Handcrafted Jewelry News from a Maine Jewelry Store

So if you’re allergic to nickel, what’s safe and not safe to wear? We get lots of questions in the store about silver. Will it cause a problem? I decided I needed to know more about silver to better answer that question.

Silver is considered a precious metal, along with gold, platinum and titanium. In its most pure, natural state, silver is referred to as fine silver. Most times this silver is much too soft (it’s almost liquid) to be of much use to the jeweler. To create something beautiful and long lasting, a metal alloy of some type must be added.

The term sterling silver refers to a mixture of fine silver and other metal alloys. You will notice on most of your sterling silver jewelry the mark 925 or sterling which means the piece contains at least 92.5% pure silver. Most often the other 7.5% is copper, which makes the piece much more durable. So, if you are allergic to nickel, you should have no problem wearing sterling silver jewelry.

Simple, right? Well, not quite. Problems arise when you’re not sure if what you’re buying is truly sterling silver. Unlike many other countries, the US does not require silver to be marked as to its quality. However, if a quality mark is used, it must be accompanied by a “hallmark”, which is a registered trademark or name of the manufacturer.

Many artisans find it cost prohibitive to register a trademark in order to mark their work. A quality mark may interfere with the design of the piece. Or, the item’s size may make it impossible to see a mark at all. For example, jewelry components like ear wires and clasps are not always marked.

So the answer is, where there isn’t a clear quality mark on a piece of jewelry, you must trust the word of the artist or retailer.

Thanks to Russ Nobbs, owner of Rings & Things Jewelry Supply for much of the information in this post. www.rings-things.com

We get lots of questions in the store about hypo allergenic jewelry. Many women have had allergic reactions to the earrings, necklaces or bracelets they wear and aren’t sure what’s safe and what isn’t.

Pure silver and gold are very soft metals. The metalsmith must make them stronger in order to form pieces that will hold their shape. So, other metals must be added, like zinc, copper, brass or nickel. Of these, nickel is the culprit for most jewelry allergies. This is why those sterling silver or 14k gold earrings could be causing you a problem.

As a silver substitute, look for surgical steel (although I’m told that even surgical steel may contain as little as .05% nickel, which, depending upon the severity of your allergy, may or may not bother you).

Niobium is also safe, giving you lots of color choices.

And the higher karat value in gold, the better off you’ll be.

You know when you have your hair just so, then you go outside and a huge gust of wind comes along? I hate that.

I’ve tried those plastic headbands with the teeth. Within an hour of wearing one my head is splitting.

I’ve tried the combs and the cute little jaw clips. They just fall out.

Well, I found some stretchy headbands that work great. They come in lots of colorful patterns as well as solids to match just about anything in your closet. They don’t slide on your just-cleaned hair. You can wear them narrow or wide depending upon the look you want. There’s no plastic teeth to give you a headache.

Best of all, they stay put when the wind blows!

The company that makes them is called Violet Love and we have a full stock in the store right now.

Ok. I promise to stop whining about the weather. It is what it is. Eventually it will be safe to go outside.

We received a huge order this week. Thirty seven pounds to be exact. Fun and funky costume jewelry in all the new colors for spring. Lots of beads and crystals and glass. Pearls and shells and lots of dangly earrings. I especially like the hinged cuff watches in so many colors. They’re so affordable you can have one for every occasion.

Then there’s the silver. Loads of sterling silver earrings and necklaces. Anklets and bracelets too. It takes time to put price tags on all this jewelry! But it should all be out by the weekend.

We’d be happy up here in the north if all April brought were rain showers. A full foot of heavy snow last week cramped everyone’s style and put a damper on spring festivities. Some homes are still without power today. Oh, the price we pay for beauty and quiet.

Meanwhile, the store has begun to receive the first of many orders of new jewelry. Handmade creations of every stripe and color. New sterling silver pieces by Portland’s favorite, Julie Howison. Colorful glass bead necklaces and earrings by Penrose look like strings of candy. Handwrought sterling silver linked chains in great lengths for layering by Thomas Kuhner. New stretchy headbands by Violet Love that hold your hair in style without slipping or giving you that “headband headache”. Lots of fun!

Maybe I’ll just stay indoors for the time being. It seems more like spring in here than out there . . .

Ok, so I jumped the gun on spring. What can I say? It’s Maine! We all know spring is never assured until May, at least.

Mainers are a hardy bunch. Even those from “away” who have lived here for many years and can’t rightly call themselves true Mainers must be brave souls. A good number of Freeport merchants are in this category, having braved the nasty weather to participate in Freeport’s “Spring” Fashion Show at the Hilton. A few merchants had the opportunity to set up displays around the perimeter of the catwalk, thus having perfect views of the fashions as they paraded the runway. It was very impressive, seeing the variety of clothing and accessories available in this little town. Although the turn-out was not as large as expected, everyone there successfully ignored the raging wind and snow outside for a little promise of spring inside.

Some of the new merchandise has begun to arrive in the store. Another signal of spring! I love this time of year.

One of our surprise finds at the Philly show was Susan Packard, a jewelry artisan from Sugar Hill, New Hampshire. Her work came in last week.

Susan collects stones. But not just ordinary stones. She keeps an eye out for unusual and extraordinary stones. Stones in her collection have wonderfully unique colors. Some look as if they’ve been carefully hand painted rather than dug up out of the ground. Others look like seascapes or landscapes.

Some stones’ unique features may not be apparent from the surface. In fact, most of Susan’s pieces are made of a thin sliver of stone. By slicing, a stone’s interior is revealed in a whole new way. Susan sorts through the slices for just the right size and shape, encircles them with sterling silver, and attaches a bail. Presto! A most unique pendant.

Stone Pendants by Susan Packard

I figured it was high time the store joined the 21st century. We got the website up and running last year. Well, 2007 is the year of the blog. Wonder what technological advancements 08 will bring?!

Sheila (owner of Earrings and Company) and I spent a very long weekend in Philly last month attending the Buyers Market of American Craft. What a show! Thankfully I wore my Danskos – no blisters on these feet! Imagine aisle upon aisle upon aisle of hand woven textiles, wildly colorful glass, beautifully carved wooden furniture, weird artsy things to put on your wall – you name it. But above all, lots and lots of gorgeous jewelry. We were in heaven. Luckily, most of the jewelry was situated in one section so we could concentrate on our mission: to paw through it all and find what’s new and exciting to bring back home to Freeport.

The Buyers Market features work by all sorts of artisans. So the creativity factor is high. No Walmart vendors in this show. No no. Lampworked beads, blown glass beads, hand-formed millefiori beads, wooden beads. Silversmiths. Goldsmiths. Sculptors. Bracelets and watches made of old silver spoons. Pendants and earrings from thin shavings of fantastic-looking rocks and minerals. Patinaed bronze formed into cuffs and necklaces. Birch bark earrings.

Birch bark? Well, you had to see them. . .

Anyway, Sheila and I managed to walk the entire show in two and a half days. We selected almost a dozen new artists and I can’t wait until the new pieces begin to arrive in the store!