I think there will be alot of green this year worn at Melbourne Cup Lunches this Tuesday. I have a fabulous collection of Peacock Green pearl jewellery that may interest you. This colour just keeps coming back to life in the fashion world and that’s why it remains one of my firm favourites for any event.
Good luck hope you back the winner this year!
It took 50 years for this little tale to come to a happy ending. Recently a lady purchased a pair of hand made white mabe pearl earrings in a clip on from my Etsy e-Boutique. I just love my little Etsy store as some of my customers kindly share stories on why they choose a particular piece. Here’s a ripper!
I found this tale so unique I just had to share it. An American couple was posted here in Perth, Australia in the 60’s and they bought a lovely pearl bracelet which remains a constant memory of a happy time, spent here. This bracelet was handed down to the grand daughter, who one day sees a pair of earrings that match her Gran’s bracelet and they are in Julleen Jewels on Etsy. The granddaughter who wears her bracelet every day, bought the earrings from my store and they arrived in the USA yesterday. Her set of pearl jewellery is now complete. What are the odds on someone living in USA has a bracelet her Gran bought in Perth in the 60’s then ends up not just finding a match anywhere but actually purchasing it from a Perth designer. Such a nice story
Please read her review on my Etsy store. It’s just fabulous!
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/JulleenJewels?
I need more stars to review Julia and her shop. She has incredible customer service skills plus she has a great sense of humor. In the 1960s, my grandmother lived in Perth for about a year and bought the bracelet in the picture below before returning home to California. Fast forward 50+ years and I buy an incredible pair of handmade pearl earrings that are a perfect match. And they came from South Perth! The earrings are gorgeous and will be my go to staples. Simple and elegant just like Gram’s bracelet.
Hot off the press, this gorgeous necklace I just completed today. With a lovely Silver White Baroque Australian Pearl, cage set, with a Round Emerald and emerald cut Garnet, set en the diamond, Sterling Silver Pendant, strung on the peacock green, ice white and champagne pearls. Beautiful natural rubies and emerald facetted beads, make the necklace complete.
Great to see the clip on pearl earring becoming popular again and the neat no nonsense “close fit to the ear lobe” clip on design. There are many of us who don’t want to pierce their ears but find it quite difficult to get clip on earrings of any sort to say nothing of a pearl clip on earring. Enter Julleen Jewels with a wonderful array of bezel set pearls.
When a clip on on the back of an earring is required it needs a saucer base for the actual lever back clip to sit on. This requires more metal to make a flat spacious surface for a clip on to be soldered to, rather than say, a simple post being added to the back of a pearl for the stud style.
This is where expertise comes in handy. The dying art of setting pearls into bezel bases is not handled by many jewellers today as it’s a job that requires using hand made (hands on) skills, understandably it’s not high on the list of designs to make, as the percentage of people with pierced ears is quite high, therefore the lower percentage belongs to those who do not and so why bother catering to them. The person requiring a clip on sits around 30 percent. Therefore you can understand why jewellery makers tend to go for the easier design and cater largely to people with piercings. I saw a niche in the market here and as I fall into the category of non pierced ear women, well, you can see why I chose to make a good variety of clip on earrings in pearl and some, if not as many, gemstone clip ons. I don’t do hallmarked gold settings but I do make Hallmarked Sterling with pure gold microns (vermeil).
I am very proud to say at Julleen we have loads of lovely bezel set pearl clip on earrings. I lovely new selection of recently made earrings in gold vermeil are now available in my Etsy store. Take a look see, you may find just the most perfect earring that will last for decades right here.
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/JulleenJewels?ref=seller-platform-mcnav§ion_id=19307152
Finally after wanting to make this style for ages I found the right pearls, the right type of pronged Hook, for the pearls and then voila! Once all ready for the world to see, low and behold! I see Suits star Gina Torres, as the fabulous Jessica Pearson, from Suits and from the spin off Pearson, wearing my design.
This initial earring is with a beautifully exaggerated pointed top. However my idea is to make more with a pod shape pearl.
Happy with this though and have put it straight onto Etsy where I think it’s not going to last very long.
Heading towards the Spring months my artistic impulses head me to the work bench. It’s a bit a slow start but am getting the hang of what I envision for the warmer months head. Here are some of the creations I wanted to share with my followers.
Good lord! it’s already September and I have not done a post for ages. Just when the weather heats up I get the urge to make some black pearls 4 row bracelets. I find my black pearl collection is the most requested items on my Etsy store. Usually these beautiful thick and luscious black pearl cuffs are only found on my Julleen E- Boutique but you just never know I may end up putting a few on Etsy too. Stay tuned. Meanwhile enjoy my new creations for September 2019.
https://www.julleen.com/product/black-pearl-4-stranded-pearl-cuff/
So after years of having the same Business Cards and forever telling everyone about my little Etsy Store called “Julleen Jewels” and then either handing them the original Julleen card with no Etsy address or writing the Etsy address on the back of the cards, I came to the conclusion that something had to change.
When I was handing over a card to an artist last week and once again writing the address on the back (tedious!!!) we both virtually at the same time, said I simply must have that Etsy address, on my card. Instantly I had an epiphany! To search online for self designed stickers. I didn’t have to look far. I had used Vistaprint in 2000 but would you believe they still are operational today and even better now, as all can be designed and coordinated online. Within minutes I had created some new perfectly lovely stickers. I ordered them and within two days the items were delivered to my box in South Perth.
https://www.vistaprint.com.au/marketing-materials/labels-stickers?
Thus! today with paper guillotine in hand (after years of being stored Lord knows where) and after slicing the stickers in two, I just added them to my cards, which luckily had just enough space to accommodate my new brilliant idea! I then ordered some fridge magnets which I thought was a nifty idea too. Saved me, creating and paying for a load of new business cards.
“Necessity is truly – the Mother of Invention”.
Voila! my new cards …complete with my Etsy Store Address for Julleen Jewels. Thanks Vistaprint.
I get so excited when I discover a new supplier and I have really needed to replenish some pearl jewellery designs I make and to create the new.
I just discovered a lovely new clasp for bracelets which I am dying to use from a new supplier and have finally found a new source for making gold vermeil earring hooks too. Yes!
I wanted to share the components here with you because then you can see that I make my own jewellery designs myself, however, I do like having others make the basic components for me so that I can do the fun part – creating!
Just below you will see the separate components that I use just to make one Pearl Earring Stud and the link to purchase one. 🙂
https://www.julleen.com/product/sweet-white-pearl-studs/
So to create the studs I need the button pearls themselves which come freshingly drilled half way through but also I need of course, the posts and the earring backs to make the full earring. I like doing this myself, as then I am certain of the quality, I put into my online stores and that makes it so easy for me to guarantee the workmanship and the design. This is why getting in new components is such a thrill for me. I know the best part is yet to come. Making good quality pearl jewellery,
If you are not that cluey about pearls and are really confused about the array and diverse varieties of pearls and pearl jewellery out there today, your best bet is finding a trader or designer that knows at bit about the world’s most beloved organic gem – the gem of the water. The Pearl!
It can be very confusing to the novice and this is why my mission is always to make everyone understand the basic differences of fresh and sea water pearls. Here’s the best tip. Usually the price ticket relates directly to the quality of the pearls or the pearl jewellery. If we are talking thousands from a reputable outlet then you can bet, you are looking at quality sea water pearls. If you look at a seller online selling pearls for under $55 then you are probably looking at something that has questionable quality and could be inferior fresh water pearls. Makes sense no?
The first to mass produce small round pearls were the Japanese Mikimoto pearls. These were small 4,5, to 7 mm, quickly developed cultured pearls, with tiny nuclei. Funnily the 89 year old Mikimoto imported the mother of pearl seeds needed to cultivate these pearls from America – the Mississippi River where it passes Iowa. Not much natural nacre developed on the outer surface of these small pearls but the sales for these pearls were more popular than any export Japan had to offer. We can almost say it saved a nation! Most of these necklaces were not knotted (saved time and money and kept the necklaces inexpensive from USD20 -130) and were graduated with a few larger ones at the center. They were the first company to offer pearls to the general public and became popular post war especially with the surge of American soldiers present in the South Pacific who had their pay to spend on their Mums or girlfriends back home. This then, began the shift of the pearl, being accessible to, not just royalty, gentry and the extremely wealthy but for the newly growing middle classes, who thrived post WWII.
Australian’s White South Sea Pearl and the Black Tahitian Pearls are both salt water pearls and the world’s most desirable organic gems. The golden Pearl of the Indonesian waters are also Pearls to treasure and behold, but not often do you see a baroque gold pearl. Baroque is the look of a naturally formed pearl that are not perfect spheres. Usually the most expensive pearls are fully developed round pearls with no imperfections. Good luck finding any and the average person could most definitely not afford to buy one. There is a very special market for natural baroque pearls or drop pearls that have a history like the pearl worn by Mary of Scots and then later acquired by Elizabeth Taylor the peregrina.
I have mentioned previously in my blog that usually the colour of the sand of the area where the pearls are cultivated, directly influences the outcome of the colour of their grown pearl. Shape is also a thought here and many of the world’s loveliest Keshi’s come from Indonesia. There is also the cave amoeba pearls which I just love but this article will be never ending if I mention every shape and variety of pearl.
Most South Sea Pearls are from 9 mm up averaging at about 14 mm but it’s the freshwater pearl that I love and work with daily. These too come in larger sizes around 12 mm, of late and are increasing all the time, as the fresh-water pearl farmers learn more about their crops and leave the pearls to rest longer, than was usually the case. This then of course must see a rise in the price of the freshwater pearl. The Chinese have dominated the world’s freshwater pearl industry and therefore have mass produced pearls, leaving we older more established Labels scrambling to find good quality stock, as many of the good pearls today have been bought up by other larger retail stores.
Although the sea pearl fetches the highest price, it is what you can do with a freshwater pearl that made me fall in-love with this genus. Fresh or sweet water Pearls have much more layers of nacre than the sea pearl and to me you get much more value for money for a freshwater pearl.
Enter – Julleen – a small label but has always offered our customers, the very finest quality for the price bracket. At the end of the day I like to think of servicing people who really want an original piece of pearl jewellery that is affordable.
Julleen Pearl Jewellery Designs was born from a lust of all things pearl. Love of pearls is not new. Women have been imprisoned for the desire to possess pearls. Men have hanged by the neck for stealing them and drowned at sea by risking their lives to find them. Rulers of kingdoms have sacrificed much, all for the love of pearls.
My gift luckily, is that I can visualize a design in my head and then go about making it and so for me, after finding the right pearl, the design grows and becomes one of the most important aspects of my label Julleen. Therefore design has value and the use of only organic gems and metals is hugely important.
Also luckily I know a good pearl when I see it and for over a decade now I have used my experience, to make interesting and very different jewellery designs. This is why my designs are in a middle ground pricing. You can see my pieces are hand-made but I try to make each model look like it came from the best jewellery makers anywhere.
People need to choose the right dealer and someone who knows the business. Hopefully with my blog some of you have become aware of the differences between the quick turnover pearl jewellery that breaks or the pearl jewellery that I make where the quality of the pearl I use and design around, ensures the pieces last, for a life time.
What ever the design. I am sure that many of you know you are getting genuine pearls with the Julleen brand and that the added bonus is, all Julleen Pearl Jewellery is guaranteed permanently. Having a clue is important – when talking about pearls.
