Category Archives: General

What gifts are you giving this year?

This time of year your mailboxes are filled with catalogs full of imported items, from the cute and cheap to the “what’ll they think of next” high-tech solutions to problems you didn’t know existed! The products we offer are of a different kind: long-lasting, treasured items that people really enjoy forever. I think the greatest gifts are custom made, one-of-a-kind which is what we really specialize in. We offer spectacular natural stones, each a bit or a lot different from it’s brothers, not common diamonds or jewelry store products, but truly unique pieces of art you can obtain on our website.

We offer beautiful stones from around the world, but we know that our best selling products represent something from our customers interests or past—often someone who once lived in the UP and has moved away wants a greenstone or Datolite to remember rock hunting in the Keweenaw, or someone who lived in the Midwest and loved Lake Superior agates

Burgundy Beauty Lake Superior Agate Pendant

or Thomsonite and now wears it in their new home far away. Stone jewelry is beautiful and helps keep us grounded in things that we value.

Purchasing items we make assures you we stand behind our quality and gives you the peace of mind that you are buying an American made product. You just can’t tell what you’ll get when you buy imported goods. Bottom line is you are sending more money overseas and not supporting the U.S. economy.

Our customers enjoy the stories behind the stones we use, like where they came from, how we got them, and how the jewelry is made. We really appreciate all our customers, and many seek us out both at shows and on the web. They know they are getting the best when they deal with us and are proud to give our products. We have never had any reports that someone did not like our jewelry.

Bonnie and I are just normal, hard working people like most of you. We know what we would like someone to get us for a gift, and strive to make products we would like to receive.

Thanks for your support in the past. We are looking for an even better 2010, and hope we can meet more of you at one of our shows next year.

A Buyer’s Guide on Wire Jewelry

(or, Why you should buy from Snob Appeal Jewelry)

When it comes to wire-wrapped jewelry it’s not all equal. There are a lot of wire-wrappers out there, but a few of us are far more skillful than others.

The discriminating patron of wire jewelry will look for certain things:

APPEARANCE “Is the wrapping neat, clean, and meticulous?” First-rate wire jewelry emerges from quality materials, with a neat and precise finish, and a distinctive look that enhances and protects the stone. Every piece is different in appearance and style and the artist’s talent shows through. I personally strive to a perfect standard. I like to keep my precious metal scratch free and each piece looks different although there are certain “signature” elements that separate my jewelry from others’.

WIRE “Is only the finest wire available used?” I use exclusively 14/20 gold fill. It is double gold filled. Most other artists use single gold fill. Some artists use 12 karat gold fill wire, or even 10 karat gold, which is not even considered gold! I refuse to use substandard wire in my products. For silver wire-wrapped pieces, I use exclusively Argentium Sterling. Most other wire artists use .925 Sterling whereas Argentium is .970 Sterling and is tarnish resistant. Minimum care and cleaning is required when using Argentium. Argentium is very expensive as compared with common Sterling, but again our customers deserve the best. You can find cheaper jewelry, but you will not find better quality jewelry than ours.

GEMSTONES: “Is it the finest quality cabochon you have ever seen?” Unlike many wire jewelry artists that go to major gem shows and purchase imported cabochons for use in their jewelry, I cut my own gemstones. I can select the best rough rock and cut out the finest parts of each slab. (I can then sell the leftovers to other wire artists!) My specialty is the rare and unusual. By purchasing old rock collections over the years I have been able to acquire a great deal of material no longer available. One of my pet peeves is when an artist claims their product is “one of a kind” simply because each particular cabochon may have a different pattern. When I say “one of a kind” I mean you will never find this or a similar product elsewhere. I know the history and background of my cabochons and can explain about any of my gemstones if asked. Some favorites I like to collect are the Michigan stones, Greenstone, Datolite, UP Thomsonite, and Lake Superior Agates, as well as Crazy Lace agate, and Victoria Stone.

PRODUCTION “Does the finished product look even slightly amateurish?” I refuse to compromise in my product. Many wire artists consider themselves superior in what they do, but place it next to a piece of our quality jewelry: you will never look like you are wearing second-rate jewelry with my products. I know my jewelry is equivalent to the best available.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS “Was your prized piece created by a highly trained jewelry professional?” Be wary when an artist says something like they are “self taught”, “learned from a video”, or have some other vague answer. Ideally, they will proudly tell you what school they attended or where they apprenticed. You can also check out the artist’s website to learn about the artist and their product and if the website is sloppy or shoddy that should give you a warning also. I welcome you to visit my pendant section.

CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR SNOB APPEAL JEWELRY

Some of the gemstones I sell may not be safe to with cleaning in an ultrasonic cleaner. I try to tell my customers when this is the case, but if you are not sure, please call me. Jewelry polishing clothes are generally good to shine up your jewelry between cleanings, but be cautious of commercial chemical cleaners. Here are some tips so you can clean your delicate stones.

Using an old soft-bristled toothbrush and “Blue Dawn“* dish soap brush your jewelry in the following manner:

Brush the sides of the jewelry WITH the wraps. If you brush against the wraps these wraps want to grab the brush bristles.

Generally it doesn’t matter which way you brush the stones, but make sure when you are done you rinse thoroughly.

Caution should be taken when cleaning the top where I ornately style the wrap. Brush lightly with lots of suds.

Finish up by brushing UP at the rear of the bail. If you brush down your bristles can grab and pull out the lock wrap.

Finish by brushing WITH the wires that form the bail at the top of the pendent.

* Use only Blue Dawn and not green or any other color. Blue Dawn is pure soap and the best oil remover available. It is environmentally safe and was used to clean the oil off all the animals affected by the Valdez oil spill. (No, I do not own stock in Procter & Gamble!)

Where Can You Buy Snob Appeal Jewelry?

I am often asked if I have my jewelry in any retail outlets. Yes, you can see and purchase our products at selected stores. The Floating Cow at 113 E. Main, Madison, Indiana is the premier gift shop in Historic Madison (812 273-4939). They feature a full line of my designer jewelry. If you can’t find a nice gift for someone at this friendly and charming boutique, you probably are just not looking!
My Datolite, Thomsonite, and Lake Superior Agate pendants are featured at the unique Copper World at 101 5th Street, Calumet, Michigan (906-337-4016). Copper World is the finest gift shop in the Keweenaw Peninsula, featuring products from throughout Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

In scenic Elk Rapids, Michigan you can find a unique boutique, the Viola Gallery which also carries my pendants. This is a wonderful shop with beautiful hand-crafted items.

A limited number of pieces can also be seen at Korner Gem at 13031 Fisherman Cove, Traverse City, Michigan (231-929-9175). Korner Gem is the finest custom jewelry designer and repair shop in Traverse City. They also are a wonderful rock shop. Kevin Gauthier who owns the shop is the person I always recommend for lost wax settings of our greenstones. (Lost wax casting is the process for making rings and pendants.)

Our jewelry can also be seen and purchased at the fi ne arts and crafts shows listed on our home page. The jewelry we sell at the shows is separate from our website jewelry. Our craft/art show product line is much more extensive. This is why if you want something unusual, or a particular stone that you do not see on our website, you should call us. We may have what you want even if you do not see it here on our website.

Welcome

I enjoy finding rocks, buying rocks, cutting rocks, wire-wrapping rocks, selling my rock jewelry, and oh yeah, talking about rocks. If you come into my show booth I get to talk to you, but if you’re buying online I miss being able to talk with you—hence the beginning of my blog, for those interested in our work here at Snob Appeal Jewelry.

I am going to concentrate on past and present special projects we’ve done. Some projects are so unique they deserve special mention and/or commentary. I will try to provide photos of these designs. Also there may be a special stone that I need to talk about, a field trip or shopping trip I’ve taken, or if I have a bout of lucidity that flows from my brain, I may share that also.

This blog will also give you an idea of what we do here at Snob Appeal Jewelry. You can check out “About us” and “Our Jewelry” on our home page to see what we feel about and do with our products.

Your comments are welcome. I want ideas to flow freely on this blog. Do you see a way to improve some aspect of wirecraft? Let’s hear it. What do you like or dislike about a design?
Your comments come directly to us and we look forward to your ideas. Let’s have a good discussion.

Thanks for checking us out! Don Reed