Autumn is a great time to make some classy seasonal jewelry.  Amber is ideal for this time of year, along with all types of brown, dark greens, gold, and misty yellow.  Pearls, nature's treasure from the deep, can be very effective mixed with other beads – especially as they come in autumn colors too.  Let these fabulous fall colors with a touch of gold capture your imagination as well as your eye.  Try mixing contrasting colors like brown and gold with blues and green.  Some of the most popular gemstones that make fabulous autumn jewelry are listed below.  To see any of these gemstones in our US store, just click the picture.
 

 Agate
Agate is the obvious stone to use in Fall.  It forms by filling a cavity in its host rock, resulting in round nodules, with bands like the rings of a tree trunk, looking like eyes.  Agate was highly valued as a talisman in ancient times and has been used as a traveler’s amulet for centuries.  It is believed to bring good fortune, health, wealth and long life.  Some call its strange patterns 'cosmic caterpillar tracks'.  Others' swear that wearing these beads can heighten the spiritual consciousness and balance the body's physical and mental states.  Dzi is one of the most mysterious of all the beads known today.  These shiny Tibetan agate beads, patterned with mystical eyes are among the most treasured beads in the world. “Dzi” in Tibetan means:  "shine, brightness, clearness, and splendor.

  Carnelian
Another stone from the quartz family, usually bright orange to reddish orange. Carnelian is for confidence.  Said to help blood disorders and eliminate toxins from the body.  Carnelian is in tune with the energies of the Earth, making you feel anchored and comfortable with your environment.  A good stone for people starting new projects or who feel they are going nowhere.  It motivates, allowing you to find the energy to make the most out of life.

Citrine
”Citrine” comes from the French word for lemon, and is any quartz crystal or cluster that’s yellow to orange.  The darker, orange colors were traditionally the best, but today people prefer bright lemony shades to mix with pastel colors.  Sunny citrine brightens all jewelry, blending especially well with the yellow gleam of polished gold.  The yellow color is a natural reviver, and citrine focuses the mind bringing a feeling of self-esteem.  

 Coral
Coral was long thought to be a strong talisman against evil spirits and hurricanes.  It is also said to reduce blood flow.  Naturally its color ranges from white to red, but most red coral these days is dyed. However, these days almost any color can be made by dying white coral. It grows in branches that look like underwater trees. 

 
Flake Stone
The most common flaked stone is goldstone which is ideal for autumn jewelry.  A man-made stone, first created by alchemists trying to make gold - however, all material has properties, these are transmitter stones.  Causing light to pass through you in order to convey or receive a medium.  Revitalizing, energizing, and encouraging a positive attitude and individualism

Jade & Aventurine
For 5,000 years Imperial China used the word "jade" as something precious.  Because jade is said to have all the attributes most valued in society.  A symbol of purity and serenity, it is delicate, but will not break - is beautiful, but not impermanent, it can be flawed with lines, but still pleasing. It is believed to radiate divine unconditional love and balance the emotions.  The most famous type of jade carved in China is from Burma, with shades of green, lavender, yellow, white and grey. 

Jasper
Jasper was highly valued in ancient times, not only for its beauty, but also for its magical and medicinal properties.   Jasper is known as the “patron stone of counselors and healers”.  Red jasper is an intensely protective stone, stabilizing the aura and bringing contentment.  Poppy jasper is dark red with black flecks.  Picture  jasper is pale brown with darker patterns - named from pictures formed by patterns caused by trapped fossilizes algae.  Fancy jasper is creamy brown with lavender or green swirls.

Lapis

Malachite & Rhodonite
Malachite is green with irregular black banding. Its green stripes have the ability to soothe and bring rest - helping sleep, meditation, the circulation and balancing emotions.  The copper content helps rheumatism.  The magic of malachite is also thought to attract love and wealth.  Some say malachite travels the world in search of energies to change.  Rhodonite is usually pink to red or orange, very popular in 18th-century Russia where it was used extensively to decorate the Russian court.  Rhodonite has similar properties to malachite. 

 Mookaite
Mookaite forms in Western Australia. An Australian aboriginal healing stone that bestows strength. It helps heal wounds and encourages the desire for variety and new experiences.  Mookaite helps us to be kind to others is a very protective stone too.

Pearl
The least expensive cultured pearls today rival the most expensive natural pearls ever found.  Natural freshwater pearls occur in mussels for the same reason saltwater pearls occur in oysters.  Foreign material inside a mussel can't be expelled.  To reduce irritation, the mollusk coats the intruder with the same secretion it uses for shell-building, nacre.  To cultivate a pearl, farmers slit the mussel and insert small pieces of live tissue from another mussel.  This can produce usually odd shapes. So for more roundness, the Chinese now reshape rejected pearls into spheres, and then nucleate mussels with them.  Being an organic gem, grooves, pits, or dents are expected.  Freshwater pearls are popular for their colors: white, silvery-white, pink, red, copper, brown, lavender, purple, green, blue, and yellow.  These are usually dyed these days.

Tigers Eye
Tiger's-eye is polished to show its characteristic band of pearly luminescence, resulting from light reflecting off its thin parallel inclusions in the quartz.  Colors range from a rich golden yellow to dark brown. Tiger’s-Eye is good for those worried about health.  It also builds will-power and inner-strength.

 
Topaz
Topaz is a common gemstone that has been used for centuries in jewelry. Usually golden brown to yellow color. The Egyptians said that topaz was colored with the golden glow of the mighty sun god Ra. This made topaz a very powerful amulet that protected the faithful against harm. The Romans associated topaz with Jupiter, who also is the god of the sun. And Greek legend has it that topaz could make the wearer invisible and would change color in the presence of poisoned food or drink.

How Charities can bring you Big Sales

I once run a very successful promotion for my photographic studio helping Cystic Fibrosis. We’d telephone the local newspaper to arrange a competition where readers collected coupons from the paper to receive a free studio portrait sitting.  The charity benefited from 10% off all resulting orders for photographs.  People brought more newspapers, and I got more sales and free publicity.  Everyone gained!

Karma!
“karma” means what you give is what you get.  It also makes you feel good to help other people and make the world a better place.

How to get into the game
Approach a local charity and agree to donate a percentage of sales from a campaign to them.  Using their logo and name in your flyers and marketing will attract caring customers and increase turnover.  Plus you’ll feel great by encouraging buyers to spend more to help the charity – I get a lot of fun out of this.  You can use the idea at a craft show or for your display in someone else’s store.  And your donation is tax-deductible.          

Own exhibition
You could even organize your own jewelry exhibition in an empty city centre store.  Find out who owns the premises and tell them how you want to help a local charity.  They’ll let you use the shop for free, and you’ll get loads of new potential customers, plus free publicity.  Make sure you inform the local newspaper, they may even send a photographer down.

Charities bring sales all ways
Tell your jewelry home party hostess that you’ll donate 10% of takings to her favorite charity. That’s incentive for her to get extra guests to her party, and those shoppers will buy more generously. 

Sell the benefits to the charity along with your jewelry.  For instance, if your charity is Oxfam, you could say purchasing one of your necklaces is a way to save children dying.

Sponsor an event
Consider sponsoring a race at a local school or club, then giving your jewelry as a prize.  A similar idea that worked well for my studio was to donate portrait prizes to local schools and clubs.  Some came just for the freebee, but most brought more. However, the resulting publicity will bring you extra sales anyway.

This article is one of 157 sections from our new book.  For more on both the UK version and the US version, and to buy the book at a special discount, click: How to Make a Killing Selling Bead Jewellery or How to Make a Killing Selling Bead Jewelry.

Order Easy for Christmas!
Christmas creeps up faster than you expect.  Beaded jewelry makes great lasting presents.  Get your order in early to allow plenty of time to arrive and make up.

  
”Citrine” comes from the French word for lemon, and is any quartz crystal or cluster that’s yellow to orange. The darker, orange colors were traditionally the best, but today people prefer bright lemony shades to mix with pastel colors. Citrine with man-made color tends to have more of an orange or reddish caste. Most natural citrine starts life as amethyst until heated in a molten state to change.

Sunny and affordable, citrine brightens all jewelry, blending especially well with the yellow gleam of polished gold. The yellow color is a natural reviver, and citrine focuses the mind bringing a feeling of self-esteem. In medication it helps re-establish the link between your conscious and subconscious minds. If you are feeling down, try holding citrine to lift your spirit. It’s also very good at healing the body and helping people communicate. Citrine has warm energy, promotes optimism, and attracts abundance.

Citrine is one of the few stones that removes negative energy and never requires cleansing. In ancient times it was carried as a protection against snake venom and evil thoughts. Known as a "merchants' stone”, placed in the cash register to not only acquire wealth but to maintain it as well. Citrine is the birthstone for November, and its corresponding signs are Gemini, Aries, Libra, and Leo.

Although the darker, orange colors of citrine, sometimes called Madeira citrine after the color of the wine, has generally been the most valued color, in modern times, many people prefer the bright lemony shades which mix better with pastel colors. Most citrine comes from Brazil.

Sometimes you will hear citrine referred to as topaz quartz, which is incorrect. This name was used in the past in reference to the color, which is sometimes similar to the color of topaz. Since topaz is a separate mineral, this type of name can be confusing. However, citrine is considered an alternative to topaz as the birthstone for November. As long as citrine is protected from prolonged exposure to light or heat, it will last for years.

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Yellow Topaz   
Yellow topaz looks very similar to citrine.  The Egyptians thought topaz was colored with the golden glow of the sun god Ra. This made topaz a very powerful amulet that protected the faithful against harm. The Romans associated topaz with Jupiter, who also is the god of the sun. Topaz sometimes has the amber gold of fine cognac or the blush of a peach and all the beautiful warm browns and oranges. Some rare and exceptional topaz can be pink to sherry red.

Wear topaz only if you wish to be clear-sighted: legend has it that it dispels all enchantment and helps to improve eyesight as well! The ancient Greeks believed that it had the power to increase strength and make its wearer invisible in times of emergency. Topaz was also said to change color in the presence of poisoned food or drink. Its mystical curative powers waxed and waned with the phases of the moon: it was said to cure insomnia, asthma, and hemorrhages.

Brown, yellow, orange, sherry, red and pink topaz is found in Brazil and Sri Lanka. Pink topaz is found in Pakistan and Russia. Today we also have blue topaz, which has a pale to medium blue color created by irradiation. Pale topaz which is enhanced to become blue is found in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and China. In early 1998, a new type of enhanced topaz made its appearance, the surface-enhanced topaz, with colors described as blue to greenish-blue or emerald green.  Topaz is a very hard gemstone but it can be split with a single blow, a trait it shares with diamond. As a result it should be protected from hard knocks.            
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