New Czech Alabaster Opal AB Fired Polished Beads * Vintage Swarovski Beads * Five Decade Rosary * Stainless Steel Wire

New Five Decade Rosary - Czech Alabaster Opal Beads - Swarovski Vintage AB Clear

I am really pleased with my new white AB Czech beads and the way they look with the Swarovski vintage beads from my collection.  It is a great blend of the vintage and the new!

If anyone questions the value of stainless steel in a rosary, they would know how strong it is by the callouses on my hands.  When you are bending the wire, it takes added strength so it leaves its mark on the palms of my hands afterward.  However, knowing that the rosary will last a lifetime gives me great pleasure.  So, if you are unsure about which rosary wire to use, stainless steel is a great option because it is amazingly strong, yet light in weight.  It will continue to look the same for years to come. Anything will break if used inappropriately, but if used as it is made to be used, it will last for years and years.  My thought is that it would make a wonderful wedding gift which should look exactly the same when the couple is celebrating their 75th Anniversary!

Please check out this latest rosary on my Etsy site from my online shop: Let Our Light Shine!

 

Light Rose Swarovski Bracelet and Earrings

I'm really pleased with the new beautiful Swarovski bracelet and earrings.  Almost everything in my store is adorned with a cross or Christian symbol.  There are only a few exceptions and earrings are one of them.  I had several requests for earrings to match my bracelets so this is an example of a matching set.  

My bracelet is hand wire wrapped and honestly I take great pride in my work.  I am not trying to mass produce items as fast as possible to turn a profit.  Of course, I want to make a few dollars on each one so that I can buy more beads and wire, however, to me, each piece is artwork.  I take a lot of time on each item and make sure it is something I would want to wear myself or give as a gift to a loved one.   There are other wire distributors that have wire that is cheaper but this wire has been wonderful for me and it shapes beautifully and items I made for myself over a year ago have never tarnished.  If they do tarnish at some point, I know I can use a silver cloth to clean them but so far, I have not needed to do so.  

I also love the vintage beads as much as I love the new beads.  Each have their own personality and look.  As with any jewelry item, it is all personal preference.  The handmade, hammered hook may be pushed it a little to form a tighter clasp if you prefer.  

These earrings are minimalist hand-hammered ear wires that match the bracelet above. I make my own ear wires so I do not have any clip earrings at this time. 

As always, I do not use any animal products in my jewelry items or wrapping supplies. As a Christian Vegan, everything is made to glorify God and keep animals safe. Hope you enjoy the new items I have added to my online store.  :-)

Vintage and New Swarovski Crystal Beads

In many of my designs, I use vintage and new Swarovski beads. I believe they are ALL absolutely beautiful.  When Swarovski originally designed these beautiful crystal beads, he said he wanted everyone to be able to afford a "diamond".  The idea being that his crystals looked like diamonds but were affordable. 

The following two sets of beads are in two bracelets that I have on my site, Let Our Light Shine. Each are beautiful in their on unique way.  One is vintage - one is new. Could you tell the difference?

Now, these two sets of photos do not have duplicate beads so the comparison is not exact, however, I share the two comparison sets of beads to share the beauty of both. The first photo is Aurora Borealis which gives the rainbow shimmer on each bead but the second design is not Aurora Borealis so you can see the visual difference.  Otherwise, both are turquoise, close in color, and have beautiful cut and design, looking completely uniform in every way, flawless.  

The first photo is a vintage pair of Swarovski 5000 round AB (Aurora Borealis) turquoise beads. They are vintage and I have had them in my collection for over twenty years.  Each bead is exactly like the next in that group and you see no bubbles within the bead; no flaws. 

The second photo is made with NEW turquoise Swarovski 5000 beads.  The beads in both photos are 8mm.  The new Swarovski beads are also flawless and have no air bubbles within the beads.  The facets all match and each bead is exactly like the next in that size, color, and shape.

In September 2012, Swarovski introduced a crystal which was virtually lead free.  I prefer to use Swarovski frequently in my designs as it is the most beautiful bead, in my opinion.  When I use other beads, if the design allows, I always include a Swarovski bead in the design.

If you want to read more about Swarovski beads, here are a couple of links for your reading pleasure:

https://www.swarovski.com/Web_US/en/brand

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarovski

New Tanzanite Swarovski Beads 8mm Silver Women's Bracelet

 Newest Swarovski Silver Wire-wrapped Women's Bracelet

https://www.etsy.com/listing/548003310/womens-bracelet-handmade-wire-wrapped?ref=shop_home_feat_4

I love purple and the color of Tanzanite so when I found these Swarovski beads in the color of Tanzanite, I knew I wanted to use these beautiful beads for bracelets for my store. There are plenty of photos so you can see the beauty of Swarovski beads. Keep an eye out for more new colors, as well as, vintage beads in Let Our Light Shine!

New and Vintage Swarovski Beads

My newest Swarovski Peridot Women's Bracelet

For the last several years, I have been making jewelry, rosaries, and chaplets out of only vintage beads which I collected for over twenty years.  However, I knew the day would come when I would choose to design an item and need a specific color that I no longer had in my collection.  So, I found a certified dealer of Swarovski crystal beads and purchased new, beautiful beads to complete new items before the Christmas season approaches.  

This bracelet was using their beautiful peridot, bicone beads 8mm.  The beauty of Swarovski is so outstanding when it comes to crystal beads!  I am very pleased with the finished product and have several new colors that I will be adding to my store this week.  

I have also ordered Czech beads which I will be using for new rosaries. I will share photos when they arrive and my first new rosary is complete.  I have a large collection of vintage Swarovski beads which I will continue to use in all of my store items. I prefer to use the Swarovski beads for the Our Father beads in my designs and also most, if not all, of my bracelets and other jewelry.

Hope you take a look at the items I will be adding this week to my online Etsy store.  As always, everything in my store is free shipping to the US.  At this time, I am only shipping to the US but in the future, I hope to add other countries to my list of shipping destinations.

Let Our Light Shine!

Jen 

Swarovski Vintage Beads

All of the beads that I currently use in my jewelry and rosaries are vintage.  The reason that I know this, for a fact, is because they have been in my possession for over 20 years; some longer.  When they were purchased, they were purchased from those selling beads from years past.  At some point, way into the future, I will have to purchase beads because I will eventually run out of my collection.  Already, there are colors that have been popular and those beads are limited in my supply or completely gone.  For that reason, I have been researching how to identify Swarovski beads and make sure that I am not purchasing copies, many made in China. Here are several things that I've learned along the way in my research of vintage beads, particularly Swarovski crystal beads.  

There are three different cuts of vintage Swarovki beads in one of my bracelet designs.

Daniel Swarovski was born in 1862 in Northern Bohemia. He moved his business to Austria to use the beautiful streams as a resource for powering their company and to be in a remote area where their designs are kept secret. This is also where they continue their successful business with Swarovski's fourth and fifth generations in charge of their designs. Making beads and crystals is only a part of their business.  They also design the tools that their creations are made upon, as well as, other tools. 

The Aurora Borealis crystal effect was invented in 1956 in cooperation with Christian Dior. A special finish was given the name AB, taken from the phenomena in the northern skies known as the Northern Lights. AB, short for Aurora Borealis, is the abbreviation for a special finish which was applied to beads in the early 1950's to make them more radiant. Many of us, who were living at that time, remember our mom's wearing these beautiful beads. 

Over thirty five years ago Swarovski switched their numbering process from 2 or 3 digits to 4 digits. Therefore; the article numbers with 2 or 3 digits are the oldest and are a little more expensive if you are purchasing them in the original boxes. Daniel Swarovski used numbers, rather than color names, to protect his products from being copied. He rarely sold his beads in strings unless it was for a particular designer.  So, those beads, never used, would be packaged in boxes with product numbers.

If you compare a Swarovski bead with a copy, you should be able to pick it out for several reasons.  The first reason is that the cut is perfect and uniform.  Each bead in the number series have the exact match in color and cut.  The points are exact.  The second reason is that they are no bubbles or marks within the beads.  Daniel Swarovski and his family make all beads within a color group to match and are without blemish.  Keep in mind, that when these beads are recycled, they may have scratches on the surface, but never inside.  

In my current jewelry, all of the beads have been taken from original designs from the 50s and 60s so these beads have been recycled.  Eventually, I will be looking for vintage beads in the original boxes to make sure I am purchasing original Swarovski beads.  

(All of these bracelets but one have been sold.)  Can you pick out the Swarovski beads? 

The beads, from left to right, are blue Swarovski bicone 6mm, Purple Fire Polished Czech beads 8mm, Swarovski bicone 6mm lilac beads, Swarovski bicone Pink 10mm, and Swarovski turquoise round 8mm. All beautiful! All vintage! 

Wire-Wrapping with Stainless Steel Wire

When I am making a bracelet, rosary, or other wire-wrapped item, I usually use four basic wires: stainless steel, silver over copper, brass over copper, and copper wire.  The hardest and strongest wire that I use is stainless steel - 20 gauge.  I use 18 gauge for handmade hooks but normally 20 and 22 gauge are my go-to wire.

To be honest, I try to make one item with stainless steel wire and then wait a while before beginning another project using the same wire because it is so strong that it puts calices and sometimes cuts on my hands.  However, it is worth it to complete a finished piece that you know is very resistant to breaking and bending. If you are looking for an item that will last for years and years, stainless steel is a wonderful choice.  It all comes down to what you are looking for in your custom made item.

I love all of the wire that I use, each for different reasons.  For bracelets, I prefer a silver plate, bronze, or copper.  For rosaries and prayer beads, it depends of your personal preference, as they all make beautiful and long lasting items.

Another tip, if you are making an item with stainless steel wire, keep a different pair of wire clippers just to use with the stainless steel wire.  Since it is so strong, it tends to dull the standard jewelry wire clippers quicker than other wire, so keep a pair just to use with stainless steel wire.

Two items that I have currently designed using stainless steel wire are:

https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/LetOurLightShine/tools/listings/order:ascending/455287730

https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/LetOurLightShine/tools/listings/order:ascending/525029083

You can see how beautiful the stainless steel wire looks with the crystal beads, yet is amazingly strong and difficult to bend or break.

If you are looking for an heirloom piece that will last a lifetime, a great choice is stainless steel wire.