Heating Up

You probably know that Magpie Gemstones is in the heart of Texas, but you may not know that we are breaking record temperatures right now. The weather person predicts 109 degrees for today and we've had over 70 days of 100 plus degrees this summer. This heat and the drought along with the small fish pond near the door of Magpie land attracts interesting critters. One discussion this week pertained to whether the long snake in the little pond was a good snake or a water moccassin. We're still trying to figure that one out. I think you're supposed to examine the snakes eyes to determine the answer, but we have not decided which one of us is going to get close enough to do that! Any volunteers?

We did much better getting close to and personal with the new beads that went into the store this week. We're pleased to have Gibby back from his trip and available to take pictures for you. I think he might be partial to the turquoise and this week quite a few new strands of it are available for you. Below you see Turquoise Hubei Heishis and Turquoise Ma"an Shan Nuggets. These would heat up most any of your designs.

I also wanted you to see the Baltic Amber that's available. These are really nice colors. While I'm stuck in the house away from the heat outside, I'm contemplating the interesting ways I might use this amber.

If you're inside too, why not take a peek at some of the designs shown in Magpie's Client's blog?http://turquoisemagpie.blogspot.com/ I always find inspiration there and call it my "marketing research". Magpie Gemstones certainly has a plethora of talented clients.

You may live in a part of the world where it's also been heating up and that makes it hard to think about Fall designs. If you are lucky and the weather is more temporate where you live, you have probably got a jump on Fall. It's time! If you are preparing for the Fall and holiday shows where you sell your jewelry, you might want to heat up that process before much longer and we've got the beads you need in lucious colors for the upcoming season. By the way, the shows around here start in ernest around October first and (Yikes) it's almost September. I'd better quit reminding you and start heating up my own workbench.

. . . heating things up for your jewelry designs, we are Magpie Gemstones.

Leather Anyone?

I wanted to use this venue to let you know about Magpie Owner Szarka's video on YouTube where she shows us how to incorporate leather into our jewelry designs. For some time I avoided using leather in my designs because I didn't know what to do with it. This video shows just how easy it is to use leather and acquaints viewers with the many options for using it in designs. I now use leather often, but watched the video and it sparked several new ideas I want to try. Did you know you can even use leather in earrings? I'll be trying that one today. If you need any leather for your next jewelry project, we do carry it at the following link: http://www.magpiegemstones.com/leathercord.html The photos show a couple of necklaces Szarka has made using leather as a design element.

Here's my question about the video Szarka made on using leather. Why would a woman who makes her living selling beads show us a way that can save us money on our designs by using leather? Wouldn't you think she would want us to need as many beads as possible? I'm priviledged to have been acquainted with the Magpie Gemstones company long enough to realize that they truly want to help us as artists. Leather is a viable design element that can add interest and change the look of our pieces. Yes, it's true that means we may need less beads for a piece, but Magpie Gemstones simply wants to help us get better at what we do. I, for one, appreciate this attitude and look forward to whatever artistic help the company can share with us.

The next gem show date for Magpie Gemstones is the Enid Gem and Mineral Society show in Enid, Oklahoma. It will be held September 16-18.

On a sad note, two Magpies have been out of town this week attending an out of state funeral for a young family member. As usual, Szarka and Kateri have manned the fort well, but look forward to returning to normalcy by next Wednesday. If you've not seen quite as many informative posts this week you will now understand this reason for this.

Next week there will be a new newsletter out and new beads will go into the store so watch for updates and don't forget to consider leather in your designs.

. . . encouraging your artistic endeavors, we are Magpie Gemstones.

Beads, Beads and More Beads

The beads are here!!! I mentioned in the last blog entry that Szarka had been on a buying trip. It's always exciting to receive the results of her trip and this year, the boxes of beads came on a big truck. You can see the large number of boxes in the photo below and get a bit of an idea of just how many beads have arrived. I can truly appreciate the effort it takes to get the beads inventoried, photographed, described, priced and finally into the online store. This process will obviously take a while, but I hope you will watch for the new beauties.

One of the Magpie customers (Dora) volunteered to help Kateri with the show in Mississippi and we were able to get a photo of them setting up. Do they look like they know what they are doing? Of course they do! Kateria always does a good job for us. She loads, unloads, sets up the booth and is even friendly to the customers. The latter is really the most important thing.

I hope you had a chance to look at the new article/tutorial we published this week about multistrand necklaces. I certainly learned a great deal putting it together for you and hope it will be helpful. Part II of this topic should be published later this week. http://www.magpiegemstones.com/mutlistrand1.html Multistrand necklaces are especially nice for the upcoming season and they make it easy to mix pretty Fall colors. Why not give it a try?

The new opal green beads that went into the store this week would work well in your new Fall deisngs. You know, it is just about time to get going on those pieces! Here is a piece Szarka made using the beautiful opals.

Kateri will be in Schertz, Texas this coming weekend (August 19-21) at the Schertz Convention Center for the AKS Gem, Jewelry and Bead Show. Schertz is between San Marcos and San Antonio, Texas and we hope some of you folks can make it out to say hello. http://www.magpiegemstones.com/shows.html

. . . procuring beautify beads for you, we are Magpie Gemstones.

Things That Fly

The title of this blog entry might suggest a contest. OK. How many things that fly can you list in two minutes? But, who wants to do that? I'd rather think about things that flew at Magpie Gemstones this week.

The most important things that flew this week were Magpie owner Szarka and the littlest Magpie. They flew away on a buying trip and I can hardly wait to learn what they found for us. We'll have to wait for the delivery truck to actually see the beads. Time after time, I am amazed at the variety of excellent quality beads that Szarka procures for the online store. After working with beads for so many years, you'd think I'd seen it all, but she always manages to surprise me. From some stones that I've never heard of to familiar ones in new shapes and sizes, the beads continue to bring life and add to the myriad of possibilities for our designs.

While the beads shown here didn't come from the trip this week, they do represent the description above - good quality, unusual type and interesting shapes. I continue to marvel at the beauty of green amber shown here in a single bead. The unikite has also been popular with my customers and these shapes come together very nicely. Don't wait to long to get the beads you want from the website. They fly right out of here and are seldom seen again when they're gone.

By the way, are you planning on flying into the Gem and Mineral Society Show this weekend in Mississippi? It's August 12-14 and you can get more information from this link. http://www.magpiegemstones.com/shows.html Kateri and Szarka will be there to help you with your bead selections. Don't miss out!

Did you have a chance to read the second part of the information we provided about The Healthy Bead Artist, Excellence Versus Perfectionism? In the second part, I included information about overcoming the type of perfectionism that is troublesome. http://www.magpiegemstones.com/perfectionism2.html It's good food for thought whether you have perfectionistic tendencies or not.

Here in Texas, we would really like for this hot dry weather to fly away. Much of the wildlife in the area clusters near whatever water they can locate and I would be remiss to talk about things that fly without showing you the "flying" birds I've seen here lately. I hope you can see the five turkey gobblers that are spending time here on our property. The photo is pretty dark, but I promise - they are there and "NO" they are not for Thanksgiving.

Since we gave up on making that list of things that fly, why don't we just make a list of beads we want to fly from Magpie Gemstones to our mailboxes. That sounds like more fun to me. Let's see now . . . amber, amythest, carnelian, turquoise . . .

. . . flying off to work for you, we are Magpie Gemstones.

Sharing

Isn't it wonderful how most jewelry designers enjoy sharing techniques and ideas? We gather in small gangs, chat in internet groups, share internet links with one another and help friends with techniques. I had never heard the term "meetup" until I started making jewelry. Now, it's one of my favorite words!

Magpie Gemstones makes a real effort to contribute to the sharing that is part of making jewelry. Hopefully, you are already aware of the numerous free articles and tutorials available through the website, http://www.magpiegemstones.com/. For example, did you see the newest article on the Healthy Jewelry Artist, http://www.magpiegemstones.com/perfectionism.html ? This week, Magpie owner, Szarka, is asking us what we want to see in terms of free video tutorials. I hope you have already perused her other YouTube videos and seen the introduction to these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFlK7jGnoeo&feature=player_profilepage . Please speak up and let us know what techniques you would like to see in these videos so that we can share with you.

While we're sharing, I wanted you to see the beautiful labradorite that is new in the store this week. This is one of the more popular stones and works for all seasons. I'm always amazed at how it picks up the light. Have you tried it?

Magpie Gemstones is also sharing at the Hill Country Bead Society retreat, September 23-25 in Wimberley, Texas. http://hillcountrybeadsociety.com/upcoming-events.html Kateri will be there with lots of beads available all weekend and Szarka is providing a special seminar on turquoise. I'm (Karen) teaching a couple of classes, too. If you have ever been to a bead retreat, you know that the camaraderie is really the best part, but there's also wonderful sharing and learning that goes on.

On a sad note, Szarka's Grandma Jo passed this week. During her years, she shared her love of beads and jewelry freely with her bead store customers, friends, and family. We honor her for the joy she brought to many lives and her incredible strength.

. . . always eager to share with you, we are Magpie Gemstones.

Running Shoes

Have you noticed the large number of beads that have gone into the Magpie Gemstones' store this week? After the owners were gone on a buying trip and secured new turquoise beads, they came right home and put on their running shoes to get as much as possible into the store for us to see. It's been all business this week as new things were photographed, described and entered. I know we featured the turquoise in last week's blog, but I wanted to be sure you didn't miss seeing these graduated beauties. Yes, I just had to get some for myself and I'm going to need more! Get them before I do . . . want to race?

If I were you I would run right over to the computer and pick out one of the Titanium Druzy pendants set in sterling silverthat are available. I purchased something similar to this a few months ago and I thought there was going to be a fight between two customers regarding who saw it first. These are especially nice because they come complete with bail and are ready to go. How easy is that?

I think that Kateri, who helps fill the orders, even put on her running shoes this week to help get all the orders right out. Actually, she's always running to get these off to you and I believe Magpie is among the very few online stores that gets orders in the mail immediately. That makes a big difference to me because when I buy beads I want them Right Now! Don't get in Kateri's way when she's headed to the post office with your orders. She's a gal on a mission.

Kateri and Szarka will be running off to Mississippi in just a few weeks for the next bead show. They hope you'll come visit them on August 12-14 for the Harrison County Gem & Mineral Society Show at Pass Christian, MS.

Did you see the new tutorial we just put up on how to make your own headpins? http://www.magpiegemstones.com/makingheadpins.html I hope you will find it helpful and that it will keep you from having to run out to the store and make a purchase. It's really easy and quick to make your own.

That's it for now since I've got to go put my running shoes on and get back to work. Don't forget to let us know if you have any questions about the Magpie Gemstones products or making and selling jewelry.

. . . wearing our running shoes for you, we are Magpie Gemstones.

Teasing?

Are any of you old enough to remember when Cabbage Patch dolls first came out? Every little girl just had to have one and supposedly the factory just couldn't make enough so they were in short supply. Parents stood in long lines that began predawn for the slim chance of snagging one for a child. Perhaps you're more aware of the current generation who has waited in line for a new Harry Potter book or an IPad II. I always wondered if the manufacturers were just teasing us by saying their supply wouldn't meet the demand. It made many of us that more eager to make a purchase. I have always wondered if the hoopla was just a big tease and there was more product available than the manufacturers released.

What if I said that Magpie Gemstones has this great new turquoise but you can't have it right now? I might even allude to the possibility that it could be in short supply. Would that also be a tease? Yes and no. The Magpie owners went on a quick buying trip last week and came home with a huge amount of new gorgeous turquoise. When Szarka opened just one box to show me some of it, I was flabergasted by the quality of the strands. I hope that I didn't actually drool on any of them. Why, there was enough turquoise that we could have emersed the youngest Magpie in it just as you bury people in the sand on the beach (for fun, of course).

So, the point is that The Turquoise is Coming and I'm not teasing. The current supply looks good, but you should get what you want when you see it. Watch for it to go into the store just as quickly as the pictures have been taken and information put on the website. I think you will be pleased with both the quality and the price of the new beauties and I'm NOT teasing!

The giveaway is still on!

 

By the way, there are only a few more days to either place an order or get a postcard to Magpie so you can be in the drawing for the free necklace. No Teasing . . . you had better hurry up! Check out the information at the link. http://www.magpiegemstones.com/jewelry_giveaway.html

. . . telling you the truth without teasing, we are Magpie Gemstones.

Show Time

Well . . . it's ALMOST show time. If you are like me, you want to plan ahead for bead hunting and I thought you might enjoy having a heads up on when Kateri (minus the long hair) from Magpie Gemstones will be taking the beads out for shows.

Mississippi here she comes! Look for her at the Harrison County Gem & Mineral Society Show in Pass Christian, Mississippi August 12-13. Then she's Oklahoma bound September 16-18 for the Enid Gem and Mineral Society Show in Enid, Oklahoma. Also in September, the beads will be ready for your viewing (and purchase) at the Wimberley, Texas Bead retreat September 23-25. We will post more information about the Wimberley event soon. You can also click on the link on the website for more details about these shows. http://www.magpiegemstones.com/shows.html

Did you happen to notice the article just posted on the website regarding how to effectively use Facebook?  It's written by our friend Shannon of Vixens Natural Jewelry I think you will find this information very helpful. Thanks Shannon!

I hope you haven't forgotten to place an order (before July 23rd) for your entry in for the necklace giveaway mentioned in last week's blog. You'll remember that you can either make a purchase or send us a postcard that we receive on or before July 23 in order to be in the drawing for this gorgeous necklace and earrings. If you need more information please follow this link http://www.magpiegemstones.com/jewelry_giveaway.html Don't wait too long, the days of July are tick, tick, ticking away.

No blog entry would be complete without beads . . . (you know, we ARE a bead company) Did you see the aventurine that's on sale? These are really yummy colors that work for right now as well as Fall.

As you can see, we've got a pretty good "show" going here at Magpie Gemstones; yet, not show is complete without an audience. We hope you are part of ours!

. . . showing you the best we can offer, we are Magpie Gemstones.

'Tis Better to Give Than To . . .

. . . ADVERTISE! This mantra has served us well as Magpie Gemstones. We could be spending thousands of dollars on advertising to attrack new customers, but instead we want to say a big "THANK YOU" to those of you who are already our friends.

We have two really nice give aways going on right now. Are you feeling lucky? The first is a gorgeous necklace that Szarka made from Hydrothermal Quartz Blue Facted Tear Drop, AAA Grade Tear Drop Fluorite and Apatite Heishi that she blended with sterling silver. Did I mention there are earrings too? The purchasers name for every Magpie Gemstones order between now and July 20 goes into the drawing for this great jewelry set. If you are not inclined to order right now, send us a postcard. Those we receive before July 20 will also go with the names for our drawing. Full details are on the website at http://www.magpiegemstones.com/jewelry_giveaway.html  Find out how the winner will be notified and what that person needs to do to secure this prize.

Magpie Gemstones is also giving away stablized Sleeping Beauty Turquoise beads and a pendant on facebook. Yes, I, too, am drooling over these "beauties" in the picture. You just need to "fan" us on facebook. To read more about this please go to http://www.facebook.com/MagpieGemstones

Go ahead and tell your jewelry making friends about these giveaways. It's just part of giving back to our wonderful customers. (by the way, I hope you win!)

. . . giving our customers the best we can, we are Magpie Gemstones.

Learn with Us

If you have read our blog previously, you know that I'm Dr. Karen and I write for Magpie Gemstones. Yet, that's not how I found my way into this company. I started as a learner. After purchasing beads from Magpie, I discovered the wealth of information that is available on the company website. Have you looked at all the free information that's yours for the taking? I found it to be quite helpful.

I've been fortunate in being asked to write a number of articles about making and selling jewelry and I hope you have also seen some of these. For example, did either the article on patinas http://www.magpiegemstones.com/copper_patina.html or the riveting article http://www.magpiegemstones.com/rivitinng__cold_connect.html help you?

I also learned a tremendous amount from writing the website's stone properties, found in the About Gemstones section http://www.magpiegemstones.com/properties.html . It was really interesting to learn where various stones come from and I finished with a new respect for many of them. This week, Szarka threw me a loop when andalusite appeared in the new beads. At first glance, I thought it was smokey quartz. See what you think from the photos below.

Anadalusite, a metamorphic mineral, is shown in the first photo. It was first found in Spain and contains dark inclusions of carbon or clay. Wikipedia tells us that the faceted stone gives off red, green and yellow. Who knew??? I guess this is a chance for us to learn even more simply by looking at the beads. I can do that. What a deal!

By the way, many of the articles and tutorials that appear on the Magpie Gemstones website were initiated by you, our readers. Your questions prompt our thinking and research followed by an honest effort to help you. Please don't ever hesitate to write and pose questions about beads, jewelry making or selling jewelry. (Sorry, we're not qualified to solve personal problems!)

It's not unusual for my phone to ring with Magpie Gemstones on the other end anxious to tell me about something new they discovered or eager to describe how they just located a hard-to-find stone. I hear the same cheeriness when they describe how they were able to help a customer solve a problem. That customer might just be you the next time!

. . . learning along with you, we are Magpie Gemstones.

Think Fall

It's supposed to be 104 degrees here in South Texas today and here I sit trying to plan for Fall. Many of you will get wrinkled brows considering the idea of thinking about Fall right now. Maybe you just got into your bathing suit and are still trying to figure out how to handle this summer's activities. After all, it's only June. Yet, if you vend at any Fall events, it really IS time to think Fall. These shows usually start in late September and early October. If you are trying to think about filling a booth with your treasures, it's time to start.

Luckily Magpie Gemstones is ready to help us out. I'm drawn to brown and black for Fall creations and am going to grab some of the new beads in the store. Why not take a peek at the Black Tourmaline, Black Agate and the Black/Brown Agates that are available? I can visualize these will all sorts of Fall creations.

Another stone that especially caught my eye this week is an Amolite Canadian Slab Red Cabachon. It's 28mm and has FALL written all over it.

While you are busy looking at those new beads, don't forget to checkout the close out beads. This great buys go into the store and then end without notice. Different beads go into this group often and I try to keep an eye out for what's happening in that category. www.magpiegemstones.com/closeout.html

By the way, while you are congering up images of Fall jewelry, keep drinking that lemonade and wear plenty of sunscreen! Fall may be coming, but Mother Nature isn't quite ready for it.

. . . helping you plan ahead, we are Magpie Gemstones.

Don't forget that your purchase of $500 of beads, including those in the close out category, wins you 30% of your purchase. I guess it just pays to shop at Magpie Gemstones.

The Family That Stays Together

I think there is a saying about how "the family that plays together stays together". At Magpie Gemstones, we could write that saying several different ways, but the results would still be positive. Just in case you don't already know, let me tell you about the business.

Magpie Gemstones is the epitome of the family run business. Everyone in the family is involved in some capacity and each person takes his or her role quite seriously. I guess that's why it works. Observing this family business for several year, I am struck most by the their ability to work hard all day and then enjoy one another's company at night. They seem to do a good job of keeping the business in perspective with family life.

Since I've run a cattle business with my husband for the past 13 years, I can truly appreciate how well all those Magpies work and play together. There is just that one thing. During a meeting last week, the youngest Magpie suggested they take more time off, but don't worry, following careful consideration of this suggestion, the elders prevailed and you will still be receiving your orders promptly.

You might want to think about ordering some of the gorgeous pendants made by Clay Genie that just went into the store. Just in case you don't know about this artist, Jean Christen, I enjoyed writing an article about her which you can read at the following address: http://www.magpiegemstones.com/clay_genie.html Magpie Gemstones has stayed with this artist for many years largely due to the fine quality of her work. It is not like that of any other clay artist I've seen.

I also wanted to mention the amazonite that is in the store now. I was particularly inamored with the lovely rondelles and showed them to one of my customers. She also liked the nuggets; so I guess I will be ordering both since "staying together" with my customers makes sense to me.

We hope you will "stay" with Magpie Gemstones and appreciate this family business. I know that the family appreciates the customers!

. . . staying together to serve you, we are Magpie Gemstones.

http://www.magpiegemstones.com/home.html



Things That Grow

The sun is out and the weather's hot in Texas, but things are thriving at Magpie Gemstones. I snapped this photo yesterday during a meeting at the headquarters. Look at their great garden! Those green plants seem to be quite happy living only a few feet from all the beautiful beads. As I looked at the lush plants, I couldn't help but wonder what critters might lurk beneath those leaves.

Perhaps a turtle would enjoy the shade . . . or . . . I've actually seen the big Magpie cat walking amongst the greenery. We can only imagine other animals that could lounge within this garden.

Although I haven't heard of any bears in these parts, you just never can tell what might show up.

As you can see, I've grabbed photos of some of the wonderful fetishes that are available at Magpie Gemstones. I just wanted to be sure you hadn't missed looking at these on the website. Honestly, when I first examined these I wondered what in the world I would do with them; but years later, I can truthfully say I've used them repeatedly in necklaces, on key and cell phone fobs, for purse charms and many other things. Folks are usually attracted to these creatures and they hold deep meaning for some. Imagine what you might do with them.

While you are looking at the fetishes, take a peek at the new beads that recently went into the store, I think you'll like what you see. Here are just a couple of them.

I hope you will seize the opportunity to grow a few beauties of your own this week. The bead seeds for your garden are ready and waiting at the store.

. . . offering you the joy of growing beautiful things, we are Magpie Gemstones.

http://www.magpiegemstones.com/home.html