Welcoming the New Year

One of our pieces sold this winter - my
favorite sterling and lapis necklace!
Thrilled to see it find a home.

Hello Gemstone Fans:

Happy New Year!  We're looking forward to 2011 - we have lots of plans and ideas, including attending international bead and gemstone shows, developing some new products, offering workshops, and as always, creating unique gemstone jewelry, devotional pieces and accessories.  It's what we do :)

The end of 2010 was busy, which was nice both from a sales perspective and because busy winter holidays mean fun, family, and friends.  One perk of having a partner (and sister) who makes devotional malas is the prospect of getting one for a gift - which I did.  I picked out the beads for it; a set of lovely blue lapis 8mm beads, as well as sterling silver markers and a filigree guru bead.  Amy hand knotted these into a traditional 108 bead mala and added a metallic blue handmade tassel which brings out the dark glints of pyrite in the lapis.  I love it.

We now have a presence on deviantArt, under my login name of DesignerMoon.  We've been highlighting the artistic aspect of our work there.  It seems a great place to get inspired by other great art, interact with more of the online beading community, and use the space to provide expanded descriptions and stories for the pieces.  Check out the journal there for updates and features unique to the dA environment.

Keep your eyes on the blog here for more updates, but especially for features about the interesting stories behind gemstones and the unique stuff we make from them!  Hope you have a beautiful New Year.

Cheers,
Jennifer

Thanksgiving Coupon Savings and Preparing for Winter

Blue Quartz and Crystal Earring

Hello Gemstone Fans!

We are approaching our first "Black Friday" at Lunar Blue Designs. I assume the name is given by stores that hope they will use this day's sales to put themselves in the black for the year, rather than in the red. Or perhaps they are referring to the grueling traffic. To avoid that crazy weekend road hassle, check out our gemstone items and do your holiday shopping online.  :)

To celebrate Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season, we are offering a 10% discount for the 24 hours of Friday, November 26, 2010.  Just make your selection on our Etsy site, and then put the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY10 in the proper box before you check out.  Simple, and a great way to save on the item you've been keeping an eye on.

Crackle Ice Glass
and Crystal Necklace

Our seasonal theme for this holiday is "Winter Ice" and we are happy to be able to list several items composed of glittering icy quartz and glass, blue crystal and chalcedony, all brought together with shimmering sterling silver.  Although half the globe has a warm time in December, those of us in the northern latitudes can't help but identify this time of year with snowflakes, the shimmer of icicles, and lacy frost on the windows.

So enjoy your Thanksgiving (for those in the US), and take a peek at our Etsy store for icy wonders perfect for a gift giving time of year.

Jennifer


Image Credit:  Top image, Crystal and Crackle glass necklace.  Bottom image, crackle quartz earrings with Swarovski crystal and sterling silver.  Listed in our Etsy Store November 2010.

Our First Launch Party

Hello Gemstone Fans:

We had a very successful launch party this past weekend in Boston.  We are considering having additional parties at other locations since everyone had such a good time at this one.  But we'll have to see what is in the cards for the next few months.  We are also considering an on-line launch party, possibly with an open chat room, free giveaways, discounts, and other fun stuff.  So stay tuned for info.

The activities at our launch party included two guessing games with prizes, a presentation on the interesting aspects of peridot (some of which I've been blogging about), a presentation about the nature of spiritual and contemplative beaded pieces (did you know 2/3 of the world prays with beads of some sort?), great food and libations, and everyone left with a suncatcher as a free gift.

We were pleased that many of our guests chose to make purchases at the launch party.  Although we try very hard to make sure our photographs show the beauty and quality of our work, there is nothing like being up close.  In person, the jewelry has a depth and personality that is difficult to capture in a photo.  Holding and touching a piece of gemstone jewelry allows one to feel the textures, weight, and appreciate the luminous nature of antiqued sterling silver. 

One item purchased was from our line of sterling silver and gemstone keyrings.  This particular piece was perfectly placed with a man looking for something classy, high quality, and streamlined.  Another purchase was a necklace, bracelet, and earring set.  I was very happy to see this set find a home.  The pendant bead is so unique - weighty, very smooth, and with an excellent display of colors characteristic of high quality brecciated jasper.  The more simple bracelet and earrings create a coordinated look without taking away from the staring role of the pendant.

Another favorite that I was pleased to see caught someone's eye was a pair of earrings composed of yellow spider web jasper, orange amber (ambroid) and garnet with sterling wires and spacer beads.  Spider web jasper (also called crab jasper and dragon vein jasper) has such a unique glow, and these stones have an interesting yellow-green-red set of tones.  The deep sparkles found in amber make an interesting juxtaposition, complemented by dark red garnet heshi beads.  I'll be talking more about all these gemstones, especially a series on amber/ambroid, in future posts keep your eyes here for further developments.

All in all, an excellent kick off for us, and a lot of fun for our guests.  We look forward to our next event as we continue with our plans to unfold Lunar Blue Designs on Etsy, in social media outlets, at workshops, and more parties!

Jennifer

Images - All images are from Lunar Blue Designs - Sold.  See post text for details.