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!

New on Pinterest: Vintage Seattle Board

Did you know that 2012 is the 50th anniversary of the World Fair in Seattle?

To see images from that era as well as other vintage images of Bumbershoot Designs and Supplies' home town, scroll down for a few photos and visit our Vintage Seattle board on Pinterest.

Source: vintageseattle.org via Bumbershoot Designs & Supplies on Pinterest

Source: seattlepi.com via Bumbershoot Designs & Supplies on Pinterest

Source: coverbrowser.com via Bumbershoot Designs & Supplies on Pinterest

Book Review: The Quilts of Gee's Bend

The Quilts of Gee’s Bend is one book I turn to regularly, partly because my creative roots are in fiber, paper and fabric and those art forms still resonate for me, but also because I find it to be full of inspiration that translates to many forms of art and design.

When I look at the Gee’s Bend quilts, I learn about color. I learn about symmetry and asymmetry. I learn about looking to traditional design as a source of inspiration for creating something new. I learn about seeing pattern in the world around you and interpreting it in your art. I learn about how to create something beautiful and artistic with only the materials on hand. I learn about the impact of keeping it simple.

Recently I had a customer, a beginning jewelry artist and designer, ask how she could prevent tiny marks on the jump rings when she manipulated them. After providing a few tips, I also shared my belief that “…it is also OK to have some slight marks sometimes - it is a sign of the presence of you, the artist and designer, in the piece”. The prominence of the hand quilting in the design of many of the Gee’s Bend quilts allows me to see and feel the presence of the artists and continues to guide my approach to handmade jewelry design.

I was fortunate to see many of the Gees Bend quilts in person at the Tacoma Art Museum several years ago and I can say for sure that the experience of seeing these quilts in the flesh surpasses anything that can be presented in a 2 dimensional form. That said, the Quilts of Gee’s Bend is one book I turn to over and over again, as an endless source of design inspiration, and a touchstone to remind me of my path in handmade art and craft.

Bumbershoot Supplies Now on Pinterest!

from simplysmilephoto.tumblr.com

Bumbershoot Supplies is now on Pinterest, and we are loving it!

Come and visit us at our Pinterest Page.

from laughingsquid.com

There you will find our growing collection of boards and pins featuring vintage color palletes, vintage Seattle, craft and diy ideas, beautiful images of rain and umbrellas (!) and just plain vintage inspiration. 

from trinketsinbloom.com

If you are not a member and would like to join Pinterest, please send us your email, and we will be delighted to send you an invitation. 

from lauramakesthings.blogspot.com

Happy pinning!

from ma-chr.com

Book Review: Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box

When serving the Clinton administration as Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright became known for her use of pins and brooches as a communication tool during her diplomatic duties.  This book, Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box was written in 2009 to accompany a touring exhibit of her pins.  I read the Kindle version of the book on my iPod, probably not the best format for viewing the pins.  However, while there were some unique and interesting contemporary and vintage pieces, most interesting to me were the stories about how Albright came by her collection, and how she used her jewelry to communicate specific messages in a subtle but very public way, highlighting a creative and very female approach to diplomatic negotiations.  This is a light and easy read, with lots of pretty pictures.

Beach Reading: On Our Bookshelf

Looking for some crafty inspirational summer beach reading?

Check out On Our Bookshelf on the Bumbershoot Supplies website, where you will find recommendations for books about the history of beads, vintage costume jewelry, and books of vintage beading inspiration. We’ve just added a section about the Business of Art and Craft.

Enjoy!

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)

New Antiqued Brass Head Pins and Jump Ring Findings at Bumbershoot Supplies

Newly available at Bumbershoot Supplies, jump rings and headpins to match our line of antiqued brass settings, drops, connectors and other findings. Eye pins are being plated as I write this.

Yee haw!

It would seem like it should be a simple task to locate these findings, but I have been working for months to identify the right source to be the perfect complement to our line of high quality antiqued brass findings, so Jim and I are really excited about these new additions. 

Here is what we now have available for your designs (and mine):

Jump rings in 4mm, 6mm and 8mm in standard wire thicknesses.  We’re working on thicker ones and perhaps even some in twisted wire, sound good?

Head pins and (any day now) eye pins in standard thickness of 21 gauge, 2 inches long.  We plan to add thinner 24 gauge soon.

All in the highest quality yellow brass, plated in a rich golden honey antiqued brass shade to match all our other antiqued brass.

Plus, sealed with a jewelry grade non toxic lacquer for gloss and durability.

No lead, no nickel, and for you folks in the European Union, no cadmium either.

Quality shows! 

These beautiful findings are American-made by a family company in business since the 1940s.  They are plated by another American company, in business since the 1950s.  Both companies are such a pleasure to work with, the search for the right fit was worth it!

It’s the small things in life.

Next on our list, American-made chain!

Book Review: Miriam Haskell Jewelry

The bottom line on this book: Miriam Haskell Jewelry by Cathy Gordon and Sheila Pamfiloff is THE resource if you are interested in Miriam Haskell jewelry.  Gordon and Pamfiloff discuss the history of the Haskell company and include valuable information on identification and dating of Haskell jewelry pieces, such as how the jewelry was constructed, how it was (or was not) signed, the types of clasps that were used, and so on. The book then dedicates several chapters to examining the work of key Haskell designers, organized in chronological order so you can see the progression of the company’s designs over time. 

This book is an incredible resource for learning about Miriam Haskell designs, and is also a wonderful resource for jewelry design in general.  We turn to it all the time to learn more about the vintage Haskell metal components, beads, and vintage glass pearls we offer at Bumbershoot Supplies. Highly recommended!

Miriam Haskell Bracelet Update: Russian Gold Plate Flower Filigree Identification

I’m busy sorting through our recent purchase of metal findings from the Miriam Haskell warehouse, see my blog post here.

And guess what? I found some of the same filigrees that are used in a Miriam Haskell pearl bracelet I am fortunate to own. See my bracelet blog post here.

Here are the filigrees together with the bracelet filigree… We have a match! 

In this bracelet, the Haskell oval plaque is soldered to one filigree. There is a second filigree on the back, both held together with jump rings, right before the clasp.

Both my bracelet filigree and the Haskell warehouse filigrees are plated with Russian gold plate, a type of 24K gold plating used in vintage Haskell pieces. The bracelet filigree and the warehouse filigrees are dramatically different in color, showing how this type of plating can age over time.  For more, see my blog post about Russian gold plate here.  

We now offer new antiqued brass tiny flower bead caps just like those in my bracelet…

And we also carry various vintage Miriam Haskell glass pearls, also originally purchased at the Miriam Haskell Company warehouse.

I’ll keep researching our Miriam Haskell findings to see if I can discover examples of how they were used, I’ll keep you posted!