What Colours Can we Expect for Summer 2014?

Spring/Summer 2014 Palette
Preciosa Pantone

Preciosa are bursting into next Summer with a combination of bright and intense colours created from nature. These colours highlight the season beautifully, symbolising life and energy.

The colours are separated into four different palettes, demonstrating the moods and visuals of the Summer season.

The Trip Time palette features Citrine from Preciosa or Buttercup from Pantone, a cheerful yellow “bursting forth like a field of buttercups on a warm, sunny day.” The Crystal Bermuda Blue and Blue Aster are colours symbolic of travel plans as “the blue energy of this wildflower underlines the

Trip Time Palette

optimistic outlook of this colour palette”. Amethyst Preciosa and Magenta Purple Pantone is a vibrant shade, “intense, yet playful” symbolising new adventures.

To feel fresh and alive, why not go for the Green Turmaline Preciosa, Bright Green Pantone? “Leave your worries behind and set out on your journey.”

Preciosa 4mm Czech Crystal Bead at International Craft

Flux palette – New beginnings, new buds bursting into life, fresh renewal, life giving. Burgundy, violets, blues and a bright green depict the new life emerging after a barren Winter. The Aquamarine and Placid Blue reflect the warm, sun filled skies that fill the long days of Summer, Violet and Orchid Bouquet for the full Summer beauty and the heady lavender.

Flux Palette

Light Burgundy and Cashmere Rose for the feminine pinkish-white blooms and the Peridot AB and Green Glow bright green for the lush grass and moss.

Aquamarine Preciosa 6mm Czech Crystal Round Facet Beads at International Craft

Turned on its Head – Bright and bold, definitely colours you can get away with in the Summer!

Turned on its Head Palette

Light Siam and Grenadine, a rich yet calming red, the Rose and Pink Carnation, a shade of pink “demands a spontaneous, if somewhat provocative, vivacity to your outlook and actions.” Fuchsia and Pink Flambe, an explosion of colour to challenge your senses.

Preciosa 4mm Czech Crystal Bicone Bead, Rose

Finally, Harmonic Oscillation, depicting the smooth transition of day turning to night and night to day with gentle pinks and blues of the Summer skies.

Blue Zircon and Billiard, a vibrant turquoise for a beautiful morning or tropical waters, Crystal Blue Flare or Blueprint for when the middle of the night is not quite dark, a strong and deep colour. Crystal Apricot and Rust for the gentle colour in-between when the skies are changing.

Harmonic Oscillation Palette

Preciosa 4mm Czech Crystal Blue Zircon

International Craft are pleased to be able to have these colours available to you for all your jewellery making and craft requirements. www.internationalcraft.com

The Power and Pull of Birth Stones and Zodiac Stones

Birth stones are gemstones associated with each month in the Gregorian Calendar (Christian or Western calendar). These are either precious stones, which are the more rare and expensive gems such as diamonds, emeralds, rubies, pearls, and sapphires.  Then there are the semi-precious stones, including ameythst, opal and bloodstone.

Amethyst Gemstones

All of them are considered lucky for their particular months and their healing powers are seen to be heightened during their months. Because of this some people will buy a set of all twelve and rotate them for each month.

Origins

The first time a special gem was associated with a particular month was recorded in the Bible.Moses made a breastplate for the High Priest of the Hebrews according to instructions he received during 40 days in the mountains. The breastplate featured twelve gems which were later linked with the signs of the zodiac, and later still, associated with the months in the year. 

The birth stones are connected to each month as follows:-

Turquoise Beads

January - Garnet
Feb - Amethyst
March - Aquamarine & Bloodstone
April - Diamond
May - Emerald
June - Pearls, Moonstone and Alexandrite
July - Ruby
August - Peridot and Sardonyx
September - Sapphire
October - Opal & Tourmaline
November -  Topaz
December - Turquoise & Zircon

Zodiac stones

Zodiac gem stones are also called Astral Stones.  Ancient astrologers, typically from India and Babylon, believed that the influence of your astrology sign over your fortune in life is strengthened by wearing, holding or carrying the stone associated with the constellation under which you were born. There was no formal classification, the gems were assigned to the signs of the zodiac via a colour system. The astrologers believed that the colour unleashed the magical powers from the stone. 

Whereas the Birth Stones are more typically associated with healing powers, the zodiac stones are associated with how your life follows its path in relation to your birth sign's characteristics.

The zodiac stones are as follows:-                         

Aries - Mar 21 – Apr 20, 
Diamond, Opal

Pearl Beads

Taurus - Apr 21 – May 20, Emerald, Sapphire

Gemini - May 21 – Jun 20, Alexandrite, Agate, Amethyst 

Cancer - Jun 21 – Jul 21, Ruby, Pearl, Moonstone

Leo - Jul 22 – Aug 21, Peridot, Jade, Sardonyx, Diamond

Virgo - Aug 22 – Sep 21, Sapphire, Zircon, Agate

Libra - Sep 22 – Oct 22, Opal, Sapphire, Jasper

Scorpio - Oct 23 – Nov 21, Topaz, Citrine, Pearl

Sagittarus - Nov 22 – Dec 20, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Onyx

Capricorn - Dec 21 – Jan 19, Garnet, Garnet, Emerald

Aquarius - Jan 20 – Feb 18, Amethyst, Bloodstone

Pisces - Feb 19 – Mar 20, March, Aquamarine, Bloodstone, Jade

For your jewellery making, International Craft have the majority of these precious and semi-precious stones and beads in stock, to buy, CLICK HERE

Olympic Inspired Pendant

Made using coloured Shamballa Style Beads matching your Country's flag. Support your Country's athletes.

Simply made with basic Jewellery Findings such as head pins, eye pins, bead caps and jump rings.

Swarovski bicone bead to be replaced with Xillion Bead

Swarovski are to replace their ever popular and customer favourite bicone bead with the new and improved Xillion bead.
From June 2nd through September 2009 CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements will transition to the brilliant XILION upgrade of the 5301 Bead, represented by the new and improved article:
5328 XILION Bead.

The revolutionary XILION cut, with its alternating large and small facets, results in distinctively higher brilliance and particularly intense light reflection. In addition, this cut is differentiated from all other products on the market and copyright protected. The increased number of facets enhances the overall appearance of the bead and the rounder belt line result in improved wearing comfort of the finished design. You will benefit from the unique XILION brilliance, leading to clearer differentiation between your products and designs and those of your competitors.

The fascinating XILION cut will be applied to all standard sizes of the bicone bead except for 2.5 mm, which is too small to be upgraded. As was the case for all other XILION products, the article number will also be changed and will now become art. 5328.

The new article will be available – without any additional price increase – in the same assortment as the existing article 5301. For application, the 5301 and 5328 XILION Bead can be combined as their dimensions and geometry are complimentary.

From June 2nd through September there will be a transition period. During that time art. 5328 can only be ordered and will only be shipped, if the counterpart 5301 is out of stock.

Top tips to start a Jewellery Making Business

In the current global economic climate with no job security and uncertain futures, many are looking for opportunities to earn some extra cash. Starting a jewellery making business is one such rewarding opportunity both on a financial level and an emotional level.

Jewellery making is fun and addictive. Most jewellers start for fun, making jewellery for themselves. This generally leads to positive comments from friends and family. And before they know it, they are taking commissioned orders and selling their designs. If you love designing jewellery, turn it into a business you can run from home by following these great tips:

1. Research current jewellery trends - Carry out some research to see what the current styles of jewellery are on the market. Read fashion magazines and window shop at jewellery shops and department sores. Find out how the jewellery is made, what its made from and what it sells for. This will put you in good standing when it comes to creating and designing your own jewellery.
   
2. Making your jewellery - Most jewellery are made from the same basic jewellery components and use the same basic jewellery making techniques but it will be your creativity and design ideas that will help you stand out from the crowd. You need to create desirability. This can be done by using beads or a combination of beads in a way that is unique.
   
3. Price your jewellery - 'How much should I sell my jewellery pieces for?'. This is the most common questioned asked by beginners and in some ways the most important. If you don't price right, you will not make money. The biggest mistake a lot of jewellery designers make is to undersell their pieces. Many jewellery artists price their work by simply doubling the cost of their supplies - charging £10 for that necklace made from £5 of jewellery supplies. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to have a profitable business with that kind of pricing. It doesn’t cover all of your costs. You need to account for your labour time and skill used in making the jewellery piece as well as the material costs. What is your skill worth? Work out your hourly labour rate. This could be £20/hour (of course, your own labour rate may be much different, depending on your reputation, your speed, and your skill level).
   
4. Simple jewellery pricing formula - Price = material costs x 3 + pro-rated hourly labour rate. For example the necklace you just made cost £5 in jewellery supplies and took you 30 minutes to make. Using the formula Price = £5 material costs x 3 + £10 labour (Your 30 minutes of labour equals half an hour. So half of your £20 hourly labour rate equals £10 of labour on this necklace. This gives you a selling price of £25.
   
5. Market price of jewellery - An additional step in using the jewellery pricing formula above is to take into account the following to adjust the the resulting price: (a) what will your target market be prepared to pay; (b) how unique is the jewellery made; (c) what do shops charge for similar pieces. Remember this is all subjective and the formula should only be used as a guide.
   
6. Maximise profits - Remember it can be better to overprice your jewellery and reduce prices than it is to under value and increase your price. Success depends on selling your jewellery high enough to make a good profit and low enough to achieve good sales.
7. Added value to your jewellery - it is a good idea to consider the use of jewellery presentation boxes and pouches for the display and selling of your jewellery. Not only do they enhance the beauty of your jewellery pieces but they also help increase your sales. Not only would the box protect the jewellery piece, but it also allows your customer to present it as a gift.
   
8. Selling your jewellery - Selling your own jewellery requires patience, persistence and thick skin. There are many avenues to follow to sell your jewellery. Here are a few avenues in increasing sales potential:
   

• Sell to friends.
  
• Sell to co-workers.
• Sell at a home jewellery party.
• Sell at a Craft Show.
• Sell at a Market.
• Sell wholesale to a Jewellery store.
• Open your own shop or on line jewellery store.

Remember learning to make jewellery is easy and fun. Make jewellery for fun and profit. The difficult part is standing out from the crowd. As an artist your creativity and skill will help you do this.

2009 Recession

A quick message to all our loyal customers who may have noticed some price increases recently on certain items. As you are in no doubt that we are all in a recession, with the newspapers quick to spread doom and gloom.

The good news is that crafting and jewellery making tend to do quite well during these times as buyers look for cheaper alternatives to high priced retail jewellery.

The bad news (good news for all our Eurozone customers) is that the downturn in the UK economy, this time, has seen the Pound Sterling weaken against many currencies. It has weakened considerably against the US Dollar and the Euro. And since we mainly import goods using these currencies, it is costing us more at present and unfortunately we are having to pass on some of these costs.

For those of you who have been buying from us for a long time, you know that we offer quality products at competitive prices that rarely increase. The raw price of goods we have been buying from the manufacturers have been increasing for a year or two, but we were able to offset these increases against the strong Pound and we were able to maintain prices. However market forces are working against all importers at present, making the cost of goods ever more expensive.

We are absorbing as much costs increases as we can so as to help keep prices down. However you will notice certain products increasing in price more frequently than normal. We are only doing this for products that we have recently imported (and therefore cost more). Prices won't change for items where we already have stocks.

Of course if the Pound strengthens significantly in the future, then you will see our prices come back down. Please be assured that we are doing everything we can to keep prices stable. May I suggest that where you buying items that have increased in price, that you look to increase your selling price as well. This will ensure you are still making a living from all your jewellery making.

We will endeavour to keep sourcing new jewellery ranges and beads in 2009 in a bid to keep things fresh and to give you more ideas and choice.

Indian glass lampwork bead mixes

We have finally received our ever popular stocks of super value glass bead mixes from India. Over one tonne of glass beads have been re-stocked. Even the pallet the shipment it was delivered on could not take the weight.
We hope to have some new jewellery bags and pouches uploaded to the site this week. These will provide an alternative option to jewellery boxes to sell your jewellery in for your Christmas sales.

Indian Glass Bead Mixes

Our new stocks of the ever popular and super value glass beads will arrive by sea freight by mid-late November. I wish it was sooner.

Jewellery making with Pandora style beads

Jewellery making with beads is a fun and rewarding hobby that can easily turn into a business and what better way to start than with the current hot fashion in the jewellery market, Pandora style charm bracelets and beads. Jewellery pieces can be made very easily with no skill. All you need is imagination to make stylish designs.

Pandora bracelets were created by a Danish company using the best designers to create beautiful beads and jewellery using Italian Murano glass, Sterling silver and 18kt gold. They perfected a simple and flexible technique to create personalised and interchangable charm bracelets. In the past couple of years this concept of jewellery has become extremely popular with now a few celebrities wearing them.

They work like all charm bracelets, allowing wearers to attach beads of their choice to a bracelet to create their own personalised jewellery piece with its own story. These beads are available in a range of materials and shapes from coloured glass beads with inner metal cores to solid metal beads. Shapes and symbols include animals, flowers, birthstones and letters. With such a range of beads to choose from it is very easy to create your own bracelet and just as easier to change it to suit your mood or your outfit colour. The art of designing your bracelets is fun and very easy.

The only downside is that genuine Pandora beads are very expensive, with individual beads selling from £20 each up to £1000 a bead. However with all successful things, come cheaper copies. Now available are Pandora style beads and bracelets made with non-precious materials that are just as good but are a fraction of the cost. Learn how it works below. How it works

• Select a base bracelet. These come in a snake chain style in lengths between 7 - 8". They come in silver plated and Sterling silver with differing clasp types.
• Next choose clip beads. These are used to clip over the smooth section separators on the base bracelets. These decorative clips help keep the beads from bunching and falling off the bracelet. You usually require 2 - 3 clips per bracelet.
• Finally select your Pandora style beads of choice. These beads all have a large inner hole that simply slide onto the bracelet. Choose from a combination of glass charm beads, metal charm beads and birthstone charm beads. Pick and slide your beads onto your bracelet in the order desired to achieve the look you want. Then apply your clip beads to separate the sections. If you are not happy with the look, simply unclip and slide off the beads and start again.

For a full range of Pandora style beads at International Craft.