Marraskuun Kivi: Sitriini

Sitriini on iloinen ja lämmin kivi. Sitriinin yleensä tunnistaa sen keltaisesta väristä, mutta väri saattaa vaihdella myös kalpeankeltaisesta meripihkan keltaiseen. Sitriini on kvartsimuunnos ja sitä esiintyy vain vähän luonnossa. Suurin osa myytävissä olevista sitriineistä onkin lämpökäsiteltyä ametistia tai savukvartsia. Suurin luonnollisen sitriini tuottaja on Brasilia. Sitriinin nimi tulee latinasta "citrina", joka tarkoittaa keltaista. Ranskalaisille taas sano "citron" tarkoitti sitruunaa ja kiveä on myös kutsuttu aurinkokiveksi.

Muinoin sitriiniä kannettiin suojaamaan käärmeen myrkkyä, ruttoja, epidemioita ja pahoja ajatuksia vastaan. Sitriini on myös vaurauden kivi ja värinsä puolesta liitetään myös kultaan. Sitriini symboloi myös terveyttä, paranemista, totuutta, menestystä, antaa mielen selkeyttä ja eheyttä. Sitriini on myös hyvin energisoiva kivi. Se nostaa itsetuntoa ja antaa itsevarmuutta. Kivi tuo myös elämään iloa, se ilahduttaa kantajaansa ja lisää innostuneisuutta. Sitriiniä käytetään munaisten ja rakkovaivojen hoitoon.

Sitriiniä on käytetty tunhansien vuosien ajan koruissa. Ensimmäinen sitriinikoru on jäljitetty Helleeniseen aikakauteen (323-30 eaa), jolloin sitriini korua käytettiin talismaanina alkoholismin, skandaalien ja kunnianloukkauksia ja petoksia vastaan, kivi suojasi myös pahoja ajatuksia vastaan ja esti liiallista hemmottelua. Roomalaiset uskoivat sitriini olevan Merkuriuksen kivi ja viesti jumalilta.  Koruissa sitriiniä käytetään usein yhdessä timanttien ja helmien kanssa mm. sormuksissa ja rannekoruissa tuomaan luksusta ja lisämään kimallusta.

Sitriini on erinomainen silloin, kun halutaan päästää irti rahantarpeeseen liittyvästä epätoivosta. Sitriini tuo iloa epätoivon keskelle ja se myös auttaa pysymään kauemmin niissä hetkissä, jolloin kaikki on hyvin. Sitriiniä voit kantaa mukanasi tai laittaa lompakkoon, kassalippaaseen, säästölippaan tai tietokoneen viereen, jos ylläpidät yritystoimintaasi netissä muistuttamaan rahan virtauksesta ja hyvästä onnesta. Sitriin sopii myös runsausmandaloihin ja kivi auttaa myös hillitsemmän tuhlausta ja rahaan liittyviä addiktioita esim. pelihimo tai shoppailu.

Sitriini edistää myös luovuutta ja mielikuvitusta, jonka vuoksi kivi on erinomainen esim. taidemaalareille, artisteille ja kaikille niille, jotka tarvitsevat työssään jonkinlaista luovuuta. Sitriini lisää myös tahdonvoimaa, energiaa ja kestävyyttä, jotta voit tuoda ajatuksesi teoiksi. Sitriini ei välttämättä tarvitse puhdista kovin usein, sillä kivi ei sido itseensä negatiivista energiaa.

Sitriiniä kutsutaan myös nimillä Bahian topaasi, Intialainen topaasi, kultatopaasi, kvartsitopaasi, Madeiran topaasi, Palmira topaasi, Rio Granden topaasi (koska kiveä tuotetaan tässä kaupungissa), Salamancan topaasi, Serra topaasi, Skotlantilainen topaasi ja topaasikvartsi.

FjeldDesigniltä löytyy rannekoru, jossa on käytty ametistia ja sitriiniä. Tätä kiviyhdistelmää kutsutaan usein nimellä "ametrine", joka tulee englanninkielen sanoista "amethyst" ja "citrine".

Rannekoru kuuluu FjeldDesignin Mixed metal kokoelmaan ja rannekorussa käytetään hopeoitua ketjua ja kullattua lukkoa. Korun osat ovat nikkelittömiä, lyijyttömiä ja kadmium vapaita.

Rannekoruun on mahdollisuus valita oma pituus.

~ Minna

Happy October

 Happy October my readers,

The Autumn has been very beautiful this year. It´s not my favorite season mainly because it´s so dark and rainy weather. I love candles and I light them every night. I also bought outdoor lights which have warm white light. Now my balcony look very cozy and warm. I actually enjoyed my very first outdoor hot chocolate other night with wrapped in soft blanket. It was very relaxing after end of the day.

This year´s Autumn colors have been very exceptional. Most of days I´ve been enjoyed to walk and jogging in the nature and admired the gorgeous color spectrum of nature. It feels like I´m getting color therapy at the same time no matter how down I might feel myself. It´s so uplifting energy that nature offers.

For October, I also joined the ArtBeads challenge which has its own task for each day. The reason why I joined challenge like this is that I get something to post on Instagram and Facebook every day. I´m more attached to my other jewelry shop and that´s why I haven´t been so active with BlueBell. BlueBell have beautiful jewelry and I would love to develop BlueBell more so that Etsy sales would increase.

But like I said, I´m joined with October challeng that ArtBeads is hosting, I would like to write little bit how I feel it so far and my thoughts of this kind challenge.

First picture is one finished leaf after three hours and second photo is from next morning when I had finished the earrings. I usually favor the ear wires in my earrings but for these I wanted different so I chose gold plated studs where is tiny golden ball and loop where the leaf is attached

Day 1 - Fall Jewelry 

I wanted to make beaded leaf. I also wanted to challenge myself and do something different than usually I would do. I ended up with gorgeous beaded leaves that have different technique what I haven´t used before. I chose natural white and golden colored seed beads for this project. First one took me literally three hours to make since I wasn´t quite understand the technique that YouTube tutorial maker was using. I unraveled my bead work several times and watched the video over and over again to see where I went wrong. Finished piece is beautiful and at the next day  I made another pair. Somehow, I was processed the technique during my sleep so second one went so much faster and even enjoyed to make that leaf.

Pink jade earrings with rose gold wire.
Pink jade symblize love, peace, harmony and friendship.
It also have ability to remove toxins from the body.

Day 2 - Think Pink

This day´s challenge was to create something in pink because October is breast cancer awareness month and I thought long time what should I make. First I hadn´t any idea and I went to scrolling the Pinterest to get some inspire what I can make this day. I ended up using rose gold wire and pink jade beads what I have. I love working with wire and thought that rose gold wire is perfect for this day since it´s kind of pink too. Pink jade in turn ended up my being my choice because the stone symbolize love, peace, harmony and friendship. The gemstone also work as a healing stone and it can eliminate all toxins from your body.

This moon pendant is actually my second try, first one was too big and I wanted the moon be little smaller. I try to capture the beautiful blue goldstone so that you can see its gorgeous surface that this stone have. This stone is actually one of my favorite and I used it as bracelet what I made for my mom as a birthday gift.

Day 3 - Spooky Celestial

Day three task was bit difficult for me since I wasn´t quite sure should I share something star patterns or something else. I looked what other had shared this day in order to figure out what I can make. I ended up making moon from the silver plated wire and add the blue goldstone in the middle. The blue goldstone have beautiful deep blue color and surface looks like clear midnight sky with stars. 

Here´s my first ever made spider from wire. I used black and golden colored beads to make this spider. I named him as a "luxury spider" because of its color. He´s looking for new home so let me know if you like to adopt him.

Day 4 - Scary Statement

Fourth day´s challenge was to make something big and scary. First idea that came my mind was spider. I don´t really scare spiders but find them so unpleasant. I made my very first spider from beads and little bit wire. I actually have admire these kind earlier but thought that they were too difficult to make. If you think that too, don´t be scared to try. These are actually much more simplier to make than you would first thought.

I was so happy to find jewelry project where I can used these beautiful silver plated bead caps that I have so long to wait "the perfect" jewelry project. I used deep blue, yellow and green colored seed beads. Reason why I chose these colors is because I wanted to use this Autumn´s trend colors. Thanks my stylist friend who inform me this Autumn´s trend colors. These became so lovely earrings that I actually made second pair with different colors

Day 5 - Earrings

Fift day task was to create earrings. Earrings are actually one of favorite jewelry that I most often do. They are usually very simple and BlueBell have much more earrings than any other jewelry. I must correct that later and do more other jewelry too.

Creative people don´t have mess, this is creative mess which is entirely different thing than normal mess

Day 6 - Wip Wednesday

Wip Wednesday I took over our kitchen table and spread all my seed beads on the table. I tried to figure out colors I would use for my seed bead earrings. "Creative people don´t have mess, they have ideas lying around everywhere!"

First one is my favorite from all of these. I love its coloring in yellow, orange and red that fits so well in Autumn time. All of these necklaces are available in my Etsy shop

Day 7 - Simple and Quick

Seventh day task was to show off something simple and quick. I ended up showing my faux leather necklace that have few wooden beads. It´s simple necklace that comes total five different colors. Each necklace have different color faux leather teardrop pendant and matching wooden beads. This necklace I made under ten minutes so it´s totally quick jewelry project.

Here was one week of coverage of this challenge and if you want to join this challenge too, visit ArtBeads Instagram account and save yourself the #beadtober calendar.

~ Minna

Recycled & Sustainable Jewelry

Photo by Jing Wang from Upcyclewithjing - Together

Sustainability, eco-friendly and recycled jewelry has become more and more popular but what exactly is sustainable and eco-friendly jewelry?

For me sustainable jewelry comes from responsible sources where workers had fair wages and safe working environments. Sustainable jewelry have minimal impact on the environment.

SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS

Photo by Dominik Scythe on Unsplash

• Recycled silver 
• If you´re looking to create eco-friendly jewelry, choose recycled silver such as sheet, solder and grain so you can continue to make jewelry like you have done with regular silver
• Recycled gold
• If gold is what your business offers, choose recycled gold such as sheets, panels and wire or try use fairtrade gold
• Stainless steel
• Stainless steel is 100% recyclable and it´s most durable, hardwearing and easily accessible material. You can use stainless steel wire for soldering
• Aluminum
• Aluminum is one of the most environmentally friendly materials for your jewelry business. Use aluminum for stamping or aluminum sheet as a base metal for your jewelry
• Scrap
• Scrap is one of the easiest materials to make your jewelry. With scrap metal and pieces you can create unique and quirky eco-friendly jewelry 
• Wood
• Wood is renewable and abundantly available in Finland. Many think wood isn´t sustainable material but when the wood comes from sustainably managed forests, the wood is sustainable material

SUPPORT LOCAL & SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

Jing Wang
Designer/owner of Upcycle with Jing

I recently found amazing jewelry maker from Instagram who I like to introduce to my blog readers.

Jing Wang from Upcyclewithjing who turns ordinary PET bottles into amazingly beautiful jewelry. 

Jing Wang design journey begun in China where she studied industrial design but she soon realize that she wanted to create something sustainably. 

While living in China and India, Jing was also appalled by the prevalent use of single-use plastic bags and bottles that littered streets, landfills and even the oceans. Upcycling a pollutant material like plastic became her lifelong quest, which is what today has transformed into Upcycle with Jing, a thriving upcycled jewelry store online.

Nothing gives Jing more joy than to transform an ordinary PET plastic bottle by hand, changing it into a sustainable, unique and beautiful art piece that someone will truly enjoy wearing.

I fell loved with these gorgeous designs that Jing Wang has made. Each piece have such a gorgeous details and unique design.

Photo 1: Jasmine Flower Necklace - Stunning jasmine flower necklace with minimalistic but sophisticated style.

Photo 2: Lily Flower Drop Earrings - Dangling off gold-finished French hooks are beautiful clear flowers that cradle a lustrous white bead with a rounded gold-finish tip.

Photo 3: Jasmine Flower Hairband - A hairband inspired by a jasmine flower fairy! Sitting atop an elegant gold finish hairband is an arrangement of double flowers on either side, crested with clear petals and a white inner flower.

Photo 4: Jellyfish Earrings - Inspired by the mysterious but beautiful jellyfish, these free-flowing earrings add an unmissable fashion statement for you.

Follow Jing Wang on Instagram and Facebook

Find our more her beautiful design by visiting on her Etsy shop and website

HOW SUSTAINABILITY SHOW IN BLUEBELLJEWELRY

I consider recycling important thing. Luckily here in Finland we have great recycling systems and in daily basis I sort my household waste in different recycle bins. In our housing association we have different recycle bins for plastic, metals, papers, cardboards, glasses etc. What comes my little handmade business, I buy envelopes that are manufactured from recycled papers, I walk to mail every Etsy order, I have reduced plastic wrapping from the jewelry packaging and I preferably use to wrap orders in papers that I get weekly from my work. I think every small act counts but there´s long way to go until I can say that BlueBellJewelry makes sustainable jewelry.

~ Minna