How often do you encounter a situation when selection of the right kind of fashion accessory makes you go wild? Some women have such dilemmas once in a while, some once in a week, and some of them go through this daily. The question bugs? Do I look different? Do I look attractive enough?

Sometimes you often wonder why some women become the epitome of fashion whereas some strive for little appreciation even after wearing an expensive diamond necklace.

Well, I believe that beauty is not the cause. For I have noticed some of the most charming ladies being bugged with similar kinds of hassles. The reason is, most women simply follow the stereotyped fashion trends and do not get noticed among the crowd.

The idea is that you have to dress differently in order to look different. I guess, jewelry happens to be an important part of fashion. Therefore it is necessary that you make some changes in your jewelry box, visit us at www.jandmjewelrydesign.com

To start with, I must say, that simple elegant jewelry are out. Gone are the days of a simple chain with a diamond pendant. Ladies are no longer totems of sophistication. Just try out something much more dashing.

When you try to look different, there is no harm in being a little more adventurous. One of the latest trends among fashion is to try out something Bohemian. And when it come to Bohemian fashion, there is nothing like a candlenut necklace. The candlenuts, commonly known as Kukui nuts, are strung together in a string or a ribbon and tied in knot. Black happens to be the most popular color. However other colors like green, brown are also in vogue. The Kukui nut jewelry can be worn as necklace and also as bracelets.

You know what; I have always admired fashion conscious ladies since my early teenage. I still remember how my young English teacher at the high school adorned her ears with long wooden danglers. As she moved her head sideways while explaining the lessons, the danglers simply danced around her beautiful ears and caught our attention for an entire hour. Later on, I came to know that such wooden danglers can be easily made at home. All you have to do is cut out two stripes of reasonable length from a piece of ply and smooth them with sandpaper. Make sure you get the edges rounded. Drill small holes in each of them and attach a jump ring at it and attach it again with a hook. And there you are! That would look elegant as well as dandy!

After all, fashion is not about following the latest trends of market. Fashion is all about flaunting your own style that would reflect your own personality. Sometimes, the jewelry you wear may not go hand in hand with your personality. But once you are confident about your accessories, you can simply flaunt anything under the sun.

It is thought that earrings date back to 3000 BC where they originated in Asia and appeared in 2 formats, one being the simple earring and the other the more elaborate pendant earring.

The oldest earrings ever found by archaeologists were discovered in royal graves in Iraq and date back to around 2500 BC. Gold, silver and bronze hoop earrings have also been found dating back to 2000 BC in Crete. In those days it was customary to bury jewellery with the dead.

In 16th century in the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt a type of earring called an earplug became fashionable and these fitted snugly into a wide stretched hole in the earlobe. This type of piercing is seen on the sculpture of Tutankhamen.

Poverty in the Dark ages meant that work with precious metals dwindled although some goldsmiths preserved designs that were to later emerge in 7th century Greece. The most popular earrings then there were the pendant type and they often featured a bird or likenesses of the gods Eros and Nike.

In the 2nd century during the Roman Empire, earrings became a popular way for rich women to show off their wealth and the use of gemstones in the jewellery also became more popular.

During the Middle Ages, earrings became less popular and practical due to the popularity of elaborate hairstyles and headdresses.  In fact for a time it was considered immoral for respectable married woman not to have their heads covered in public.

In 16th century Italy, hairstyles changed with hair being swept away from the face leaving ears exposed although for another 100 years things stayed the same in England, Spain and France with the wearing of high collars keeping earrings out of fashion.

By the 17th century, earrings became very fashionable accessory for the well dressed lady across the whole of Europe. One of the most popular designs of those times were the very large heavy pendant type earrings called girandoles which were great favourites of Queen Victoria. These earrings required a substantial amount of precious metals and gemstones and so were very heavy, which meant that most people that wore them suffered from elongated earlobes.

Although earrings were popular with wealthy people throughout the ages, they were also popular with poorer people who adopted their own styles which were less elaborate and made from less expensive materials.

It wasn?t until the 20th century that earrings were completely revolutionised. Different fittings appeared such as screw and clip on as well as those for pierced ears and it also became the norm for women to wear earrings in the day and not just for special occasions. The 1960?s marked a massive change for the wearing of earrings when designs became completely unrestrained and it became common to see men also wearing earrings although most only usually wear one earring. Women began to collect earrings and with so many designs available the choices were endless.

Today the choice is even greater and the popularity of earrings increases with many people now having more than one set of piercings in which to display their jewellery. Modern materials such as titanium and different types of plastics have also become popular in the making of earrings because of their lightness, design possibilities and in the case of titanium because of its hypoallergenic qualities.

There is now a never ending choice of different types of earrings from modern trendy cheap and cheerful everyday earrings to the more expensive gold, silver or platinum earrings inlaid with diamonds and other precious gemstones.

The earliest bracelets date back to around 2500 BC and were those worn by the Sumerians in southern Mesopotamia. Bracelets, necklaces, anklets, finger rings and ear rings made the women of Sumer into show windows of their husband's prosperity. Bracelets were found in the tombs of Ur where it was customary to bury royalty with their jewelry and unfortunately their poor servants.

By about 2000 BC, in Ancient Egypt, bracelets emerged as major pieces of jewelry. Bracelets were found in the ruins from the Vesuvias eruption in Pompeii in 79 AD.  It was during the age of the Egyptian Pharaohs that charm bracelets were first seen although charms themselves dated back as far as the Neolithic era when men would gather unusual bits of wood or pieces of stone which would be carried about their person in order to ward off their enemies. So these charms were considered "lucky charms" and powerful protectors against evil.

It wasn't until the time of the Pharaohs though that these charms were incorporated into elaborate pieces of jewelry such as wrist and neck bracelets which were not only deemed to offer protection but were also a sign of how prosperous the person had been in life and after death would be an indicator to the Gods of this persons proper status in the after life.

In Grecian times bracelets were popular with men and soldiers wore defensive bands of leather, often decorated with gold, silver and or gemstones, on their forearms. They were known as "Bracels", from the Latin Brachium, meaning, "arm". When women caught on that these Bracels would look great on them, they started wearing smaller versions, called little Bracels...or "Bracel-ets".

The history of bracelets stretches forward through the Middle Ages of medieval Europe through the Baroque period of the 18th century, and on right through to the present.

Throughout time, bracelets have been made from many different materials such as leather, iron, copper, beads, bone and teeth as well as precious metals and gemstones.

Bracelets have always been popular and the styles seem to have varied according to dress styles. In cultures where people wore sleeveless or short sleeved attire such as the Romans and ancient Greeks, the wearing of bracelets both on the upper and lower arm became popular with both men and women. The wearing of upper arm bracelets is still popular today with modern fashionable skimpy clothing lending itself well to the wearing of more jewelry.

Today, bracelets are worn by both men and women in a variety of materials such as traditional precious metals like gold silver and platinum. Modern plastics and acrylics are now much used to make trendy, unusual bracelets as well as metals like titanium and zirconium which have become popular because they are hard wearing, very light and hypoallergenic. Whatever your tastes and whatever your budget, there is an enormous choice of bracelets and bangles to suit everyone.

Written by John Lewis

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Lampworking is a skill that takes a great deal of practice and patience.  We as Lampwork bead artists understand the glass and the torch: how much heat it takes for glass to flow, how much heat can be applied to a bead that is already shaped before it becomes molten again and loses shape, when to add decorative effects and how different colors of glass interact with each other.  Dots of colors can be manipulated to form designs.  Small dots of color can be left as bumps on the beads' surface or plunged into the center of the bead for a totally different look.  Fine lines are possible when working with tiny rods of glass, kind of like painting with a glass paintbrush.

Our Lampwork Beads are considered to be artwork that is wearable. Variations in the shape of these hand-made beads add to their uniqueness, which means no two beads are exactly identical.  We choose colors from a palate, and then handcraft all the beautiful designs that come from our heart, as each creation is made with thought, creativity, and skill. All of our new Lampwork Beads have been properly kiln-annealed to ensure their durability and beauty for years to come.

Look for an "SRA" seal when shopping for authentic, handmade, lampwork beads.  Don't be fooled into buying cheap, mass-produced imports.