Sterling silver or Tibetan Silver???

Years ago I learned silver smithing, then gave it up as couldn't really afford to continue. The internet selling phenomenom hadn't arrived and I had no idea how to sell jewellery. so..

Years later I went to some random beading class with a friend, and got hooked into jewellery again. Seed beads, glass beads, crystals all sorts of pretty sparkly things, I loved it, and it was so much cheaper!

Problem!!! - the lovely items I made, which took loads of time to make and were cheap to make, so therefore cheapish to sell, just didn't last. I started buying wholesale from Asia etc to try and keep costs down. I sold over buys on ebay but still had the problem of the 'silver' rubbing off on the tibetan silver and the wire breaking on the cord, and the glass cracking on the lampwork.

I saw some really pretty beads on ebay, silver they were. I wrote to the lady and asked for some information. Point being the cost of one bead was the cost of two or three bags of cheap beads! I also asked her if she had any clue how to protect tibetan silver or if it could be re-covered. This lovely lady took the time to talk to me and said that she had changed over to sterling silver years before and had never looked back.

I thought about this and splashed out on enough bits to make a sterling silver bracelet with some of these beads.

She was so right. I never looked back.

(one of the first beads I bought is at the top of this - the lady I bought from was: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Pretty-Pebbles-Beads).

So.. slowly I got more hooked, spent a fortune, strange how one day £5 seemed a lot to spend, a week later £50 was nothing! Slowly I bought more and more, importing from Bali, buying in large quantities.

Eventually I moved over to Fine silver, but that's for a future blog, here I want to say, this lady was right. If you are wondering, quality lasts, quality costs but is so worth it. Items I made that lasted a month or so before the colour came off, in silver would last a lifetime, though not cost a fortune. People are willing to pay for quality so all round it was one of the best moves I made.

My thoughts on it anyway. (by the way, if you would like to buy a few huge boxes of tibetan silver cheap - let me know!! ;-)

Last Chance to Win Olly The Solid Silver Owl

The draw for the winner of Olly will be on Thursday 30th. If you haven't added your name to the list yet, don't miss out.
Olly is solid silver, hand crafted and exclusive to somethingxtraspecial. He's the representation of an owl I used to draw all over my school books way back when!
Solid silver, comes with a 16 inch sterling silver fine link chain and postage is free. All you need to do is add your name by clicking the link above. Good Luck.

Silver Peapod Jewellery

My little peapod family are growing. I now have one, two, three, four and five peas in a pod pendants, and have also added some charms. I have been asked to make peapod cufflinks a few times, so they have now also been added to the gang. New more de-luxe peapods are coming with leaf embellishments.

Nothing to do with Jewellery! Lloret de Mar - Spain!

Just got back after my first holiday abroad for simply ages, and our first week away since we met!

When I was 17 my parents went on their first holiday to Spain. To me it sounded just dreadful, so cheesy and touristy and just everything I thought was awful. I spent the next 30 odd years travelling independently to some very exotic and pretty far flung places. I've been lucky enough to see, live and work in a lot of Europe, Asia and West Africa.

Always when anyone mentionned a holiday to the Costas I got a shiver of distaste down my spine. So time moves on, purse strings tighten, and my lovely man managed to bag us a week in Spain in my idea of hell for under £300. (not easy!)

Oh my god! It was one of the best holidays I've had. I don't know that I have ever felt more relaxed and talk about life being easy. I don't speak Spanish, but was able to be understood everywhere, sat by a lovely pool for a lot of the time, a smashing beach was just down the road. The hotel served up great food from all different countries. Dreadful tourist tat was available if I wanted (and that is always available). I didn't have to have any jabs, I didn't have to avoid nasty insects, take pills, search for edible food, understand local customs so as not to offend, sit horrendously cramped on ghastly local transport with a goat peeing on my head (yes that has happened) or sit on a bus for 18 hours with a pain which I finally realised was a nail protruding into my back (yes that also happened). All in all it was just bloody marvellous. So, I've been from Blackpool to Bali to Burkina Faso, Thailand, to Tenerife to Togo, and I have to say, all in all, Lloret de Mar - you are great!

(Now back to the land of Jewellery!!

Can you hear the Earth Whisper

Isn't this just the loveliest name for a collection? Earth whispers! My passion flowers are up at the top.

My Lovely Team Brittania

These are all artists from the UK, and what a wealth of talent! My little flowers are up there at the top - thank you!!

Peas in a pod Treasury

Of course this particular collection is very close to my heart - I just adore little peapods and am so pleased mine was included.

Cockney Cuisine

So this treasury was a bit of different, all things used in cockney cooking - my peapod featured for peas pudding! Isn't it gorgeous!

My challenge piece - Tree of Love

I've just entered my very first challenge. The theme is Summer Romance, so I made this little tree of love! It is listed in my Etsy shop but mostly what I would hugely appreciate is a vote, which you can do just by clicking the pics or title and click a button - simple!

Thank you so much - I'm so excited!! (I'm not last at the moment ;-)

Sailing in the moonlight

Just finished this - rather pleased. It's a pendant and carrying on with the sea and waves theme. Not listed on Etsy or in my shop yet, gotta take some better photos. It's about an inch across (2.5cms)

Heart in my hands - treasury

My double sided heart pendant was featured in this lovely treasury - thanks to emsyjane.

Featured in a lovely treasury

My summer blue flower - midnight daisy appeared in this lovely treasury.