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Teardrop & Briolette Beads + Moonstone, May's
Gemstone
This month is teardrop & briolette beads and May's birthstone moonstone. Scroll down, or click one of the links below on the html version to go to a section. UK customers can see us at our British bead fairs during May, starting 1st May at Beads Up North, at Haydock Race Course, WA12 0HQ - for details click here.
For the
bead store click MrBead.com or
MrBead.co.uk
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Teardrop & Briolette Beads
Magical Moonstone
Opalite Moonstone
US$10 or £6.50 Off
How to Make a
Killing Selling Bead Jewelry!
Teardrop
and Briolette Beads - The Jewelry Designer's Friend!
Versatile
Teardrop
and briolette beads are among the most interesting shapes to make jewelry from.
The rounded outline is pleasing to the eye, giving a classical and natural
harmony to the design - and almost all types of gemstones are available in these
shapes.
Meaning
Briolette
comes from the Italian word "brio", meaning lively energy, and the dictionary
definition of the word is "a gem cut in the shape of a teardrop or oval".
However, briolette beads come in many different forms. Like elongated and
skinny, short and fat, and flat and round - as well as smooth and faceted with
many faces cut from the stone.
History
Briolette jewelry arrived in Europe from India in the early 17-century, but went
out of fashion after a hundred-years, until its popularity revived during the
Victorian period. Since then, this elegant cut has always been associated with
quality and luxury. Briolette diamonds and gems dazzle in the crown jewels of
the Austrian, Russia, British and France royal families, showing off their
facets from all angles.
Types of
jewelry to make
The
drop of a briolette is ideal to dangle as a pendant on a necklace. Not only does
this make it easy to make jewelry, but because they can be mounted several ways,
designs can be more varied. Try using the same briolette gemstones to make
earrings to match a necklace. Not only does this look good to wear, but
increases your profit by selling matching sets.
Style
However
you use this pleasing shape, it will have wide-appeal and create dressy jewelry
that always sells well. Furthermore, the shape never really goes out of fashion
and the interesting curves teardrop or a briolette makes are always appealing to
the eye. Plus, many of these beads are cut multi-faceted, creating sparkles that
catch the eye in bright light - similar to the crystals hanging on a chandelier.
Economical shape
Briolette
shaped beads go a long way because you only need to use a few to make a necklace
or bracelet. Adding too many makes the design look cheap and dilutes the magical
effect of these beads. Add little round beads and silver spacers either side of
your teardrops for extra effect.
Types of
gemstone available in this shape
If
you buy your jewelry-making supplies online, many stores allow you to choose by
shape, making finding briolette beads fast and easy. Some of the most-popular
briolette beads readily available are cut from:
Agate
Amber
Aventurine
Bronzite
Carnelian
Citrine
Crystal & Glass
Gaspeite
Jade
Lave
Millefori
Moonstone
Pearl
Peridot
Quartz &
Chalcedony
Turquoise
Many pearls are
teardrop shape - see our pearls at
MrBead.com or MrBead.co.uk
Magical Moonstone:
May’s gemstone
Moonstone is nature’s treasure with a sensuous and seductive charm.
The
characteristic feature is its magical play of light. Moonstone is translucent,
and softens the light shining through it to give a pearly moon-like glow which
appears different whenever the stone changes position. Years ago, it was thought
to be brought upon by the moon’s phases. This shimmering affect is caused by
light being refracted inside the stone.
Colors
Moonstone comes in colorless, white, grey, and subtle
yellow, but always has a blue or white sheen. Rainbow moonstone is colorless
with a blue sheen and a rainbow-like array of colors.
Moonstone folklore
Much
mystery surrounds this stone. In India it’s considered sacred to lovers, and is
also known as a “dream stone” bringing beautiful dreams. In Arab countries women
often were moonstone sewn into their garment as a symbol of fertility. It was
also believed to be especially protective to seafarers, who have been using it
since ancient times. During full-moon, moonstone is very powerful for
reconciling love - and as the moon decreases, is said to allow one to foretell
the future.
A feminine stone for female issues and the
inner-child, but also used by men who want to reach their feminine side.
Moonstone brings confidence, calms the emotions, and aids spirituality,
intuition, and clairvoyance. Also thought
to protect against fever, fluid-retention and urinary problems. Its soft shine
supports the emotional and dreamy side of a person. Wearing moonstone will also
increase your sensitivity for others.
Natural moonstone
Classical moonstone from Sri Lanka shimmers pale blue and is expensive.
Moonstone from
Uncut moonstone is dull and lacks the play of light. This is
brought out by the cutter’s skills, who must locate the stone’s axis. Classical
moonstones are always cut as cabochons.
Value
The more intense the
color, the larger and more transparent the stone, the more valuable is the gem.
Really top quality fine blue moonstone shows an incredible “three-dimensional”
depth of color, which you will see clearly only when tilting. Such specimens are
rare and expensive. Brighter colored Indian moonstones are usually less
expensive, so are opalite moonstone.
Opalite
moonstone
Opalite moonstone is most common today.
This is a synthetic stone looking similar to
genuine moonstone, that's only been around recently.
Against
a light background, it appears milky white, shimmering golden faint lilac-blue
and other colors. Against
a darker background, it changes to a bright icy blue with the highlights
altering to intense oranges and reds.
The
stone practically glows on its own, and demands attention by outshining all
around.
Opalite moonstone adds a romantic feminine allure to your jewelry, always
looking refreshingly cool - ideal for summer. Its pastel glow is soft and
captivating, complimenting other light-colored stones like lilac amethyst, blue
chalcedony, and rose quartz.
It
also loves to compete with wild bright colors like reds and turquoise. This
flamboyance makes opalite ideal to wear during a night out on the town.
All
moonstone is fragile and should be handled carefully. However, a jeweler can
polish a dulled moonstone back to its original glory.
To see all
our Moonstone click
MrBead.com or
MrBead.co.uk
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See us in the UK for a Free Gift!
After being shut away in a little
office reading and sending e-mails, we love to see customers! Visit
us in the UK and say you're a MrBead Newsletter reader, and we'll give you a
free gift!
Sunday 1st May 2011 - Beads up North! Haydock Race
Course, Newton-le-Willows WA12 0HQ
Sunday 8th May 2011 - Edinburgh Bead Fair
- Corn Exchange, Edinburgh, EH14 1RJ
Sunday 15th May 2011 - Cheshire Bead
Fair - Nantwich Civic Hall, CW5 5DG
Sunday 29th
May 2011 - Lakeland Bead Fair - Rheged Discovery Centre, Penrith, CA11 0DQ
For
details of all our 2011 bead fairs click
here.
Many new beads this month:
MrBead or
MrBead.co.uk
Read
all our old newsletters
here
Special Offer
US$10 or £6.50 Off
To sample
our beads at a discount, just key in "teardrop" at the checkout (without
the inverted commas) and click "Redeem Coupon".
Offer valid until Tuesday 26th April only - so act now! Only for use in our
stores below at the checkout and not valid with any other offers or eBay.
To go to
the store click
MrBead.com
or
MrBead.co.uk
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At the present time, everyone is looking for extra income. If you would like to sell more of your hand-crafted jewelry, or perhaps you haven't taken the plunge selling yet, this book is for you. Choose from British English version or US version.
MrBead newsletter readers can purchase our new just-published book at a 33% discount. NOTE: ignore the price on the sales page - click the Buy Now button and you will see your 33% discount at the Paypal checkout ($19.99 or £12.99). Paypal only for this offer. On Paypal's confirmation of payment page, click "IMPORTANT: click here to download your product". You will also be e-mailed your download URL.
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or UK Version.
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