Spring in the Air

Indiana had snow on the ground for a couple days and it took a little longer for Spring to feel like it had finally come.

Set of Girl's Charming Twosome Clip Earrings

Critter Collection of Non-pierced Earrings

Bees Miniature Non-pierced Earrings

Delightful Daisies Non-pierced Earrings

February: A Month of Love

Honey Amber & Petite Heart Clip Earrings

For over 2000 years, February & Valentine's Day is a symbol of love.  In ancient Greece, Athenians celebrated Gamelian from the middle of January to the middle of February to honor the marriage of gods Zeus and Hera.  However, in ancient Rome, they celebrated two holidays.  The first honored - Juno the Goddess of Women and Marriage then in the middle of February Romans celebrated Lupercalia. A celebration in honor of the Roman gods of agriculture of the same name and it also honored Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.  Then around 498 AD Pope Gelasius declared February 14th as the day to honor St. Valentine of Rome, who is the patron saint of love and honor.  In modern times, it is still about love and honoring the commitment between two people who love each other.

Specialty: Hidden Treasure!

Handmade

Cliptomania.com has hundreds of styles of clip-on earrings. Our website is categorized to reflect these styles, whether it be Classic Earrings, Fancy & Glitter, Gemstones, etc.

One of cliptomania's menagerie
clip earrings

"Specialty" is a category dedicated to clip-on earrings like magnetics; wood; symbols of faith; menagerie children's clip earrings; holiday and seasons earrings; and shell and mother of pearl clip earrings.  I encourage you to click the links and find your treasure today!

Article - "Love to Know"

Little Girl's Clip On Earrings

By Adrienne Warber

Jewelry Designer

Little girl's clip on earrings are a great earring option for a child without pierced ears. When your little girl wants to wear earrings but she is not quite ready for the responsibility of pierced ears, she can practice with clip on earrings. There are many fashionable clip on earrings for little girls of all ages.

Is Your Daughter Ready for Earrings?

Getting your daughter's ears pierced is a big decision. It takes months for pierced ears to heal and the piercing requires a regular cleaning and posts rotating for proper healing. Your daughter must be responsible enough to keep her ears clean, rotate the posts, not remove the earrings and tell you if there is any sign of infection. Due to this big responsibility, many parents wait until a little girl is at least eight years old or older to get her ears pierced. The great news is that your daughter can enjoy the look of pierced earrings with clip on earrings even if she isn't ready for pierced ears.

Benefits of Clip On Earrings

The most obvious benefit of clip on earrings is that piercing is not required. Clip on earrings are available in costume and fashion jewelry for children as young as three-years-old. Children's jewelry features many earring styles in clip on. Many clip on earrings are quite comfortable for children to wear. Little girls with or without pierced ears can find many cute clip on earring designs for casual or dressy occasions.


Little Girl's Clip On Earring Styles

Little girl's clip on earrings come a many adorable styles suitable for many different ages. Clip on earrings that resemble post earrings and dangle earrings come in a variety of designs. Children's clip on earrings come in a variety of materials such as yellow gold, sterling silver, pewter, resin or plastic. Some clip on backings include a cushion for comfort, while others are all metal or plastic.
Be careful if daughter has a nickel allergy because many of the whimsical children's fashion metal clip on earrings may contain nickel. Look for clip on earrings that say nickel-free on the packaging.

Designs include the following:

• Hearts
• Animal designs
• Teddy bears
• Apples
• Ballerina
• Music notes
• Sport team themes
• Dolls
• Dress-up princess earrings
• Flower designs
• American Flag
• Cross
• Cartoon characters
• Famous music group or movie designs such as Hannah Montana and High School Musical

There are clip on earrings to fit just about any little girl's interest and personality.

Where to Buy Clip On Earrings

Clip on earrings are not as popular as pierced earrings. However, you can still find clip on earrings for your daughter at a number of local jewelers and the children's jewelry section of department stores in many cities. The costume clip on earrings for dress-up play are even widely available at dollar stores.
The Internet is the best place to find a larger selection of children's clip on earrings. The following online retailers sell clip on earrings for little girls:

• Cliptomania: The Cliptomania site sells clip on earrings exclusively. They have a number of children's clip on earrings in styles such as pearls, holiday themes, daisies, crosses, angels, hearts and animals.
• Jewel Basket: The Jewel Basket site has a number of children's clip on earrings.
• Crazy4Clipons: Crazy4Clipons sells a selection of sterling silver clip on earrings in traditional designs such as dangling pearls and animals designs such as ladybugs.

Source:
http://jewelry.lovetoknow.com/Little_Girl's_Clip_On_Earrings

Gemstone Highlight: Lapiz Lazuli

Polished Lapiz

Lapis lazuli is classified as a rock whose most important mineral component is lazurite (a formula comprised of sulfate, sulfur and chloride.) Along with other constituents, most lapis also contains calcite (white), sodalite (blue) and pyrite (metallic yellow). Its intense blue color is due to the presence of the radical anion (a charged, free radical) whose molecularity creates a very intense absorption line. Lapis lazuli usually occurs in crystalline marble as a result of contact metamorphism, a result of the temperature increase caused by the intrusion of magma into cooler country rock.  Simply put, Lapis is a rock consisting mainly of diopside and lazurite and came into being millions of years ago during the metamorphosis of lime to marble.

MR44

Lapis is the Latin word for stone and lazuli is of Medievel Latin, taken from Arabic and formerly the Persian word lazaward, which is the name of the stone in Persian and also of the place where lapis lazuli was mined. The English word azur comes from the name and color of lapis lazuli. In many cases a color is associated with the naming of the stone, but not with lapis.  The name of the stone instead came to be associated with its color.





This deep blue stone ( usually abbreviated to just lapis) has a record of being mined in northeastern Afghanistan as early as the 7th millennium BC. However, beads have been found at 4th millennium BC settlements, and a dagger with a lapis handle, a bowl, amulets, beads and inlays have been found in the Royal Tombs of Ur dating back to the 3rd millennium BC.  The eyebrows of King Tutankhamun (shown right) are made of lapis. Another interesting fact is that powdered lapis was used as eyeshadow by Cleopatra.  As lapis began to be exported into Europe, it was ground into powder and made into the finest and most expensive of all blue pigments.  It was used by artists of the Renaissance and Baroque periods often reserved for the clothing of the central figure of the painting, like the Virgin Mary.  Afghanistan is still a major source of lapis, however other notable mines include Lake Baikal in Russia and the Andes Mountains in Chile.  Small mines include those in Italy, Canada, Mongolia and the United States.

MR58

On the Moh's scale of hardness, it sits at 5 to 5.5 and when cutting or polishing the stone, it must be handled gently and not given too much pressure.  It normally has a dull finish, but most lapis is sealed with a colorless wax or synthetic resin extending and improving the stone's wearing qualities and retaining its ability to be re-polished.  It is said that many a cutter "turns up his nose" when cutting lapis as it gives off a notable smell when it comes in contact with the cutting device.

Lapis jewelery should always be protected from acidic substances, and never exposed to too much sunlight. Cleaning is simply wiping with a polishing cloth, and a little warm water and very soft brush if necessary.  Because it is not very hard, lapis jewelry should be stored away from other jewelry as to prevent scratching or other damage.

Lapis is regarded as the stone of friendship and truth. Said to encourage relationship harmony, it helps its wearer to be authentic, wise and open.  It is also purported to be a powerful crystal for achieving a higher state of mind and enhancing one's intellectual ability.

MR104

Although the traditional birthstone for December is Turquoise, the recommended alternative is Lapis Laluzi. It is also the stone for the 9th Anniversary.


Cliptomania is an internet store Cliptomania®, an Internet store, selling 100s of clip earring styles.  Click on any of the pictured earring's item number (underneath image) to go directly to its page for further information and/or purchase.






Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapis_lazuli
http://www.gemstone.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=117:sapphire&catid=1:gem-by-gem&Itemid=14
http://www.crystalvaults.com/crystal-encyclopedia/lapis

Cliptomania Highlight: Sea Glass

Okay, it's technically not a gemstone.  However, technically sea glass is an archaeological piece of the history of human civilization. Since the oceans have served as a dumping grounds for glass since the beginning of time, through the result of shipwrecks, piracy, foul weather, and human trash disposal, sea glass, or as it is also called "beach glass," has become not only a hobby for collectors, but a craft medium for beautiful works-of-art. With its usage in hand-crafted jewelry, we would like to highlight this wonderful creation compliments of nature and man.

What is it?

Sea glass is physically and chemically weathered anthropogenic glass found along bodies of fresh and salt water. In simple terms, glass tossed about in the ocean and washed ashore. Waves and currents toss the glass, breaking it into smaller pieces and smoothing the edges. This weathering process gives the glass a frosted and smooth appearance.  Sea glass origins range from discarded Victorian apothecary bottles, vials and perfume bottles, to Mason jars, soda, beer, liquor and ink bottles, fruit jars, windshields,  windows and pottery.

Colors

Most common colors are kelly green, brown, white (clear), and purple (clear).  Less common colors include jade, amber (from whiskey, medicine and early bleach bottles), lime green (soda bottles from 1960s), forest green, and ice or soft-blue. Uncommon colors come from a type of green, which comes from early to mid-1900s Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, RC Cola and beer bottles.  These colors are found once in every 50 to 100 pieces.  Purple, citron, opaque white (from milk glass), cobalt, cornflower and aqua are very uncommon and are found once for every 200 to 1,000 pieces of glass found.  Extremely rare colors are gray, pink, teal, black, yellow, turquoise, and red.  Orange is the least common color, found once in about every 10,000 pieces. Black sea glass is the oldest, originating from thick 18th century bottles.

Locations

It is possible to find sea glass on just about every beach  around the world, but there are certain areas that are famous for their bounty.  The best times to look are during spring tides and during the first low tide after a storm.

Real or Fake?

You don't have to scout the beach the get sea glass.  You can buy authentic sea glass, but you need learn the difference between the real deal and the wanna-bes.  The authentic glass is becoming harder to find due to more people searching for it, glass items being replaced by plastic, and the fact that littering is increasingly discouraged. This leads some crafters to create "craft glass" from ordinary pieces of glass using a rock tumbler (see image below left).  This craft glass lacks not only the authentic etched surface by means of long-term exposure to water conditions, but may also have rough edges, a lack of frosted appearance and the small "C" patterns that emerge on the surface of real sea glass.

Some crafters find real shards of glass on the beach that have not completed a long-weathering process, and using a rock tumbler, creating what is known as "twice-tossed" glass. For many professional collectors, artisans and retailers, the main issue is honesty about the source of the glass.  Actual sea glass will also be more expensive, especially in those uncommon colors mentioned above.

Cliptomania.com has an entire page dedicated to beautiful non-pierced earring creations by Solaras (Simon Harrison Design Corp), created of sea glass and other components like faux and genuine pearls. To see these click Sea Glass or do an Advanced Search and type in the keywords "sea glass" to see all results located throughout our website.

Drops & Dangles @ cliptomania.com

A small selection of cliptomania's drops and dangles 

Summer Spice Tassel Non-pierced Earrings

Caged Glass Bead Non-pierced Drop Earrings

Fiery Red Beaded Charm Non-pierced Earrings

Crystal & Pearl Drop NP Earrings

Sparkling Bead & Faux Pearl NP Earrings

The Gemstone: Topaz

Multi Gemstone Earrings, Bracelet and Ring
The earrings feature mystic topaz

Topaz is the chameleon of gemstones.  It is naturally colorless but when iron and chromium impurities get into it, the resulting topaz come in an array of colors. These colors include yellow, orange, red-brown, light blue, pink to red, violet, and light green. This can lead to a miss identification of topaz as another gemstone.  There are characteristics of topaz that combined differentiate it from other gemstones.  For instance topaz has an orthorhombic structure which as defined by the Oxford dictionary as – “of or denoting a crystal system or three-dimensional geometric arrangement having three unequal axis at right angles.  Topaz also has a weak fluorescence and has perfect cleavage just like a diamond.  It also exhibits pleochroism (shows  several colors in a single stone) depending on the angle the gemstone gets seen from.  Lastly topaz is transparent with few inclusions giving it a brilliant appearance and a glassy luster. 

Despite topaz's ability to show many different colors it is not uncommon for this gemstone to go through enhancement to produce even bolder color.  The most popular topaz sold in the US is dark to deep blue.  In nature blue topaz is usually light blue. To create darker shades of blue, topaz goes through a radiation process called irradiation.  What happens is radiation passes through something else to reach the topaz for indirect contact with the radiation.  After that topaz gets a heat treatment to produce striking shades of blue. To produce a purple-pink topaz pieces of orange-brown topaz are heat-treated. Both types of treatments are widely accepted since they result in a permanent color change.  There is natural pink topaz in existence but it is rare, pale in color, and only found in Pakistan.

Another way topaz can have its color changed is to coat it with titanium dioxide. There are three types: Azotic topaz: formed by coating undesirable pieces of topaz to produce a rainbow of color; topaz can also be coated to appear pink; and to turn topaz, green, clear topaz goes through diffusion treatment to turn it green.  These treatments are not permanent and will fade to show the true color of the topaz piece. 

All gemstones including topaz can safely be cleaned with warn soapy water with or without using a tooth-brush.  After cleaning the gemstone wipe it with a soft cloth.  Avoid contact of any type of gemstone with household cleaning chemicals and protect them from extreme heat to prevent permanent damage to the gemstone.

Always store gemstone jewelry inside a fabric lined box or wrap it in a soft cloth then store it separately from other gemstones.

Cliptomania.com has only one pair of earrings featuring real topaz that is violet in color with 14K Gold Vermeil hammered tops paired with a rough cut ruby ring and a bracelet with rough cut ruby, citrine, and garnet gemstones.  The hints of pink in the violet mystic topaz and the pink hints in ruby go very well together even though they are different gemstones.

References: gemselect.com , minerals.net,  and gemsociety.org

 

Big & Bold @ Cliptomania.com

A sampling of Big & Bold Non-pierced Earrings @cliptomania.com

Macabebe Shell Gypsy Hoop Clip-on Earrings

Lacy Puff Clip on Button Earrings

B&B Wire Wrapped Stars Clip-on Dangle Earrings

Janice's 2-Tone Dangle Clip on Earrings

Inverted Teardrop & Crystal Doorknocker Earrings

Pretty & Petite Earrings @ Cliptomania.com

A preview of some of the non-pierced earrings in Pretty & Petite @cliptomania.com

2-Tone Swoosh Clip On Earrings

P&P granulated Crystal Clip On Hoops

Petite Silvery Kisses Non-pierced Earrings

Petite Pearl & Crystal Clip On Button Earrings

Chain Half Hoop Petite Clip On Button Earrings

2 & 3 Tone NP Earrings @ Cliptomania.com

These are just a tiny sampling of the 2&3 Tone Earrings@Cliptomania.com

Patina Button Clip On Dangle Earrings

2-Tone Swoosh Clip-on Earrings

Chevron Twist Clip On Dangle Earrinsg

2-Tone Round Button Clip On Earrings

2-Tone Interlocking Circles Clip On Earrings

The Gemstone: Ruby

Multi Gemstone Earrings, Bracelet and Ring

Note: Ruby is the lighter red stone in the ring and the one on top of the citrine and garnet

The gemstone ruby is a corundum or aluminum oxide whose name comes from the Latin word ruber which means red.  This gemstone is found in over a dozen countries worldwide including in the United States.  Other varieties of gem quality corundum known as sapphires.  All natural rubies have imperfections in them including color impurities and inclusions of rutile needles called silk. Gemologists use rutile needles to distinguish natural rubies from synthetics, stimulants, or ruby substitutes that lack silk.

Natural ruby colors include all shades of red including pink.  They also have primary hues in addition to its natural color these include a vibrant shade of red called pigeons blood as well as other colors such as  orange, yellow, green, violet, or the most popular hue blue.  And rubies can also have a secondary hue or color. The possible colors include: orange, purple, violet, or pink. Determination of a ruby's grade through analysis of their color, cut clarity and weight.  Color is the most important evaluation specifically from hue, saturation and tone.

The most common cuts for rubies are oval and cushions which hold up best.  However rubies can also be cut circular, triangular, emerald cut, pear, marquise cuts all of which do not always hold up as well. Generally the size of a ruby is under a karat to keep cost reasonable any larger and its price will vary greatly.

Rubies are generally heat-treated to cut down on or eradicate impurities inside of the natural fractures in the gemstone. Or a rough ruby is only given a pre-polish and maybe a cleaning with hydrogen fluoride.   If there are fractures in the specimen lead glass fills them in.  Or if the gemstone’s color is lacking a glass powder with copper and another metal oxide like sodium or calcium are given a try to enhance the natural color of the ruby.  Otherwise rubies are left as natural as possible.

Cliptomania.com carries ruby jewelry including rings, bracelets and earrings from designers such as Michelle Pressler, Michal Golan, ThereseMade , and Emilie Shapiro Contemporary Metals.

All gemstones including ruby can safely be cleaned with warn soapy water with or without using a tooth-brush.  After cleaning the gemstone wipe it with a soft cloth.  Avoid contact of any type of gemstone with household cleaning chemicals and protect them from extreme heat to prevent permanent damage to the gemstone.

Always store gemstone jewelry inside a fabric lined box or wrap it in a soft cloth then store it separately from other gemstones.

References: gemselect.com and minerals.net

 

In Gold or Silver @ Cliptomania.com

A taste of In Gold or Silver @ cliptomania.com

Clasping Double Drop Clip On Earrings 

Knocker Non-pierced Earrings with a Twist

Lovely Leaves Clip-on Dangle Earrings

Chain a Swinging Clip On Earrings

A Rainbow of Color @ Cliptomania.com

In kindergarten I was asked by my teacher what my favorite color is, I answered rainbow and to this day, it has not changed.  Below are just a taste of the colorful clip earrings that are available on the cliptomania.com website.

Tri-Color Half Hoop Clip On Earrings

Kati Dangles Clip On Earrings

Prosperity Jewelry’s Jewel Glass Dangle Non-pierced Clip Earrings

Frosted Bead & Epoxy Clip on Drop Earrings

Glittering Rivoli Crystal Clip on Earrings

Sparkling Ovals Clip On Earrings

Clustered Beads NP Gypsy Hoop Clip Earrings

Julie Vos @ Cliptomania.com

Spencer Pearl Drop and Chloe Open Bangle with Delphi

Jewelry designer Julie Vos began her business in 2006 filled with anticipation as she embarked on living out her dream to create jewelry using gemstones and 24k Gold patina as her mediums. (Each jewelry piece is 24K Gold electroplated over nickel free brass.) Vos is also careful about which gemstones she chooses to use in her jewelry because she strives to make each piece as affordable as she can. 

Her hard work paid off! By 2014 Vos has over five hundred boutiques that carry her jewelry.  And she has received praise from editors of Marie Claire, Instyle, Vogue.com and more for melding rich textures and vibrant colors in each piece of jewelry she designs.  Vos has also been featured on the covers of Oprah Magazine and Real Simple.  

 At cliptomania.com, beauty of Vos’ jewelry and affordability of it that drew me to want to add it to the website.  Check out the sets in our new section Jewelry Sets.