© thebijoubabe

I swear, I am just drooling at all unique, handmade jewelry I see while browsing Etsy. Most of the pieces are really quite cheap, considering they are all hand crafted and are therefore unique. Sure, a seller can make dozens of a particular style, but because the each piece is made by hand, there's bound to be slight differences with each final product.

At any rate, Etsy sure beats any jeweler's catalog in terms of variety. From the classic silver and gold chains and rings to precious gemstones to paper (yes, paper!) Etsy has them all. I wonder if there's a print version of Etsy. It cannot be that expensive to produce a print catalog with discount printing packages. If a seller can "promote her item" by paying for a premium listing, why not for a print listing?

Go have a look at the range of jewelry at Etsy and you'll see what I mean!

The jewelry channel is announcing a face lift for its web site. Along with the enhancements, they even have a blog now. Welcome to the Blogosphere jewelry folks!

From The Jewelry Channel:

The Jewelry Channel, a leading television jewelry retailer, today announced it has completed a major redesign of its online site, www.tjc.tv. The company has enhanced the site to offer not only online jewelry "Web Drop" auctions but also an array of information and retail options for consumers.

• Live broadcast of The Jewelry Channel 24-hours a day

I spotted this this gem of a jewelry and antique shop in my copy of Victoria magazine, the Paris Hotel Boutique. The real shop is not located in Paris but in San Francisco, California, so those from the Bay Area may want to stop by some time if you are into vintage jewelry and decor.
Pictured below is one of their jewelry pieces, and I was surprised to find a pretty good selection on their web site:

Lovely antique English award fob necklace designed by Tamara Berg. Necklace consists of an antique sterling silver Scottish medal attached to a sterling link necklace with 6mm taupe pearls and aquamarine teardrops. Front of fob has fancy monogram.

19th c. Enamel Seed Pearl Mourning Brooch

Just where do you buy the person who has everything something wonderful? Maybe you'll find it at the Wonder Room, but of course, may sure you line your pockets will before you go shopping there. Luxe is on the list – major luck according to the press release I got:

This month, Selfridges opened The Wonder Room at its Oxford Street store, a new 19,000 square-foot space dedicated to luxury items, fine jewelry, watches, wine and other precious gifts. The Wonder Room is a luxury emporium with the buzz of the bazaar, offering customers a unique mix of products in an imaginative setting.

In addition to gorgeous products that each of the brands will stock, there will also be individual items that are unique and out-of-the-ordinary, to bring the concept of wonder to life. For example, Hermes has created a hand-crafted winged saddle inspired by their celestial namesake, crafted from some of the World's finest skins; while rock n' roll jeweler, Chrome Hearts, a favorite among Hollywood and music royalty, has elevated the everyday sink plunger by adorning it with brilliant diamonds.

B. Dazzled is the accessory and apparel boutique brainchild of two college gal-pals, Robin and Liz. Robin started it sort of with her own small jewelry making business. Eventually, Liz suggested she head to the web, and today they are both involved with the biz.

Pictured above: Feeling alive, carefree, decadent, chic? Or maybe you need a little boost to achieve such a positive state of mind. Either way, Rachel Leigh's affirmation necklace is great inspiration. Available in either silver or gold plate on a 32-inch double layer pearl-accented chain. Pendant is a two-inch square.

Necklaces seem to be their main jewelry items (below): Brazilian designer Coralia Leets has had her pieces featured in InStyle magazine. Here she combines semi precious stones with semi precious charms and a vermeil gold disk.

More and more traditional boutiques are branching out onto the Internet and one of the latest I discovered is
Marissa Collections. From jewelry to shoes to clothing, you can get that total looking now on line. Pretty cool!

From the web site: "The most important style of each season is individual style" so says Marissa Hartington.

The store has a modern, hip look about it, nothing department storish about 9,000 square feet of exquisite space, and now our new Online store is striving to achieve the same stimulating shopping experience. Whether you enjoy the store in Naples or here online we hope you have a fabulous time.

Welcome to the Web! One nice thing about such a web store is that you can find merchandise available from a variety of designers, such as this rutilated crystal drop necklace from Sonya Ooten.

Or even a Breil leather mother of pearl watch with rose gold frame

Thus, your selection, even though this site seems to be a work in progress at the moment, is greater than you'd expect.

Working in a jewelry shop can be dangerous. It can be dangerous to your pocket book, but with all the robberies I read about via jewelry news alerts, it's really not a joke. I'm not sure if this will really fend off robbers, but one jeweler has an idea for keep his jewelry safe.

From Jewelry Store Uses Live Scorpion Guards:

A Michigan jeweler is taking the "sting" out of crime by employing live scorpion guards.

A sign advertises the store as "the most dangerous jewelry store," and the stinging security staff would certainly make a thief think twice.

It has become pretty much the norm now for clothing designers to branch out into jewelry and other types of accessories. Most realize eventually the huge market out there that they will miss if they don't, and of course, it makes sense to give a total look to your clients.

Anne Klein, known for stay-true fashion that you can wear forever, not only branched out into accessories some time ago, this company took it an extra step or two and started up their own all-accessories shops.

Most you will find in the "big cities," so for us country mice, you have the net (thank goodness). And, you'll find plenty of Anne Klein jewelry and more by doing some Internet window shopping.

Here are some watches and other jewelry goodies I found at Nordstrom.com – Yes, I know. I don't doubt that the store experience is not comparison, but still you can't beat the convenience.

AK Anne Klein Bracelet Watch Rectangular dial has Roman numerals at the XII, III, VI and IX positions. Silvertone-plated brass case and bracelet feature a sandblasted, polished finish.

AK Anne Klein Charm Bracelet Watch Six crystal-encrusted charms and a watch case hang from a linked bracelet.

As you know by now, I'm a big Etsy.com fan. Love it! So, when I saw a sort of Etsy clone, only geared all toward fashion, well, you know. I think it's cool, brilliant in fact!

It is called Smashing Darling: Your House for Indie Fashion and was the brainchild of two indie designers, Trish and Julie:

We created a place for EVERYONE who loves fashion that thinks beyond the mall. Whether you want to shop, sell your own designs, find raw materials, meet others, collaborate, or just see what's new and hot in independent fashion…we hope that Smashing Darling will become a place that brings all of these elements together and evolve to be a community like no other.

Much like Etsy, members can buy or sell indie related fashion. Here's a blurb from the general FAQ:

How do I get started on Smashing Darling ?
You can get started on Smashing Darling by creating an account. Go to our homepage and click on SIGN UP in the upper right corner. Usernames can only be numbers and letters; no funky characters or spaces are allowed. Sellers, be careful when choosing your user name because it will be the one everyone sees and knows you as. Once you're registered, please consult our Buying FAQ and Selling FAQ for more info. To register as a buyer or seller, we require you to choose a username and password and to have a verified email address. Since Smashing Darling is an e-commerce site, all buyers and sellers must be over the age of 18 (or have parental permission).

Right now, they have categories for jewelry, clothing, accessories, textile, and vintage. You can shop by browsing via category or designer. I think this has loads of potential, so I plan to keep an eye on it. Anyone else ever hear or this, bought, or sold there?

Lucky Swarovski jewelry lovers in Europe can take advantage of Swarovski latest sale, with up to 50% off in some cases. It all depends on where you live:

Browse the Swarovski Online Sale now and take advantage of the great prices on selected items in Jewellery & Accessories, Home & Style and Figurines & Collectibles.

Selected Swarovski Stores also offer the sale. However please note that the product selection and price reduction shown online are not binding for Swarovski Stores.