At Artbeads.com we strive to stay on top of the jewelry trends. Although fall and winter seem so far off, we have researched the upcoming trends so designers can get a head start on the latest fashions in beaded jewelry.

Every Thursday is art appreciation day at my workplace (yes, the job that pays the mortgage!) and the featured artist last week was Ando Hiroshige and the picture “Rough Sea at Naruto in Awa Province”. It was a striking print of a churning sea, foaming waves crashing on the steep cliffs and all I could think of was Aqua Terra Jasper! That’s when I thought I have a serious case of “beads on the brain”!

Ando Hiroshige

So you have been rolling around the idea of starting your own collection of vintage jewelry and why wouldn't you. The choices and options are practically limitless and just browse through any lady's magazine, everything vintage including jewelry is fashionable again!

Only a few years back, collecting was done by luck and by chance with most searching limited to local auctions, flea markets and yard sales. With the addition of online shopping, you can now shop far and wide and nearly anywhere in the world all the while sitting in the comfort of your own home.

For those of us who sell on the internet our pictures are our best salesperson. People naturally look at photographs before even reading the text description so the better your photographs are the better your chance to make a sale.

I have been using digital cameras for almost 20 years and have learned that shooting smalls, especially jewelry, can be challenging. I have done professional photography for a large local auction house and jewelry and smalls are among the most difficult items to photograph.

One of the major design events of the 1920s, if not the most important, was "L'exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes", which is French for "The International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts." This World's fair was held in Paris, France from April to October 1925.

I've read many blogs dealing with the question of diversification. My response - a most emphatic YES! When I started out all I ever purchased was jewelry. My eyes were focused on bling - hence my shop name Glitterbugs. Then I discovered two facts. First, beautiful costume pieces in good condition were getting harder to come by and second, there were so many other great items that would be perfect to add to my shop.

Consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious with an emphasis on greener living. Stores offer re-usable shopping bags in fun colors; services to refill an ink cartridge; and the availability of more earth friendly products. Even schools have Reduce, Reuse and Recycle sales to pass along books and clothing that can benefit others.

The Hope Diamond - Huge Blue Gemstone with a Long and Fascinating History

Today the term Biwa Pearls is used to describe all stick or irregularly shaped pearls. But did you know that there was a time that it was illegal to refer to pearls as “Biwa Pearls” unless they originated from Lake Biwa in Japan?

Lake Biwa, located NE of Kyoto is an ancient lake, almost 4 million years old, formed by the same earthquake that created Mount Fuji. It is one of the most important lakes on earth in terms of its history and bio-diversity.

As a young child, I remember admiring the huge Black Alaska Diamond ring my mother would wear whenever she and dad were going out for an evening away from us children. She would get dressed up in high heels, curl her jet black hair, put on her dark red lipstick and just before leaving the house, slip that stunning ring onto her right hand. We didn't see it any other time, it remained safely tucked inside her jewelry box where we couldn't reach it.