Jewelry Cool Tool Anouncement!

Fabulous, useful and free! 

Staying abreast of the new advances in technology has become a full time job, but we at Sheffield are here to help!

We've just discovered a free App called Etsy Text that is perfect for those selling their hand-crafted wares on the ever-booming Etsy marketplace.  This app notifies sellers via their smartphone or tablet when an item from their shop sells. Not bad!  

Seeing as Etsy has become such a huge marketplace in the e-commerce realm it's more important than ever to keep one's customers happy.  So, Etsy Text, we are definitely a fan! Thanks for making it all a bit easier!

Have a favorite smartphone or tablet app that helps you with your craft that you can't live without?  Share the wealth and let us know by leaving a comment!

...In the meantime, happy beading!

Interested in making some of your own smashing jewelry? As a jewelry design instructor at the Sheffield School in New York, I encourage you to take the matter of making into your own hands! Check out the newly launched Jewelry Design Course offered at the Sheffield School. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any other school in the world.

• Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.
• Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Copper: Why the Green?

Fernanda Sibilia "Confite" Patina CuffCopper can be gorgeous in its rosy untarnished hue but often doesn't stay that way.  Smudges, tarnish, oxidation and patina all change the look of copper if left untreated.  Ever noticed how anything copper that is left outside turns a bluish-green color in some places?  And also, with jewelry made of copper, sometimes it leaves a greenish mark on the skin?  

Fernanda Sibilia "Ceibo Hiluan" Mixed Metal EarringsSo why the green?  The reaction is between the natural acids, salt and moisture from skin + sweat combining with the copper.  Think about the patina (a surface reaction) that appears on copper roofs turning them this same frosty color.  This comes from the cupric acid naturally found in the metal which comes to the surface through oxidation (reacting with oxygen) and is triggered by moisture + salt.  This is the same reaction that happens on the skin due to natural perspiration.  

FYI:  The reaction of one individual to copper on their skin varies from person to person depending on the pH of the individual's skin.

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5 Treasures from Winter Antiques Show Dealers

Photo: The Martha Blog / Martha Stewart

I just attended the 58th Annual Winter Antiques Show at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan. Glittering event! The Who's Who of design was in full force as well as exhibitors from all over the world, showing only the finest antiques ranging from furniture to fine art and jewelry. The quality was staggeringly high ... and so were the prices. A personal favorite is artist Romare Bearden, and one of his smaller works was selling for $180,000. Here are five antiques that took my breath away. Click on each photo for more information.

Associated Artists: Herter Brothers Library Writing Desk c. 1880

Hostler Burrows: 1920s Danish Floor Urn for Herman Kahler

 

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Wrap It Up! Etsy for Everything Holiday

The holiday season can turn the most organized of persons scattered searching for all the items on holiday lists. And, gifts are just part of the picture.  Shopping online is getting easier and easier as well as more and more pleasant.  Being a creative person I always seek to find ways to support fellow creatives whenever possible.  In this regard, Etsy can be your absolute best friend with an overwhelming number of options for pretty much any type of item.  I've added some that I thought were standouts below.  

Photo: Smock Paper

I went on a hunt for thank you cards and was blown away by how professional and varied my options were. And affordable, to boot! Next thing I knew I was looking for holiday cards.  Then it became very hard to stop looking!

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Take Your Pics!

For those of us who are just not natural shutterbugs getting started with taking pictures can be a bit intimidating.  If you are a jewelry designer, or really any kind or maker, you are likely creating new work all the time.  Being able to take the pictures yourself to document work makes a huge difference both in efficiency and cost.  Often, a natural response to this situation is to arm oneself with an expensive camera.  Well, the best answer may surprise you...

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