Pop Up Art Gallery in Tarzana

I am so lucky and excited to participate in this Pop Up Art Gallery with the Tarzana Neighborhood Council and the San Fernando Valley Artists Council. We've got some different artists rotating out each weekend for the month of January. I'm going to be there with my jewelry as much as possible (I've even got a nice little window display happening!) as well as Juliana Martinez, a highly acclaimed local mosaic artist. Some other artists that will join us are Sari Scheer with her glass art and Andrea Monroe with her paintings. The San Fernando Valley Arts Council will be taking new members as well as the Tarzana Neighborhood Council. We'll have many other exciting artists and vendors popping up! Come join us! The next one is Saturday, January 18 from Noon to 4pm at 18640 Ventura Blvd. in Tarzana, CA.
Check out my window display! :) See you there!

Vote for me!!

The voting has begun! Go here http://blog.artbeads.com/2013/05/the-tucson-ten-round-two-you-vote-you-could-win/
Like Artbeads facebook page and vote for me, Jennifer C. to win the design contest.
Here is my necklace. I love it, I hope you do too!

The Tucson Ten Winners

I won!! I wrote a short comment about what the beads pictured reminded me of and I won the beads! What a terrific birthday present for me! Once they send me these beauties I get to design something spectacular and the best design of the 10 winners gets a $50 gift certificate for Artbeads.com. I'm so excited and can't wait to get started. I've already started sketching some design ideas. I'll let you know when my design is complete so you can vote for me to help me win! Check it out: The Tucson Ten Winners

What does "Vintage" mean?

In my work at www.jenuinearticles.com, I throw around the word “vintage” a lot and sometimes people ask me what that means. Well, by definition vintage refers to the year something was produced, like my favorite wine has a nice vintage of 2010. But in the fashion industry or thrift shop lifestyle it means an article that is fashionably old. The term Vintage in the antique world means an item that has value and is 20-100 years old. After its 100th birthday it becomes an antique. I like to stick to the 20 year rule when using the term vintage, even if my item has little value. I find a special kinship to old things. I don’t know if they remind me of some special time in my childhood or maybe it’s the just a smell or a color that takes me back to rummaging through my grandmother’s clothes and jewelry when I was small, but there is definitely a warm feeling I get when I find a vintage goodie. I have discovered that I can give vintage pieces new life by putting them into new settings or ring bases or combining them with new findings in a necklace or bracelet. Below are some examples of vintage pieces that I have given new life to that have sold.

Have a Beautiful day!

Vintage cabochons on new earring posts.

Vintage buttons used as a clasp in peyote beaded bracelets

Vintage glass horse intaglio and vintage metal setting on new ring base

Vintage beads used in triple strand necklace

Vintage cabochons and vintage metal connectors used as settings in earrings

Is it "Real" Part 2

“Do you have anything real?” “I don’t want to pay that much since it’s not real.” "I’m looking for real gold.”
I have heard all of these comments recently and although I think I might know what you mean, your words are still somewhat confusing. When asking vendors or retailers for what you want try to be as specific as possible so they can assist you properly without any confusion. Maybe by “real gold” you mean that your standard is 14k or higher and you prefer filled and not plated? Maybe you have a price range of $40-$60 but the quality must be 18k, but plated is okay with you. Maybe you have no idea what I’m talking about now! Well let’s clear up the confusion about metal types.

There are many metals to consider when buying jewelry. Lower cost metals are copper, brass, nickel and combined base metals. During a recession or depression these metals can become more popular. These can be plated which means covered with a layer of silver or gold.
Silver standards refer to the amount of silver alloy used. A typical Sterling Silver has a fineness of .925 and is usually marked as a stamp somewhere on the piece, but not always. A piece that is not marked may be a lower fineness of silver or may be silver plated over a base metal. Here is a compilation of silver standards. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_standards
Gold is measured by karat and is normally 10k, 14k, 18k or 24k. The higher the karat the softer the metal is. The karat is usually marked as a stamp somewhere on the piece but not always. This can be solid gold which is most expensive and harder to find, gold filled or gold plated. Here is a link explaining “gold filled jewelry.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold-filled_jewelry
In my shop, I use all different kinds of metals to get the colors, weight and look I desire in my jewelry designs. It is best to ask me or read the description when shopping online to see exactly what kind of metal was used. I do like to keep the cost of materials down so I can pass on that cost savings to you so I tend to use lower cost metals such as brass, sterling silver plated and gold plated or filled. When doing custom orders I use exactly what the customer desires. I also love the look of brass and copper in my vintage inspired pieces. Here are some examples from my website. Next time we’ll talk about Vintage and what that means!
Have a Magical day!!

This is a 14k gold filled chain.

This is non-tarnish silver plated copper wire.

This is a silver plated aluminum (very light weight) chain.

"Real" Jewelry

Sometimes, while looking at my handmade jewelry, my customers ask, "Is it real?" Well, this is such an odd question to me! Of course it's REAL! You are holding it in your hand! You are trying it on! You can see it, touch it, feel it on your skin! But I think what they really mean is...is this a semi-precious or precious stone, or a man-made copy? Is this 14k Gold? Is this Sterling Silver or silver plated base metal? What is the true value of the materials used? And they just don't have the language or education to communicate the idea they are forming. So I thought I'd share some education with you about stones and metals so that next time you are shopping you can ask what you are really wanting to ask and get the answers that will help you buy that special piece of jewelry that was made just for you!
A Gemstone is a mineral which is harvested in it's natural state and then cut and polished in several steps either my hand or machine to get it into a beautiful form for jewelry making. Gemstones include diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds and many others. These are precious stones and are valued the highest because mining them is serious and sometimes dangerous work plus it takes a huge amount of manipulation to get them to look shiny and perfect. They change many hands and distributors before they get into that ring on your finger. There are many other semi-precious stones that come in many different forms including beads, which is what ends up in my finished pieces. They are Turqouise, Hematite, Tiger's Eye, Quartz, Tourmaline, Agate, Jasper, Obsidian, Lapis, Malachite, Carnelian and many many more. They come in various colors and shades too such as Snowflake Obsidian, Rose Quartz, Lemon Quartz, Picture Jasper and Ocean Jasper (plus far too many to list here). Crystals come from Quartz, also called Quartz Crystal. They are found in their natural state or can be cut and polished from a Quartz mineral rock.
A great source of knowledge for all things including jewelry is Wikipedia. Here you can find information on gemstones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemstone. Below are some examples from my website www.jenuinearticles.com. We'll talk next time about metals and vintage findings!
Have a Love Filled Day!

This bracelet is made with Mocha Jasper beads and vintge wood beads.

This bracelet is made with Fire Cherry Agate beads.

Happy New Year!

While 2012 was a fantastic year for me because I was lucky enough to visit the Bead and Button show and I vended some really awesome shows here in southern California in November and December, I am ready to leave it behind and look toward 2013 with excited anticipation. Vending at local arts & crafts shows has really got me motivated to be more creative and outgoing with my business. Talking to other vendors and meeting my customers is inspiring! The Hidden Chateau in West Hills, CA is an old mission turned event venue that hosts a market on some weekends. There was a threat of closure but they just informed me that they are having weekly Sunday Markets going forward. Yay! So I’ll be there with my Jenuine Articles booth most Sundays hanging out with the other local vendors and meeting with lots of customers. I’m also working on booking about 10-12 other shows throughout the year starting in February with a Valentine’s Day Boutique in Calabasas. Join my facebook page to get updates on my schedule.


I’m still working on my new website which is an extremely time consuming project but it’s coming along slowly but surely. Once it’s ready I’ll switch web hosts and release it. I'll send an email update to my customers when it launches. Hopefully by then I’ll have lots of new pieces to showcase and it will be very exciting for my customers to see. Join my email list here.

My other plans for the year include some exciting travel opportunities where I plan on getting much use out of my camera and fattening up my Redbubble.com portfolio so I’m extra excited about that. And I will of course be on the lookout for unique beads and findings along the way!

Have a great year everyone! I hope to see you soon.