January Birthstone Feature: Garnet

The birthstone for January is the Garnet, and can also be Rose Quartz. The traditional color for the January birthstone is that lovely deep classic Red Garnet. However, Garnets come in an amazing range of hues. I love Garnets, and here is some information from my website, K. A. Mace Jewelry, regarding Garnets:

Garnets have a wonderful history of being a much-desired and sought-after gemstone. Garnets were once carried by travelers to keep them safe when they were far from home. Garnets were used in Asia and in the American Southwest as bullets, as it was believed that the deep, rich red color would cause more deadly wounds. Noah used a garnet lantern to steer the Ark at night.

Today, Garnets are much more than the red stone that most of us are familiar with from antique jewelry. Indeed, the Garnet is found in almost every hue but blue! Here are the Garnets found in this Collection:

Green Garnets:

(image from www.kamacejewelry.com, photo by K. A. Mace)

Green Garnets, or Grossularite (Grossular Garnets), range from yellow to green to brown. Most of the Green Garnets in this collection fall in this range--the olive greens to dark, bright greens. Some Green Garnets are also knows as Tsavorite, and these Garnets are an emerald-green. This Garnet is found only as small accents in this collection.

Mandarin Garnets:

(image from www.kamacejewelry.com, photo by K. A. Mace)

Mandarin Garnets, or Spessartine Garnets, are bright, vivid orange stones. These Garnets are stunning in the way that they catch the light and truly glow! This color is stunning for any season!

"Grape" Garnets:

(image from www.kamacejewelry.com, photo by K. A. Mace)

Grape Garnets are a purplish-red to violet colored Garnet. These garnets are a vivid, unusual color and are stunning when paired with the other Garnet colors.

"Raspberry" Garnets:

(image from www.kamacejewelry.com, photo by K. A. Mace)

"Raspberry" Garnets are a raspberry red--a wonderfully vibrant dark pink color. This color is referred to as "dark pink" throughout this collection.

Red Garnets:

(image from www.kamacejewelry.com, photo by K. A. Mace)

Red Garnets are found in different varieties, each with different tones. Pyrope, is a fiery red. The Pyrope Garnets found in Arizona are called "Anthill Garnet" as they are actually mined by ants creating their anthills! Almandine Garnets are a deep red to reddish-brown. The Red Garnets in this collection are a beautiful, rich brick red.

Try one color...or try them all!

Find your perfect January Birthstone jewelry at K. A. Mace Jewelry! Happy January Birthday!

Oh, to be 13 again!

Last night was my daughter's Winter Formal Dance. My daughter and three of her girlfriends got ready here at the house and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing them laughing, giggling, helping each other with their hair and makeup. They were simply stunning when they came out...


(my daughter is second from the right)

While I took these pictures, I thought about what it felt to be thirteen. These are young women who have so much potential, they are smart young ladies and each has a wonderful unique style that they embrace and do not allow to be diluted with peer pressure. So...for the sake of some nostalgia, I remember that when I was thirteen the world was such a different place!

When I was thirteen...

The Kent State shooting occurred.
Chile elected a Marxist, Salvador Allende.
The First Earth Day was celebrated.
Monday Night Football was launched.
California became the first no-fault divorce state
First New York City Marathon.
The Beatles released their last studio album, Let It Be.
Black Sabbath released what is considered by many to be the first "Heavy Metal" album, "Black Sabbath".
The floppy disc was invented.
Charles Manson was convicted of killing Sharon Tate.
18 year olds were given the right to vote in federal elections.
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty goes into effect, after ratification by 43 nations.
Bar codes were introduced for retail use in England.
The Concorde makes its first supersonic flight.
The U.S. invades Cambodia to hunt out the Viet Cong; massive antiwar protests occur in the U.S.
Jimi Hendrix dies of barbiturate overdose in London.
Janis Joplin dies in a cheap motel from a heroin overdose.
Midnight Cowboy wins the Best Picture Oscar, the first and only time an X-rated movie received the honor.
A United States postage stamp cost 6 cents, a gallon of Gas cost 36 cents, average income in the U.S. was $9,400.00 per year, average cost of new house in the U.S. was $23,450.00, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 838 at year end close.

What a different world these young ladies live in today. They are attached to their laptops, cell phones, ipods and other technology that they simply somehow cannot "live without". They are so much more savvy and wordly than I ever was at that age, they have been exposed to so much more via the media and cable television.

Yet somethings never quite seem to change. They, too, have concern for the war that we are waging in Iraq and Afghanistan. They understand the economic pressures we currently face, and what they will inherit when they complete college and get into the workforce. They will face a world with possible global change issues that will shape how they live, where they live and what they do for a living.

I am proud and honored to be a part of helping one of these young ladies find their way to adulthood and beyond.

What was the world like when you were thirteen? What have and will your thirteen year old children face?

Hope

I have had a pretty challenging year, on a personal level. I felt like I kept wishing away so much of the year in trying to get through one thing or another. While I have much to be thankful about and grateful for...I feel like I let a lot of stress and worrying get in the way of simply enjoying what I truly do have to enjoy.

Then, last night I was sitting in my living room, just quietly sipping tea and looking at my Christmas tree. I was struck with a feeling of sadness, I suppose for wishing away so much of the year. Here we are, with 2009 upon us, and I feel like I have a lot less to show for this past year...I simply did not get accomplished what I wanted to achieve.


Then, my son came into the room carrying with him the scent of chlorine from his water polo practice. He came over to me and asked me to look at the ornaments with him. He asked me where I got this one, why I liked that one. I really enjoyed that moment with him and his wonder of these lovely ornaments and the little life moments they represented or measured.


My sadness began to fade and was replaced with a feeling of hope and faith. I know that this was not my banner year. This, however, was a year of transition and change for me and I need to dig even deeper to stop stressing out over what I cannot control and stop worrying for the worst of what can be. I wanted to capture that sense of hope I certainly once had, and that should be part of this holiday season.


After going after ornament after ornament, discussing our past as a family, my son went off to finish his homework. I sat down, cracked open a journal that I bought long ago but never used and started writing down my game plan for 2009. I have hope. I know we will have an even stronger future as a family.

Shopping Tips for the 25 Days of Christmas: Tip #18

To accompany my last Shopping Tip #17 (DIY this holiday for gift-giving!) I thought it would be important to also pass along another related shopping tip that is certainly near and dear to my heart...

HOLIDAY SHOPPING TIP #18:

Buy HANDMADE gifts this holiday season!

I love handmade gifts. I love that someone took the time to make something by hand. I enjoy that passion for their talent and gift. I really dig the idea of supporting an entrepreneur and not a huge corporation. Of course I love some really amazing brand products, however, I also truly appreciate how hard an individual works at creating something that is often one-of-a-kind or something that simply cannot and should not be replicated in a factory somewhere!

So, support an artisan this holiday season, buy local, buy handmade!

Inspirations...

Admitted, I have taken a bit of a "break" from my jewelry design. I think that for many of us, as artists and "creative types", it can be great to step away for a minute or two and step back to see the bigger picture. It can be a quiet, introspective time to look at the world a bit differently, possibly learn a new aspect to our craft (or another!) and find new inspirations.

Inspiration can certainly come in many different forms. I have always been inspired by nature, and have tried to work those organic themes into my designs. My love for the beach, for example, is often reflected in my work.

I found some new inspirations, I believe, just this morning. Outside, drinking my coffee, this is what welcomed me this morning, this amazing array of hibiscus blooms:


Yes, even on December 4th, these beauties are bursting with color and vying for the sunlight!

I looked at each one more closely, to see its full glory...At first, my favorite was this amazing yellow, so yellow-licious it hurt my eyes!


Then, on further inspection, I fell for the graceful, more quiet loveliness of this incredible coral blossom:


Then, my heart truly stopped. This showy pink blossom called out to me!


I truly began to think that these blooms were trying to send me a message...that I, too, should find the sun. I, too, need to bloom. I, too, can bring a bit of color, hope, joy, loveliness to someone else.

I am already plotting and planning my next collection...Inspiration.

Holiday Gifts from K. A. Mace Jewelry!

K. A. Mace Jewelry has holiday gifts in a wide variety of styles, gemstones and freshwater pearls and pricepoints. Visit the K. A. Mace Jewelry website today to discover just how incredibly affordable fine, handmade jewelry can be for those on your holiday shopping list (or for a special gift for YOU!)!


K. A. Mace Golden Glory Ring

Furthermore, K. A. Mace now offers financing on K. A. Mace Jewelry Orders!


(K. A. Mace Beer Quartz and Multitourmaline Vine Earrings)

K. A. Mace offers financing on orders $150.00 or more! Upon sending and acknowledging your order, K. A. Mace will charge 1/2 of the total amount to the credit card (or PayPal account) that you choose. Your jewelry will be created and sent to you, as per the order. 30 days after shipping the order, the other 1/2 of the order total will be due, and automatically charged to the credit card (or PayPal account) that you designate. Please contact K. A. Mace at kelly@kamacejewelry.com for more details. (Subject to credit approval).

For orders over $250.00. this financing can be split into as many as four payments!

Visit K. A. Mace Jewelry today! Feel free to contact me at kelly@kamacejewelry.com with questions regarding specific pieces, pricing options, or just to say "Hello"!

K. A. Mace Jewelry Consignment Series Continues!

For those of you who have been following my series on consignment, thank you for your wonderful input, experiences and feedback! And, yes, I am continuing on, for those of you out there who have emailed me asking for the series to continue!


Next up...How does the boutique/retailer market YOU and YOUR MERCHANDISE?

Yes, even on consignment, this is a great question to ask a boutique/retailer. And, of course, you have your side of the marketing equation to cover as well. Here are some great ideas that you can share with the buyer/owner to drive your sales, and truly the overall sales of that boutique!


Will they work with you on a trunk show, or special in-store event? Many boutiques LOVE trunk shows! YOU show up with inventory, THEY sell it, you BOTH profit. They do not take the risk on the inventory, and you get to sell your goods to their customer base, plus those you invite. The best way to do this is to ask the boutique if they have a mailing list or email list that you can communicate with.

You can very easily, and inexpensively, produce great postcards to announce your trunk show to their customers, and your own that may be in that city. Often, the boutique will even split the cost of the postcards, and/or the postage as they are driving traffic as well. I highly recommend Overnight Prints or Modern Postcard. They are both very, very easy to work with, you can easily upload graphics and information and design your own postcard, and they arrive in literally days!


You can also create a professional enewsletter or e-vite for their email list, combining it with your email list as well. Ensure that you are capturing all emails from your website, and you can easily create an opt-in box on your website or blog to ensure that anyone who visits gets the opportunity to join your email list. You can also use Constant Contact, iContact and other online services that help you create mailing lists and have wonderful templates to create e-newsletters.

Some boutiques will also enter into co-op advertising with their designers. In this case, you will pay a small amount to be included in a print or online ad with your business name, possibly even a piece of your jewelry, included in the ad. Please note, being that it is "co-op" you have to remember that other designers may also be involved in this advertising. I have found this to be really beneficial when it comes to the major jewelry-selling holidays only, however. Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, and the Holidays are perfect times to partner with a retailer on such an ad. I would steer clear of other times of the year, unless they are having a special Anniversary Sale or another type of meaningful sales event that is specific to that community. For example, is there a major local parade or holiday that brings a lot of traffic and tourists to the area?


Also, do they market and sale off of their website? This is a wonderful way to basically enter into not so much of a "consignment" relationship, but a "drop ship" arrangement. The difference? Well, with consignment, you do run the risk of jewelry being lost, stolen, broken, sold and accidently credited to another artist, etc. With a drop ship arrangement, they put images of your work on their website, item description, price and when they receive an order, the alert you and YOU actually fulfill that order. They may ask you to send to them, and they send out to the customer. They may require you to directly ship to the customer yourself. Either way, make sure that you understand their expectation for shipping methods, packing, invoicing, and insurance. All of that the customer will pay for, however, understanding those expectations is key to a successful drop ship relationship.

If you are going to be featured on their website, inquire about how they market the designers. Is there a "Designer of the Month", "Spotlight Designer"? Do they market special gemstones for special events, like "Gemstone of the Month" or "Birthstone Specials"? Bring some ideas to the table for the boutique, you just might find your jewelry, your art, on their homepage! Blog about your jewelry and products on their website, send the link to your email list, and make sure that the entire world knows that they can buy YOUR jewelry on THEIR website! The more traffic, the more sales!


One caveat: Ensure you understand their expectation of the artists they feature on their website. They will most likely ask you to not have those same items on your website or blog for sale, unless you are solely directing that traffic to them.

One key tip: Developing a relationship with the staff is truly key. They are selling your product day in and day out. Ask if you can have some time to meet with their sales staff to present the key selling points of your work. Drop in, introduce yourself, ask if they have any questions, and thank them for their hard work. Some boutiques will allow you to give small gifts to their associates; I often provided jewelry for them to wear. It became an inexpensive way to encourage that associate to sell even more of your jewelry! Just check first, they may have conflict of interest policies for their associates.


Love the rings featured? Go to K. A. Mace Jewelry to view more of the K. A. Mace Jewelry Ring Collection and many more designs!