It all starts here...

Want to see how it all begins in our cottage studio?  Well, it starts with pure and sterling silver.  Here is my latest buy of raw material.  Believe it or not, this is about $900 worth of silver. And that sheet on the bottom is a whopping 6 inches by 6 inches!

 

Choosing China

We get lots of questions from ladies about what china is best for Broken China Jewelry.  Well, it really depends on how you want it finished.  If you have a curved piece, it is really best to get an artist that does the copper foil method.  It's the same as what is used for stained glass windows.  There are lots of kits out there, too, if you want to do it yourself.  Be prepared, though, there is a learning/experimentation curve, but it is well worth it.

My favorite method requires a flat or near flat piece, like from a plate, that can be set in Sterling Silver.  I love this the best because it treats these little pieces of history as fine jewelry.   It just gives it an air of refinement and romance that you just can't beat. 

Since we create ours with a solid sterling back, it also makes the perfect canvas for engraving names, dates, or little messages.  Its really helps a gift stand out and gives it meaning.

Tips to help you find a good piece to have made into a Sterling set Broken China Jewelry charm:

1) The thinner the better.  Bone china is wonderfully thin and we do a lot of work with it (it also breaks easily so we find lots of damaged pieces to use!).  That is not to say that you can't use a thicker china (like semi-vitreous) , but it really can make the charm pretty heavy using a really thick piece. 

2) Take a quarter with you when you hit the antique stores and garage sales.  A quarter is your best friend.  You can use a quarter to see if the design will fit in space.  It can also tell you if the piece is pretty flat. You don't want the design to extend onto the "foot" of the plate (the lip on the backside) either.   Better yet, if you own the piece, lay your quarter on your plate and draw a circle around it with a magic marker.  Remove the quarter and look at the circle.  Is the design inside the circle pretty to your eye?  Trust yourself.  You know what is pretty and what isn't!

It's pretty easy and there are still a few more tips, but this post is getting a little long.  Tune back in for more tips. 

Still not sure if the china will work?  No problem, send us a pic (even one off of your camera phone) and we will be happy to help you out!

Antique Austrian Broken China Jewelry charm custom set in Sterling Silver

Decisions, Decisions.

Isn't this divine? We had the honor and pleasure of working with Angie from Tennessee. There was one Broken China Jewelry charm that she just adored and it was sold out. Could we do another? Why, sure we can. Of course, china is one of those things that you can run out of and can't exactly order more of. Fortunately for both of us, we did have enough for Angie's favorite charm.

She was as charming as her bracelet to work with through a phone call and emails. Angie made me laugh when she said that she was wearing RoseBlossomCottage.com out going through all the charms to put together her bracelet. I love the little girl that comes out in all of us when we are inspired. It's so refreshing.

Sometimes I actually think that we want lots of choices, but it may be closer to the truth to have a few good choices than scads of them. It kind of muddies the water, you know. With charm bracelets, there is always the classic base bracelet. The double rowed silver or gold link bracelet. Since Angie loved pearls and would be adding to her bracelet, it made sense to go with the pretty Flirty Pearl bracelet.

After making that decision, Angie was trying to decide what color pearls. It was important to her because she wants to wear this bracelet a lot. I suggested that she look at the clothes in her closet to see what the predominant color. Angie chose Swarovski cream (excellent choice, I think!).

After sending her a picture to approve the bracelet, we added a few Swarovski crystal suprises. I love a little bit of sparkle, don't you? Teardrop crystals and pearls are such wonderful fillers if you are adding charms slowly.

Every girl should have at least one charm bracelet. They are timeless chronicles to remembering wonderful moments in life. I think what she came up with was absolutely worth effort and thought. And she thinks that her daughters will love it, too. Do you have a piece of jewelry that inspires you?

Madeline has made her Grand Entrance

It was love at first sight and I knew right then that she was meant to be a part of our lives. She floated into the room and just stood there, a splendid beauty with her gorgeous gown and sparkling jewels. A coquette to be sure in her French blue ball gown, billowy vintage tulle, and pink millinery roses. Of course, even though she is sheer perfection, a few pieces of Broken China jewelery will make her the belle of the ball.


Jeannine from Days Gone by Creations has outdone herself with her handiwork. She is currently selling her gorgeous display pieces at an antique store called Collectiques in Pennsylvania. Just drop me a line from our website www.roseblossomcottage.com and I will gladly direct you to her. I know for a fact that Madeline has some beautiful sisters!

I have decided to put her in the cottage so she can inspire me. My sweet little cottage was a Valentine's Day gift from my husband. That little cottage means a lot to me and Madeline's addition will make it all the more special.

Grandma's Simple Jewelry Cleaner

We got a phone call yesterday from a lovely lady in a part of Texas that we didn’t even know existed. She was kind enough to share an old fashioned recipe for cleaning silver jewelry. Now that is a sweetheart!

Her grandmother had a step by step approach that is pretty simple and definitely eco-friendly:

*Get a little bit of salt and a little bit of baking soda.

*Add a little water to make a paste.

*Use an old toothbrush and scrub it on.

*Rinse.

That’s what I love about Grandma. Pretty basic, and a little elbow grease. Don’t know about using with pearls, opals, or other soft stones, but it works just fine with Broken China Jewelry charms and the like.

Of course, wearing it frequently is the best way to keep tarnishing away!

What’s your favorite way of cleaning your jewelry?

It's a Matter of Shopping

Despite the heat, Charlene and I were able to get out and shop the countryside looking for new treasures. It is such a pleasure to meet shop owners. You can tell that they love their shops as much as we love RBC. When we first got into the antiques business back in 1992, we were under the impression that shop owners are competitive and don't share with other owners. That couldn't be farther from the truth! Many we met have long since become wonderful friends and we are thankful for their insight and wisdom.

We wandered into one delightful shoppe courtesy of Miss Charlene's great eye was Keeping Up with the Jones' in Odem, Texas. What a precious shop with treasures of every kind (the owner, Sandra, was gracious enough to let us take her picture. The ladies there were just treasures!). This shoppe is a home that has been lovingly made into a customers dream. Packed with everything that you can imagine for the well appointed home. I picked up some lovely dishes for Broken China Jewelry that you will see soon. We spent almost an hour and a half just going through it several times and we still probably missed seeing some things. You know that kind of shop, don't you? Would love to hear your favorite brick and mortar store!

Patty & Belle

Just a short post today, but I had to introduce you to two new bracelets. One is custom designed Broken China Jewelry Bracelet for Patty from Pinkhugssweetshoppe.com. She picked some wonderful antique pieces while we were at Cape Cod so it has been a couple of weeks since she's seen her little piece of confection. I so like showing what people design with our pieces and will try to make a habit of sharing. She did a great job didn't she?

The second bracelet is made of carved antique mother of pearl buttons and we named her Belle. She was definitely a labor of love and I wish that you could see her in person. Each sweet iridescent button was handpicked, set in silver and joined one at a time to create what you see. One thing about using antique mother of pearl is that the luster is so intense and pretty. Miss Belle has a bigger sister (I won't tell you who got her...but it is someone you know...ahem...ahem...) and she will have another sister soon. Look for Belle on the website soon.

Our next post: How to make a bracelet into a necklace. Come back for a great idea!

Cape Cod

What a blessing to have had the past two weeks! Fine people, beautiful scenery, and kindred spirits to nourish the artistic soul. Met some lovely, lovely business women from Make Mine Pink and we stayed in a beautiful beach house in Dennis. Great mix of business and pleasure to say the least. The women at the business retreat were phenomenal each in their own right. And the shops on the Cape are as noteworthy as the owners. You are going to get to see some new Broken China Jewelry pieces and spoon bracelets from our shopping forays.

It started with a road trip from Baltimore to Massachusetts with Roxie from Candylights.net (check her out darling lights out). We went through several beautiful states. She is a wonderful driver and I can't say enough good things about GPS. If you don't have one and you do road travel...run, don't walk, to get one. I had gotten one at Amazon for Mom on her 70th and she loaned it to us. I got back to Texas and ordered mine right away from WalMart (they had a great bundle deal). Mom's took us through New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts so easily with some side trips along the way. However, it did not warn us about all the tolls. I think that Roxie and I were both shocked at the number of toll roads. Wow! I wouldn't mind even a miniscule piece of that pie.

As much fun as I had despite the cold and sinus problems and computer crashes, I am happy to be home. I think that travel makes you appreciate home more...I may have to do this more often!

Marie Antoinette Charms

Aren't these gorgeous? I never get tired of her story, tragic though it may be. I saw these images of the lovely Marie Antionette and just new that they would be perfect for charms. We immortalized her again under liquid crystal, each with its own custom made Sterling Silver setting done right here in the USA in our cottage studio.

Of course, no queen would be without her pearls, so we put a little pearl dangle. Wouldn't these look great all together on a bracelet along with some Broken China Jewelry and Swarovski Crystals? For now, I think I will wear Marie as a pendant. That does create a problem. I have to choose just one...decisions, decisions...

Look for these at RBC later today.

Antique & Vintage Spoon Bracelets

Aren't these such a pretty way to recycle and re-use? We never seem to have enough of them so this week will be one of amply restocking the shelves. I had run across a very old ad of some spoon rings and toying with offering those, but for now, we will "settle" for the bracelets. Of course dressing them up even further is fun, say with some Broken China Jewelry Petites or some of our new glass hearts. Or maybe just leave them as they are. The possibilitites, oh the possiblities.

Don't you just wonder who used these pretty pieces? Was it in some very fine home? Did it belong to a famous one or their relative? Oh, if these pieces could talk...