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January 3, 2006:  I just spoke with Julie, my wonderful Luxe Jewels sponsor.  She tells me I will be able to sell artisan made Luxe Jewels via this website as well as in bead classes and at jewelry making parties.  I can't wait to get started on this project, though, of course, I also have a ton of VeryShinyObjects jewelry to put online.

January 9, 2006:  We got an e-mail from Lorraine Allan who makes beautiful lampwork beads in Adelaide, South Australia.  She says many of her customers are in the US, and I can see why.  Check out her stuff at GlassandSplinters.com.au.

January 17, 2006:  Golden Globe jewelry and dresses were the best part of the show since I honestly don't care which celebrity won what prize for doing his or her job. 

There are no good jewelry pics I can link to, but for the record, long dangles or chandelier earrings seemed to be the way to go.  Necklaces, when worn, were chosen to complete necklines, as it should be.  And Rachael Weisz wore an arm load of bracelets.

January 19, 2006:  Maya Brenner, Head Designer at Luxe Jewels (please mention my name if you shop or join up), has a new jewelry design book coming out in June.  My mouth is watering and I have not seen an advance copy.  But I have seen her work.  (Find our link to Maya's book in the right column of this page.)

January 25, 2006:  More Luxe Jewels news:  Luxe has been featured in the February 14th issue of Woman's Day.  I'm picking up a copy on my way home from teamwork class tonight, but the official Luxe e-mail read;

Woman’s Day loves Luxe Jewels, as featured in the February issue, on newsstands now!

Our fabulous Woman in the Crescent Moon and Thai Flower Petals necklaces are the perfect gifts for Valentine’s day! And, Woman in the Crescent Moon, color refreshed in a gorgeous blue for spring, will be our hostess special for March!

this is one version of Woman in a Crescent Moon - contact Nancy to see if she still has one in stock

Our group of Luxe Consultants had the word early, but it's nice to get good news from many sources.

February 1, 2006:  When Tiffany bought of 200 their own products on eBay, they found 3/4 of them were fakes according to Boost Marketing.  This is very scary, so please buy only from sellers with good track records.

February 3, 2006:  There are a number of quick and easy jewelry project videos from Jackie Guerra online at http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/pac_ctnt/text/0,2019,DIY_14161_40995,00.html

February 11, 2006:  Luxe Jewels has training events in the works, and I'm going to one!

The first event is next Saturday in Arlington, Texas.  (It's between Dallas and Fort Worth.)  I've got my room (thanks for the use of your hotel points, Cary), I've got my Luxe jewelry making kits for the workshop, and it looks like I've even got traveling companions.  Ashleigh, our own CDO, and her friend Ashlee plan to hitch a ride to keep me company and see the sights (think mall) while I meet up with fellow Luxe Jewels Consultants.

If you will be in the area, consider joining us at 12:30 at the Holiday Inn Express, 2451 E. Randol Mill Rd, to learn more about Luxe Jewels.  I joined Luxe after a lot of Internet research and a phone call with my mentor, Julie.  And while I can't complain about the great group of online friends I've made, it will be wonderful to get together.

There are also training events scheduled for Nashville on February 25 and Chicago in March.  If you want details on these gatherings or just want to know more about Luxe Jewels, let me know.

February 15, 2006:  For everything you wanted to know about platinum, check out http://www.preciousplatinum.com/output/Page49.asp

February 19, 2006:  I'm back from the very first Luxe Jewels Regional Training event in Arlington, Texas.  It was fantastic.

I didn't begin preparing for my journey until Friday morning since I had a bead class Thursday night.  (They made Luxe Jewels Juicy bracelets, and all went well.)

The girls (see February 11 entry), who had planned to go with me, backed out to hang with their friends, so I hit the road about 12:30 with NPR and some CDs (John Fogarty, Puccini and French language lessons) for company.

Despite forecasts for bad weather, the drive was uneventful both ways.  Of course, it broke my heart to see acre after acre of blackened ground from all the winter fires.

Rush hour hits Fort Worth about 3:30 because of the constant road work - in the 30 (!) years I have lived in this part of the world, I have never driven I-35 without some sort construction.  Never.

It's shorter to go from Oklahoma City to Arlington via Fort Worth, but I admit I would have scrambled to leave home earlier if only I could have traveled first to Dallas to see the gardens of the Arboretum and eat dinner at Eatzi's, but who wants to see a dead brown garden just before spring?

Once in Arlington, I managed to fill my gas tank, navigate my way to the Hilton, check in, have dinner at one of my favorite restaurant chains, Salt Grass Steakhouse.  Yum.

Back in my room, I broke out my new camera to figure out all the controls.  It was such a hopeless task I made it an early night on the very comfortable feather bed.

By 4:30 a.m., I was ready to talk jewelry.  However, I read Susan McBride's The Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Dallas diva bites the dust) instead of heading to the Holiday Inn Express to wake up the Luxe team.  This turned out to be a very good thing for several reasons:

• Jessica and Winnie's plane was delayed.  They didn't hit DFW until 2 a.m. and wouldn't have been pleased to see me.

• Hilton computed the bill stuck under my door at $30+ instead of the 90 cents it should have been.  (Thanks to Cary's Hilton points.)  The young man at the desk didn't explain the error, but by checkout time, all was well.

more about redeeming miles and points

• I got to test the accuracy of the Hilton wake up call system since the alarm clock in the room was defective.

• I met Noel Rodriguez at breakfast.  He's a Hilton employee with a very nifty invention for changing light bulbs in high ceilings.

The training event itself was more than worthwhile.  I learned a lot, but more importantly, I met some great people.

• Jessica Herrin is soft and sweet with a brilliant core.  She makes a great Fearless Leader.

• Winnie van der Rijn has to be one of the most dynamic and creative people in any business. 

• Kim DiLullo of Arizona is an exceptional leader.  I learned a lot from her.

• The rest of the group was equally fantastic.  One consultant welcomed her husband home from a year in Afghanistan during the training session!

After the event, I presented each one with a Secret Pebble™ on behalf of Julie Armstrong's team.  Yay!

Luxe Jewels is clearly a company to watch.  I'm very glad I hitched my wagon to their star.  Besides, they're getting great press.  Breaking news:

• A Charmed Life will be seen in “Good Housekeeping” in June.  Please use my name, Nancy Kamp or my Luxe ID, veryshinyobjects, when you order this necklace.

Jennifer Garner on Alias - wearing A Charmed Life.

• Maya Brenner's designs appeared on a recent episode of “The OC,” as worn by Marissa.  (The CDO and I saw it.)

February 20, 2006:  Nikki Reed, who plays Sadie on "The OC," refers to "someone" who makes the jewelry Sadie makes on the show in an online interview for Fox.  That would be Maya Brenner.

March 2, 2006:  I just leaned "rolled gold" refers to gold-filled in the Wire-Sculpture daily tip.  Last November 27, I listed the bead ezines I receive.  Click here and scroll down to see if you want to sign up for any of them. 

March 4, 2006:  Today's Wire-Sculpture tip said amber floats in the Baltic Sea and is sometimes found washed up on beaches.  Thank you, Preston.

March 6, 2006:  I really don't care who wins entertainment award show awards.  But like most of you, I love to see what the women are wearing.

The CDO and I noticed these actors and their jewels at last night's Academy Awards:

• Jessica Alba's earrings - big tear drop-shaped drops.

• Jennifer Anniston's necklace - it hung almost to her neckline and was, to me, the most exciting jewelry look of the night.

• Keira Knightley's royal and slightly too big colored stone and diamond necklace - vintage Bulgari

And as for the clothes ... some commentator actually liked the huge bow Charlize Theron had on her shoulder!  I say it's only positive function was to draw comments away from the large puff ball on Naomi Watt's lower chest.  One of my favorite dresses was worn by Ziyi Zhang - black top over a black and white skirt.  Even her jewelry - black band with a tasteful center diamond was perfect.

March 22, 2006:  We're just back from a wonderful two weeks in Europe visiting our Jill and her friends while they study abroad.  We took jewelry pictures in many museums and lots of store windows, but there are so many photos to edit, it may be months before the good ones make it to this site.

In the meantime, here's what I noticed:

• Long strings of beads were everywhere in Paris and London shop windows

• There were quite a number of fabric beads in stores

• One shop had the most unusual jewelry innovation I've seen anywhere: some poor soul had hand tied tiny little ribbon bows between each large bead in a fairly long necklace - what a way to jazz up an old string of beads.

April 1, 2006:  Yesterday, I got my first issue of Rena Klingenberg's newsletter for those who make and market jewelry:

http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com -
Thousands of tips for marketing your handcrafted jewelry

Rena gave me permission to quote this very important tip for anyone who sells a product at a craft fair or other organized show:

Many indoor shows require that all table coverings and other fabrics be flame retardant. Although it doesn't often happen, a fire marshal inspection can take place before the show. Inspectors have been known to test the corner of a table covering or other booth fabric with a lighter. If you can't pass the test, you may be asked to remove your cloths from your booth, or leave the show.

Fortunately, you can make your table coverings flame retardant with a simple treatment at home. This treatment works on fabrics that are at least 65% cotton (synthetic fibers won't absorb the solution). In a large tub (or your bathtub), mix 3 parts boric acid, 7 parts Borax, and 100 parts water. Soak your fabric in the mixture and hang it to dry almost completely. When the fabric is nearly dry, iron it. You can test your fireproofing by holding a lighted match to the fabric, just as a fire marshal would do.

If you've already purchased ready-made fire-retardant table covers, they should come with a flame retardant certificate. If you have it, be sure to keep this with your other important documents in your booth.

I periodically yammer on about the fact that most gemstones are treated in some way.  Rachel Loving of LovingJewelry.com [great name] says ethical jewelers do not sell "High Pressure High Temperature" diamonds without letting customers know.  The process improves the color and may remove cloudy occlusions.

April 12, 2006:  I am delaying the publication of our newsletter while I figure out how to take acceptable photos of my new Celebration Bracelet™ design. 

The Swarovski® crystals are so sparkly they throw off too much light, and my camera picked up the gaps in the weave of the velvet I've been using for a background.

I tried scanning the jewelry into my computer.  After numerous attempts, I found I couldn't get the contrast right.  Then, I tried leaving the scanner lid open - better.  And with a few lights on in the room - better still, but ...

Anyway, the result to date is in the right column. 

April 25, 2006:  Congratulations to Jessica Herrin, Luxe Jewels CEO and Founder, on the birth of her second daughter.  The Herrin family has a wonderful new addition and the Luxe family has a new jewelry maven.

April 27, 2006:  I'm sooo far behind on everything, but I finally got some of my students' photos online with the jewelry they made.  My apologies to Sonia Flores and Jessica Sanchez whose pictures did not come out.  You were gorgeous, but I'm still learning to use my camera.

Note: If you're looking for your photo, use our Search function.  I'm trying to scatter them throughout the website.

May 3, 2006:  Today, I took photos of Jane Marie's Secret Pebbles™ on the white paper (no cooler/photo lab to reflect light) inside a northern exposure window.  These worked, and the bracelets are better, so the cooler goes back into the garage.

May 13, 2006:  I'm just now reading my morning mail and came across this amazing fact from WIRE-SCULPTURE: "There is 100 times more gold in 14 kt. Rolled Gold (gold filled) than in gold plate."

May 16, 2006:  I've been getting excellent customer service lately.  I had a poorly drilled bead problem with a Luxe Jewels kit, and they replaced the bead - no problem. 

This is the way things are supposed to work.  Yes.

But wait, there's more!  Today we welcome a new affiliate so you can Bead all you can bead with Artbeads.com.  Wahoo.

Artbeads offers the following, and I can't wait to make my next purchase:

• Free shipping in the USA
• No minimum orders
• Excellent customer service
• Fast fulfillment

*When you want to support a website, you may need to clear out your cookies before shopping.  There are still poachers out there who have the technical ability to siphon off commissions that should go to sites like ours.  Tsk.

May 19, 2006:  My pictures are coming out better in direct sunlight on a purple background.  I don't think they are quite acceptable, but gain is gain. 

May 26, 2006: Our website software, FrontPage (may it rot in hell), has given up on life.   With a site this big, who knows when we'll be able to clean up our HTML code and be ready to make additions to our content.  Thank you for your patience.

July 25, 2006: We're back - more or less.  The change from a FrontPage-built site to a Dreamweaver-maintained one has been awful, and there are lots of little gifties (flaws) remaining in our pages - not to speak of the much needed graphic redo that looms in our future.  But now I intend to focus on jewelry and work on fixing the site in my spare (ha!) time. So here goes:

Yesterday, About guide Tammy Powley wrote about the Halstead Bead Grant winner and the runnersup.  I tried to visit all their sites and found a wealth of ideas - though I didn't like everything - isn't that the beauty of creativity?  Check out the entries, and prepare your site and product line for next year's contest.

July 27, 2006: My fellow Luxe Jewels's consultant, Mary Cattapan, has just opened the Beadshop Café where she sells beads and beading necessities.  Wahoo!  Another wonderful online resource.

July 29, 2006: I have a real problem with diamond industry assertions that blood or conflict diamonds are no longer on the market.  Let's get real.  Gemstones are a traditional way to finance everything from lavish personal retirements to revolutions and dictatorships.

While I applaud industry efforts to clean up the system, the bad guys are always going to find ways to subvert it.  And I look forward to the upcoming movie with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connolly, Blood Diamond.  Awareness is a solid deterent to crime.

September 3, 2006: I'm trying desperately to get back on the blog wagon after the long summer disaster on this website (May 30, 2006: Good Riddance to Bad FrontPage) but all I can think about is the flack Sandra Oh caught for wearing too much jewelry at the Emmies.  (Do not look for a photo link here - I wasted hours trying to find a good one online.  If you don't remember the outfit, look it up on an entertainment website.)

Since all the fashion magazines are hyping the multiple necklace look, it's hard to believe they would consider her a worst dressed candidate when she went with the trend.  I personally loved the dress and would have worn fewer necklaces or a smaller one myself, but she still looked fantastic.

September 15, 2006: I see "chocolate" diamonds everywhere.  As far as I can tell, these would have been rejected as cloudy and unattractive before some marketing genius renamed them.

September 22, 2006: I spoke with a publicist yesterday about a jewelry book I will be reviewing, so you can imagine my surprize when today's mail brought what I thought was a bead book.  Then I took a good look at Jeanne Rodes-Moen's Silver Threads and got that Christmas morning feeling.  My mini-review is in the right column.

October 5, 2006: Congrats to Luxe Jewels' own Lanie Ketcherside.  One of her beautiful creations is featured in the November issue of Beadstyle magazine.

October 19, 2006: I was going to do a whole webpage about cleaning rhinestone jewelry, but it comes down to this: Dust the surface with a soft toothbrush or cotton swab.  If the piece is valuable, have it cleaned by a jeweler.

Rhinestones got their name because they were first made in Strasbourg (Strasburg when it was part of Germany) on the Rhine River in France.

October 23, 2006: I spent Saturday at a small but well worth the time gathering of Luxe Jewels consultants. 

One topic was prper pronunciation of some French words used in jewelry making.  Here's my short guide based on a college class in French phonetics and our oh so short trip to Paris and beyond in March.

briolette: bree-oh-LET   The word itself means brilliant, but in jewelry making, it refers to a faceted teardrop.

cabochon:  KAW-bow-shown   A polished but unfaceted precious stone, often seen in old crown jewels.  Note: "bow" rhymes with "go" and "dough"

vermeil:  The standard pronunciation among English speakers is VUR-may, but I looked up the word, and Webster said we should be saying VUR-mil.  However, the standard American English pronunciation for "herb" is URB, while the correct British English pronunciation is HERB [because dropping the letter H is Cockney while pronouncing it is upper class], so who knows???  

Vermeil, by the way, is gold plated silver.  It can also be gilded copper or bronze.

November 19, 2006:  My first public library class yesterday was saved by the presence of Lanna Lutz, music teacher and jewelry designer of Shawnee, OK.  Lanna came by to discuss our upcoming craft show appearance in Edmond, OK, as well as her interest in Luxe Jewels.  Since she knows how to crimp AND work with kids, she was a huge help in getting all the bracelets finished in a timely manner.  Thanks, Lanna.

Novemeber 25, 2006:  I came across a lead content warning on a website crawl (that means I don't remember which site).  And I have been thinking about the fact that most cast metal and glass crystal - unless marked "lead-free" - contains lead.

While no vendor I'm aware of carries toxic product, there is always potential danger.  After all, the use of lead pipes and lead drinking vessals is one of the causes of the fall of ancient Rome.  So obviously, jewelry containing lead should be avoided by children, nursing mothers and pregnant women.  Also, California law under Proposition 65 expressly states handling lead can cause birth defects.

December 5, 2006:  I'm still recovering from my first craft show.   Because of the icy weather, there was so little turn out they gave door prizes to vendors!  But I learned a lot:

• Signs need to be almost flat so people can look down on them.
• The treasure chest method of display does not work.  Product has to be more tidy and less dramatic.
• I've got to get a better system of carting stuff there and back again.

Despite everything, I did as well as or better than anyone else there, so I will do more shows.

Palladium, by the way, is the new hot metal in fine jewelry.  I've never seen any, but I know it's white.

December 12, 2006:  Wire-Sculpture is having a bracelet design contest.  Click in the link for details.

December 13, 2006:  I've just been reading Eleanor Herman's Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge (P.S.)  It seems that on the death of England's King Edward III in 1377, his mistress, Alice Perrers pried the rings from the dying kings fingers.  Parliament took back the rings and much of the property the king had given her, "including 21,868 pearls."

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