THE SPECIAL QUALITIES OF KAREN SILVER

Silver holds an important place in the life of the Karen people. Migrating from Tibet through Burma over the centuries, they have settled in the hills and mountains of northern Thailand, where they live close with nature.

The Karen have relatively few material possessions, but silver is their currency and their worldly wealth. It is collected and prized throughout their lives, used for dowries, and worn as an adornment and a symbol of status and prestige for its owner.

Karen silver is special in that it is 'fine' silver with a purity of up to 99.9% compared to 925 (92.5%) sterling silver. It has a color and feel all of its own, cool and satiny, it tarnishes less readily than other kinds of silver and can be kept white and shining by simply cleaning with lime juice.


Karen silversmiths have high status in their community and each family may be involved in the design and production of a host of fine individually handcrafted pieces.

Karen designs reflect the people's closeness to the land and water, with motifs inspired by plants, animals, flowers and the natural environment they inhabit. Each item is handmade throughout, rolled, shaped and engraved using traditional methods with the simplest of tools.

As each item is unique, there are literally thousands of designs: accessories such as rings, beads, bracelets, bangles, charms, spiral circle dangling earrings, ear hoops, toggles, clasps, strands, hairpins, hearts and pendants. Such is the variety of shapes and motifs that the piece may have a classic, contemporary or ethnic feel.

Of course, the intricate beauty of each piece makes it fine as a standalone accessory, but the design can be coupled with a suitable gemstone or the silver used as a setting.

Karen silver beads are probably the most popular item as they come in a wealth of sizes and can be made into necklaces and bracelets and sewn onto clothing to the wearer's individual taste.

Author : Michael Briton

Who is KS ?

KS co.,ltd. that base in Bangkok let's us have a look in their factory & explanation about the company what they are doing.

 
Based in Thailand, KS is a Body Piercing, Jewelry and Fashion Accessories designer, supplier and manufacturing company.  They have over 10 years of experiences specializing in body jewelry design and manufacturer for clients around the world.

In addition, more than 20 years of experiences for design and manufacturer of silver jewelry and accessories etc.  They have the capabilities to customize and design exclusively for your company or client.  Clients can also enjoy our complementary exceptional graphic support service.  KS has already brought many good ideas and inspiration for body piercing and fashion accessories.

KS also has a wholesale/retailer shop and e-commerce website.  For more information regarding both please visit www.kissisks.com

KS Piercing is located in the heart of Thailand and their long lasting relationship with their local workers and suppliers is based on mutual respect, support and understanding.  They support their workers and neighbors, and they always remember that they are depending on one another for their every day needs.  KS donate regularly to challenge youth, local Orphan home and also other projects as well around the globe.  They enjoy giving as they know that there is always somebody who needs receiving.  That’s the circle of life, and its true around here as much as anywhere else.

Their mission is to be the best supplier and manufacturer of body jewelry worldwide by providing outstanding service, innovative design and excellence to their customer.

Thank you KS for this survey and shearing the good knowledge and the great attitude :)

HANDMADE STONE BEAD JEWELRY

It can be said that something retro is always in fashion, and now is the time for handmade
stone bead jewelry. Retro-inspired designs and new variations on vintage styles are popular items now.
Some of the gemstones used for natural bead necklaces, bracelets, finger rings, ear studs and earrings are:

Lava Stone Beads and Labradorite Beads Bracelet

LAVA STONE: this is real retro; the style originally of ancient Rome, classic but designed with a new look. Lava stone is  formed directly from the natural cooling of melted volcanic rock.
With their uniform color and elegant appearance, red, green purple, black or brown lava stone beads come in a great variety of shapes, round, oval, flat, or heart-shaped. Unique alone, but also combined with amethyst, turquoise and other stones in a complementary design.

Amethyst Ear Studs

AMETHYST: a quartz-like gemstone with a vitreous luster, found in light pink-purple, lilac and  deep violet-purple, this wine-stained gem's meaning from ancient Greek means 'sober or not drunk '. Makes a good combination with lava stone. Major sources are Austria, Brazil, Uruguay, Zambia, Canada, India, South Korea, some states of the USA and the Ural mountains.Once considered equally valuable alongside diamond, ruby, emerald and sapphire. More amethyst deposits discovered recently have made the price of this gem much lower. The most highly valued amethyst is inclusion-free and is a uniform, deep purple throughout.

Amethyst jewelry such as bracelets can be combined with other stones, but amethyst alone can be used as it comes in a variety of hues. Can be worn with formal and casual attire equally well.

 Lapis Lazuli Bracelet

LAPIS LAZULI: a dark blue stone with gold flecks, lapis was created millions of years ago, Major sources include Afghanistan, Egypt, Canada and Chile. It was one of the first

 Onyx Beads with Crystal Ball Bracelet

ONYX: another quartz-like gem, mined in Uruguay, India. Mexico, Brazil and Pakistan, onyx is the most affordable of the black gemstones. It has a smooth surface like marble. Its hardness and fine texture make it suitable for carving into various shapes.  Highly recognizable by the typically back and white zebra-like bands running through the stone, though more common are the stones with bands of reddish or brownish.hues.
Cut and polished smooth or as a bead, onyx is a fine stone for prayer beads, rosaries and worry beads. In stone bead jewelry it is particularly beautiful in combination with other stones, pearls especially.

Freshwater Pearl with Crystal Ball Bracelet

FRESHWATER PEARL: pearls organically nurtured in an ideal environment. Japan popularized culturing techniques some 100 years ago but now China is the biggest producer of fine-quality freshwater pearls. These pearls have greater variety of color and size than marine pearls, making for more varied handcrafted designs.
Perfect in any number of jewelry items either on their own or with other stone beads.

Mother of Pearl Shell Bracelet

MOTHER OF PEARL SHELL: the mineral nacre from inside an oyster or similar mollusk, secreted as a coating to protect its soft body. One design that shows off its qualities is as a pendant necklace with a waxed linen cord selected to complement the iridescent hues of the mother of pearl. In addition, this shell is designed for finger rings, bracelet and earrings.

Turquoise Beads Bracelet

TURQUOISE: the gem regarded as sacred by ancient cultures across the world.  Hardness and
richness of color are the criteria used to determine its quality. Turquoise can come in
shades of green-blue or light blue. The fewer veins of inclusion a turquoise stone contains,
the more valuable it is. Turquoise can be made into beads of all shapes and sizes. Pricing of the beads depends, as for pearls, on their size in millimetres.


SYNTHETIC TURQUOISE: a good, less costly alternative to natural turquoise. The pulverized
stone powder is resin-impregnated, and the result is a bead that compares well with the real
thing. The synthetic stone may also have more luster than the natural one.

Synthetic Coral Beads Bracelet

SYNTHETIC CORAL: now that coral reefs, the natural source of coral, have been steadily
depleted, this product serves to fill the demand. It is easy to take care of and it is
virtually indestructible. Beaded coral jewelry with a mixture of pearls or strung with
natural Shiva Eye shell makes a stylish bracelet, and coral earstuds set in silver bezels make for intriguing designs.

Author: Michael Briton

Picture Credit:

http://www.naturalhandmadejewelry.com

Pearls Grading and Quality

How are pearls graded?

Unlike with other gems such as diamonds, there is no sole, universal grading system for pearls. A jeweler or seller may, however, use one or more of the systems shown here to give an idea of the quality.

GRADING SYSTEMS: the most commonly and internationally used is the AAA-A scale, (AAA, AA and A) grading system. (Sometimes + is added to one of these to make an intermediate grading such as AA+ or A+. Some sellers use AAAA or AAA+ for individual, unmatched pearls.)

Pearls of AAA are recognized as gem-quality with flawless complexion, spherical shape, and intense luster. Even a single 'A' grade pearl will have good luster, be relatively smooth and fairly free of blemishes, and have a thin to medium nacre thickness.

There is also the so-called Tahitian system, which grades on an A to D scale. This system demands a nacre thickness of greater than 0.8mm.

Both of these grading systems focus primarily on the luster and surface quality of the pearl to determine its grade.

The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) has its own scale, the GIA trademarked '7 Pearl Value Factors': Pearl Size, Shape, Color, Nacre, Luster, Surface, and Matching.


Whatever the order the standards appear in, it is generally agreed that LUSTER is the most important factor in grading.
It is LUSTER that makes the pearl unique.
It is the pearl's radiant glow that comes from light reflecting off of the many layers of nacre.

The quality of the luster is related to the THICKNESS AND QUALITY OF THE NACRE.
The thicker the nacre and the thinner and the more numerous the layers of nacre in the pearl, the finer the luster and the more durable the pearl.

The SURFACE of the pearl is also a major factor. Smoothness and blemishes are very important in grading. No real pearl is absolutely smooth, and small blemishes can be ignored when the pearl has fine nacre and luster. Blemishes are less noticeable on pearls with higher luster.

SHAPE. Spherical pearls are the rarest; symmetrical ones, tear-drop shaped, for example, are still desirable, especially when well-matched. The more irregular, baroque ones are the least expensive usually, but are perfectly acceptable when mounted or set nicely. And a perfectly round pearl is very rare indeed. Since many non-spherical freshwater pearls have fabulous luster, roundness is not given as much value. Pearls with the best luster are better than pearls with with lesser luster but more
perfect roundness.

COLOR: A pearl's body color can be anywhere from white through gray, pink, gold, green, to black such as the Tahitian Black. Darker pearls range in color from dark bluish,
greenish, to peacock and multi-hued. The overtones are also important. A pearl whose body color is white (more expensive and sought-after) or cream may have subtle overtones of rose or pink, for example.

SIZE matters, too. Larger cultured pearls are rarer and more expensive. In particular, Akoya pearls over 7 millimeters become much more costly. Prices rise with each millimeter. The larger South Sea and Tahitian pearls increase dramatically in price with size: 100 or 200 percent with each millimeter.

MATCHING:  All of the above factors are important when matching the pearls in an item of jewelry. In a beaded strand the pearls usually graduate slowly and evenly in size, from the smallest at the back to the largest in the front. Pearls will not lay correctly if mismatched, and this reduces the aesthetics and the value of the piece.

Author : Michael Briton

Picture Credit :

http://www.pearlsofjoy.com/Pearl-Grading_ep_46-1.html

http://www.tiffany925necklace.com/graduated-south-sea-shell-multicolor-pearl-necklace-16-p-1742.html

http://www.shecypearljewelry.com/pearl-guide/pearl-quality.html

Pearl For All

The natural pearl is one of the oldest known gems in the world and the only one produced inside a living being. Until just a hundred year ago, pearls were the preserve of aristocracy and royalty. And now, since sources of both freshwater and saltwater natural pearls have all but disappeared due to pollution and overfishing, the chances of finding a quality pearl in nature are literally a million to one.

Nowadays, pearls can be cultured in a natural controlled environment, either in sea water or fresh water. Though it may take years for a cultured pearl to develop fully, and the areas in which they can be cultivated are limited, they are no longer prohibitively expensive. The quality of freshwater pearls in particular is as fine as that of those cultivated in salt water and even rivals the natural pearl for iridescence and durability.

Natural handmade jewelry designs use the cultured freshwater pearl in a new collection featuring handmade necklaces, bracelets, earrings and earstuds in settings that accent the pearl's natural luster and appeal. In keeping with the trend for beaded jewelry, they are strung on pearl-friendly material such as linen, that does not grate against the nacre. A silver setting for earrings and studs offsets the pearl to its best advantage.

Freshwater pearls come in a greater variety of colors and shapes than their saltwater counterparts; they are all nacre, solid pearl, and cost a fraction of the price of saltwater pearls of equivalent quality. They are more resistant to wear and tear and when properly looked after can last indefinitely.

It used to be said that a strand of pearls is an essential item in a lady's jewelry collection, and for men it is a pearl tie pin or a pair of pearl cufflinks. More recently, earstuds or a single-pearl necklace or pendant on a leather cord have become popular items for both men and women.

Author : Michael Briton

Picture Credit : 

http://www.japanese-akoya-pearl.com/
http://www.beadinpath.com/PER-1189-p-freshwater_pearls_multi.html