The Skinny on Designer Handmade Jewelry

2801474001_af2c92f14dWhat’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

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Who Knew Handcrafted Jewelry Could Be So…Interactive?

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.

Bubble Embossed Copper Earrings

"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:

 

Handcrafted Fine Jewelry by John S. Brana

Handcrafted Gold Jewelry by John S. Brana 

Handmade Silver Jewelry by John S. Brana

Handmade Copper Jewelry by John S. Brana

 

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.

 

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Now Browse by Gemstone, Metal, and Price Point!

Each of us is drawn to our favorite things, a collection that defines who we are and makes us unique. We prefer certain colors, identify with distinctive shapes and place value on bright and shiny things. Some may even verge on a certain aesthetic addiction- an all-black wardrobe, complete households of minimalist square furniture, an entire family of “J” names! It’s okay, we understand.

John S. Brana-Distinctive Jewelry recently polled, you- his loyal clients, to learn how we could make www.johnsbrana.com more streamlined and user friendly. You wanted to see what amazing pieces were available in your favorite gemstone or precious metal. You also wanted to narrow by price point. It’s possible your ex-mother-in-law only wore rubies and you never care to see those again!

We listened and are excited to introduce the Browse by Gemstone, Metal, and Price Point features found on the lower left columns of all product pages! Now you can find your perfect birthstone piece, discover your next favorite mineral and expand your beautiful gold, silver and copper collections! Enjoy and take pleasure in life’s beautiful amenities.

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Accessorizing with the Right Jewelry – Part 1

Accessorizing with jewelry is one of the most simplest and effective ways to make any outfit look great. Selecting a few choice pieces of handcrafted jewelry is no different than choosing your wardrobe. In fact, most stylists and image consultants refer to your overall jewelry collection as a wardrobe, since your jewelry is just as important as the clothes you wear. Just like a picture frame enhances and draws attention to the photo within, selecting the appropriate jewelry emphasizes your best features.

How best then to wear the jewelry you currently own? Taking stock of your existing jewelry wardrobe will help you immediately identify pieces you no longer wear, and more importantly, gives you a sense of what looks best for you and your overall comfort zone. Over time, you’ve probably developed a sense of likes and dislikes, favoring gold over silver or necklaces over bracelets.

Generally, brunettes, redheads, and grays should wear silver jewelry, while blondes look best in gold and copper. If you are brunette, and warm colors suit you, wearing gold would work just as well. Women with black hair usually look good in all three metals… gold, silver, and copper. However, there are no hard and fast rules. If you absolutely love silver and you’re a blond, or a brunette, redhead, or gray and love gold or copper, go for it!

Try not to mix styles. A modern silver cuff won’t look right paired with antique gold filigree earrings. Stick with a matching bracelet and earring set or two similar necklaces also looks great. Until recently, it was taboo to mix metals. This was one of those old-school rules that most designers now ignore. The trick is if you want to mix metals, keep the style of jewelry the same. A simple hammered chain necklace of silver and gold, or silver and copper links looks absolutely stunning and is very fashion-forward. Stacking rings or bracelets also lends perfectly to the mixing of metals. You can even stack square or round rings or bangles in different shades of gold, silver or copper.

Stay tuned for the rest of this article on December 29th…

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