We had a very nice show in Elk Rapids–a one-day event which required setup at 6am, show opening at 9am, and teardown at 4pm. So we had a very long day. There were some minor showers and it was somewhat windy, but we met loads of good people, had some good return customer sales, and talked to other vendors. I expect the sweatshirt people did well–shoppers were shivering! I saw very little buy-sell imported junk, which is always a plus at these small shows. A friend told us it should be called the “Elk Rapids Jewelry Show” since there were so many jewelry choices! We like Elk Rapids because we can sleep in our own bed!

I try to make one or two pendants every day, so I have a constantly changing selection in my trays. We don’t add many pieces to the web site in the summer because we prefer to have them available for our shows, but if you have a special stone you are looking for, or a certain size, feel free to contact us. We do lots of custom work.

The price of precious metals continues to skyrocket. Silver has doubled in the past year and gold continues to rise well above $1500 an ounce. Many of our prices on the web have not been updated in …ooh, a long time. Take advantage of this, and buy yourself a bargain today. I really appreciate all our loyal customers that appreciate quality and rarity for all their continued support during these economic hard times.

Another thing that should be considered with jewelry is who made it. Was it imported? If it was then you are supporting a foreign economy and not a proud American like myself. A local “designer jewelry” store proudly tells customers that their jewelry is “designed in America”, but if you look closely the jewelry is stamped “made in Mexico“.
One of my good friends is a silversmith. When someone proudly shows him a piece of jewelry they bought at the afore-mentioned store, he looks at the jewelry and just says “Hmm”. Generally when they ask him about his comment, he says, “Did you notice that this jewelry is made in Mexico? More often then not these people become really upset, and more then a few have gone back into this store to complain. It is my feeling that just because jewelry is “designed in America” it is still made by someone overseas, taking away American jobs and increasing our trade deficit.

New pieces of jewelry are being manufactured daily at Snob Appeal Jewelry. Trying to figure out what customers might be looking for is always a challenge, so I just make things that I personally like and hope my customers will also. I think I will just post some of my newest things. If you can’t meet us as our shows (see Upcoming Shows on the home page), call us and tell us which piece of hand crafted wire wrapped jewelry is calling your name!

I hope you like some of my recent jewelry. Call me for availability or see us at a show.