Saturday, January 30, 2010

Black continues...

Siin pusas on kolm uut ehet, kõik musta ja vasega :) Üks sõrmus, mis on swarovski kiviga ning kaks käeketti. Panin kõik kolm üles DaWandasse.

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There are three jewelry pieces here in the mix, all with black and copper :) One ring with vintage swarovski cabochon and two bracelets. I put them all on display at my DaWanda shop.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

BlackLady Set

Mustavärvi komplekt eelmise aasta lõpust. Kasutasin vanu klaasist ehtekive Saksamaa USA-tsoonist ja Lääne Saksamaalt. Ümmargused ehtekivid pole sellise kvaliteediga kui sooviks ja kõrgkvaliteediliste klaaskristallidega nagu swarovski on neid mõeldamatu kokku panna. Kuid klaasiga sobib küll. Kaelakee sai omaniku samal päeval, seetõttu on pildid nii nagu on (loe: võiksid olla palju ilusamad). Komplektis veel ehtekividega käekett ning kõrvarõngad.
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Black set from the end of last year. I used vintage glass rhinestones from Germany US-zone and Western Germany. The round ones are not quite the quality I'd like and I wouldn't use them with high quality lead crystals like swarovski. But it's just fine with glass. The necklace found it's new owner the same day I finished it so that's why the photos are like they are (read: these could be so much better). There's also a pair of earrings and a bracelet in this set.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

OpalDrops Violet Flower Brooch

Violetne pross vanaaegsete ehtekividega. Neid väikeseid tilgakujulisi poolläbipaistvaid kivikesi olen kasutanud kunagi kõrvarõngastes. Suurus on neil klaaskividel 8x4mm ja kokku on siin neid 12 tükki. Keskel on kahevärviline klaaskivi - see on "rosalin" roosa ja keskel tilk safiirsinist. Ja lisaks panin siia tillukesi (15/0) Jaapani Miyuki seemnehelmeid.
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Violet brooch with vintage glass rhinestones. I've used these small opal violet pearshaped rhinestones before in earrings. They are 8x4mm in size and here are 12 of them. In the middle there is a vintage bicolor glass stone - it's rosalin pink with a drop of sapphire blue in the middle. Addition to all I used tiny (15/0) Japanese Miyuki seedbeads.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Earrings

Mõned kõrvarõngad. Osad olid mõeldud komplektina, aga nende kaelakeed või käevõrud ei ole saanud veel valmis. Sest mul on nimemärgised otsa saanud :) Eile tulid postiga tühjad metall-lipikud, täna proovin neile nime peale lüüa.
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Earrings. Some of them were ment to be a part of a set but necklaces and bracelets are still unfinished. Because I'm out of nametags that I want to add to them :) Yesterday I received blank tags by mail, I try to stamp them today.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

So how old are these rhinestones?

Paljud on minult küsinud, et kuidas ma tean, kui vanad on need ehtekivid, mida oma ehetes kasutan. Vanuse määramisel saab kasutada erinevaid viise, kirjutangi siin mõnedest nippidest, mida olen ise kasutanud või mida annaks kasutada.
***Esimene, kõige lihtsam viis, on uskuda kivide müüjat ;) Eks see ole natuke riskantne ning minu jaoks on usutavamad need müüjad, kes on kive müünud pikka aega ja lisavad toote juurde võimalikult palju informatsiooni, ka näiteks foto originaalpakendist. Samamoodi teavad müüjad, millisest tegevuse lõpetanud firma laost nad oma tooted saavad, nii oskavad nad öelda, millises ajavahemikus firma tegutses. Näiteks ehtebrändi "Laguna" - omanik Royal Craftsmen Inc. mis tegutses 1944-1980 (info siit: Vintage Jewelry Designers History)- tootmisest järele jäänud helmeid, kinniseid ja poolikuid detaile leiab eBayst päris palju.
***Teine, ka väga lihtne viis, on see, kui kivide pakendile on lisatud kuupäev ja aastaaeg. Pole muud teha kui lugeda :)
***Kolmas variant on kasutada dateerimisel tootjamaad, on see siis Lääne Saksamaa (1949-1990), okupeeritud Saksamaa US-tsoon (1945-1949), Tšehhoslovakkia (1918-1992) või okupeeritud Jaapan (1945-1952).
***Neljas viis on pakendi või logo formaat. Swarovski on tootnud ehtekive läbi aastakümnete ning aja jooksul on pakendid muutunud. Mul pole kindlat viidet, kus oleks kirjas, mis ajal millist pakendit kasutati, kuid olen eBays silmad lahti hoidnud ja meelde jätnud müüjate pakutud aastad teatud pakenditele. Daniel Swarovski lõi firma koos Armand Kosmanni ja Franz Weissiga aastal 1895 (sellest pakenditel tähed K.S. & Co, mis on lühend A. Kosmann, Daniel Swarovski & Co). Algne logo oli lill (edelweiss), praegu ehk kõige enam tuntud luigekujutis võeti logoks aastal 1988. Vahepeal peaks olema ka lihvitud kivi kujutis, kuid selle kohta mul info puudub. Kõige uuem bränd on CRYSTALLIZED TM - Swarovski Elements.
***Viiendaks võib tootja järgi pakkuda ajavahemiku. Muidugi peab sel juhul pakendilt või müüja kaudu teada saama tootja nime. Näiteks Cherry Brand helmed ja ehtekivid toodeti USA okupeeritud Jaapanis (1945-52). Ehtekivide pakenditelt annab mõnikord välja lugeda ka edasimüüja firma nime, aadressi ja telefoni. Nii saab võimaluse korral kindlaks teha antud firma tegutsemisaja või näiteks mitmekohalist telefoni numbrit kunagi kasutati. Sellist infot ma veel otsida ei oska.
***Kuuenda dateerimise võimaluse puhul, kuidas teada saada, kas ehtekivid on valmistatud pärast 50ndaid, tuleks meeles pidada, et AB (aurora borealis) pinnaviimistlus leiutati Daniel Swarovski poolt 1955 aaastal ning ükski ehe, milles on ABläikelisi kive, ei saa olla sellest vanem ;)
***Seitsmendaks, on teatud sorti spetsiaalseid materjale, mille tootmine langeb teatud aastatesse. Näiteks uraaniumi sisaldav klaas (USAs kasutatakse mõistet vaseline glass alates 1920ndatest), mis UV valguses helendub. Kui avastati plastmassi "võlud", siis kasutati materjale nagu tselluloid (celluloid), bakelite (avastati 1909), catalin (1930ndad) ja lucite (alates 1931). Viimane võimaldas saada vastupidavamat kristallselget materjali, mida sai toota väga suures valikus ja kaunites värvides ning selle kasutuselevõtmisega muutus bakelite iganenuks. Ka on olemas teatud sorti klaas, millesse segati sulakulda ning mida enam ei toodeta kulla kõrge hinna tõttu. Vbl on tegu lihtsalt legendidega aga sellest viimasest klaasist kirjutan kindlasti lähemalt kunagi hiljem ;)

PS Postitus tuli väga pikk ja kui sa näed siin näpukaid või muid vigu, anna teada mdmB@hot.ee Aitäh!
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what is Cherry Brand glass  vintage glass cabochons in coral color and textured flower pattern
Jaapani Cherry Brand tekstuuriga klaaskivid (1945-1952)
Cherry Brand textured cabochons from Japan (1945-1952)


Pierres en verre ancienne Allemagne de l'Ouest
Pakk Tšehhoslovakkia ehtekive (1945-1992), pakendi tagaküljel on näha USA edasimüüja
Package of Czechoslovakian rhinestones (1945-1992), backside shows the name of US importer



Kirjud "iris" ehtekivid ülemisest Tšehhoslovakkia pakendist ja valged ehtekivid alumisest Lääne Saksamaa pakendist
Colorful "iris" rhinestones from Czechoslovakian package above and white cabochons from Western Germany package below



Lääne Saksamaal valmistatud valgete kivide pakend, teisel küljel näha USA edasimüüja ning tempel kuupäevaga: sept 5 1956
Package of white glass cabochons thet were made in Western Germany, backside US importer name and stamped: sept 5 1956


how old are these rhinestones Strass anciennes
Lääne Saksamaa "givre" ehtekivid, eeldatakse, et käsitsi kirjutatud pakendid on vanemad kui trükitud
Western Germany "givre" rhinestones, handwritten packages are believed to be older then printed




Valik Austria kristalli pakendeid: lillega (edelweiss) täheühend D. S. & Co kui ka K. S & Co, teemandikujuline ja luigemärgiga
Selection of Austrian crystal packages: with edelweiss and letters D. S & Co and letters K. S. & Co, with diamante picture (letters D S W) and the swan logo



Kaks pakki musti ehtekive. Üks Saksamaa USA-tsoonist (1945-1949) ja teine Lääne Saksamaalt (1949-1990)
Two packages of black rhinestones. One from Germany US-zone (1945-1949) and other from Western Germany (1949-1990)

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Many people have asked me how can I tell the age of the rhinestones I use in my jewelry. There are many ways to do it and I'll write about them in this post. Some of them I use, some don't.
***First, the easiest way, is to believe the seller ;) It is a bit risky and those sellers seem more reliable who's been in the rhinestone business for a long time and add detailed description including a photo of the original package. But I do prefer to receive stones in original package. The sellers know where they get their supplies so the age of rhinestones can be traced through the old jewelry companies and the years they were in business (for example "Laguna" was founded by Royal Craftsmen Inc. and was in business 1944-1980 - found the info from Vintage Jewelry Designers History)
***Second, also simple option is when there is a date written/stamped on the rhinestone package. All you need to do is read :)
***Third option is to use the origin country. If it is Western Germany (1949-1990) or Germany US-zone (1945-1949), Czechoslovakia (1918-1992) or occupied Japan (1945-1952).
***Fourth way to date the stones, is the format of the packages or logos. Since Swarovski company has manufactured crystals through decades the packages changed through the time. I don't have a reliable source where it's written the years and according package. But I've read different item descriptions on eBay and tried to remember the decades one or other seller associate with different packages. Daniel Swarovski established his company with Armand Kosmann and Franz Weiss in 1895 (so letters on the packages K.S. & Co are actually shortened version of A. Kosmann, Daniel Swarovski & Co). The original Swarovski logo was an edelweiss flower, it was replaced by current swan logo in 1988. There should be a cut diamond logo also, but I have no info about it. The newest brand is CRYSTALLIZED TM - Swarovski Elements.
***Sometimes it's possible to read a wholesalers company name, address and telephone number on the package. I guess it may be possible to check in what time that company was in business and how many digit numbers were used for telephones in what time etc. I haven't searched for info like that. There are also certain manufacturers or brands that can be connected to specific years. For example Cherry Brand beads and cabochons were made in US occupied Japan in 1945-1952.
***The year of 1955 is a special milestone in the rhinestone history because it was then when Daniel Swarovski created a special crystal coating that had all the colors of the rainbow. It's called aurora borealis (AB). So stones with AB coating cannot be older then 1955 ;)
***The last one in this list is the fact that the materials of jewelry business changed accordingly the steps taken by the science. Special materials were popular in different years. For example a special glass called uranium glass or vaseline glass (from 1920s in US) that glows in the UV-light. And when the magic world of the plastic was discovered, jewelry business started to use new materials like celluloid, bakelite (since 1909), catalin (1930s) and lucite (since 1931). With the last one it was possible to create clear durable material with a rainbow of beautiful colors and it was the end of bakelite. There were amazing materials that were used! My favourite is a glass that was mixed with melted gold, the production was stopped because the gold price went up. Maybe it is just a legend but I will write more about it soon ;)

PS This post was difficult to write and if you see I made a mistake somewhere, please let me know mdmB@hot.ee Thanks!



Edit: Found info, that Swarovski changed bead article numbers in 4 digit in 1968. So the three digit articles were produced before that. I wonder if it should apply to rhinestones also.
LINK

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Brooch Series II

Ehete tegemisel järele jäänud ehtekividest saab mõnikord väga huvitava värvikoosluse. Olen usinalt teinud prosse :) Kaks prossi on rohelise-sinise kirjud, inspiratsiooniks oli see ümmargune ehtekivi, mis on sinist värvi ja mille keskel on natuke rohelist värvi - ehk siis kahevärviline ehtekivi. Esimesel pildil on vapikujulise sabrina tüüpi klaaskiviga pross, see läheb kingituseks mu õele. Eelviimasel pildil on swarovski kivi, mille värv on navy blue, sama värvi on ka need pisikesed ehtekivid seal tippudes. Väga omapärane värv see navy blue, meeldis kohe esimesest pilgust, kuid võttis üle poole aasta enne, kui seda ehtesse suutsin panna. Kapriisne värv...
Panen prossid DaWandasse üles.
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Using rhinestone-leftovers from other jewelry pieces I end up with pretty odd color combinations. I've been busy making brooches :) Two of them are blue-green combination, I got inspired by that big round rhinestone that is bicolored - blue glass with a drop of green in the center. On the first photo there is a brooch with shield shaped sabrina glass rhinestone, this one goes to my sister as a birthday present. On the last row left is a brooch with swarovski cabochon in color of Navy Blue, the rhinestones in the tips of the pins are also Navy Blue. It's an interesting color, I liked it the first time I saw it but managed to uset it a half year later. Quite capricious one...
I'll put these brooches in DaWanda

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Odds & Ends

Iga kord, kui teen ehte, siis jääb mul üle mingeid ehtekivikesi ja poolikuid asju. See tuleb sellest, et ma mõtlen tihti mitu korda ümber, mida ehtesse panna. Nii on mul neid ehtekive, mis juba pesades, kogunenud päris palju. See käekett ongi tehtud osadest neist. Ja üks poolik ripats, mis pidi kunagi kaelakeeks saama, leidis enda koha hoopis siin.

Minult on väga palju küsitud ehtekivide kohta ja seda, kuidas ma tean nende umbkaudset vanust. Nii ma otsustasin, et kirjutan selleteemalise postituse. See saab olema päris pikk :) Aga kui oled huvitatud ehtekivide infost, siis varsti tuleb võimalus.
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Every time I make a piece of jewelry I end up with many set rhinestones that are left over. It's because I tend to think over during the process and re-decide if something will fit or not. So I have a mix of rhinestones that are in settings. This bracelet is made from some of them and a halfmade pendant that never met its necklace also found its place here.

People ask alot about my rhinestones and how can I tell the approximate age. So I decided to write a special post on that. It's going to be a long one :) So if you're interested in learning more about vintage rhinestones you'll soon have the chance.

Monday, January 4, 2010

COTM: Glam for December - Pearl&Crystal

Näedsa ja ma unustasingi õigel ajal postitada detsembrikuu värvi. Parandan vea. Detsembrikuuks valisin kristall ehk läbipaistva värvi. Nagu jää, lumehelveste kristallid.
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And ofcourse I forgot to post the Color of the Month for December. This will be fixed. I chose crystal clear for December. The color of ice and the crystals of the snowflakes.