Custom Watches and Jewelry Are Hot

Even in slow economic times, the rich and famous still have higher-then-average levels of disposable income. The bling is still the thing among those folks who feel the need to flash the cash. From mega yachts to personal space travel, the sky is the limit for those with the dough. For a mere fifty thousand dollars, wealthy buyers can even buy a personal submarine, making this the ultimate sea going bling for the folks whose ship has come in.

Now if a personal seagoing sub is not your cup of tea, there are other ways to make that fashion splash. For many years, customized personal jewelry has been the way many people of means have chosen to make a fashion statement. Custom made rings, pendants and necklaces are some of the favorites, especially among women. Many men have chosen to become more self aware and fashion conscious over the years, adopting what some describe as a metro sexual outlook wanna Rings for men. If the idea of owning just any old Jaeger Lecoultre or Cartier watch is not enough, many producers of fine offer custom pieces in addition to their regular lines. Many high end watch makers are responding to the growing market demand for customized one-of-kind pieces.

For the right price, custom design watches are available in a wide variety of materials. Metals like gold, titanium and platinum are favorites, both for the beauty but also for the durability. Titanium is highly valued for its tremendous strength to weight ratio and has been used in critical aircraft applications. Titanium is also a valuable component in the cases of patient-critical implantable medical devices like drug pumps and cardiac pacemakers.

The same physical properties of titanium which make it ideal for aerospace applications, makes it a great choice for watch cases. Like other metals, titanium does not corrode, it lightweight and is resistant to damage. Gold and platinum are also critical components in critical electronics for spaceflight and medical devices. Few other metals possess the qualities of gold and platinum. When it comes to fine wrist watches, gold is both classic and timeless.

For over one hundred years, gemstones have been used in the inner works of wrist watches. Gemstones like diamonds and rubies had been used primarily as bearings and bushings at critical wear points thus discount jewelry. As the popularity of the wrist watch grew, so did the use of gems and precious stones. For the rich, famous and sometimes notorious, gems and precious stones have gone from inside the watch to outside. From the dial face to the crystal to the band, adorning a watch with jewels is one way to say that you have arrived.

The growing popularity of custom watches is not limited to the wealthy. Many watch makers are responding to markets trends towards custom theme watches. Designed for watch buyers of more modest means, many custom design watches reflect a variety of customer preferences. In an almost endless variety of different themes hobbies, special occasions, team sports, auto racing, religious, scientific, inspirational, custom theme watches can range from the plain to the vain.

The idea of customized theme watches is not at all new. Theme watches, from pro footballs Super Bowl to timeless cartoon characters, have become collectors items, worth many times their original value. There will always be those of us who want simply to be able to tell what time it is. That modest need can be satisfied with an inexpensive watch that is both practicality and function. But if you really want to impress friends and influence people, a custom watch may be for you.

Cremation Jewelry - A Way of Sharing Memories

Cremation jewelry pieces are seen as a unique way of honoring a loved one who has passed away. As its name implies, cremation jewelry are piece of jewelry that are designed to hold some of the ashes of a departed loved one. They are usually worn as pendants around the neck, although there are designs where the cremation jewelry pieces are not worn at all.

What makes cremation jewelry so special? Why do many people find these jewelry pieces appropriate for remembering a loved one who passed away? Here are a few reasons why this is so.

Perfect Mementos for Far-Flung Families

Because these modern times have made it possible for people to be more mobile than they were before, it is now considered normal for families to be scattered across a country, if not across the world. As thus, when a member of such a far-flung family passes away, it becomes impractical for other members to fly to that departed family member's burial site regularly to visit the grave.

Memorial jewelry then becomes the perfect solution for them. Because these jewelry pieces are supposed to hold a small portion of the departed person's ashes inside them, the remains of the departed can be divided among family members and friends. As thus, they will each have a part of their loved one who passed away, and location will no longer matter to them.

For Keeping Memories Fresh and Alive

Many people choose to wear the cremation jewelry they got of a loved one who passed away close to their skin. For them, it is like embracing the lost loved one as if he or she is still alive. This helps a lot of people in coping with their loss. Also, for many people, just looking at the cremation jewelry and keeping it close by is enough to help them remember the happy memories they shared with the departed loved one.

Cremation keepsakes pieces come in many forms and designs. Among the most popular ones are heart-shaped lockets containing the ashes of the departed. Many of these lockets contain a picture of the departed as well as engravings on the pendant. Urn jewelry also comes in other designs such as crucifixes, butterfly pendants and other trendy designs. You can also have a miniature urn holding the ashes designed as a pendant for your cremation jewelry.

Jewelry-Making DIY Basics - What is a Jump Ring?

Jump rings are basic components of jewelry design and construction, whether for simple purposes of attaching charms to necklaces and bracelets or for making elaborate chain mail (chain maille) earrings, necklaces and bracelets.

What is a jump ring?

Jump rings are loops formed of wire.  The two most common jump rings are:

open, round-shaped and made of round wire with a single cut that lets the rings be opened and closedclosed (soldered), round-shaped and made of round wire

Other jump rings shapes:
ovalteardropsdiamondstriangular wire ringssquare wire ringstwisted wire rings

Large and Fancy jump rings are more likely to be used as earring drops and other decorative components. 

Quality open jump rings

Well-made open jump rings will have ends that are saw cut at 90 degrees to the "plane" of the rings.  The ends will "fit" together well without showing a big gap.  Inexpensive pieces are often "chisel-cut", meaning that both ends of the wire have a point.  Chisel-cut rings are often made of thinner wires that lack the strength for a well-made piece of jewelry.

How are jump rings used?

Connect Charms and Findings with Open Jump Rings

Plain round and oval open rings are often used to connect charms to chains and bracelets.  To connect charms and findings this way, use two pairs of pliers.  Flat nose pliers maximize the jump ring area grabbed in the pliers jaws.  Grab the ring with both pliers to either side of the cut. Move the ends away from each other along the ring's "axis" -- not in the ring's "plane."  Put the open ring through the two pieces that need to be connected.  Then move the ends of the jump ring back toward each other, wiggling the ends back and forth until the cut is hard to see and too small for the pieces to come out of the loop.

Open oval rings are many times better suited for hanging charms than open round rings because the cut is along the long side of the jump ring.  Gravity tends to pull charms into the closed small part, so they cannot even accidentally escape the ring if the cut is open.

Use Closed Rings with Lobster Claw Clasps

Closed rings make an ideal target for lobster claw clasps on beaded necklaces, bracelets and anklets.  A crimp fastens the bead wire to a closed ring, which has no gap that will let the bead wire "escape" from the ring.

Open Jump Ring Bracelets

Some 5/o triangle seed beads and 6/o round seed beads will fit onto a 1mm diameter (18 gauge) jump ring.  These rings with beads on them can be connected together to make triangle seed bead jump ring bracelets, necklaces and earrings.

Chain Mail (Chain Maille)

 Open and closed rings can be combined into strands and sheets.  This type of jewelry is called chain mail (or chain maille).  Chain mail armor was worn in Europe in the Middle Ages.  Chain mail jewelry takes the idea of chain mail and applies it to earring components, necklaces and bracelets.  Some of these patterns go by names like "Byzantine chain", "Tryzantine chain", "Box chain", "European 4-in-1", "Foxtail", "Queen's Link" and other romantic names. 

Jump rings, whether simple or fancy, are basic components that every jewelry designer needs to understand, whether trying to make simple connections, making flashy, open earrings or creating complicated chain maille pieces.