Why is fit important?

You see the perfect necklace in the display case -- the color, the design -- you can actually feel your pupils expand. It is love at first site. You try it on and it feels as if you're wearing a choke chain. Because of the style, even one of those practical but generally unattractive extenders won't work. Defeat.

Many women who are either much smaller, or larger, than 'normal' have the experience of finding jewelry that either cuts off the blood supply or falls off.

Fit is important for a number of reasons, but the reason I like best is that jewelry is supposed to make us feel better. It glimmers, we lust, then buy and anticipate wearing it. Often it can be a sensual experience when it comes to the feel of various kinds of stones and the smoothness of the metal. It's hard to enjoy oneself or feel good in one's jewelry, if a necklace that was made to rest between the clavicles is actually a choker -- a choker that feels like it's choking us. Likewise, when one is very thin it's difficult to wear a bracelet that just will not stay on and slips off too easily. True that it's sometimes easier to make a thing smaller than to try to enlarge it, but not always.

My experience growing up was one of disappointment in bracelets, rings and necklaces (forget anklets -- lost cause), because I could just never find any that fit, and I've always refused to make myself uncomfortable trying to fit in, literally and figuratively. This is why I started making my own jewelry at the age of ten. This is also why it's so important to me that your jewelry feels good on you, makes you feel good to wear it, and that it fits just as it should.

At Adorn Me Jewelry we take the fit of your jewelry seriously, so please know that unless it says in the shop listing that it's not adjustable or cannot be made to size (a rarity, but it occasionally happens -- like with our The Birds and The Bees bracelet) everything is able to be made in your size, whether you are so petite that you find yourself having to shop in the children and young miss section (like a friend of mine has to do), or whether you are large enough to have no options of brick and mortar stores and have to shop online on through catalogs.

A dear friend had a simply beautiful multi-strand freshwater pearl necklace that her husband had given her years ago, and she had gained weight and hadn't been able to wear it for a number of years. I worked with her to design a new necklace that fit her the way she wanted it to, and we even had enough left over for a bracelet. This sort of thing can be done, and it gives new life to pieces that you either can no longer wear, or that you never really could wear for reasons of fit.

Likewise, if you see something in our shop that you love and you would like it larger or smaller, contact us and we will be more than happy to make sure your jewelry feels good on you and fits like it should.

Etsy Front Page! Thank you!

Many thanks to Lauren, of leapinggazelle, whose romantic and treasury, "Blush" was chosen for the front page of Etsy this evening. And many, many thanks go out to the Etsy admin who chose it.

Our Morticia - Noir Victorian Lace Applique and Crystal Necklace got a lot of exposure, and it's always a kick seeing one of our items on the FP. Again, thank you! :c)

Snow Princess - Modern Simplicity - Huge faceted Rock Crystal Quartz Necklace

Just a note: This big rock is clear; the green/aqua you're seeing in it is some of the facets picking up the colors of the studio walls. :)

The size of this stone defies description. It is huge and showy, yet simple in its design, so that it defines elegant, Modern simplicity. It would be well at home with red velvet. It would be equally at home, and slightly surprising (which I like!) with jeans, a white t-shirt, boots and a leather jacket.

The lovely stone hangs from an sparkling Italian sterling silver Giotto Chain, with each round ring being 3.5 mm in diameter. It's about 18" long (as you know, I'm willing to make it larger, if needed, though this is pricey chain, so it will be an extra $1.25 for each extra inch), and the pendant width is a fantastic 2" from side to side. The exact measurements are 38x28x18mm (25mm = 1 inch). It is finished off at the end with a sterling silver sweetheart toggle and a smooth, tiny 10x5mm Vintage Czech glass teardrop wrapped in silver wire. This beautiful piece of quartz crystal has, as they often do, some lovely little inclusions and areas that show it's actually rock, and not a piece of glass. They're very small, though. Some, like me, love inclusions, others do not, so I figured I'd let you know they're there, and you can see them here and there when you expand the photos to their full size.

Your jewelry will arrive in a glossy black box with an Adorn Me jewelry label outside and a folded burgundy-colored note inside, written in silver metallic ink on nice card stock. If your purchase is a gift for someone, you can send us a Conversation and tell us what you would like hand-written on the card. This is then boxed and wrapped up in a sparkly silver ribbon, all ready for gift-giving! If you prefer we can leave the ribbon untied, so you can peek inside to see the gift you're giving and then tie the ribbon yourself, just message us with the info.

You can see more, and larger, photos of this necklace by going to Adorn Me jewelry's store at Etsy.

Lotus Rising - One of a Kind Exquisite Flowers For Your Ears - Vintage Elements

Those of you who love purple and green together should love these. And they are the only pair of their kind, at this point, because I cannot find any more of these gorgeous fire-polished beads!

Vintage brass lotus blossom bead caps embrace the most beautiful fire-polished glass beads I've ever seen. And they are the biggest, too. Mottled shades of purple and violet swim inside a big, fat faceted rondelle that has a coating of purple-y bronze fire-polished here and there on the outside. They are simply stunning -- and large at about 15 x 11mm. Above are antiqued copper bead caps, and below, light spring green Czech glass flower bead caps.

They dangle from large brass kidney wires that are festooned, as I am wont to do, with large iridescent purple seed beads (you'll get a few extra with your order, just in case you lose one). They are a bit weighty in the sense that you can feel them swinging on your ears, but not overly heavy.

Your jewelry will arrive in a glossy black box with an Adorn Me jewelry label outside and a folded burgundy-colored note inside, written in silver metallic ink on nice card stock. If your purchase is a gift for someone, you can send us a Conversation and tell us what you would like hand-written on the card. This is then boxed and wrapped up in a sparkly silver ribbon, all ready for gift-giving! If you prefer we can leave the ribbon untied, so you can peek inside to see the gift you're giving and then tie the ribbon yourself, just message us with the info.

You can see more, and larger, photos of these earrings by going to Adorn Me jewelry's store at Etsy.

Ember - Captivating, Warmly colored Vintage Bead earrings

The firey warmth in these beautiful beads evoke the image of burning embers. You should know that those 'flames' were not Photoshopped in, but truly cast that firey glow onto the paper under the earrings.

The tortoise shell pattern infused within these vintage acrylic pinch beads make them captivating focal beads, particularly when lit from behind -- as you can plainly see. The design is simple, so these rich-looking 25mm round beads shine on center stage.

They hang from large sterling silver kidney wires, with sterling wire wrapped simply to give them stability. They are 3" long, including the ear wires, and easily dress up or down, according to your outfit. Their warm tones are perfect for winter evenings.

Your jewelry will arrive in a glossy black box with an Adorn Me jewelry label outside and a folded burgundy-colored note inside, written in silver metallic ink on nice card stock. If your purchase is a gift for someone, you can send us a Conversation and tell us what you would like hand-written on the card. This is then boxed and wrapped up in a sparkly silver ribbon, all ready for gift-giving! If you prefer we can leave the ribbon untied, so you can peek inside to see the gift you're giving and then tie the ribbon yourself, just message me. You can see more, and larger, photos in Adorn Me jewelry's store at Etsy.

Emily, a Romantic Necklace with Vintage elements

Well, this necklace was in the Adorn Me store for less than one minute. A fabulous customer snapped it up almost as soon as I uploaded it. However, if you, too, simply must have this necklace, drop me a line or message me at Etsy and I have the supplies to make another one just like it -- the only variation being the little antique luggage key, as they are authentic and not all exactly alike. I will put it on reserve for you so that no one snaps it up. :)

I've always loved the Victorian, feminine name of Emily. To me, this necklace looks like an Emily.

The focal point is a gorgeous, large lavender pink celluloid rose mounted on an antiqued brass filigree. Below is a faceted, round deep plum crystal chandelier piece and an antique luggage key. The chain is antiqued brass, and it is doubled half-way up, with evenly spaced beautiful 8mm lavender pink, white and gold Czech glass melon rounds. The chain is brass, and at the back it has a little hand charm, which says "handmade," and a little iridescent mauve Czech glass flower. The closure is a brass lobster claw clasp.

The necklace is about 22" in length at the shortest point, which is the chain with the glass beads, and can be made shorter or longer. In total, it hangs almost 33" long and sells for $58.00.

Your jewelry will arrive in a glossy black box with an Adorn Me jewelry label outside and a folded burgundy-colored note inside, written in silver metallic ink on nice card stock. If your purchase is a gift for someone, you can send us a Conversation and tell us what you would like hand-written on the card. This is then boxed and wrapped up in a sparkly silver ribbon, all ready for gift-giving! If you prefer we can leave the ribbon untied, so you can peek inside to see the gift you're giving and then tie the ribbon yourself, just include that in your Convo.

I'll be making another one soon, but if you want more info and photos, you view it in my items sold section in Adorn Me jewelry's store at Etsy.

Sunrise - Large Czech Glass Button Wire-Wrapped ring, size 8.5

The focus of this ring is a luminous crystal button. It was handcrafted from an original Vintage Art Deco mold and produced in what was formerly known as Czechoslovakia.

This button looks to me like a sunrise; hence, the name. It is clear but has a beautiful aurora borealis coating. The metal used is a silver-coated copper core jeweler's wire. This ring is a size 8.5 and is rather large at almost 2 1/8" wide.

Wire-wrapped jewelry can vary a little in look from piece to piece. Handcrafted, wrapped jewelry is, by and large, less sturdy than buying a ring from a jeweler that has been cast in wax. Wire-wrapped jewelry, and particularly that with glass elements, cannot stand up to rough treatment, so please treat your lovely ring kindly. :)

You can see more photos in Adorn Me jewelry's store at Etsy.

Essence of Sandalwood -- Earrings

The beads used in these earrings are acrylic, but they are deceptive -- they look very much like carved, antiqued wood. Sandalwood, really. They hang as inverted teardrops from gold fill ear wires, and gold fill findings. From each one them hangs a lustrous, creamy freshwater potato pearl. They're very lightweight, and have the ability to dress up or down. They are 2" long, including the ear wires.

Your jewelry will arrive in a glossy black box with an Adorn Me jewelry label outside and a folded burgundy-colored note inside, written in silver metallic ink on nice card stock. If your purchase is a gift for someone, you can send us a Conversation and tell us what you would like hand-written on the card. This is then boxed and wrapped up in a sparkly silver ribbon, all ready for gift-giving! If you prefer we can leave the ribbon untied, so you can peek inside to see the gift you're giving and then tie the ribbon yourself, just include that in your Convo. You can see more photos in Adorn Me jewelry's store at Etsy.

Custom Design, and a Jewelry Renewal

Adorn Me jewelry, as makers of artisan, hand-crafted jeweled creations, welcomes custom design orders, repairs (if it's within the realm of possibility) and what we call jewelry refreshing, which is really a sort of renewal.

Custom and Special Order Jewelry
Because Adorn Me believes in beautiful jewelry in all sizes, your jewelry will be made to fit you. We custom, special order jewelry in various sizes, and if you ever see something you want that's already made but want it re-sized to fit, that can be done.

If you have a piece of jewelry that you want re-created, it might be possible. Sometimes we can make an exact re-creation. Othert imes, just an approximation, copying the spirit of the piece, if not the exact elements of your jewlery. We can also often do re-stringing, or taking pre-existing jewelry and putting it together in a fresh way, with new stones, crystals, etc.

It is also usually possible for us to re-create something we have already made and sold before, unless it is listed as a one-of-a-kind (OOAK) item and the client has paid extra for to keep it OOAK and not available to anyone else -- the caveat being that sometimes we cannot always get the exact same materials used in the piece you've seen and want, and stones always vary. If you see something you like and it is not marked as OOAK, and you would like for Adorn Me to re-create it, contact us and mention the name of the piece and if you would like it to be the same size, color, etc. If you like something but prefer to have it in gold-filled, or using different colors, that is possible, too. Keep in mind that for some alterations there may be an extra fee. Please contact us for more information.

Belle Nuit, or Beautiful Night

This set is a perfect example of one piece inspiring others. Here is a bracelet and earring set that was made specifically for a client a short while ago. It was created after a client saw the Ebony Abundant Venus and the black coin disc beads used on that piece. She told me what she wanted, and using black glass disc coin beads, hematite seed beads, sterling silver, and jet rivoli swarovski crystals, we created them. The earrings are suspended from sterling silver posts and are 1 3/8" long, starting from the post, so its total length. The bracelet is almost 8 3/4" long.

It is attractive in its inability to define each piece perfectly at night, by candle light, but yet it still sparkles and glows. This set is not, of course, for sale, but similar items can easily be made to fit you and your tastes.

Jewelry Renewal
Refreshing and renewing your tired jewelry is an Adorn Me specialty. If you have a necklace, for instance, where you have outgrown it, literally or figuratively, and you want it made larger, or refreshed a bit with some other stones or elements added, we can do it. Often, a nice piece of jewelry just needs a new look to bring it back into wear-ability again.

The top photo, for example, is of a pair of earrings that the owner stopped wearing. She loved the dichroic glass tiles, but the metal was silver-plated and the plating had worn off, making them look dull and rather ugly. She liked the swingy quality of the earrings and wanted something a little different, in silver. As you can see, they are much more wearable now. Contact us for more info.

Repairs
In many cases, Adorn Me can repair your jewelry, depending upon what the job calls for. We do no torch work for now, but will in the future. Re-stringing is definitely possible, as are many other repairs. The best way to find out is to contact Adorn Me and we'll talk about it.