Gold Jewelry | Handmade Jewelry Blog by Jewelry Designer John S Brana

The Skinny on Designer Handmade Jewelry

February 17, 2009 By John S. Brana 2 Comments

2801474001_af2c92f14d What’s the difference between manufactured jewelry and designer handmade jewelry? Well, for starters, mass-market manufactured jewelry is obviously going to be cheaper, usually of lower quality, and also lacks uniqueness and creativity. Have you ever purchased a piece of mass market manufactured jewelry, gone to a party, and seen several other women wearing a similar piece of jewelry?

This definitely won’t be the case if you purchase designer handmade jewelry. Chances are you have a unique piece, or one of only a number of limited edition pieces, and you’ll never have to worry about bumping into someone at a party and seeing that same piece of jewelry on another woman’s wrist or around her neck.

Mass market jewelry is stuff that’s stamped out by the thousands, with little or no human contact. Designer handmade jewelry, on the other hand…is something totally different. Of course it’s going to cost a little more, but you can be assured that when a designer hallmarks their handmade jewelry, they are guaranteeing you a certain level of quality and trust. The designer’s name, brand, and reputation are on the line. This seldom occurs in mass manufactured jewelry.

Handmade jewelry is also much more labor intensive. Numerous hours can go into creating, designing, and fabricating a single piece of jewelry, and that’s why the cost for designer handmade jewelry is usually higher than mass produced pieces.

Maintenance of your designer handmade jewelry is relatively easy. Over time, your silver jewelry will tarnish due to the copper content in Sterling Silver. There are several commercial products you can purchase at your local drug store or hardware store that will restore your silver to a sparkling shine. The most versatile is a polishing cloth or rouge cloth that can be used on gold, silver, and copper jewelry. For those more intricate silver pieces like filigree or chain, all you need is baking soda. First, make sure you do this in a well ventilated area. Place the chain in an aluminum pan, and cover thoroughly with baking soda. Then, pour boiling water, slowly, into the pan. A chemical reaction will occur and the tarnish will be removed. Copper jewelry can be easily cleaned with these cleaning methods. One of the added benefits of buying designer jewelry is that most designers offer cleaning services. Customers of John S. Brana – Handcrafted Fine Jewelry can send their jewelry in at anytime for a free cleaning.

Click Here To Get Your Hands On Designer Handmade Jewelry

Who Knew Handcrafted Jewelry Could Be So…Interactive?

January 15, 2009 By John S. Brana 6 Comments

Always an innovator, John S. Brana launched three new websites this month and even gave a sleek new face lift to his home site, www.johnsbrana.com. Each new site targets a specific customer based on their desire for gold, silver, or copper jewelry and features search and comparison features unparalleled to any handcrafted artisan in the industry. See for yourself at www.handcrafted-gold-jewelry.com, www.handmade-silver-jewelry.com, and www.handmadecopperjewelry.com .

Jewelry buyers may now perform side-by-side comparisons on any number of their favorite pieces to determine just the right style, texture, gemstone, size and price. Visitors may participate in a live community poll to tell the designer specific preferences such as their favorite gemstone, karat or quality of gold, and type of earring they prefer. Those with the most discerning tastes can find exactly what they are looking for by narrowing their search, and if you just can’t decide, customers can add their favorite items to a wish list and be notified if those items go on sale through various RSS Feeds.

"After seeing the fashion and jewelry industries suffer this holiday season, I decided I would make it easier for customers seeking handcrafted fine jewelry to find me," says Brana of his business strategies. "And when they do find me, I want to be sure I’m giving them the styles they want." Brana is known for his handcrafted jewelry designs inspired by the landscapes of San Francisco and has been consistently experimenting with new textures, such as embossing, or adding new layers to his metallic collection of "SOMA" jewelry. New styles are available online now.

For more information and to view all jewelry styles please visit:

For more information and media requests regarding John S. Brana – Distinctive Jewelry, please contact Karri Ann Frerichs at 402.490.2579 or karriann@altitudepromotion.com.

Fine Handcrafted Jewelry…from the Hands of an Innovative New Designer

September 8, 2008 By John S. Brana 11 Comments

New work in fine jewelry by the otherwise bridge category designer, John S. Brana – Distinctive Jewelry, proved favorable to the crowd at the Designers by the Bay event held at Shreve & Co. August 21. This newcomer to the list of 20 established fine jewelry exhibitors showcased stunning textured cuffs, sculpted earrings and intricate filigree scrollwork in 18K and 14K gold and fine silver with gemstones. Perhaps his most beautiful new design is a pair of spiraling 14K gold fold formed leaf earrings encasing strands of 13.5carat faceted peridots which, as so many good design ideas occur, happened by accident.

“I was drilling holes for the earwires using a drill press and instead of turning it off, I accidentally increased its speed and the metal just started flailing and spiraling around the drill bit!” described Brana who created over ten new designs for the event. “When I finally got it to turn off, it had formed this twisted fan shape and I thought, ‘that’s pretty cool… now how do I do that again?’” Thankfully, he was able to recreate the shape as it is now available with several gemstone varieties at a suggested retail of $880. Equally as stunning is a pair of 18K Gold and Fine Silver Filigree earrings.

Just as Brana is entering the upper crust of fine jewelry, he continues to develop his lines of bridge category designs inspired by the city in which he creates them, San Francisco. Among the most commented upon and tried on piece of his collection for the event was his anticlastic copper cuffs. “Copper is one of my favorite metals. It showcases amazing texture and its rich, rose gold color is so beautiful on so many people,” said Brana who handcrafts original jewelry designs ranging from $65-$4000. In the coming months look for new collections including Muir Woods featuring earthy, forest themes, and an artistic collaboration with a German-born chef at sea who captures the images of sea-worn ships in abstract photography and wearable silk art. To view each of his collections, visit www.johnsbrana.com. For wholesale and media inquiries, contact Karri Ann Frerichs, Altitude Promotions at karriann@altitudepromotion.com or 402.490.2579.

**New Jewelry – SoMa Collection**

John S. Brana – Distinctive Jewelry enhances popular SoMa Collection of hammered jewelry with rings and incorporates 14K gold

July 8, 2008 By John S. Brana 2 Comments

Of John S. Brana’s eight distinctive jewelry collections, SoMa is the most contemporary and has been worn by celebrities including Natasha Bedingfield and Janice Dickinson. This collection includes hammered link necklaces and earrings, as well as his unique copper collection, and will now include 14K and 18K gold designs and rings set with solitaire gemstones.

Until now, Brana’s only ring designs were elaborate cocktail rings with intricate wire settings from his Pacific Heights Collection and enchanting sea creatures cast in sterling silver from his Seacliff Collection. The new SoMa ring designs are simple and geometric and will feature 8+ carat gemstones encased in hammered sterling silver, 14K gold, or bronze. Available gemstones include green-gold quartz, blue topaz, opal, amethyst, green amethyst, and citrine…just to name a few. The designs are clean and understated yet remain true to Brana’s signature stand-out-from-the-crowd jewelry characteristics. Brana will also release designs in 14K and 18K yellow, rose and green golds which were previously only available in sterling and fine silver, 14K gold-filled and copper. Look for hammered and chased geometric link designs, several of which will be set with semi-precious gemstones.

John S. Brana resides in San Francisco where he handcrafts his eight distinctive jewelry collections inspired by neighborhoods in and around San Francisco. Each collection is as diverse as its namesake and includes:

Barbary Coast- a dramatic and colorful display of layering semiprecious gemstones

Monterrey- brightly colored Italian mesh metal intertwined through hammered silver

Nob Hill – delicate filigree wire earrings inspired by Victorian architecture

Pacific Heights- large faceted solo gemstones encased in 14K gold-filled and sterling silver settings

Sea Cliff- surprisingly elegant life-like art pieces of metal-casted marine elements

Sonoma- chainmail jewelry dripping with berry-like, cascading stones

And the Men’s silver-cast jewelry collection featuring cuff-links, bold rings, textured pendants and minimalist silver bracelets.

To view each of the John S. Brana- Distinctive Jewelry collections visit www.johnsbrana.com. For wholesale information and media requests, please contact Karri Ann Frerichs, Altitude Promotions at karriann@altitudepromotion.com or 402.490.2579.

New Jewelry – SoMa Collection

Introducing the Distinctive Nob Hill Collection by John S. Brana

February 29, 2008 By John S. Brana 2 Comments

When was the last time you strolled along California Street and climbed the steps of Mason? Or, if you don’t live in our fair city of San Francisco, when have you last enjoyed the nostalgic architecture of those neighborhoods built around the turn of twentieth century? Do you notice that bricks are no longer laid in those patterns, or that columns today aren’t poured in such grand stature but with such intricate detail?

That was a time when we didn’t have to remind ourselves to stop and smell the roses. We appreciated craftsmanship and weren’t distracted by technology. With this in mind, John S. Brana sought to capture the elaborate scrolls and turbulent twists of the grill work on entrance gates that dot the neighborly streets of San Francisco’s famous Nob Hill. This is the collection of that not yet lost, but very intimate detail.

After twisting three tiny pure silver or 14 karat gold wires then running them through a rolling machine, John sculpts the inner tendrils into a paired perfection. No two sets are exactly the same. Each design is then encased by a sturdy barrier of flat or half-round sterling silver or 14 karat gold. Dangling a pair from you ears is a delicate daily reminder that if you can’t stop to smell the roses, you can at least take them with you. Necklaces and bracelets are coming soon. Enjoy life’s beautiful amenities!

Karri Ann Frerichs

Altitude Promotions

SoMa Jewelry Collection Expands to Include Hammered Multiple Link Chain

October 30, 2006 By John S. Brana Leave a Comment

14K Gold Filled Chased Necklace

I have recently been working on expanding my very popular SoMa Collection to include multiple link chain necklaces. The pictured necklace is handcrafted in 14K gold filled and features three different sizes of handmade rings.

This collection was named after the South of Market Street district of San Francisco. SoMa’s character has been shaped over the years by the cycles of boom and bust…going from an edgy alternative art and music scene of the late 1980′s, through the soaring rent inflated internet start-up days of the late 1990′s and subsequent bust, to its present revitalized day of a mix of trendy restaurants, swank hotels, and high-rise condo’s. It’s also the home of the San Francisco Giants, and several engrossing museums including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Sleek and contemporary with a surprising bohemian undercurrent, the SoMa Collection features matching sets of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings in hand-forged fine silver, 14K gold filled, or 14K gold. The result is that each piece feels like a hidden treasure. This versatile line is as appropriate at swank nightspots as it is at trendy coffee shops.

Stay tuned for more handcrafted necklaces, earrings, and bracelets in multiple link chains and multiple strands set with semi-precious gemstone beads later this year.