Did you know that turquoise and turqoise coloured jewelry is the hottest trend this Summer in the Northern Hemisphere?  Doesn't matter if it's turquoise cz stones, turquoise coloured leather, turquoise coloured crystals or beads, turquoise is all the rage!

For your modern miss, we have turquoise children's jewelry!  Our most divine children's bracelets which have genuine turquoise set into the most feminine sterling silver bracelet ever.  And for the quirkier child, we have our double row Tibetan silver children's bangle bracelet with man-made jade and turquoise beads.  

In our mothers' jewelry category, we have a pewter and reconstructed Turquoise bracelets.  These mothers' bracelets would be perfect for both day and night wear, casual or more formal events.  Divine!

For some time now, we've had a range of jewelry in sizes to fit both mothers and their daughters, whether their daughters are babies, young girls or teenagers.  

More and more, we are seeing the purchase of two sizes in the same item, as in mother/daughter gifts.  Often at Christmas time but more often at the birth of a baby girl.

For example, our European style sterling silver/real lampwork bracelets come in baby sizes as well as mother sizes, in three different colour combinations.  

We also have children's bracelets in children's sizes, but also in adult sizes for mothers.  

We have lots of items suitable for both teens and mothers, in bracelets, necklaces and earrings.  Bought together for a mother and teenage daughter, the gift acknowledges or perhaps even reinforces the bond between a mother and her almost adult daughter.

As this trend is becoming more and more popular, we are on the lookout for matching jewelry items and hope to go into this Christmas with an even bigger range of mother/daughter jewelry.  

Charm bracelets are currently the most popular style of baby and children's bracelets.  It seems that everyone loves a children's charm.  There are a huge variety available and a charm can be purchased to represent almost every aspect of a little person's life.  

Charm bracelets make an excellent little girl's birthday gift (or big girl's birthday gift!) because it can be followed up at Christmas and future birthdays with a charm to remember something special in her life during that year.  A mixture of gold and silver children's charms looks great, and some gemstones or enamelling for colour, will really set her bracelet off.

Over the years, the charm bracelet will tell the story of her life and become more treasured as time goes by.  Of all children's jewelry and baby jewelry, charm bracelets have the potential to be most loved and therefore kept for her until adulthood.

Children's charms can be added to a necklace as well with the same result.

It is just one more option for personalised jewelry which is becomes more popular by the year.

Lately I have been pondering on rose quartz baby and children's jewelry.  I have decided I am a rose quartz fan.  Most of the baby and children's jewelry I've been considering is mixed with other components.  For example, children's bracelets and necklaces featuring rose quartz intermixed with creamy white pearls, and Austrian crystals.  This mix is really stunning because it's a mixture of shine and gleam and colours that go together beautifully.  I've already purchased some children's bracelets.  It will be interesting to see if others fall in love with them as I did.

I think rose quartz is particularly nice on little girls.  The colour is flattering on the flawless complexion of babies and children.  But I'm also looking for rose quartz for women.  So far I have picked up some rose quartz pendants with sterling silver fittings.  These are in the shape of a heart, and although quite small, they are generously "fat" making very cute heart shapes.  If they were any bigger, they might be a little too heavy, particularly if they were purchased for children, but they are not.  I've been matching them up with a 16" sterling silver box chain, nice and simple to go with the simple shape of the pendant. 

I actually have some rose quartz and sterling silver baby bracelets which I ordered specially made for Baby Jewels, last year.  When they arrived, they were 2cm too short and would only fit a newborn for a short period of time.  So they are not on my site and I am at a loss to know what to do with them.  I wasn't game to re-order them at the time, being new to this business, but I think I might, because they are simply gorgeous bracelets for babies.

Anybody else a fan of rose quartz?

Millefiori Glass beads are known throughout the world as exquisite and colourful.  Never more than now has the popularity of Millefiori been as great.  The hand-crafted glass-making technique began on the island of Murano, Italy in the 13th Century.

In Italian, Millefiori means ‘a thousand flowers’ which aptly describes the look of Millefiori beads.  The technique used creates a look of one or more flowers in a tiny bead.  The colours of Millefiori beads are stunning, and the tiny flowers within contrast with the colour of the bead itself. 

Millefiori glass bead baby bracelets are now readily available. Recently babies are popularly being photographed in black and white with just their bead bracelets in colour, creating a beautiful portrait and memory of Baby and her first baby jewelry.

Adult jewelry is also available, in bracelets and necklaces, pendants and earrings. Most often it is set in stainless steel or sterling silver, which sets off the colours of the millefiori beautifully. 

Gold has been a measure of value since time immemorial.  In recent years, far from falling in value, the value of gold has sky-rocketed.  I wish I’d taken notice of the advice I was given about 20 years ago, to “invest in gold.”

Old gold jewelry is now sought after by buyers, hoping to make a quick buck on your old treasures.  Don’t sell it for a song, is my advice.  Precious memories are tied up in your family heirlooms, particularly baby and children’s jewelry.

But how much gold is there really, in jewellery items?  I have discovered jewelry advertised as 9ct, 10K, 14K 18ct, 22ct, 24ct and more.  Also I’ve seen advertised:  gold filled, gold plated and gold layered.  What does it all mean?

Well, in Australia, we use the word carat to describe the purity of gold.  In the US and Canada, the word karat is used. As an example, 9ct is a little more than one third pure gold.  Pure gold is 24 ct. but is too soft to be used in jewelry.  22ct gold is the highest purity generally used in jewelry.  Other metals are mixed with the gold to make it stronger and harder and this is called an alloy (mix of metals.)

Other metals which can be used in creating gold jewelry are copper, which reddens the alloy, silver, which greens the alloy, zinc, which gives a bleached appearance to the alloy, nickel, which whitens the alloy and palladium which also whitens the alloy.  How many jewelry buyers knew that, I wonder?

The use of nickel is generally not used in children’s jewelry for health reasons.  Baby and children’s jewelry is mostly made in 9ct, up to 18ct gold for purposes of hardness. 

Gold filled is often abbreviated as g.f.  According to WikiAnswers, gold filled generally means there is less gold used than 10K in fact, “usually 1/20 or 1/12 KT. In this technique a sheet of gold is mechanically applied to the surface. Victorian pieces are likely to be unmarked, but later pieces are marked with the fineness of the gold layer, and the part by weight of the gold. For example any piece marked "1/10 12K G.F." is composed of at least 1/10 12K gold based on the weight of the finished piece. In the U.S. gold - filled pieces must be at least 1/20 by weight to be classified as gold-filled.”

Gold layered is an electrical process.  A piece of base metal, usually brass, is submerged in a plating solution and then an electric current is passed through both the solution and the item being plated. There are many different solutions depending on the amount and color of gold to be plated. This process moves individual atoms of gold out of the solution and onto the item being plated. The gold plate is thereby coated evenly, a few molecules thick, over the piece of jewelry.  In other words, “gold layered” is “gold plated.” 

I hope this gives a little more understanding about the gold used in jewelry and the important reasons why all gold is not necessarily ALL gold.

Often wondered what cz or cubic zirconia is?  Thought they only applied to diamonds?  In fact, any natural gemstone can be “created” in a laboratory.  Cubic zirconia are usually clear coloured but can be coloured to represent amethysts, topaz, emeralds, rubies, garnets and many others.  They are a very good likeness to the “real thing” but are more economical to produce than the real gemstone.

Here’s what Wikapedia says about cubic zirconias:

Cubic zirconia (or CZ) is the cubic crystalline form of zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂). The synthesized material is hard, optically flawless and usually colorless, but may be made in a variety of different colors. It should not be confused with zircon, which is a zirconium silicate (ZrSiO₄). It is sometimes erroneously called "cubic zirconium".

Because of its low cost, durability, and close visual likeness to diamond, synthetic cubic zirconia has remained the most gemologically and economically important competitor for diamonds since 1976. It is sometimes marketed under the brand name "Diamonique".

To read about the history and manufacture of cubic zirconia try Wikapedia’s interpretation:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubic_zirconia

Cubic zirconia we have on the Baby Jewels site include amethysts, garnets and diamonds.  To an untrained eye, they would be hard to tell apart.  The colouring is just as beautiful and the cubic zirconia can be cut to the same shapes the natural gemstones are cut.  We also currently stock genuine gemstones such as garnets, turquoise, lapis, amethysts and peridot. 

Cubic zirconia are used in the manufacture of both adult jewelry and baby and children’s jewelry:  bracelets, earrings, brooches, pendants, necklaces.  They provide the beauty of genuine gemstones but are more affordable.

Many contemporary jewelry items especially those made of white gold, are electroplated in rhodium to enhance shine and durability.

Sometimes, platinum or silver jewelry is rhodium-plated. In the case of platinum, it is because rhodium is a bit brighter than platinum, so it is used to enhance the shine. For silver, it is a little bit different. Silver is actually more reflective (shinier) than rhodium, but silver is also a much softer metal, and can be scratched very easily. So the owner of a rhodium-plated silver piece is trading a small bit of shine for a longer, scratch-free life.

The bloodless diamond alternative.

Producing cubic zirconia is an art in itself. The extremely high temperature required to melt the ores (almost 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit) is too hot for any conventional crucible, or melting vessel, to withstand. Therefore, to produce cubic zirconia, scientists have devised a proprietary process. A radio-frequency "skull crucible" system is used, in which the melting zirconia powder actually creates the sides of its own container during its formation. Cooling this extremely hot molten ore becomes the most crucial step in the entire process. A carefully programmed cooling procedure is required to form the flawless crystals that are subsequently transformed into exquisite cubic zirconia gemstones.

Like diamonds, the best cubic zirconia gems are colorless (or white, as most people describe their colors) and do not lose their color or brilliance. Given proper cleaning, the cubic zirconia will retain its own flawless, radiant beauty permanently, just as the diamond does. To fulfill the jewelers' need for colors besides the unbeatable brilliancy, manufacturers also produce colored cubic zirconia. It is available in a variety of colors. Cubic zirconia gemstones are cut in the same fashion as diamonds. The size of the gemstone is usually indicated by its weight in carats, a carat being one-fifth (1/5 ) of a gram. The stone can also be measured in millimeter diameter size.