling silver jewelry as the price continues to rise.  I am sure there are jewelry designers who have opted to use silver-plated beads in place of solid sterling silver to save money.  I have decided against that avenue.

My business has always centered around custom sterling silver jewelry fit for a queen.  How could I change that now??  No, my solution is a bit different.  When I started my business, I offered all single strand bracelets at the same price for simplicity. I have now opted to lower the price on my pieces that contain primarily Swarovski crystals, increase prices on the pieces that contain exclusively sterling silver beads and maintain the prices for pieces that are a good mix of sterling silver beads and Swarovski crystals.  Have you found o ther ways to save money in this rising silver market?  I would love to hear about it!

925 sterling silver beads

sterling silver clasps

925 sterling silver charms

sterling silver alphabet blocks

Swarovski crystal beads

jewelry beading supplies

Beaded Royalty’s beads are top quality.  Their Swarovski beads are genuine and their sterling silver is 925.  Contact them today.

Beaded Royalty LLC
www.BeadedRoyalty.com/beads.htm
1-888-876-0784
info@beadedroyalty.com

First of all, you have to have the desire to make jewelry. If you are reading this post, you have at least a small interest. : ) Then, you have to have the right tools. Jewelry making tools can be expensive, especially if you are going to make just 1 bracelet. At a minimum, you need jewelry crimping pliers and wire cutters. Jewelry beading wire comes in 10 ft, 30 ft or 100 ft spools and if you are only making 1 or 2 bracelets, it is a waste of money to buy what you don’t need. Finally, in most cases, you have to buy more beads than necessary because bead stores sell them in packages. Beaded Royalty has addressed some of these issues by offering bracelet kits. These kits include the wire, bead crimps, and beads needed to make the pictured bracelet.

Here are the steps to stringing a beaded bracelet:

1. Place the beads you want to use on a beading board or beading mat to keep them from rolling off the table.
2. Lay the key beads (letter beads, crystals, Bali beads) in the order you would like them to appear. Use spacers and shiny silver beads to fill in the extra spaces. The rule of thumb for the beaded portion of the bracelet (not including the crimps) is 1″ shorter than you would like the final bracelet. Here is a guide for determining final bracelet length.
3. Cut the wire.  The rule of thumb for wire length is 2″ longer than the finished bracelet.  It gives you a bit of extra at the ends so the beads don’t fall off while you are crimping the first end.
4. String the beads on the beading wire and measure the length using a 12″ ruler.  Get as close as possible to 1″ shorter than the final length.
5. Add 1 crimp bead on each end. Follow the instructions for crimping a bracelet.
6. It is a trial and error process – with time, you will be able to do it on sight. Be patient with yourself!

Diamonds are the most common choice for engagement rings as they symbolize the love you have for your spouse. Diamond engagement rings can be found in hundreds of different styles both in stores and online, where retailers are able to pass along savings due to low overhead and often, less staffing requirements. Smaller sales teams lead to more profits, so they are able to sell greater quantities for an overall lower price.

Since they are found underground in diamond mines and in river beds, diamonds are very expensive. Depending on their clarity, cut, color and size, they can be very expensive, but are well worth the cost if you are planning on proposing marriage or you have your 60th anniversary upcoming. The 60th anniversary is traditionally celebrated with a diamond to your spouse. This can be a necklace, a ring or earrings and symbolizes your everlasting love. With the gift of a precious diamond when you start your journey together, you can show her that you are there for her and that you hope that your love lasts forever, just like that diamond on her finger.

2. “Remove your jewelry while cleaning, swimming, or taking a shower.”  We have discussed that sterling silver will tarnish.  There is no faster way to speed the process than to wear it while swimming or cleaning with chemicals.  Strong chemicals (especially chlorine) reacts with the silver and causes immediate oxidation.  In fact, it oxidizes so fast that it pits the surface and can’t be cleaned or buffed back to its original luster.

3. “Remove jewelry while sleeping.” Most of my jewelry is strung on a wire. It is the highest quality wire available and has a 40 pound test strength.  But like anything else, it will wear out over time.  The more pulling and tugging it receives, the faster it will wear out. It is best to leave your jewelry in a cool, dry place while sleeping to avoid this unnecessary strain.

4. “Periodically clean jewelry with warm soapy water and a SOFT toothbrush.  Rinse thoroughly and dry completely.”  Warm soapy water will usually remove the light layer of tarnish that causes your jewelry to look less than new.  A soft toothbrush is more than sufficient to buff the surface.  Make sure you dry it completely after cleaning.  Water left inside the beads could begin to corrode the wire.  Simply shake your jewelry inside a towel to remove the droplets remain behind.

5. “Never use a silver polishing cloth on Swarovski crystals (our Sunshine Polishing Cloth is gentle enough to use on all our jewelry).”  A silver polishing cloth has tiny abrasives that buff the tarnish off silver making it look like new.  However, those same abrasives will scratch the surface of our Swarovski crystals causing them to look dull.  Our Sunshine Polishing Cloth is, however, gentle enough to use on the crystals and tough enough to remove tarnish with 1-2 swipes. 

6. “Never let your jewelry soak in water.”  See item 4 above.  Leaving water inside the beads for a long period of time will corrode the wire.

7. “Never use any kind of jewelry cleaners or dips.”  Never and any are the operative words here – not even “sterling silver cleaners” should be used.  Jewelry cleaners and dips contain chemicals that could remove the dark areas (oxidation) on letter beads and Bali beads.  They could also cause the same pitting mentioned above with chlorine and household cleaners.  PLEASE don’t take matters into your own hands.  If you feel you need to take drastic measures to clean your jewelry, contact me, and I will do my best to help.

The care card that comes with each bracelet includes the following instruction: “Never use any kind of jewelry cleaner or dip.” She said that sterling silver cleaner was not a “jewelry cleaner” and that I should have specified that “sterling silver cleaner” was not permitted. I thought I was being pretty clear when I said “never” and “any”, but I guess she misunderstood.

I offered to use my knowledge and experience to clean her bracelet, but told her I could not replace it. Please, please follow the care instructions for your jewelry – they are there for a reason. If you have questions, just ask!

I believe everything happens for a reason and sure enough, this did too. Since I know that tarnish is the reaction of something with silver and solid sterling has unlimited layers to give up, I tried all the tricks I know to remove the tarnish. The tarnish came off the smooth round beads easily, however, the letters gave me more of a problem. Why would some of the sterling silver give up its tarnish and not others?

My searching introduced me to a wonderful thing called “argentium silver”. Sterling silver is, by definition, 92.5% silver and 7.5% something else (usually copper). Argentium silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper + germanium which makes it extremely tarnish-resistant. Argentium silver is (as you can imagine) extremely expensive and very difficult to obtain. However, there are other types of tarnish-resistant sterling as well. Researchers have been experimenting with substituting different elements for some of the copper in sterling silver for years. I suspect that the smooth round beads were a slightly different alloy of silver, but I can’t prove it (my supplier wasn’t aware of any special properties).

I am hoping that in the future, tarnish-resistant sterling silver will become more prevalent and accessible. In the meantime, treat your sterling with care and respect and it will bless you with many years of beauty.