Sunday, August 31, 2008

Silver Jewelry show sparkles at rec center

Silver Jewelry show sparkles at rec center

With Sam Conn/Sun-News reporter


More than a thousand people are expected to visit this year's Silver Jewelry Show




SILVER CITY — For the past 25 years, it has been a silver jewelry and gem event that many look forward to — and not just folks from Silver City.

"It's the first silver jewelry and gem show I have been to in 20 years," said Randy Foster of Nashville. "This is the reason we came to Silver City this week."

Every year, the Grant County Rolling Stones go out of their way to make sure there is something for everyone. Of course, you will find gems and minerals in every shape and size, some raw, others cut, and then, if you want something really fancy, they will even polish them for you. But, it really is a lot more to it than that. You can find jewelry, huge sea shells and even belt buckles made out of bullets.

"I think it's one of the best shows they have had in years," said Patricia Falley of Silver City. "The quality is good and the prices are right."

Vendors from all over the Southwest have come to Silver City for the three-day silver jewelry and gem event, which started Saturday and runs through Monday.

Local silver jewelry and gem artists are also well represented. "We have some fabulous local talent," said organizer Judy Allen. "We have some of the best artists in the Southwest right here in Grant County."

Artists seemed pleased with how fast folks were snapping up the sparkling silver jewelry, gems and other jewels.

"Good, very good," said Therese Higgins, who is also known as Silver City's Jewelry Lady. "They barely advertised last year, but this year they did, and it has been very good."

"It is a a little smaller crowd than last year, but it's a good silver jewelry and gem show," vendor Joe Harris said.

Organizers are hoping that nice weather will bring more than 1,000 visitors to the long weekend event. "The weather has been wonderful so far," said Allen. "Just look at this weather. The vendors are really happy."

The best part of the silver jewelry and gem show for many is the price tag — admission is free. You can also catch a free ride from the Burger King parking lot on the Corre Caminos shuttle bus every 20 minutes. The show runs today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Silver City Recreation Center. If you are not familiar with the area, just follow the signs.

If you go

What: Rolling Stones Gem & Mineral Show

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday

Where: Silver City Recreation Center, Gold Street. If you are not familiar with the area, just follow the signs.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

The Silver Jewelry Jackpot

The Silver Jewelry Jackpot

By James Allen .com


Traditional silver jewelery is Swapnasundari’s passion, after her dance of course.

“I’m a great shopper,” says Swapnasundari. Before you can conjure up an image of the eminent classical dancer peppering her performance tours with shopping sprees at the world’s exclusive boutiques, she explains her speciality.

“I have a huge collection of silver jewelry from all sorts of places.”

But this is no drawing room collection ordered from the Capital’s upmarket localities. “I don’t go to the Sunder Nagar shops,” she puts in. It turns out that, just as Swapnasundari’s vast knowledge of the arts focuses on dance forms of the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh region, so too her love of beautiful objects is concentrated on the vast range of traditionally crafted silver jewellery. From all corners.

In a performing career that requires her to travel regularly, the performer and guru says she has picked up silver jewelry, especially traditional tribal pieces, from all corners of India for years; sometimes at a tribal fair, sometimes a nondescript shop in a local bazaar. Sometimes, like in Hampi, where Lambada women sell the ornaments before the Virupaksha temple, she finds them right on the street.

“I am hard put to stop collecting silver jewelry,” she admits. She tries to buy only those pieces she is likely to wear. “But sometimes I buy one even if I know I can’t wear it, because I know the silversmith will melt it down, and it will be lost forever.”

Most tribal people these days, says the multi-faceted dancer, vocalist and scholar, don’t keep their traditional jewellery intact because they either want to exchange it for something “Bambaiyya”, or because they need the money. “And silversmiths are not interested in the craft as such, only in the value of the silver. So they melt it down and recycle it into fashionable designs.”

It is not easy to convince a silversmith to show you a traditional old piece of silver jewelery. Fearful of showing antique pieces in case they get in trouble, they try to dissuade the customer. “When you go into these shops in a salwar-kameez with your hair in a rubber band, you don’t look like a dehati who’s really going to wear all that,” she comments.

Once the misgivings are allayed, a few pieces appear. Most of the time, she gets them for the price of the silver. “I am not paying for the neon lights and fancy overheads,” she remarks.
Neon lights or no, unique objects appear for her.

“In Landour near Mussoorie, I went into a small silver jewelry shop and got a beautifully engraved piece with a yak’s tail hair, which is used for good luck. It came from Tibet. I had a student with me, and when I came out she said ‘I was in the same shop… I never saw that!’”

Her favourites, says the dancer, are silver ear ornaments; she has at least 50 pairs of traditional silver ear ornaments. Then there are pendants, which she sets in necklaces of semi-precious stones that she designs herself, the finger rings, the hair ornaments, including parandhis (kunjalams), and the sari pins. So much for favourites. She also has a few maatha pattis (head ornaments). Not to mention the silver bangles.

“But I prefer kadaas, because there are so many types,” she points out.

“But I absolutely could not resist buying one set of payal in Bhopal. It grips the ankle bone and then trails onto your foot. I actually got a ghagra tailored to the right length, so that when it moves, I can look at it, more than anyone else!” she laughs.

She uses some of her collection as stage silver jewelery too, if it blends with the designs. “Because if you look at our sculptures,” comments, “you see the dance jewellery is not like the temple jewellery we wear now.” Some she gets polished with gold to match the gold-bordered costumes. For those she retains in silver, she designs a suitable costume.

In the end, Swapnasundari prefers silver to gold.

“A very ornate design looks classy and understated in silver, whereas it might look a bit too much in gold.” And imagine, she adds, silver was always considered the poor man’s metal. Not anymore though. Silver has hit gold!

The Hindu Times contributed to this article.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

James Allen: Silver Jewelry Prices Rise As Oil Prices Advance

Silver Jewelry Prices Rise As Oil Prices Advance

By James Allen .com



NEW YORK - Silver prices rose on Tuesday, recovering their losses from the previous session as a rise in oil prices drew traders back into commodities. Prices in Silver Jewelry are expected to experience a small increase.

The dollar was strong, however, which kept trading erratic. Precious metals are often used by investors as a hedge against inflation and a weakening dollar.

Silver futures for September delivery rose 20.5 cents to settle at $13.575 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after falling by nearly 11 cents on Monday.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Silver Jewelry On Display in Washington

Silver Jewelry Adornment


By JamesAllen Silver Jewelry.com

Visitors to Washington, DC can admire silver jewelry from Bilad al-Sham which is on display at the Jerusalem Fund Gallery.

A wide array of hand-crafted silver jewelry and intricately embroidered costumes are on display until Sept. 12, 2008 at the Jerusalem Fund Gallery in Washington, DC.


Ellen Benson and Lynn Springer of Washington, DC’s Bead Museum organized the exhibit using treasures largely drawn from the David and Marjorie Ransom silver jewelry collection. Marjorie Ransom gave an informative lecture to open the exhibition on May 16.

Until the 1950s and 1960s silver jewelry and embroidery were widely worn in Bilad al-Sham, an area that included Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Syria. Descriptions beside each display provide a wealth of information about where each piece of silver jewelry and clothing came from and what it signified.

Silver-making techniques are also described in fascinating detail.

A complementary silver jewelry exhibit drawn from the same collection, “Silver Speaks,” closed March 2008 after successful showings at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, the Gibson Gallery at the State University of New York at Potsdam, the Jefferson County Historical Society in Watertown, New York and the Bead Museum in Washington, DC.

The Mingei International Museum in San Diego also displayed 77 silver jewelry pieces from this collection from April 2006 to September 2007. This high-caliber exhibit should travel the country to help teach Americans about the rich artistic traditions that Jews and Arabs have enjoyed for centuries.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Silver Institute: Silver Jewelry Marketing Campaign Launched

Silver Industry Announces Jewelry Marketing Push

Washington, D.C. - July 15, 2008 .... The Silver Institute today announced that it will launch a consumer-marketing element as part of its wide range of industry programs. The "Silver Marketing Initiative" (SMI) will combine a media and grassroots campaign to increase awareness and encourage consumer purchases of sterling silver jewelry. It will also educate the consumer and trade press on sterling silver and be a source of market information and product news on sterling silver.

Commenting on the announcement, Michael DiRienzo, Executive Director of the Silver Institute, said, "The consensus of our Executive Committee is that the time is right to introduce an industry-supported marketing program in the U.S., with the initial focus being on silver jewelry."
He went on to add, "We are very pleased about appointing Michael Barlerin Associates as the consultant to the Silver Institute in the development and roll-out of the SMI."

Barlerin added, "I could not be more enthusiastic about this opportunity. In light of what has been happening to the price of the other noble metals, now is definitely the time for silver jewelry. I am also gratified by the response I have already received from key members of the jewelry trade when I told them that the SMI was to be launched, and I look forward to discussing mutual opportunities at the JA Show in New York City later this month."

The Silver Institute is an international industry association, which serves as the silver industry's voice in increasing public understanding of the many uses and value of silver. The Institute publishes the widely read World Silver Survey, an annual publication on the global silver industry. The Institute also works to increase global silver demand through a host of programs, and for years operated Silver Trust International, a program similar in mission to the SMI.

Michael Barlerin Associates, LLC was formed in 2005, with the objective of providing marketing and management services to the jewelry industry. Prior to forming the Company, Barlerin had been CEO, Americas for World Gold Council, a position he held for 15 years. He had previously held several senior marketing positions with Zale Corporation.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

From Silver Print to Silver Jewelry

From Silver Print to Silver Jewelry

By James Allen Silver Jewelry


The Jewelers of America (JA) New Designer Award is possibly the most prestigious award for emerging designers in the United States. Belle was delighted at winning the New Designer Award last week, something she would never have guessed just a few years ago.

Belle used to be a photographer. In college, her major was Studio Art with a concentration in photography. She worked as a photographer's assistant, contributing to the Historic Architectural Building Surveys, which is a photographic record for the Library of Congress, and later she worked on her own as a photographer. But as the photography industry moved more and more into digital, Belle felt less and less passionate about photography and started to consider other options.

Since college, she had been doing beaded jewelry on a small scale for friends and family. As business was going pretty well, she decided to go to the Farmers Market.

"So I brought the picnic table from my backyard and put it up there. The fee was only $10, and it was really fun!" says Belle. It inspired her to attend an evening metal smithing class, and then the Christmas fair at Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California. The fair earned her "a lot of money,” she laughs, “or what I thought was a lot of money." This gave her the courage to leave her employment and start working on her own, combining jewelry making with freelance photography.

Soon, however, Belle started feeling that jewelry making was her true passion, and while her jewelry was OK, it was not as good as she wanted it to be. So she decided to go back to school.

After her studies at the Revere Academy's Jewelry Technician Program, she was
certified by Jewelers of America and started to work with gold and diamonds as a bench jeweler at Studio 311 north of San Francisco. While working there four days a week, she began to build her own line in her spare time at home. During her year at Studio 311 she gained entry into two galleries on consignment. After getting married and moving back to Los Angeles, where she had gone to college, she started working fulltime on her line. Word spread quickly, and before long her silver jewelry line was being sold by six galleries.
THE NICHE AWARD RING:

It is intriguing to reflect on the fact that black and white photography is all about silver, as silver particles are embedded both in the film and in the paper to create the blacks in a print and the whites in a negative film. When the artist develops a photographic print, the picture emerges on the white paper as the light-exposed silver particles are oxidized through a chemical process.

Creating black and white art photography was Belle's absolute favorite, and the disappointment of having to move into digital photography gave her second thoughts. While it may seem like she left photography, one may as well say that she stayed with silver as photography moved into digital. She is still oxidizing her silver, just like she did when working with photographs.

After her work reached potential customers in galleries, she found out about tradeshows. "I didn't even know about them before" she exclaims. She also started applying for awards. A few tradeshows later, and after about one year, she had 25 galleries buying her line and two awards on the shelf, along with a grant for $5,000 and a lot of publicity. The awards, the grant, and the publicity gave her the encouragement to come to the JA summer fair in New York’s Javits Center last week, despite it being a rather big investment.
SIGNATURE PIECE: “Closed Circle Pendant” is one of Belle Brooke’s signature pieces. It is an oxidized silver pendant with set garnet and citrine. (Courtesy of Belle Brooke Designs Inc.)

"It is all about working hard and taking risks," she says. Attending her first national jewelry tradeshow last week earned her the most respected award she could wish for and she hopes sales will follow. When asked what her dream year would be like, she replies: "Well, this has been my dream year, really!"

Belle Brooke says that the money she invested in going to the tradeshows is starting to pay off now, and that when you start, it is a big investment and you don't really see the returns right away. It is something you have to build up.

I mean, it is not like you go to a show, earn $20,000, and go home and celebrate. It is not like that. It is low profit and it is really painful. I think it is still going to take me another couple of years to recoup my investments, and by then things will be going really well." She beams as the crystal trophy she won sparkles in the background.

Meeting Belle Brooke at the JA fair and learning about her path to success was an inspiring experience. You just can't help but wish her continued success for years to come, as you see her creations that stay true to her love of contrasts, and the twinkle in her eye despite her hard work.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Silver Jewelry - How to Wear It

Wearing Silver Jewelry - For Business, For Pleasure

Silver jewelry adds a sparkle to your daily life. And should find the best way to wear silver jewelry in the office and at the theatre.

Many are confused or unsure as to when and where to don silver jewel for their clothes. Now JamesAllen.com provides some rules that can help you.

1. Professional clothes for the business environment should match a simple, elegant and fine style silver necklace.

2. Leisure clothes can highlight and or exaggerate style silver necklace.

3. All clothes can come together with silver bracelets with a little bell. It will make you very happy and lovely.

4. Silver jewelry with colorful man-made stones looks fine on young girls.

5. Tibet silver jewelry must not be worn with gold or golden jewelry. But different style silver jewelry can be worn at the same time.

6. Tibet silver jewelry must never be worn with professional clothes. It will send a message to others think you are not professional persons.

7. When you attend a reception and wear a gorgeous dress, you should wear silver jewelry with a diamond or other gems.

8. Silver jewelry can and will become oxidized and some parts will actually turn black. Don"t worry that it will affect your image. It will appear like retro style. It"s another sense of silver jewelry.

9. Silver jewelry is a fashion statement. It speaks volumes as to how successful, elegant and stylish you are.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

What is Silver Jewelry? By JamesAllen.com

What Is Silver Jewelry?


Silver Jewelery (also spelled silver jewellry) has been known by mankind since Pre-History. Silver Jewelry can be made for such personal decorations as a man's or woman's necklace, ring or bracelet.


The word jewelery is derived from the word jewel, which comes from the old French word "jouel" in the 13th century. It has also been suggested that the word is derived from "Jew", as the Jews were important jewelry producers and traders of that time. Silver Jewelery is one of the oldest forms of body adornment.

Silver jewelery was created for practical uses such as wealth, storage and pinning clothes together, in recent times it has been used almost exclusively for decoration.





Photo courtesy of JamesAllen.com



The oldest reference to the silver appears in the book of Genesis.
In Egypt, gold was considered to be a perfect metal, and gave it the symbol of a circle. Since silver was the closest to gold in perfection, it was given the symbol of a semi-circle. Later this semi-circle led to a growing moon symbol, probably due to the likeness between the shining metal and the moon glow.


The Romans called silver argentum, keeping this as the international name of the element, from where its chemical symbol derives. Thousands of years ago humans thought of silver as a most holy and sacred metal. Its malleability and ductility made it ideal for body decoratons and ornamental purposes. Silver and silver jewelry was also used for paying debts, in personal and religious places in Jewish temples and Christian churches decoration and in utensils of the wealthiest houses.

People first mined silver in the Bronze Age for jewelry. Silver was found in Europe and West Asia. One challenge in securing silver was that, silver ore (the rocks that had silver in them) generally also had lead in it, so that lead mining and silver mining were the same thing. But lead is very poisonous, so the men who were mining the silver were also being poisoned by the lead. Most lead-and-silver miners died of lead poisoning in two or three years. Because of this, most free men wouldn't work in the mines, and so they forced slaves to work in the mines instead.

The main silver mineral is the argentite (Ag2S), which usually occurs associated to other sulfides as copper or lead sulfide. Other silver minerals are cerargirite (AgCl), proustite (3Ag2S.Ag2S3), pirargirite (3Ag2S.Sb2S3), stefanite (5Ag2S.Sb2S3) and native silver. The silver occurs in most of the lead and copper ores, and associated to cobalt and gold arsenide. Most of the produced silver is a by-product of the extraction process of these metals. However there are some mines specially devoted to the extraction of this element. The largest world producers of silver and silver jewelry are the USA, Canada, Mexico, Israel, Bolivia, the CIS, Australia and Germany.









Photo courtesy of JamesAllen.com



Silver is a non-toxic element. However, most of its salts are poisonous due to the presence of its anions. These compounds are absorbed by the body and remain in the blood stream until they are deposited in the mucous membranes, forming a greyish film. However, there are some silver compounds, like the nitrate, with an antiseptic effect.

Solutions of silver nitrate are used in treating irritations of mucous membranes in the mouth and throat. Some proteins that contain silver are powerful anti-irritating agents of the membranes of the eyes, heard, nose and throat. Much of silver jewelry and accessories are made of beautiful sterling silver.

Sterling silver has become the standard for beautiful high-quality silver jewelry. It's over 90 percent pure silver, mixed with alloys to add strength and durability. And it won't wear down, as silver plating can. Pure silver, also called fine silver, is relatively soft, very malleable, and easily damaged so it is commonly combined with other metals to produce a more durable product. The most popular of these alloys is sterling silver, which consists of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper.
Although any metal can make up the 7.5 percent non-silver portion of sterling, centuries of experimentation have shown copper to be its best companion, improving the metal's hardness and durability without affecting its beautiful color.


The small amount of copper added to sterling has very little effect on the metal's value. Instead, the price of the silver item is affected by the labor involved in making the item, the skill of the craftsperson, and the intricacy of the design. Most high quality silver items are stamped with a "fineness" or "quality" mark. This mark designates the precious metal content of the jewelry, and under federal law, must be accompanied by a maker's mark or registered trademark. Because pure silver is so soft, it should only be used when malleability is required, such as in handcrafted jewelry featuring weaving and other intricate designs.


Sterling silver is most often used for jewelry and household accessories because of its combination of beauty and durability. With proper care, your fine quality silver will last a lifetime. To minimize scratches and other damage, store your silver jewelry either in a cloth pouch or in a separate compartment in your jewelry box. Avoid exposing your silver to household chemicals when cleaning with bleach or ammonia, or when swimming in chlorinated water, as these chemicals can damage silver.


Care and handling of silver jewelry should be taken to prevent silver tarnish build-up, a dulling that occurs when silver reacts with sulfur or hydrogen sulfide in the air. To clean silver jewelry, it is recommended to use polishes formulated specifically to remove tarnish. One can find fine silver polishes, solutions, or cloths appropriate to remove tarnish at most hardware stores or specialty craft stores. Tarnish is most easily removed when it first becomes visible. Although wearing silver jewelry often is the best way to prevent tarnish from building up, regular cleanings of silver items will prevent tarnish and keep your silver bright and sparkling.


The United States recently joined Germany, India, Italy and Mexico as the top silver jewelry-consuming countries, fueling an increase in production over the last decade, according to the new Global Jewelry Report from the Silver Institute.

The report finds that from 1996 to 2005, global silver jewelry output increased 17 percent to 171.8 million ounces. Helping to spur the category's growth was Chinese silver fabrication, which skyrocketed from 2.2 million ounces in 1996 to 17.4 million ounces in 2005.Overall, global jewelry trade increased 86 percent from 2000 to 2005, creating a $2.6 billion market, according to the report.London-based precious-metal consultant GFMS Ltd. produced the report for the Silver Institute. This represents the first time the company has produced separate data on silver's use in jewelry and silverware.


Today, one can purchase silver jewelry in a
store, through an auction or by browsing an on-line Internet shop.