Featured Artist: Dawna St.Marie of PrairieArtisan on Etsy (30% Off Coupon Code Included!)

Our latest featured artist is the very talented Dawna St.Marie of PrairieArtisan on Etsy! Dawna has a special treat for you, so be sure to scroll down for full information. 

Dawna's work is inspired by vintage rhinestone jewelry, and was kick-started by her admiration of her friend's sparkling vintage jewelry collection. 

With a background in stained glass, Dawna does all of the soldering by hand, making each piece a one of a kind creation. 

Dawna's expertise in vintage jewelry and components can be seen in her designs as she expertly matches and contrasts stones, filigrees and settings. Some of her designs use hundreds of rhinestones (that she solders by hand, just think about that for a moment!). 

Dawna's use of bright colors and brilliant vintage stones bring a freshness and modernity to her creations. These statement pieces would look right at home alongside both vintage and modern jewelry.

Truly incredible works of art, which you get to wear!

Be sure to check out Dawna's shop! There are fabulous rhinestone bracelets galore that are sure to awe and delight you! Dawna has graciously offered our readers a discount coupon code for 30% off your order at PrairieArtisan. To receive your discount simply use the code 

WELCOME30

at checkout. What a great opportunity to save on some very special one of a kind jewelry that would make a wonderful gift this holiday season. 

Also, you can find more of Dawna's handmade bracelets at her second shop PrairieVintageJewels, where you will also find stunning vintage jewelry pieces that reflect Dawna's eye for unique vintage flair.

 

Featured Artist: Karen Troeh of CourtlyCharm on Etsy

Bumbershoot Supplies' latest featured artist is Karen Troeh of CourtlyCharm! Karen creates unique designs inspired by actual pieces from the medieval period through the Elizabethan era. Her years of experience creating pieces for renaissance festivals and plays is readily seen in these designs. 

Karen uses many different materials to create her designs, including set rhinestones, beads, filigrees, and wire-work.

Karen is very skilled at mixing metal work such as layered filigrees with pearls and rhinestones to create an opulent look. Many of her pieces are designed from historical pictures of crowns and jewelry worn by royalty.

Karen has shared a huge collection of her previous designs on her Pinterest board. We highly recommend perusing them for some regal inspiration. 

Be sure to check out Karen's shop! Whether you are really royal, or just wanting to look like it, you're sure to find a piece that will show the world how majestic you truly are.

Featured Artist: Debbie Lynch of ChicMaddiesBoutique on Etsy

Our latest featured artist is the very talented Debbie Lynch of ChicMaddiesBoutique! Debbie's work draws on her childhood memories and her love of color and vintage to inspire her designs. 

Debbie's designs incorporate vintage jewelry components as focal elements. She often mixes design elements to create new and stunning jewelry. 

Debbie is very skilled in her use of color to enrich her designs. Her work doesn't shy away from bright colors, and this often heightens the emotion of her designs, like this cheerful sunny yellow bracelet. 

Debbie is also a master at contrasting and complimenting textures, as she demonstrates in this necklace with its contrasting faceted labradorite chain. 

Be sure to check out Debbie's shop! It's simply overflowing with unique pieces that bring together old and new and tell the most colorful stories.

September's Birthstone: Sapphire



Sapphire Vintage Glass Octagon Rhinestones 

September's birthstone is the sapphire.
The gemstone sapphire comes in many different hues, including shades of blue, pink, green, and yellow. While they might not be actual gemstones, we do have a large collection of sapphires at Bumbershoot Supplies and Bumbershoot Designs. Vintage sapphire beads and rhinestones come in special vintage shades of blue, such as light sapphire, indian sapphire and montana sapphire, as well as the more traditional deep cobalt blue.
 

Light Sapphire Vintage Glass Deco Fan Cabochons

Indian Sapphire Vintage Swarovski Teardrop Rhinestones

 

Montana Sapphire Vintage Glass Teardrop Cabochons

The word sapphire is said to mean "sacred to Saturn", and the stone and color have been associated with heavenly meanings. 
 

Sapphire Dragonfly Vintage Rhinestone Necklace

Sapphire Vintage Gold Filigree Flower Ring 

In 1870 Tiffany & Co. published a birthstone poem in one of their pamphlets. The poem for September goes: 
 

"A maiden born when September leaves

Are rustling in September's breeze,

A sapphire on her brow should bind

`Twill cure diseases of the mind."

For heavenly inspiration, we invite you to browse our sapphire collections!

Sapphires at Bumbershoot Supplies

Sapphires at Bumbershoot Designs

 

Bumbershoot Designs Supplies September 2013 Special for Newsletter Subscribers

Vintage Swarovski Rhinestone Earring Kit, free with purchase!
 

September's birthstone is the sapphire. Our treat for September is a new earring kit featuring lovely vintage Swarovski crystal rhinestones in one of our favorite colors, Montana sapphire, with findings from our line of US-made antiqued brass. During September, we will send to our newsletter subscribers all necessary components to make the earrings shown in the photo above, with any purchase at Bumbershoot Supplies or Bumbershoot Designs.  See your September 1 and September 15 newsletters for details and the coupon code.

Also, don't forget your 1-time free shipping offer that you received when you signed up for our newsletter.

And YES, you can combine specials. So you can have the earring kit and the free shipping code you received upon signing up for the newsletter in the same order!

Not yet a newsletter subscriber? You can read past issues and you can sign up right here and get your free shipping and earring kit at your next purchase!

Learning to Fish: New Rhinestone Settings, Free Earring Kit and Tutorial from Bumbershoot Supplies

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.

Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

~Chinese Proverb

At Bumbershoot Supplies, we're about learning to fish.

With this in mind, we recently had manufactured for us several types of beautiful 2-stone pronged settings. These new antiqued brass settings will allow you to create your own beautiful dangles, drops, and charms, personalized to meet your needs. Together with our vintage rhinestones, and this tutorial on setting rhinestones in pronged settings, you are good to go!

With a 20ss pointed back rhinestone for the top and any number of shapes and sizes for the second stone, depending on the setting you choose, you will be able to create a customized look for your designs. Think of the shiny, sparkling possibilities!

And if you are a newsletter subscriber, you're going to get a chance to take these settings for a test drive for free.

Here's a sneak peek at the free bonus for newsletter subcribers this August. From August 1-31, all components to make these peridot teardrop vintage rhinestone earrings will be sent to newsletter subscribers, with a paid purchase. In order to receive this free earring kit, you have to be a newsletter subscriber and provide the coupon code with your purchase. Sign up for our newsletter here. By the way, signing up for the newsletter gets you a free shipping coupon code too, and yes, you can always combine coupon codes at Bumbershoot Designs and/or Bumbershoot Supplies. So you can have the earring kit and the free shipping in the same order.

Happy fishing!

What’s in a Name? History of the Word “Rhinestones”

Have you  ever wondered how the word “rhinestones” came to be used to describe the gorgeous glass and crystal baubles used in jewelry designs, buttons, and for so many other purposes?

We sell so many beautiful vintage rhinestone treasures at Bumbershoot Supplies, so I did a bit of research to learn about their name, and here is what I discovered:

“In the early decades of the twentieth century, a few tourist shops along the banks of the Rhine river [in Austria] sold jewelry with stones called “Rheinkiesel”. These were water clear stones which were cut like diamonds, and had red, green and blue blotches inside. They were made from glass molded and cut in Bohemia, and the red, green, and blue patches had been ingeniously fused into the clear glass during the molding process.

“Rheinkiesel, literally translated, means “Rhine pebbles”. Whether the tourists believed that the “stones” had been fished out of the river, or simply bought them for their attractive appearance as souvenirs to take home from their trip cannot be known. At some point a businessman, probably an American importer, gave the small imitation diamonds from Austria the name “Rhinestones”, and to this day the public recognizes them under that name.” (From: Rhinestones! A Collector’s Handbook and Price Guide by Nancy Schiffer)