Jewelry Findings and Components...in a sea of "Stuff"...

above Hills Tribe Fine Silver Full Rose Pendant component

Help ! I'm being taken over by all my "stuff". It is perfectly okay to have stuff, but when you begin to feel like "stuff" owns you then it's time to dig out the shovel and literally dig yourself out.
For years I've crafted jewelry and participated in local arts and crafts shows. Was a lot of fun, but now the fad that became a rage has grown into Godzilla proportions and so has my inventory of jewelry findings, beads and components. At this moment in my life I'm not sure just which direction I wish to turn but this fact is undeniably clear; "My life is in dire need of decluttering" ! What better place to begin than in my hobby(slash)studio(slash)catch all(slash)storage room ?

above is photo of a lovely sterling silver box clasp handcrafted by Pacific Silver Co.
So for those of you who love to create fantastic pieces of jewelry I am beginning to list some of my supplies on my etsy shop. Though a bit of my findings and components are silver plate or gold plate, the bulk of my supplies are either sterling silver or gold filled ( 14 k gold filled). I had always attempted to create pieces that would be used, treasured and, hopefully, passed down like a family heirloom, therefore I shied away from base metal findings that could be bought in packages of 100 or 1,000 pieces, they may be economical but not very precious.

above is photo of same box clasp showing back side and sterling stamp.

In this post are photos of some of my newly listed items if you dabble in jewelry making or are a full fledged professional jewelry designer please check out my esty store website for more information and prices.

Latching mechanism on this clasp works as smooth as warm butter. Latches and opens easily unlike some of the cheaply made and less expensive clasps. This beauty has a lot of silver in it !

above box clasp is one of my favorites. Beautiful feather pattern. Both square and feather clasps feature a safety catch and are heavy weight sterling. Matching feather pattern stud earrings will be listed in my etsy shop soon. Earrings have bottom ring/loop for attaching dangles. All are exquisitely make.

above feather clasp shown open. This clasp would cost at least $30 in a bead store or most catalogs...that is if it were even available in a catalog.

above small rose drops in Fine silver by The Hills Tribe, beautiful for earrings or charms

All these item are in my Etsy Shop Almost Precious if you make jewelry please take a moment to visit my shop, if you have friends that make jewelry I'd appreciate it if you'd be so kind as to rely this information on to them. : )

A Talisman ?

Today I scanned through several "Last Page" shops and became aware that many were receiving sales even though the shops had not been updated in a number of weeks. Perhaps they were sales through arts and crafts shows and the shops neglect was not one of public disinterest but one of time management. So I’ve decided that my attention should be redirected back to my own ailing shop...this afternoon I will take more photos, though I know my poor PC will groan with the prospect of having to store yet more pictures...wish there were an easier way and one that was more organized.
Lately I’ve been working on a Jasper pendant bedecked with wire work charms. Here are photos of work in progress and then the finished pendant. Can’t say as I’m pleased with the photography, even with 4 reflective photo lights the picture seems dark...tried to lighten in Picasa photo editing but there is only so much fill and highlight that one can add without washing out details. Guess you can surmise that my forte is not photography ! May try an outdoor photo shoot, if that doesn’t work I’ll have to invest in a couple more clamp-on reflective lights and full spectrum bulbs.

Above photo shows my new pendant strung from nothing more that cream colored crochet thread, am contemplating a strand of small red jasper beads to compliment the large 12mm red jasper bead at the top of the charm holder. Also playing with naming it "Talisman", maybe it will be the charm that breaks my shop's no sale streak, I can dream can't I ?