BAMBOO Jewelry: A Green Company

 Written by Christy Santo & Melissa Stewart
Cliptomania.com

Bamboo Jewelry started by Christine Gonsalves and Steve King opened its doors for business in 2005.  A major driving force behind their company goals is their effort to have the lowest carbon footprint possible  Along with their ten to twenty employees, they are not just focused on creating quality necklaces, pins and earrings, but are also on being an environmentally friendly company as possible.  Endangered wildlife and global warming are two things very important to Christine and Steve.

Two years after forming Bamboo Jewelry, the company decided if they couldn't cut their carbon footprint to zero, they would offset it by buying carbon credits making Bamboo Jewelry the world's first carbon neutral jewelry company.  They have incorporated compact fluorescent bulbs and eliminated  air-conditioning, instead turning to fans to keep everyone cool and comfortable.  It doesn't stop there.  The self-sustaining and fast growing Bamboo wood is the basis for their jewelry boxes. They also incorporated paper tape and use non-toxic, bio-degradable plastic for shrink wrapping. Even the paper printed cards within the box uses recycled paper, from a duplex printer.  They can print 100,000 pages generating only five pounds of waste verses 157 pounds of typical waste from a regular laser printer.  Future eco-friendly goals include purchasing a new company car - a hybrid Aptera that will get 300 mpg - and remodeling their facility so it runs on solar-power.

Celebrating Nature

Each piece of jewelry's design celebrates a small part of nature, art and science.  Almost all the silver used as the base of their jewelry  repurposed or recycled, and they are striving for 100% recycled.  Using finely braided wire to create each cloisonne color cell, they can do multicolored blending which results in their three-dimensional contours and realistic shading, hallmarks of their splendid craftsmanship.   After the original artwork is complete, the sample pieces are carefully packed and mailed to China so artisans there can reproduce them.

Who's Who At Bamboo

Steve King is a fifth generation Californian with degrees from Yale in Art and Environmental Studies.  When he is not designing jewelry, he enjoys his work as a scuba instructor or organizing whale watching expeditions to Baja, Mexico.  Steve has also helped create a life-size whale sculpture, and notably, produced an hour long, prime time documentary aired on ABC on blue whales which won an Emmy for its cinematography.

Chrstine Gonsalves comes from a family of entrepreneurs.  She is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley with a MA in sculpture.  Before she began Bamboo Jewelry nine years ago with Steve, she began a company called Whales and Friends that is a popular Alameda, California gift ship that has been around for 20 years. Her interests include cats, orchids, art and nature. Christine splits her time between Bamboo and Whales and Friends, and is even known for bringing her beloved Tonkinese cats, Carson and Sagan, with her.

Cliptomania.com has sold earrings by Bamboo Jewelry since 2006.  Featured in our  Specialty and Animals  The overall quality and attention to detail of these earrings is amazing, and we are sure our nature loving customers will appreciate these fine, heirloom quality, clip on earrings.

Sources:
bamboojewelry.com
cliptomania.com

The 'New' Silver (a.k.a. Silver-filled)

The cost of precious metals, like gold and silver, used by jewelry artisans can be quite expensive, and subsequently that cost is passed on to the consumer.  In this era of rising metal costs, jeweler's have begun to seek alternatives, and one such alternative to sterling silver, is "silver-filled" - or as we call it, "new silver." 

Much like the gold-filled we purchase when solid gold seems too expensive, silver-filled is a cost effective alternative as well.

View the difference with the following  picture from the Fire Mountain Gem's website. The wire on the left is silver-filled while the wire on the right is silver-plated.  Notice that the silver-filled wire has a thicker layer of silver. Either a 5% or 10% layer of sterling silver is bonded to (filled with) a copper or brass alloy. It is not the same as silver-plated in which a very thin layer is laid on top of a copper or brass core.

Silver-plated metals are not as durable and in time, will wear off and expose the underlying metal. With silver-filled, the layer is sufficient enough to handle small damage without exposing the alloy, and will not wear off.

Sterling silver is defined as 92.5% pure silver. With silver-filled metals, the manufacturer will label it as 95/5, 90/10, .925/10, .925/5, 1/10th or 1/20th.  Notably, if one is allergic to silver-plated jewelry but can wear sterling silver, one should be able to wear the silver-filled without causing a reaction.

Due to the rising cost of sterling silver, Cliptomania's jewelry manufacturers have made this  'New Silver' a viable economic alternative to help us offer fine silver jewelry at a fraction of the cost. We've taken advantage of these opportunities to bring this saving to our customers. If you are a frequent sterling silver shopper on our website, you may have noticed that some earrings have been restocked these past months but in the new silver with a subsequent price decrease. We are happy to pass this savings on to you.

New-Silver Shiny Square Non-pierced Button Clip Earrings 

Cliptomania remains committed to bringing you fine non-pierced earrings that are not only beautiful, but affordable. With over 500+ clip on earrings in a variety of styles, colors and metals, we are confident you will find what you are looking for.

We look forward to your shopping with us!

www.cliptomania.com

Sources:
www.artfire.com
www.cointrackers.com

Birthstones: April & May

April's Birthstone is Diamond.

The diamond is a widely known stone with outstanding physical properties, in particular the qualities which originate from the bonding of its atoms. The result is that the diamond is recognized for its hardness (10 on Moh's Scale) and it's thermal conductivity. 

Did you know a large and perfect (aka flawless and having no inclusions) diamond is called a paragon? A diamond with a weight of 12 carats held this title in the 16th century, but today, more than 99 carats are needed.



April's Alternate Birthstone is Quartz.

Quartz in it's purest form is called "Rock Crystal" or "Clear Quartz" because it is colorless and translucent.

Did you know the largest, recorded quartz crystal was 20 feet long and weighed more than 48 tons?

April's Birth Crystal is Cubic Zirconia.

Cubic Zirconium (CZ) is a lab-created gemstone that closely resembles a diamond, yet is heavier. Most people need a jeweler's eye to confirm if the stone is a diamond or a CZ.

Did you know that CZs are the biggest competitior against diamonds since production began in 1976?

May's Birthstone is Emerald.

Inclusions found in emeralds are considered part of their character, and used to assure the purchaser that the stone is natural. Such inclusions in most other gems are not acceptable.

Did you know that the emerald is one of the traditional four precious stones? The other three are ruby, diamond and sapphire.

May's Alternate Birthstone is Chalcedony.

Many precious gemstones are a form of chalcedony and include: Onyx, Avernturine, Agate, Mtorolite, Heliotrope, and Chrysoprase.

Did you know that hot wax will not stick to chalcedony? It was carved and used to make seal impressions.

May's Birth Crystal is Emerald.

Emeralds are considered brittle stones, and internal cracks may develop if the stone is banged against something or subjected to significant temperature changes.

Did you know the "Emerald Cut" was devloped for this particular gem in order to reduce the amount of pressure during the cutting process?

Sources:

www.gemselect.com/gem-info/emerald/emerald-info.php

en.wikipedia.org

Images:

www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-images....

Spring is Here!

....and so are our Speciality Section earrings including some of the below styles and themes!

EASTER, will be celebrated on April 1st of this year.

Here in Indiana, as of this writing,

we have received (hopefully)

our last snow of the season.

Yet, in other areas of the country,

 FLOWERS are popping up,

 BIRDS are singing,

and young ladies are getting ready for Prom- Clear Glitter &  Colored Glitter .

Cliptomania.com is an clip on earring internet only store featuring over 500+ non-pierced earrings in a variety of styles including Gold, Sterling, Hoops, Vintage, CZ, Childrens, Nickel-Free, Designer, Gemstone, Pearls, Museum Reproductions and more.  See our Homepage and begin shopping with us!

Gemstone Highlights: Turquoise

Cliptomania.com carries many gemstone non-pierced earrings. From Agate to Zircon, many of our designer's earrings include various gemstones from around the world.  Amid the beauty I wondered about some gem specifics. Questions like....Where did it come from? What gives its distinctive color?  Is it common or rare?  ..and many others.  Of course the internet is full of "sources" for anyone to draw information; however, I have decided to glean the technical information from a handful of "trustworthy" sites, and also cite from a fun site with a  mystic point-of-view giving origins, meanings and healing properties that some people believe the gems possess
.

Turkish Bazaar Collection: Michal Golan Dangle Clip Earrings

Because turquoise is one of my personal favs, I'm going to start with it.

Prized for many years, this beautiful stone was used by the ancient Egyptians in jewelry and worn by pharaohs and kings and is probably one of the oldest known gemstones. King Tut's solid gold mask (below right) has inlayed turquoise, lapis, carnelian and onyx. The name turquoise may have come from the word Turquie, French for Turkey, because of the early belief that the mineral came from that country (the turquoise most likely came from Alimersai Mountain in Persia (now Iran) or the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, two of the world's oldest known turquoise mining areas.)  Another possibility could be the name came from the French description of the gemstone, "pierre turquin" meaning dark blue stone.

Chemically, a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminum, turquoise is formed by the percolation of meteoric or groundwater through aluminous rock in the presence of copper. For this reason, it is often associated with copper deposits as a secondary mineral, most often in copper deposits in arid, semiarid, or desert environments.  Even the finest of turquoise is fracturable, reaching a maximum hardness of just slightly more than window glass. The lustre of turquoise is typically waxy to subvitreous and its transparancy is usally opaque. Color is variable ranging from white to a powder blue to a sky blue, to a green-blue to a yellow-green.  The color depends on the minerals found in the area where it grew. The more copper in the mix produces a bluer stone. The more iron in the mix produces a greener stone.

In the ancient Persian Empire, the sky-blue gemstones were earlier worn around the neck or wrist as protection against unnatural death. If they changed color, the wearer was thought to have reason to fear the approach of doom. Meanwhile, it has been discovered that the turquoise certainly can change color, but that this is not necessarily a sign of impending danger. The change can be caused by the light, or by a chemical reaction brought about by cosmetics, dust or the acidity of the skin.

I found the general guidelines for caring for turquoise quite interesting. Prolonged exposure to the sun may discolor the gem. Being a phosphate mineral, it is also fragile and sensitive to solvents. Some perfumes and other cosmetics will attack the finish and may alter the color, as will most commercial jewelry cleaning

Turquoise & Jasper Multi Nugget Non-pierced Clip Earrings

solutions. Therefore, care should be taken when wearing turquoise and the use of sunscreen, lotion, or hair spray, which if used, should be applied before putting on turquiose jewelry, and then gently cleaning the jewelry with a soft cloth to avoid any residue build up.  It should also be kept in its own container to avoid scratching by harder gems, but the container should not be airtight.

Turquoise is one of the official birthstones for the month of December as adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912. It is the planetary stone for Aquarius, Taurus and Sagittarius. It is sacred to many Native American's and was carved in the shape of animals and birds. These carvings were placed in tombs to attract beneficial spirits and guard the dead. Turquoise was also used by medicine men for healing and by warriors who fixed it to the end of their bows to insure accurate shots.

Turquoise is considered one of the oldest protection amulets, and was also known as a symbol of wealth in many cultures. Other meanings associated with turquoise include: protection from negative energy, ability to bring good fortune, aid in promoting serenity and meditation as well as providing energy, wisdom, balance, honesty, communication, strength, friendship and love.

www.cliptomania.com offer's many non-pierced gemstone earrings including those with turquoise. To see them, visit the gemstone page of our website or do an Advanced Search, the elongated box under the website name to find a particular gemstone.




Sources
Turquoise, www.geminfo.com, n.p., 2010, May 11, 2012.

Turquoise, en.wikipedia.org, n.p., April 18, 2012, May 11, 2012.

Turquoise Gemstone Meaning, www.crystal-cure.com, n.p., 2011, May 14, 2012.