Frugal or Just Plain Cheap?

I would have thought that a 30% off sale on the Ashar Gems site on Etsy would entice even the most frugal of shoppers. However, I am beginning to think that y'all folks are just plain cheap. No, I do not sell $3 or $4 dollar items; my jewelry is not trendy or of shoddy workwomanship. I give you the best possible quality and add a lot of love to everything I create. I have had quite a few custom orders of late, which tells me somebody is looking for something special, but the Etsy site is just waiting for you to say hello and put your best order forward. I would also like to give a shout out to BluJeanBeads, my sister's site on Etsy. Check it out, and none of this "Ba Humbug" stuff and what what!

New Facebook AD

I want to share an update with you. I have a new Facebook AD (which I have not seen), and I would like you to be on the lookout for it. The sale has been continued as well, so if you are looking for something special, go to Ashar Gems on Etsy and get a 30% discount. How cool is that? Also, check out BluJeanBeads on Etsy (my sister's site). She is having a sale as well.

Cyber Monday-Wednesday 30% off Sale

Hello Cats and Kittens. Guess what? Ashar Gems is having a Cyber Monday-Wednesday pre-Christmas Sale. Ok, big deal you say? Well, it's 30% off the entire stock. Now are you interested? Just go to www.Etsy.com/shop/Ashar and use the "Cyber 1" coupon, and the rest is history! I just wanted you to know that this is a pre-Christmas sale; I am proud to use the word "Christmas" because we are celebrating the birth of Christ this season. Enough said? No; Whatever you celebrate, let it be the best celebration ever and don't let anyone push you around about what you believe(unless of course, you are crazy as hell). Anyway come by, check out my site, love what you love and get a great discount. I just found a great gift on Etsy for my brother-in-law who celebrates Hanukkah. He will really be surprised. ~Peace

A Shout Out!

Hey everyone, there are a lot of hungry families out there! Please donate to your local food pantry (perhaps more than one), participate at your Church pantry or Holiday food drive, Women's shelters, Gospel Missions, etc. If someone is cold, buy a pair of gloves. I am challenging everyone to do something to benefit the lives of our neighbors. If you know what it is like to go hungry, provide a meal for someone else.

Tis The Season.......

I think it is time to talk a little trash (good trash) about the upcoming holiday season and what the expectations are for those of us who make artisan-crafted handmade goods. Take a trip around your local retailers like Needless Markup in Bellevue and the She She Foo Foo store that began as a shoe store in downtown Seattle. There is serious bling blang bling everywhere. Beautiful glitzy dresses, platform shoes that would say "timber" if you fell off of them and slinky looks that are fine for LA; unfortunately you would freeze your little diva behind here in Washington trying to look cute in 35 degree weather. I may be fine, but that is dead. Anyway, who wears all that stuff to holiday parties where men wear short-sleeved shirts? We artisan crafted folks need to take heart and realize that this is hype. Most of us are at home, eating stew and balancing our checkbooks! Oh, and I cannot forget exfoliation on Friday nights! We are designers, the wonders of the universe! Twinkling lights have nothing on us. Our prices are reasonable, and we design from our hearts. Too bad we were not invited to the Kardashian, "I can buy diamonds, you can't buy food for your kids" farce of a wedding bash. We could have pawned the guest trinkets for cabochans and gold wire. I'm always in the wrong place! Anyway, we are on the move for the holidays! Carry your treasures with pride, find a marketing plan and places to sell your wonderous goods. What about festivals, marketplaces and in Santa's Toy Shop? Elves like jewelry! They have rather large ears! Tell Santa, the Elf crew and everyone else to scurry over to Ashar Gems on Etsy: www.Etsy.com/shop/Ashar. You can also Google Ashar Gems is you are totally lazy. Also check me out on Facebook.

Life is Fast and Furious

Hello sports fans! Thought you were in another blog? I wanted you to know the good news! I got a job ( you know the kind, with money). Even though I have been blessed with creating beautiful jewelry, you know that it has been rather slow of late, no actually slowsville. Not much money. Well, I am here to to tell you that God works in the 11.9 th hour. I had decided to take a discipleship class at my church, with major committment and all before the job came. And then I had 5 sales from one customer! SHAZAM! Everything came together at once. Now I am exhausted, walking into walls (without glasses of course) and catching up with my Etsy site; but I am truly thankful! Ashar Gems will be getting a bit of a face lift with a seasonal banner and new items. Yes, I have taken the time to get somewhat ready for the holidays. So.....let me know what you think of my little blog. All of this silence (some say is golden) is a bit creepy. Buy something. I get excited when people buy things. I makes my heart go pitty pat!

Raining Cats and Dogs (and Goats)

Well now cats and kittens, as you may be aware, it is raining like I don't know what here in Olympia. Don't be surprised if a hammer head shark is in your front yard in the morning. It found it's way through a mud puddle or stream from the Ocean here at Tolmie State Park. Just messing with you of course. I purchased an iPad the other day for my design business as well as my day job (who knows the difference between night and day these days). When Theresa (BluJeanBeads) and I were in Olympia for a recent street fair, I saw a woman using a iPad with an attachment for credit cards. I was intrigued, and asked her about it. Fun times! She swiped the credit card and the receipt comes to your email account for your overspending records. Cool huh? I went out in search of this attachment, and so far, I have not found it. I think I need a Sherpa. Anyway, just sos you know, I had 5 sales on my Etsy account from my buddy at the UW Medical Center. This occurred on the same day, I confirmed my job with United Healthcare Partners, Inc. in Los Angeles. Everything hit at once. Thank you Jesus. My friend was shopping early for Christmas. I am glad she is a sick, orderly woman. Anyway, my sale will end on the 10th of October, so you had better get it together and make your holiday purchases. Stop by BluJean Beads as well. My sister loves to buy boots!

SALE***SALE***SALE***SALE

Hello my jewelry fanatic friends. Ashar Gems is having a sale! Many items have been discounted 15% or more. This sale is great especially for those strange folks that buy Christmas gifts early. In the future, I will be moving more towards my wire wrapping background, working with cabochans etc., therefore, the stock must go. Save your pennies and purchase one of my delectible delights. I need to buy new under trou as well.

Etsy Showcase, September 8, 2011

I finally found openings to showcase a few of my designs on Etsy. Wow, one showcase each for bracelets and necklaces. What excitement. I started a few weeks out planning and placing the different accessories in the right place based upon how many admirers I had on each individual piece. What anticipation, and when the day arrived I thought that this might be my day. Sales, sales and more sales! WRONG! No sales, not one; funny....I have been featured in three Treasury Lists in as many days of which I am grateful, and various "favorites" by fellow artists in the Etsy community. I was recently invited for membership in a group of talented gem artists as well. Ashar Gems has been in existence on Etsy for one year. After assessing and reassessing, re-tagging, price changes, reasonable shipping changes, attractive banners, Photoshop assistance, profile changes and Google Analytics up the gazoo, I have eight sales to show for it. I guess it takes some mystical unseen force to understand the patterns of buyers and sellers, marketing and sales. The only thing to do now is decide whether or not the price I have paid for materials, work time, patience, disappointment etc., is worth it in the world of custom-made jewelry. Thank God I have no husband or children or we would be begging bread by the roadside. So the decision has been made. If things do not turn around I will close the shop on Etsy by January 1, 2012. No magic here, just facing the facts!

Thank You

Thank you everyone for going ga ga over the burgundy pearl bib necklace on Etsy. So far, I have 16 admirers and have been added to 3 treasuries. Many thanks to PersonalDesignz on Etsy for her inclusion of my necklace in her current treasury "Burgundy Rasberry." I appreciate your support very much. This is such a great feeling. Now I have a better idea of what people like. I have a Ceylon Sapphire necklace in this style as well. Enjoy!

The Firey Furnace-One Year on Etsy

September 1, 2011 marks the anniversary of my site on Etsy.com. Ashar Gems has come a long way. I have heard that it takes some time for a seed to take root, send up a shoot, grow and produce fruit. That is certainly my story. I think it takes a lot of guts to birth a business in this economy and wait for it to move. Therefore, I will pat myself on the back, because it has not been easy. It is by Grace that we all succeed anyway. For those of you who are thinking of throwing in the towel. For every story of waiting and wondering and going without, there is someone out there in worse circumstances and that is when we have to ponder about our humility. Keep moving forward. Take heart. I will stand with you; things will get better and we will all dance and sing! Blessings!

Welcome Jewelry Divas!: Make Olympia Downtown Street Market

Welcome Jewelry Divas!: Make Olympia Downtown Street Market

Make Olympia Downtown Street Market

I would like to invite you and yours to the first ever 2011 Summer Market in downtown Olympia. On August 20, 2011 Theresa (my sister) and I will be in a big white booth, between 4th and State in downtown Olympia from 10:00 AM until 3 PM.

The summer Artwalk is being held in an effort to support and encourage local businesses. So, show your support and come and say hello. Bring your big fat wallet as well.

It's the Weekend

I am happy to say that today is friday. Go shopping for jewelry on my "Etsy" site for Ashar Gems. Better yet, Google Ashar Gems. I need to buy food for my six kids, my Aunt Mona and crazy Uncle in Yonkers! Can you dig it? I knew that you could!

What the @*$*(%, it's Almost August!

Hey kids! The month of July is going far too fast! 

I wanted to check in and talk to myself again about the economy, business, sales, lack of sales, google analytics and what what.  It is great to go to my Etsy site and hear other business owners coo and tell me how beautiful my handmade jewelry pieces are, and on the other hand, not have a sale day after day. I spruced up my profile, purchased a gorgeous banner, added more wedding jewelry and guess what? Nothing! Someone out there somewhere is purchasing. Do I have to drape myself over a BMW (better yet a silver-gray Targa) or pose in a Firewomen of LA calendar? Where are the people who buy shoes, handbags and jewelry and tell the landlord that the dog ate their paycheck?

I would give all of this up and join a convent, but I hear that you cannot wear fragrance or get your nails done. Too much austerity for me.  So, I guess I will push on, dust off the pink ball gown I wear to weed the garden and find more nonsense to write to MYSELF. If anyone is interested, please respond.

The Garnet

The garnet (ˈɡɑrnɨt/) group includes a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The name "garnet" may come from either the Middle English word gernet meaning 'dark red', or the Latin granatus ("grain"), possibly a reference to the Punica granatum ("pomegranate"), a plant with red seeds similar in shape, size, and color to some garnet crystals.

Red garnets were the most commonly used gemstones in the Late Antique Roman world, and the Migration Period art of the "barbarian" (foreign) peoples who took over the territory of the Western Empire. They were especially used inlaid in gold cells in the cloisonné technique, a style often just called garnet cloisonné, found from Anglo-Saxon England to the Black Sea.

Colors of Garnet:

Garnets species are found in many colors including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, pink and colorless. The rarest of these is the blue garnet, discovered in the late 1990s in Bekily, Madagascar. It is also found in parts of the United States, Russia and Turkey. It changes color from blue-green in the daylight to purple in incandescent light.

For Example, Rhodolite is a purplish red; Hessonite is the name for an orange, cinnamon, or pinkish variety. Tsavorite is the name given to dark green grossularite. Uvarovite and demantoid are also green varieties. Pyrope garnets are purple-red, orange-red, a crimson or dark red. Spessartite garnets range from yellow and orange through red to reddish brown to dark black/brown. Other varieties of color-changing garnets exist. In daylight, their color ranges from shades of green, beige, brown, gray, and blue, but in incandescent light, they appear a reddish or purplish/pink color. Because of their color changing quality, this kind of garnet is often mistaken for Alexandrite.

Species/Chemical Composition of Garnet:

Pyrope

Almandine            {Hessonite or cinnamon stone and Tsavorite

Spessartine

Grossular

********

Uvarovite

Andradite

Garnet specie’s light transmission properties can range from the gemstone-quality transparent specimens to the opaque varieties used for industrial purposes as abrasives. The mineral’s luster is categorized as vitreous (glass-like) or resinous (amber-like).

                             

Garnets range from a 7.0 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness and are found in the U.S. (Arizona), South Africa, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Myanmar (Burma), Scotland, Switzerland, Tanzania, Russia and Turkey .

Folklore, Legend, Rumors and Hearsay:

Garnet's powers include healing, strength, and protection and it is often worn to relieve inflammations of the skin. It is also believed to regulate the heart and blood flow and aid in curing depression (wrong). In earlier times, garnets were exchanged as gifts between friends to demonstrate their affection for each other and to insure that they meet again (I like this one).

References:

1.                              ^ ^{a b c} Gemological Institute of America, GIA Gem Reference Guide 1995, ISBN 0-87311-019-6

2.                              ^ Smyth, Joe. "Mineral Structure Data". Garnet. University of Colorado. http://ruby.colorado.edu/~smyth/min/garnet.html. Retrieved 2007-01-12. 

3.                              ^ S. Geller Crystal chemistry of the garnets Zeitschrift für Kristallographie, 125, S. 1-47 (1967)

4.                              ^ P. C. Rickwood (1981). "The largest crystals". American Mineralogist 66: 885–907. http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM66/AM66_885.pdf. 

5.                              ^ Geological Sciences at University of Texas, Austin

6.                              ^ State of Connecticut, Sites º Seals º Symbols; Connecticut State Register & Manual; retrieved on December 20, 2008

7.                              ^ New York State Gem; State Symbols USA; retrieved on October 12, 2007

8.                              ^ Idaho state symbols

9.                              ^ Joyce, Ernest (1987) [1970]. Peters, Alan. ed. The Technique of Furniture Making (4^th ed.). London: Batsford. ISBN 0 7134 4407. 

10.                          ^ Briggs, J. (2007). The Abrasives Industry in Europe and North America. Materials Technology Publications. ISBN 1-871677-52-1.

Baby, Take a Bow!

There comes a time in a new business owner's life when one must thank those who have rendered assistance along the way.

A new life of trial and error, success and failure, costs, risks, financial concerns, taxes and what what are daily issues everyone in this line of work must face on a daily basis. I never thought I would lose sleep over designs, due dates and stock matters, but guess what? This is serious business, since I sleep so little in the first place.

To begin, I am not sure whether or not to praise my sister Theresa or sell her to the Gypsies; she started the beading hysteria in the family.  BluJeanBeads was launched with all types of delectable baubles and me, being out of work, Theresa suggested that I try my left hand at beading. The rest is  history. I will praise her and thank her for advancing an art form I have always loved. Then, there's that thin, persistent Northwest Bridal Diva named Jennifer who answers any and all questions, no matter how wacky. And then you have the OlyEtsy Queens of revenue, Peggy Sue King of "Cobaltquilter", Shelley of "Our Hobby to Your Home @ Wedding", Leslie Sirag of "The Creative Clock", Keri  of "Delaney Jewelry Designs" and Jessica of "Dollproject", to name a few, that have been instrumental in help, assistance and encouragement. My sincere thanks to everyone.

I have learned that you must mark everyday as fresh and new with no mistakes (which happen later on in the day). Ashar Gems is learning to fly.

~PS Theresa's husband, Stephen is a great model for my jewelry! He models most of the time when he is asleep!

Jewelry Divas Wanted.: Thank you Alaska and the Lower 48

Jewelry Divas Wanted.: Thank you Alaska and the Lower 48: "Can you believe it? I finally signed up with Google Analytics and my most current information shows that most of my customers come from the ..."

Thank you Alaska and the Lower 48

Can you believe it? I finally signed up with Google Analytics and my most current information shows that most of my customers come from the great State of Alaska and the lower 48. Boundary Mavens unite! If you are not understanding. Let me give you a clue....The Yiddish Policeman's Union.

Canada and Europe must have serious attitudes, because they are nowhere to be found. They are probably at the dentist. In addition, what is going on Hawaii? Do you own laptops or other current technical/mechanical societal must haves? Don't flash the temperate, trade-wind card either. It is beneath you!

May I be the first to thank you kind Alaska and state folks for staying up at night clicking on Ashar Gems. I can feel the love. Hopefully you will have a good year of Cabernet Savignon in the other hand. Someone has to have a life!

Now, on to the next thing....buy something from Ashar Gems.  I am saving for a large handbag and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. One is a must have and they other is a want. These are the top two items on my official greed list (the greed list was inspired by my sister Theresa, aka BluJeanBeads). Don't wait for the frost on the pumpkin! Get a move on.........

Botswana Agate

I have decided to write once a month about a semi-precious or precious stone I use.  Hang on to your hats divas, because the first installment is the Botswana Agate.

The Botswana Agate or "Eye Gate" as it is also called, is native to the Bobonong District of Botswana. I know you are dying to know about the Geological attributes, so here we go:

Geological What What:
Stone Family: A banded variety of the "Agate" and member of the Chalcedony family (who knew?)
We already know the location............skip
Crystal System: Trigonal
Chemical Composition: (Si02) Silicon Dioxide
Stuff you should know: Botswana Agates are often found in the form of nodules (like a Geode) and you do not see the beauty of the stone until you open it up.

Physical:
Color: Pink, gray, apricot, with fine parallel banding
Rarity:  Is is as common as Aunt Martha's holiday green beans.

Are you impressed? I knew that you would be. If you wish to see a beautiful example of Botswana Agate, you will have to go to my Etsy site and see a gorgeous bracelet.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers and fathers that are mothers. Having never been a mother, I can only imagine the connection between mother an child in the womb, the love you have for your family, the hard work, the dedication, trading your needs for theirs etc.  For those fathers in this role, I honor your commitment to your children and a father's love and adoration as well. It's all about the love. Enjoy your day!

Off The Books

I am sitting here on my birthday wondering if anyone out in cyberland is trying to figure why they sell more custom-made items by word of mouth, friends, family, custom orders and private jewelry parties rather than my Esty site. Being a novice to the design business, I would have thought Etsy would be the site of sites, although they have a bizillion jewelry designers. Ignorance perhaps or wishful thinking? Perhaps both. I am looking for a fashion merchandising or a marketing guru to give me the WORD on what what and so and so in the world of business.  This issue may not mean much to those who have made it, however I would like to know how you go there and who assisted you.

By the way, I think you should trot on over to BluJeanBeads and purchase tons of jewelry. She has a site on Etsy as well and a blog (www.Blujeanbeads.blogspot.com. Why? Because she is my sister and I said so!

Beautiful Business, slow response

Hello there...do you ponder on a day to day basis what, other than the economy, has caused your business to be slower than paint peeling on the garage wall? Are your designs beautiful? Yes? Have you self-diagnosed all areas of the business, asked friends and family, put feelers in the community?  AND? Have you gone to festivals with your wares, only to wish you had a business in tattoos?

I will share my successes, depression, losses and confusion. Let's have some fun talking about wire-wrapping, beading and our love of the trade and jewelry.