Gardener with Gemstones

Lapidary beauty and my Gardens

On the left is Spider Agate freeform cabochon.  This is a hand cut gemstone and shows the beauty I find in the rough stones I have.
On the right is Biggs Jsaper a widely recognized form of jasper which is quite popular among jasper collectors.

How is the vegetable garden you ask?  It is doing well.  Mother Nature reminded us we are in
Western New York this week with a bitter cold snap.  was 65 a few days ago and now 38 outside.  We transplanted some hardy Kale yesterday.  The Mustard has given us two harvest sand is terrific in salads.  One snow peas has sprouted.  Is is early April so plenty of time of the rest of they peas to emerge.  some other plants have sprouted in the garden.  A few of the Hyacinth we look forward to each year with the intoxicating scent

As a small business owner I know how difficult it is at this time in NY state and around the US.  As a women owner business it is more difficult to generate the income necessary to keep the business going.  We are counting on the local community to remember to support all local business.  
For every $100 you spend at a local business $68 stay in the community.  
We are in this together. NY Strong.

One of my beach pieces in precious metal to show the beauty in the shell.  I sell wholesale & retail stones, rocks, beads, geodes, jewelry.


My shops:  Panda Wear Website
                 
Facebook:  PandaWire Facebook
Twitter:  Panda Wear Gems  
Pinterest: Pinterest 
Instagram: Instagram
Habitat:  My Page Women Build

Reflections of an Entrepreneur

I am a lady artist in this new century. What a fantastic journey it has been so far.


On this last day of 2019, New Year's Eve I was inspired by the quote below.

This is one of my favorite pieces to have created.  Seeds of Kambaba unites my love of gardening and lapidary with jewelry design.  Maybe it should be part of a series of garden inspired designs?  What to you think? 

The Sam Haskins quote is a fantastic example of what it feels like to be an artist.


As this decade comes to a close we are all reflecting on what this past decade has meant to us.  There have been so many laments and reflections that I have seen recently.  How do we turn off the outside noise aka our technology and enjoy the quality time with family?  Especially this time of year as a lady without a living father this time of year is never easy.









I have become an activist in the past decade as a feminist.  One major reason being  we are still not paid equal pay for equal work as females.  I have been a supporter of the ERA since last centruy.  No it has not passed or been fully ratified yet.  It will be that I am certain.

Want to help? Join NOW            ERA.org

NOW,  National Organization for Women in your area.  I was elected treasurer for my local chapter this year.   It is an honor to be part of this organization.





Want to support this Artist, feminist activist?
 Buy Local  from the maker.

My shops:  Panda Wear Website
                   Cabochons and Beads

Facebook:  PandaWire Facebook
Twitter:  Panda Wear Gems  
Pinterest: Pinterest 
Instagram: Instagram


Happy to create for you in precious metals a unique piece of your very own.

Fall Arrives in Rochester, NY

Yes I know fall is here.  Last night I baked the first vegetable bread of the season.  It was great as a dessert after breakfast today. Any guess as to what this is?  Shown on my counter top which is why I love baking. 

Seems a bittersweet end to summer this year.  Below are a few of my beach glass rings in sterling silver.  I collected the glass myself on the shores of Lake Ontario right here in Rochester.  the weather went from super hot to wet and the vegetable garden never seems adjust.  I have happy lettuce, cooking greens, Parsnips, Leeks, & Radishes.  We just planted a new crop of Broccoli which I hope to harvest by the end of October. 


Preparing for a women retreat this week, 7th Annual "Inspiring Success:The Women Ties Retreat." The date is approaching fast, event is on Thursday.  I have some new designs and a few of the best sellers to bring with me.  Plan to show off my custom cut gemstones, so I am ready for special orders.  As always, prepaid orders shipped free to the buyer and free gift wrapping.  Panda Wear is excited to be there this year, our first.  have been hearing great things about it for a few years.   The group's lunch events are always educational and fun events so worth the time. 
The rest of my fall schedule is up in the air right now.  I am still adding new items to my website weekly.  Also learning Instagram and twitter as time allows.  I will update my schedule online when i have a list of shows I am doing.  I do plan is to spend some time outside tonight for the Lunar Eclipse.  is is going to be a well photographed event, especially by several of  my photography friends.   They will have some stunning pics to share later this week, I am sure  Not even trying to take any myself.

 $99 until 10:30am EST 9/28/15.  Turquoise pendant flash sale. PM me for the sale price. Details of the piece on my website: Turquoise


My shops:  Panda Wear Website
                   Cabochons and Supplies
 
Facebook:  PW Facebook
Twitter:  Panda Wear Gems  
Pinterest: Pinterest 

Winter Wonderland and 2015 Plans

Looking out my windows, it is certainly a winter wonderland.  We have about 1.5 feet of snow on the ground.  The good thing about snow cover is it helps my dormant pants survive the cold and freezing.  As you may know, I am an avid gardener.  The end of this month we will be starting our vegetable seeds for the season inside. 

As for where I am since my surgery just before Christmas.... almost took pics of my knee to show what had been done. I decided not to share the ugly part of the surgery.  I am in physical therapy weekly with a professional and daily at home.  As anyone who has had major surgery knows, it is quite exhausting. My new ACL ligament seems to be working well.  I am off crutches and walking about normal speed.  I can hardly wait to dig in my garden. 

What is going on for my jewelry business?  Well I had to take some down time during the early part of my recovery.  Now I am getting back to making new pieces and deciding what shows to do in 2015. More about what shows I plan to be in and what I am working on in future posts.   I am selling on line is several places with links below. 

Here are a few of my newly listed pieces.  Two sterling pendants and a pair of earrings. 

stay tuned


My stores: Jewelry shop
                 Cabochons and Supplies


My Facebook:  PW Facebook

My Pinterest:  Panda Wear Art

2014 New Year and New Designs

Started the year off with many ideas for new designs.  I am still working out the specifics for them.  Photos will be posted when they are complete.  If only wishes make things happen.  Wishing for more time to work on them.  I no longer do New Years resolutions.     I have committed to working on my lapidary projects(stone cutting) at least one day a week.  Cutting again is fun and relaxing.  I currently have about 10 stones in process. Photos when they are finished. 

This is a  new piece from last month, Dichroic Mirror in sterling silver.

My store:  http://www.zibbet.com/PandaWear

My Facebook:  PW Facebook

My Pinterest:  Panda Wear Art

Metal 101

Metals are one of the main components in my work.  A brief overview of metals and their uses will help you to understand why I use sterling silver wire in so many of my designs. 

Type of metals used in jewelry:  aluminum, copper, gold, platinum, silver, & stainless steel. I have not listed all metals because the list is long.  This is such a broad topic, I could easily spend days writing many pages about this.  I will keep this brief and focused.  I believe definitions are necessary and here are a few links for metals :

Silver                   Silver defined
Copper                 Copper defined
Nickel                 Nickel defined
Gold                    Gold defined

Metal sheet and metal wire are two shapes of metal use to create jewelry.   Metal sheet is in most kitchens, as aluminum foil.  It is quite thin and this gauge (size) is not commonly used in jewelry designs.  Metal sheet is commonly seen in boxes and textured items like earring components.
                             

these are for sale: Copper Cascade Earrings

Temper and wire shape are two very important considerations when working with metal.  Temper is how hard or stiff the sheet or wire is.  Dead soft and half had or #2 hard are the two types I use most.  The dead soft wire is easy to manipulate and create curves and twists as shown below in this piece with square wire. 

this is for sale:  Seeds of Kambama Pendant

The half hard round wire is shown in this piece made with round wire, paper beads, & sterling silver beads.

 this is for sale:  Sterling Silver Teapot Bracelet

As I believe my customers want value for their money, I design my pieces  in sterling silver.  The cost of the wire has increase over 500% since I began using wire.  The 14 karat gold filled has increase as much as the silver.  The main difference is the gold is a high cost material.  An example of the increase - paying $15 for a piece of Silver wire, now is is $75 for the same wire.  Per customer feedback, I have begun using copper in my designs.

Wire shapes are endless. The common ones are:  round, square, half round, and triangle.   Wire comes in gauge(size) which are based on how many pieces laid next to each other fit in one inch.  The larger the diameter of the wire, the smaller the number. 12 gauge is thicker  than 21 gauge. I will cover this subject in depth in a future blog post.  It is a complex subject to those who do not work with metal materials.

Metal reactions are a concern of many people.  I use as many non reactive findings as possible.  My earrings are all available on surgical stainless steel which is 99.9% nickel free and it is lead free. I had a recent reorder from a lady who has had trouble with earrings and after wearing a pair she bought in December 2012, she came back and had me replace the ear wires on several other pair she owned but could not were with my surgical steel ear wires. 

Next week, I will write about my favorite charity commissions for Habitat for Humanity Women Build.  

My website:  Panda Wear

My facebook:  PW Facebook

My Pinterest:  Panda Wear Art

  

Materials and Quality

There are many topics I can cover in this blog.  There will be a lost of future topics at the end of this post.

Today will be about materials and quality.  I am often asked why I use the particular beads and gemstones I choose in my work.  This is the answer to why......

Each piece of jewelry I create is hand made.  It is One of A Kind(OOAK) creation and no two pieces are the same. Here is a piece of seashell naturally tumbled by the Atlantic ocean:

 This piece is available in my Esty shop.  Etsy shop closed.


I use high quality beads in my pieces.  My work is made to last.  I have spent time confirming the vendors I source my gemstones beads from accurately label the items. I believe my customers expect the high level of quality I do when I am shopping for jewelry. Especially if it a gift. 

When I started my business, I sourced my supplies locally.   It was easy and many other people said it was how they obtain their materials.  The prices did not seem high.  The findings (clasps, beads, etc.) were not the best but they were easy to buy.  It was fun to be able to go out and buy new ones when I had a new idea.  After my first year of sales, there were many broken or damaged pieces.  I did not want to be seen as a designer who can not make a good product.  At that point, I decided to upgrade from plated to precious metals in my work.  I use copper, sterling silver and 14 karat gold filled in my pieces.  the price of the original pieces was much higher than I thought in lost business. 

When I spend hours designing and crating a piece, I expect it to be a great piece when I am done. Please visit and like my Facebook page to stay current on where I am going to be with my work and what is new.  Follow this blog to learn more about Panda Wear.

Below are some future topics I will cover over the next few months:

Metal 101, Beads and Gemstones, Care of Jewelry, Lapidary, Special events like Proms, Rock hounding, Types of Jewelry, my Mascot.   Feel free to send me suggestions of topics you wold like to know about.


To buy my work Shop here

To contact Panda Wear  contact here

My facebook page:  Panda Wear on facebook