GEMSTONE JEWELRY - Should you match Face Shapes and Jewelry Styles ?

It doesn't matter what Season of the Year it is, one thing to remember is that various styles of Necklaces and Earrings, most of the time, go best with particular face shapes. Here are some suggestions by the "experts", but in the end, remember it all depends on what one likes and what the person you might be giving the gift to wants to wear and what they feel they look best wearing. What "you" like and looks best on you, is not always the best shape and style for the one to whom you are giving a jewelry gift to.

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OVAL FACE = Necklaces - wear anything from a choker to a “V” necklace, to a long strand of beads. With this face you can pull anything off. Earrings - Once again, you can pull from any look, so don’t be afraid to wear anything you like.
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ROUND/SQUARE FACE = Necklaces - Your goal is to slim down the face, use long necklaces, stay away from Chokers and large round beads. Earrings - Anything long that draws attention down instead of around is very flattering.
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RECTANGLE FACE = Necklaces - Opposite of the round face, a rectangular face needs to have width added. Something short with thick beads. Earrings - A button or post style looks best, to shorten the length of the face.
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HEART FACE = Necklaces - many say chokers look best because it softens the sharp angle of the chin, and if you add double or triple layers is adds width around the neck balancing the thinness and angles of the chin. Earrings - teardrops, long upside down triangles, something to draw attention away from the narrowness of the chin.
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And as originally said, in the end, no matter what is suggested by the "experts", what is worn is one's own decission to make. Just remember some shapes and colors go much better with your figure, clothing and other accessories, and not with the person you may be giving a gift to. It all depends on how you or that person wishes to stand out -- classy or exotic.
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THE COLOR PURPLE !

Lepodolite Jasper & Amethyst

PURPLE is the new black ! Well, not quite. Will anything ever be the new black? But purple is this season's welcome addition to our beloved black. Be it grape or lilac, lavender or wine, violet, plum, puce, mauve, magenta, amethyst, pomegranate, eggplant or mulberry, there's no question that purple is the color of this fall and winter season. After all, we need something that is rich, luscious and exotic to liven up what has become an all-too-serious season of stripped-down, black-and-charcoal basics and bad financial times. Purple can bounce off of black, be used as a layering piece, or a shawl.
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Indeed, not since the recessionary 1980s have we seen so much of the royal hue in our clothing, jewelry, accessories and even makeup. We're seeing other '80s-era jewel tones, too - fuchsia, teal and power red - but it's purple that's popping up most often on everyone from TV pundits to yoga teachers to bank tellers to stars striding along the red carpet. Purple, a perfect blend of hot red and cool blue, is that rare color that's flattering on everybody. Some hues are better on some people than others, of course - deep, royal purple looks great on people with dark, dramatic colouring, for instance, while warm, wine-y shades are terrific with golden skin tones and cool lavender is lovely on fair beauties. Purple is also one color whose mood changes depending on what it is paired with. It is a chameleon, becoming earthy when matched with browns and beiges, delicately feminine with pinks and other pastels, dramatically eccentric with brights like red or green, and seriously sophisticated with silver, charcoal, black and other cool neutrals. In fact, very dark and very light purples practically are neutrals, just a whisper away from black, navy or dove grey. Symbolically, purple has long had a wide range of meanings including nobility, regality, ritual, imagination, spirituality and creativity.
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That's one of the reasons the color experts have chosen a shade of purple, "Blue Iris", as 2008's color of the year: "Combining the stable and calming aspects of blue with the mystical and spiritual qualities of purple, Blue Iris satisfies the need for reassurance in a complex world, while adding a hint of mystery and excitement." Long ago, purple was one of the most expensive, most difficult dyes to create, and so it was reserved for royalty. In coats of arms, it is still used to represent the gentry, and in military terms is awarded to the bravest, most noble of soldiers. It has also been a significant color for the ecclesiastical set, most notably for Roman Catholic bishops' robes, and has long been associated with spirituality, mysticism and the unknown. In many cultures, purple is also a color of mourning. Thai widows, for instance, traditionally wear purple, and during the Victorian era, purple was the transitional color for women in the period between deep mourning and the return to regular society.

Turquoise & Amethyst

More happily, though, it is also considered a creative color, the color of imagination, artistry, free-thinking and sensitivity. Many fashion experts believe that colors become popular not just because they are new and fresh and we're bored with last year's trendy shades, but because they resonate with the ethos of the times. So why purple, why now? Perhaps it is because, after a period of rampant excess and crass consumerism, we yearn to tap into our nobler selves, to seek a higher spirituality, to mourn the lost dreams of the North American middle class and to reconnect with our creative side. Or perhaps it's simply because it is beautiful, and it makes us feel beautiful when we wear it. And how you choose to wear purple is up to you - there is really no wrong or right way. You can keep it subtle, simply adding a touch of black currant eye shadow or the sparkle of an amethyst-coloured necklace to a black or grey outfit. Or you can add a bigger punch of drama with a magenta handbag, plum-coloured pump or a violet blouse or eggplant sweater under a businesslike jacket. Or you can go all out with high-impact pieces, like a purple party frock or mulberry puffer jacket.
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But whether you go for subtle or spectacular, one thing for sure: it's a PURPLE reign this fall.

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.Composite articles from the Vancover Sun and The Chicago Sun Times.
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Marketing Hand-Made Gemstone Jewelry

If one were to ask what are the most important points that determine whether a customer buys a piece of handmade jewelry, most people would answer "what it looks like and the price." If a good well made piece of handmade jewelry is presented at a competitive price, you should make the sale.

Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case. There is another important feature to the eventual sale of your handmade jewelry. Can you guess what may be this missing element that will eventually make the sale. Think a bit, and then it will come to you - what is the story behind your handmade jewelry.

If each piece of your handmade jewelry does not have a story to go with it, you are missing out on sales. Why is this? People buy on the basis of emotion and on how a particular piece of jewelry makes them feel at that particular moment in time. They do not buy the jewelry based on features, what it is made of, how it is designed or on the basis of price.

A handmade piece of jewelry can in a few words tell the prospective customer something emotionally stirring or thought provoking about the jewelry piece they are looking at. Watch closely as a customer comes forward and picks up one of the necklaces from your display that is made of some unique gemstone probably never heard of before. As the customer inspects the necklace, casually approach and deliver your handmade jewelry story which might go like this: "This necklace is designed with unique gemstones that were mined in Brazil. I came across these stones called "xxxxx" during a visit to a gem and mineral show, and they just jumped out at me to put them into a special piece of jewelry. I just knew that they would make an exquisite necklace. So I combined these unique gemstones with other stones, crystals and a copper chain and claspe. If you notice no two stones are exactly the same which makes the finished necklace truly one-of-a-kind. The necklace feels really good when you put it around your neck. Would you like to try it on?"

Of course you want to be sincere. Never make up a story about your jewelry. Customers can detect a fraud a mile away. What have you accomplished by telling your handmade jewelry story? You have helped the customer establish an emotional connection to the necklace. When the customer sees the price tag on it, she immediately understands why it is priced that way.

If you don't have a specific special story about the pice of jewelry, you can also talk about:

1. The materials your jewelry is made of. If your jewelry is designed using gemstones, each stone has a history and mysterious properties. This is great information to relay to your customer.

2. The history behind your jewelry design. Is this piece based on a design that you saw someplace, is it inspired by vintage jewelry designs, or is it solely a piece from your imagination?

3. Your inspiration for the design. Describe how you got your idea by looking at the main stones, combining them with other stones or materials, and the end result was this stunning piece of jewelry.

No matter what though, keep your jewelry story short and meaningful to the customer. You don't want to bore the person with lots of lingo and technical language. You're trying to appeal to emotions which means using simple, easy to understand connective language. Once you have connected with the customers emotional side, the sale should be in the bag as long as you have not priced yourself out of the customers safe zone.