Bali Silver

The term "Bali silver" or "Balinese silver" refers to sterling silver (92.5% pure silver) constructed by hand in Bali, Indonesa. Bali silver known for its intricate designs, created completely by hand by soldering finely coiled silver wire and drops onto their handmade beads. These silversmiths have passed down their skills possibly thousands of years. Their beads and other components are constructed from silver that is mined locally, then combined with small amounts of copper to form sterling silver.

Due to the popularity of Bali silver, there are many companies manufacturing sub-standard quality "Bali-style" beads and components. Genuine Bali silver can usually be distinguished by the crisp, clear designs, evenly applied antiquing, light weight to the beads, and the distinctive ring of silver.

Thai Hill Tribe Silver

The term "Hill Tribe" silver refers to fine (99.9%) pure silver constructed by hand in Thailand. Hill Tribe silver is known for its "primitive" look, as the silver is formed into sheets from ingots, by pounding with a hammer, then shaped, soldered and engraved, all by hand in primitive fashion.

Semiprecious Stones

The majority of the semiprecious stones on the market today are mined all over the world, then sent to either China or India for cutting. Each piece of "rough" stone is examined for inclusions, and its pattern, and then the cutting shape is decided upon depending on the natural patterns of the rough.

Stones cut in China are generally cut and faceted with state-of-the-art machinery, which insures very fine faceting with very consistent shapes from batch to batch. Less expensive stones cut in India are generally cut by hand, and can vary greatly from strand to strand, and even within the same strands. There are usually off-center drill holes, uneven faceting, and cracked and broken beads.

Many of the brightly colored chalcedony's on the market today are dyed or irradiated to alter their color. Some may fade if left in the sunlight, so it is best to store them in a jewelry box out of direct light. Peruvian blue and Peruvian pink opals may also fade from sun, and with time, as a natural course. Some stones, like Ametrine, are irradiated to simulate the natural progression of heat changing the color of the stone over millennia.

"Fruit" quartzes (i.e., Strawberry Quartz, Pinapple Quartz, Blueberry Quartz) are all man-made, glass products. Opalite is also a man-made glass.

See my Gemstones Meaning page for gemstone folklore.

Lampwork & Artisan Glass

The term "Lampwork" is derived from the ancient art form of melting glass over an oil lamp to create beads from glass. Today, a torch is used in place of an oil lamp. Each bead is created individually by hand, by melting glass rods over a steel mandrel, which can take up to an hour to create each bead, or many hours for some very complex works of art. Most beads require many layers of glass. This creation process can take several steps before the bead is completed. Each bead is created one at a time by hand, therefore no two are exactly alike. Once the bead is finished, it is placed into a kiln to anneal it. Annealing realigns the glass molecules to stablize them, so they are not prone to cracking and breaking.