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Staff picks

Product spotlight – new large-hole metal beads

June 1, 2011

bazillion new metal beads in our online store! Most of them have large holes, too – perfect for all the leather and Pandora-style jewelry that is so popular these days.

Toni’s bracelet design allows the cube bead to make a statement.

Whether you prefer antiqued silver, antiqued brass or antiqued copper in your jewelry designs, there are tons of new bead options with strong geometric shapes, fancy details and great textures. A few of my favorites include:

New summery flower beads in antiqued brass and silver.

Hollow metal barrel beads that remind me of Donkey Kong!

Tube beads and other unique shapes with hammered texture.

I don’t know exactly what this will end up being, but these chunky tube beads told me they wanted to be strung on leather with our new larger-hole shell pearls. We shall see!

The future of this piece is a mystery at this point!

Finally, here are a pair of earrings Toni made. What a great go-with-everything design! For variety, it would be easy to add a splash of color or sparkle by capping the dotty tube beads with small gemstones or crystals.

West Yin earrings.

Do metal beads inspire you to add bright colors or to keep in neutral? I would love to hear what kind of combinations you come up with! ~ Cindy

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Luster Gel – a new way to color silver!

May 10, 2011

Create a full rainbow of colored patinas on silver with new Luster Gel.

Iridescent Luster Gel for Silver is a brand-new product that makes it easy to change the color of silver jewelry. Unlike patina solutions that mostly* darken or oxidize the metal, Luster Gel creates a whole rainbow of different colors. The best part is, the colors appear in a reliable order! (*I say mostly because it is possible to get cool rainbows when using liver of sulfur… however, the process is less predictable and may require additional chemicals or heat.)

** 2020 Update: We loved Luster Gel at first, but the last couple years our customers had a lot of problems with it. It seems much less stable now, and at least half the people who used it in 2018 through early 2020, reported that it didn’t work at all and/or was discolored or dry when they received it. The others who gave us feedback said they had to use heat to get it to work, and they can achieve a similar effect with other forms of sulfur. So we no longer carry this product. **

Two options instead of Luster Gel are:

  • Search ganoksin or other jeweler’s forums, or take a class, or read a classic silversmithing book, to learn how to use traditional liver of sulfur (not the gel form) plus heat to produce rainbow effects similar to the photos in this blog.
  • Search the internet (especially youtube) for information on anodizing silver with sodium hydroxide (lye) and sulfur. This gives stunning colors, but it is definitely more hazardous than traditional liver of sulfur.
buddha beads

Sterling silver Buddha / bodhisattva beads before and after being treated with Luster Gel. The blue color takes 20-30 minutes to achieve.

Sterling silver, fine silver and silver-plated jewelry pieces can all be colorized with Luster Gel. Since patinas are created via chemical reactions, anti-tarnish treatments and coatings could interfere with the gel’s performance. Also, follow the basic chemical safety rules when working with this product: avoid skin contact, wear eye protection and work in a well-ventilated area. Don’t eat it either!

luster gel for silver

Iridescent Luster Gel for Silver

Luster Gel is sold in a 4 oz. jar and needs to be mixed with water and the included activator powder prior to use.

luster gel

Luster Gel gets its green color from cupric (copper) acetate.

For each batch of Luster Solution, mix, in order:

  1. 100 ml (about 3.5 oz.) filtered water (use warm – not hot – water for a more rapid color change)
  2. 30 ml (1 oz. / 2 tablespoons) Luster Gel (stir before use)
  3. 1/2 teaspoon Luster Activator (powder)
luster gel solution

Once mixed with the activator, the Luster Solution turns dark orange.

Dip your piece into the solution (use a string or a plastic hook, or wear gloves, to avoid touching the solution). Over the next 30 minutes, the silver will change from yellow to gold, then orange – red – brown – purple – and finally blue. If you leave it in longer, it will go through the same color-change process again, only this time the colors will be deeper and more iridescent.

luster gel silver rainbow

All of the colors pictured here occur within 30 minutes, starting with gold (top left) after about 5 minutes in the solution and ending with deep blue after a full 30 minutes. On the far right are plain sterling pieces to show the transformation.

Once you are happy with the color, pull your piece out of the solution, rinse with clean water and allow it to air dry. Once it is completely dry, seal it with Renaissance Wax or a clear spray sealer to protect the finish. That’s it. Super easy!

When you are done, mix baking soda into the Luster Solution to neutralize it. At that point you may safely dispose of it by washing it down the drain. Happy rainbows to you! ~ Cindy

Staff pick! Lucerna beads by Swarovski

May 3, 2011

Lucerna, a definite staff pick!

These new Lucerna crystals by Swarovski, stock #05-030-08-, are stunning!

I am sure no picture can capture their lantern-like brilliance. (I’m trying, though.) 🙂 Here’s a line sketch, to illuminate how neat their shape is:

When first thumbing through all the great beads & things in our new supplement, I totally overlooked these beauties.

The other day a customer brought the Lucernas to my attention, and ever since, I can’t get them off my mind.

When you get these “Swarovski 5030” crystals* in your hand and see all the rectangular facets sparkling back at you, they are hard to resist.

My mind is already racing with numerous ideas of how these treasures can be incorporated into fabulous pieces of jewelry.

Thank you Swarovski, this Lucerna crystal shape is a keeper!

–Amy in the Rings & Things showroom


* As we insiders call them 😉