GirlSustainable.com » Jewelry

Repurposing molted feathers

Angelina Leigh — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:58:43 +0000

Do you like to take those nature trail walks over the weekends or when you have some time off? Or maybe you’re as lucky as I am and you happen to live in a house that birds love to visit because then you’ll never be short of a lovely surprise each day as they leave behind one or two beautiful feathers.
Now personally I think it’s an absolute waste that these feathers just go unappreciated, but what could you do with them if you weren’t a collector? Well I think there’s quite a bit.

1. Paint WITH feathers.
Just as different brushes will produce different strokes and textures, feathers will do the same.

2. Paint ON feathers.
This is something fun and your kids would enjoy it but unlike painting with feathers where you require no real skills…painting on feather does. They make a beautiful canvas but they are quite difficult to paint on. But remember the old saying’ “Practice makes perfect.”
3. Feather hair extensions
You know how it’s a lovely new trend to have feathers extended from your hair? Well you can do that easily at home – although it would be more like a feather hair ascent because you’re just going to tie a few feathers together (preferably those which are thinner and longer like those of tail feathers of peasants) then secure them around a few strands of your own hair with a fine rubber band or tread. Hide the joining area under a layer of hair so it looks like feathers are peeking out from under. Little girls would love them.

4. Costume jewelry
Feathers are amazingly beautiful and if you had the time, just keep collecting the molted feathers and soon enough you’ll find a few that you’ll want to make into earrings and other creative jewelries. Steps are really simple too, go here for a “how to make feather earring”

5.   Donate them
There are on-going project s around the world with the following being the most popular
•   NWTF Feather Distribution Project
•   WIngwise Feather Distribution Project.

Both projects support the Native American tribes across the nation for their religious ceremonies and these feathers are collected for them. However if you do wish to donate feathers, you must read up on how to do so.

Yerba Mate

Angelina Leigh — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:43:48 +0000

When someone said to me “Have a yerba mate!” a few things crossed my mind. One, that person was not native Australian so why the odd slang. Two, I’m not native Australian so what’s a Yerba and to begin with was I stereotyping to believe “Yerba” was an Australian term just because she said “mate” at the end of the sentence? But she didn’t really say “mate” like how it normally sounds in that line “g’day mate”…sounded a tad more like ‘mat-tay’ so was she laying the accent on a bit thick?
Well I’m glad my reactions were slow and that thinking those few thoughts up actually made me stand dumbfound for a good few minutes – which was good because it was long enough for me to see a cup of tea was being offered to me – a cup of tea called “Yerba Mate”. Yes I think the correct way to pronounce it is yer-bə-ˈmä-ˌtā, so she wasn’t wrong, but at that point it time…it was all quite alien to me.
Yerba Mate is not the brand of the tea but is instead a plant, specifically the South American rainforest holly tree (Ilex paraguariensis). Rich in nutrients like vitamins B-1, B-2, A, riboflavin, carotene, colin, pantothenic acid, inositol, iron, potassium, magnesium minerals,
and 15 types of amino acids, the Yerba Mate is easily deemed superior to even the green tea. And it’s far better than coffee or conventional tea because it give you that similar energy boost only without the muscle tensions and headaches so that means you’re able to stay alert yet relaxed, all at the same time.
In fact I read somewhere a wonderful equation that summarised the benefits of this wonderous drink. Yerba Mate = strength of coffee + health benefits of tea + euphoria of dark chocolate. Really now what could beat that?
Now my friend offered me yerba mate in a cup and that’s really how I take all my teas, but it is interesting to know that in Argentina, over 90% of the people drink yerba mate with a gourd and bombilla. And just as the Chinese have the Art of Drinking Tea, the Argentineans have The Art of Drinking Yerba Mate in a Gourd.

Thiourea in silver cleaning solutions

Angelina Leigh — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 15:34:00 +0000

If you have silver at home, then you’ll know how keeping the shine is no easy task. No matter how well you keep your silver, with time it will tarnish and you will feel inclined to do all you can to bring them back to shine. Now there are many methods to clean your silver but you’ll probably recognize how it’s a back breaking task which is why most of us back away from safer methods such as kitchen chemistry (foil, salt, baking soda and hot water) and go for the easier and quicker (almost instant effect) commercial silver cleaning solutions.
Now it’s really your choice what you choose to use to clean your silver but I must stress that you be aware of the fact that Thiourea is often the main component of any successful silver cleaning solution.
Thiourea works by chemically dissolves silver sulfide (tarnish) and I’ll have to say this stuff is amazing. A simple dip into a solution containing acidic thiourea will remove stubborn aged tarnish on your silver in minutes! But the truth is that’s really not all it does so you’ve got to be aware of what you’re using.
Thiourea is corrosive and if you’ve ever come into skin direct skin contact with a silver cleaning dip solution you’ll probably realize how it dries up your skin and causes painful cracks. But that’s not quite the worst of it. It’s not exactly proven but Thiourea is a suspected carcinogen so I guess it’s still best to keep the direct contact to a minimum. However what is proven is that Thiourea has the following effect on health:

1.   It irritates the respiratory tract leading to pulmonary edema.
2.   Causes chemical conjunctivitis
3.   Skin irritation/chemical burns
4.   Causes nausea and vomiting.

But I honestly do get it – it’s amazing how effective silver dipping solutions are as opposed to home made solutions where you likely have to put loads of elbow grease into it to give it a good clean/shine. I would still say avoid using the chemicals too often and if you do that the proper precautions like wearing gloves to avoid direct contact or try searching for a less toxic version (so far it’s probably Hagerty).

All about pearls

Angelina Leigh — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 01:58:16 +0000

Everyone’s has got their own favorite picks when it comes to gemstone but as precious as the pink diamond is or exquisite as pink-orange corundum may be, pearls are just unique on their own because despite being classified as a precious gemstone, they aren’t even stones to begin with. And what’s truly unique is that they are also the only ones found within a living creature and the only ones that requires no fashioning (cutting or polishing) to be recognized and used.

For centuries, pearls have been treasured as they hold a high place in history and myths that no other gemstone has ever done. You see, not only was the pearl sacred to the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite (the Greeks believed pearls were formed from the tears of the beautiful Goddess when she was born from the sea), it was also priceless to the Egyptians, Persians, Hindus, Romans and Chinese. Julius Caesar and Cleopatra are two of the most famous historical figures who had an infatuation for pearls – The Roman Emperor dedicated a cuirass made of pearls in the temple of Venus Genetrix in Rome while the beautiful Cleopatra, the last of the Queens of Egypt was supposed to have owned the 2 largest pearls of history. She diluted one in vinegar, drank it and the other was cut in halve to adorn the ears of Venus in the Pantheon at Rome.

For a gemstone of such stature, things sure seems to have taken a turn for it today as the fact is , pearls are found in masses all over the world and affordable to everyone with a dime in their pocket. Quite a baffling change wouldn’t you agree?
Well there’s a good reason for that because pearls did not just magically began appearing in all the oceans. Pearls are formed under specific conditions and like all things of nature; don’t have an accelerated growth/ maturity rate.

Thus what you see in the market today are the man-made pearls, man-meddled with pears and real natural pearls.

Man-made pearls
Under this category one is a real fake pearl and the other is a faked real pearl. Get the difference? No? Well the first is a pearl manufactured by man through the use of chemical synthetics like plastic – these of course are the cheapest form of pearls. The second is an artificially formed pearl made from shells of oysters. The shells are cut into shape then given a layer of lacquer to give it that shine that resembles a real pearl. Be aware that it is shell pearls that are being sold as genuine pearls.

Man-meddles with Pearls
These refer to the cultured pearls where pearl farmers artificially recreated the event that happens only by chance in nature (the delicate formation of a pearl). So these are real pearls but they didn’t occur under natural conditions.

Real pearls
These are the prized ones whose formation was untouched by man. It is created by nature out of a mollusks healing process.
So if you’re new to buying pearls, take note of what’s out there. If the price is too good to be true, there’s a good chance it’s a shell pearl.

Eco Totes

Angelina Leigh — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:03:06 +0000

When it comes to bags, we women are really fussy. Bags to us are like shoes, sacred. But I think the one bag we all can agree on being useful is the tote. The tote bag probably got its name from the origin of its purpose – to tote, that is to carry. Now regardless of whether you are a keep it simple girl or a fashion savvy diva, there’s a tote for everyone. Gone are the days when tote bags were just bland homogenous looking things. These days they’re made from all kinds of materials and they’ve been dressed up to make them both more practical and fashionable.

But we damsels of the sustainable like our totes green now don’t we? Well indeed we do and her are just some of the more popular green materials being used to cater to our green needs.
1. Post consumer plastic bags
You know how the useable lifespan of plastic bags is pretty limited? Well these totes give them a much longer lifespan and a greener outlook. Visit plasticbagrecycling.org to find out how/where you can go to recycle you post consumer plastics (PCR) and True ReUSAble Bags to find out where you can purchase such a cool bag.

2. Recycled cotton
Great it’s not synthetic fibers but it’s also not just cotton – it’s recycled cotton. We’ve been through this quite a few times now but I’ll say it again – cotton is one of the world’s most environment polluting crops. Using recycled cotton may even beat organic cotton in terms of sustainability. You can get your hands on beautiful recycled cotton totes at EcoBags.

3. Repurposed t-shirts
This is a bag that you can make for your own. Save the environment and your wallet all at the same time. And the best part is you don’t have to be gifted in the sewing department to succeed in putting one together. It really just involves using a sleeveless t-shirt or cutting the sleeves of one with sleeves, cutting the neckline wider and sewing the bottom flat across from the inside, so when you turn it right side out you have your handy bag! Well just in case my instructions made no sense, Erin Huffstetler’s would take care of that.

Happy toting!

Repurposing your toothbrush

Angelina Leigh — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:03:50 +0000

We may all come from different backgrounds, but the one thing I believe we can safely saw we share in common is the use of a toothbrush to maintain dental hygiene. And part of good hygiene not only dictates we keep our toothbrushes clean but also respect that there is a expiry date for each one used. You can’t possibly be using the same toothbrush for a year! In fact the average lifespan of each toothbrush is only 3 months, believe that’s what the dentist would advice.
Anyhow that just means the landfills see thousands of toothbrushes being tossed out each month. Now I know there are many kinds of toothbrushes these days. All fancy names and fancy designs but all the same a waste when it comes to expiry date, or is it?
Here are some great ways to repurpose your old toothbrushes.
1. Scrubbing jewelry and silverware
Everything needs a little cleaning every now and then, but items like jewelry and silverware which have tiny hard to reach edges need some specialized cleaning tools. But why waste when a toothbrush can do just as well? The bristles are firm but soft, if they won’t hurt your gums then surely it won’t hurt metal either?

2. Cleaning water filters
Due to deteriorating water conditions in some places, many more homes are now installing the use of water filers. Now there are many kinds of water filters but the smaller ones that sit near your kitchen sink sometimes use ceramic filters and you do need to remove them to clean them out after a while and an old toothbrush is just perfect for the job!

3. Art brush
If you ever watched Art Attack, you’ll realize how fantastic an art brush a toothbrush can me. They make beautiful spray spatter patterns and your kids will love them.

4. Creative jewelry
Not something new but did you realize you can make a neat modern bangle with old plastic toothbrushes? You just need to remove the bristles, boil the base in hot water for a bit to soften the plastic and then using pliers/ thongs to curve them into shape. Of course be wary to only use full plastic ones and not those with rubber bits. Perhaps next time you go shopping for your toothbrush, pick one with a base that will make a lovely bangle 3 months on.

5. Scrub for your pet turtle
Well if you have a pet turtle, you’ll know you give his shell a wash down every now and then; and a little scrubbing power from the old toothbrush will only help the cause.

A diamond of memories

Angelina Leigh — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:54:08 +0000

I like to start of my year thinking of beautiful things…and since Valentine’s is the next big universally celebrated occasion coming up, I think it’s the perfect time for me to share with you something that’s a neat cross between a girl’s best friend, a husband’s pocket sorrow and of course a friend of nature – the beautiful diamonds.

Now I’m not here to tell you about any ordinary eco-friendly diamond – we’ve talked about it before and it’s nothing new or exciting. No I’m here to bring to your attention a diamond that “contains the essence of life as well as your most precious memories”. A diamond that has potential to be the most “unique, sentimental and cherished heirloom you’ll ever own”.

So what’s different about this eco-diamond and how do I know it will be the most precious gem you’ll ever own? I mean I adore jewelry and love gems but each time, just as I’m about decided this is my favorite piece, my heart falls for another…so really can we ever be satisfied with just one gem? Well I say yes because when it comes to DNA2Diamonds, your heart is in the core of it.

DNA2Diamonds are special genuine diamonds- albeit man-made. They are created using the signature carbon taken from hair or cremated ashes of loved ones and pets and are still physically, chemically and optically identical to earth-mined diamonds – eco-friendly of course.
Each diamond is thus unique to you and your memory and although it will cost much less than a natural mined diamond, a DNA2Diamond would be priceless in your heart because of the life essence it contains.

Personally I think this is a beautiful way to commemorate a loved one. It seems a befitting that a diamond (deemed one of the world’s most precious bodies) should be chosen to house what once was a celebrated life.
Of course, when I say it costs less than an earth-mined diamond, I’m not in away saying it’s affordable to everyone. You’ve still got to be prepared to part with at least $2.2k for a diamond under ¼ carat and that’s only for the gem minus any settings.

If you have the cash, then I say why not go for it – they can make a diamond out of a lock of hair for you in 3 days! It’s a fascinating idea and you can watch how it all happens in this video.

Those gems we think are diamonds

Angelina Leigh — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:00:32 +0000

Dishonesty is a well known epidemic that plagues the world. It leaves hopeful women heart broken, innocent children deprived of a childhood and genuine people robbed of their rights. Hardly anything new, in fact a fact that makes the world go round but quite annoying and down right tragic when you’ve set your heart on something only find yourself cheat of it. Bringing this rant closer to home, I’d like to specifically highlight to everyone who is into jewelry to be aware of an all too common scam.

Diamonds are precious stones that clearly rank amongst the highest (if it is not already ranked as the highest) on the most sought after gem list. Only problem with that is there are different grades to diamonds and while the best are obviously very expensive, the lower grades can be relatively cheap. But dishonest businessmen would love to have unsuspecting buyers believe otherwise and have them pay a King’s ransom for what the industry would classify as worthless. What’s even worse is when they try to sell you a fake diamond (cubic zirconia) and this actually happened to a friend. It had been the last gift he got her before his untimely death soon after and it was heart wrenching for her to learn that they had gotten cheated over it.

They bought what was supposed to be a genuine natural diamond ring, paid the price of what one would cost only to find it wasn’t even a low grade diamond. It was a synthetic .

But this scam is nothing new. What I want to bring to your attention is the ‘fake diamond’, cubic zirconia and how its use in the industry has literally destroyed the reputation and favour of another genuine natural gemstone, the zircon.

You see Cubic Zirconia and Zircon are two names that have been thrown about and used interchangeably by dishonest salesmen. In fact some probably don’t even realize there is a difference. Cut to the chase, Zircon (Silicate mineral, zirconium silicate, ZrSiO4)is the real deal. It isn’t a diamond but it is a natural occurring gem. Zircon always occurs in crystals that are pointed at both ends. They re usually brown or colourless but can be blue, green or red. Heating the gem can alter it’s colour. Cubic Zirconia on the other hand is man-made from a mixture of high purity zirconium oxide powders stabilized with magnesium and calcium.

Now to the important part about which is better, synthetic gems or natural gems. Well frankly neither are eco-friendly. Natural gems are harmless but the mining process isn’t. Synthetics on the other hand come with their own issues because Synthetic and simulant gemstone are produced from one of three types of processes: melt growth, solution growth, or extremely high-temperature, high-pressure growth – and the one thing they have in common – massive energy consumption!

So if you’re into blings then what’s best is looking for recycled jewels and gems where the damage is already done and it won’t contribute anymore to the cycle. It doesn’t matter if it’s a synthetic or natural gem, all that matters is you are in love with the piece, it didn’t cause more harm to the environment and most importantly you know it for what it is and paid that fair price!

Know your diamond, know your zircon, recognize zirconia and find a gem that will the earth will love you for.

Modern Rings for the Modern Bride

Angelina Leigh — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:53:51 +0000

“Some old, something new, something borrowed, something blue…”that a nice traditional rhyme that every bride-to-be has heard or sung in her head many a times before the big day. Only problem is, some modern girls are well…modern so the superstition behind the saying really does not get to them, not when it means having to wear something, especially an engagement ring that is old or borrowed (worse if it’s both!) so the only part of that rhyme they’ll gladly do is something that is new and blue (if it happens to be a favourite colour).
So you’ve guessed it, today we are discussing, the modern design engagement rings for the modern day bride.
Modern, the definition:
Well anything that is designed in today’s age would be considered modern – where the stones can be perfect cuts in the hands of sophisticated machines and the designs anything from geometrics inspired to abstract and clean crisp lines.
The Modern Woman
Your lovely bride to be is likely a modern bride if she shudders at the thought of anything that isn’t bright and clear. She likes monotones and wouldn’t even think of trying on anything in sweet floral or 70’s circles. She likes everything she wears to be clean cut and sleek. Vintage to her simply means something pre-owned so definitely not her thing.
Where to buy
Well modern design rings are the easiest to find, but the down side of it is how finding one that is unique can be quite the challenge. With modern designs, most rings can be mass manufactured and often enough you’ll find imitations of even the most expensive ones, so finding the perfect ones that represents her is quite the task. But here’s where you can do something special. You can mask that old superstition into modern ring and keep the wedding tradition alive! She won’t be adverse to the idea because you’ll be looking for a ring that is created in current times, not pre-worn but instead merely made using recycled metal and stones! And when I look around, I find that for modern designs, such green rings are your best bet for something truly unique – drop by Harmony Metal & Gems for a peek at what you can expect!

Modern engagement rings are the rebirth of nature’s own resources (metal & gems) symbolic of how your love for her will never die, it only changes in form to a deeper and greater one.

A Vintage Engagement

Angelina Leigh — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:00:51 +0000

Welcome to the first installment on how to identify what kind of engagement ring style your ‘wife-to-be’ might posses and how you’re going to get about on your search for the perfect engagement ring. Today we’re going to start off with vintage.

Vintage – the definition
Firstly let’s begin with what vintage is NOT. Vintage is not just old stuff. There is a clear different between something that is vintage and of vintage style – so don’t be confused or deceived. Vintage in fashion and jewelry refers to an item with origins that date back between fifty to one hundred years old. Anything older than that and we are talking about antiques, and we’ll get to that later.

So clearly you can see that when you say vintage, you’re referring to something of the Edwardian ((1901–1910) or Mid Victorian (1837–1901) era. They style back then for jewelry were quite ornate with a good mix of stones. Aesthetic Jewelry, Mourning Jewelry and Grand Jewelry were all designs from these eras. Filigree and metal craftsmanship I would say was at its peak as all the pieces were skillfully designed by hand. The inspiration was often nature and florals.
A lady of vintage taste
Don’t be fooled that just because she hasn’t got her house all plastered with floral wallpaper, draped with sweet lace and filled with Regency Era furniture, it means she hates vintage. The signs aren’t always that obvious…in fact women who love vintage are likely fans of romance and elegance, with that touch of unyielding regal glamour. She probably admires cream tops with high collars with tasteful lace trimmings, adores pairing them with pencil skirts and having cascading curls in her hair. She appreciates filigree, impressionist art and is smitten by the glamourus romance of stories like Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire.
Where to buy
With vintage, clearly you aren’t looking for something new so popping into the next famous jewelers won’t help you. Of course today you will find due to the popularity of the designs, there are many ‘new rings’ designed to look old – modeled after the vintage era. But if your lady truly loves vintage then nothing beats the original because of the master craftsmanship that no longer exists.
Furthermore it is also due to the craftsmanship that makes each vintage piece unique. You should not be able to find a similar one, if you find yourself in the hands of a seller that tells you he has various sizes for the ring, then obviously something is wrong.
Believe it or not, the best place to start shopping for vintage rings is not really online, but instead with determined visits to vintage shops. You really can never tell what little surprise may await you there. Often, many jewelry pieces are unappreciated by the unknowing eyes and who know you could pick up a good bargain.

Alternatively you may find the most beautiful rings on auctions sites but just as you would with any jewelry piece, you must be careful with your purchase. I would advice such purchase to come with a genuine recognizable appraisal. Vintage pieces are by far the greenest rings you can ask for and certainly among the most fitting for a proposal…they are like no other and will cause no more harm to the environment, just as your love for her.