About Our Jewelry

Refreshing Elements are unique combinations of quality materials and handcrafted creative inspiration! Using fine materials does increase the price of our jewelry, but the added durability and lasting beauty is well worth it. Most of our pieces are one of a kind, with some limited edition pieces. We offer wholesale quantities of a select number of pieces each season. You can assume your piece is a one of a kind original design unless we note otherwise in the description. You will find a variety of types and styles in our work, in categories such as: earrings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants, anklets, hair sticks, lanyards, mother and grandmother jewelry, pins and rings. Pieces are created of fine materials such as: sterling silver, niobium wire, kiln annealed artisan lampwork glass (crafted by ourselves and others), crystals and semiprecious gemstones. Our products, just like people, are always evolving and changing, so check back often for our new additions!


GENERAL JEWELRY CARE
Caring for your Refreshing Elements is relatively simple, see the categories about specific materials in your pieces for detail. In general, storing your pieces in an airtight container, such as the plastic bag provided with your purchase will help minimize oxidization/tarnishing and keep them protected from dust and safe from abrasion. Just don't forget to wear and enjoy them!

GLASS
There are many ways to create glass beads and pendants for jewelry use. Glass beads were first recorded in 2500BC. Use light soap and cloth as needed to keep them clean.

LAMPWORK GLASS ~ These artisan beads are handcrafted one at a time by melting rods of glass in a flame and winding it around a steel rod. They are works of art, and you can expect variations in designs. This quality displays their uniqueness and artistry. They are called lampwork beads, because in the beginning, beadmakers used a candle lamp to melt the glass. This process is about like pouring molasses onto a stick and continually spinning the stick in the flame until it is a round shape. There is constant movement, measurement of the heat and attention to the color of the glass so as not to lose the shape or burn the minerals used to color it. These beads can be quite expensive, as it can take from two minutes to hours to create each one depending on the intricacy of the designs. Only glass that has the same coefficient of expansion can be used together, otherwise they will cool at different rates and condense causing stress and cracking in the bead. Another cost factor is the color of the glass used. Some glass, such as fuschia/ruby red is colored using more expensive minerals such as gold. Thus the same bead made in different color combinations can vary greatly in price. Beads can also incorporate actual silver or gold foil into them, and enamel powders and other additions besides just the stick of glass we started with.

We handcraft our own lampwork beads and work with a few other artisans across the United States who have different styles and/or talents from us. All of the lampwork beads we use that are handmade by U.S. artisans are kiln annealed (held at a constant temperature to heat all parts evenly then slowly cooled) for strength so they should not crack. Ours are crafted of a soft or soda lime glass, such as Moretti imported from glass makers in Italy.

VINTAGE GLASS ~ These beads can come from many sources. The most common are from Japan, West Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia. These beads can be actual beads rescued from lost corners of defunct factories and businesses and never sold before, or they can be crafted from glass made in those factories in vintage eras. Some colors of glass are very complicated, if not impossible to determine, recreate and match the mineral composition. It is also the case that some colors and styles are too expensive to produce on a mass production scale for today’s market. Some old colors are thus very rare and valuable.

DICHROIC GLASS ~ Artisan dichroic glass offers iridescence and vibrant colors similar to that of a fire opal. Dichroic means two colors, and the name comes from the fact that it can transmit one (let through) and reflect another. It is a fused glass created by layers of many microscopically thin metallic oxides such as titanium, silicon and magnesium.  Different colors result from varying the thickness and placement of the layers. Layers are applied in extremely expensive machines where an electron beam is used in a very low pressure environment to vaporize the oxides and deposit them onto glass suspended above. This process is called thin film physics. When dichroic glass is viewed at differing angles, the reflection of the light goes through these separate layers, so you will see differing colors. Dichroic glass was developed for the space industry and has been used in the medical, laser, scientific measuring and photographic fields as well.

CRYSTALS
We use genuine Swarovski® (Austrian) and Celestial® (Oriental) crystals. Swarovski® glass beads are machine cut and ground using a process created by Swarovski in 1895. This process and the addition of lead, creates brilliant sparkles similar to diamonds when light bounces off the internal surfaces of the glass. These beads are fully leaded (about 32% lead and lead oxide) for brilliance, so please do not purchase crystal pieces for small children.

CANE OR FURNACE GLASS ~ This handmade artisan glass can be made in a furnace or over a flame. It is created by layering molten glass rods on top of glass until the pattern you desire is achieved. Then the whole mass is heated and stretched to make it thinner and smaller. The glass is then cut into slices with a diamond saw. The edges of the cut can be heated or polished to make them as smooth or rounded as desired.

CZECH GLASS ~ These glass beads have been made by Czech (or Bohemian) peoples since about 250BC. They are formed by melting glass into a mold and pressing it. Hence the term “pressed glass”. Many “seed” or small glass beads come from this area and are an important part of their economy.

METALS
We choose precious metals for our pieces because of their durability, strength, and long lasting beauty. In silver, we do not use plastic or plated metals (which rub off over time, and many have allergies to the “base” metal of nickel). We also do not use pewter, which is primarily tin, or any other low temperature dull white metal. Some of these metals are highly allergenic, and some pewter contains lead, whether in the solder or the actual pewter. We do occasionally craft pieces of gold filled, but not gold plated. Gold filled contains much more gold on top of a base metal and as such, has a much less likely chance of rubbing off.

NIOBIUM ~ 99.9% Niobium is a naturally occurring element from the periodic table. Niobium is extremely hypoallergenic, unlike common color coated copper wires or nickel. It is more rare and precious than gold, and commonly used in the electronics and space industries. You probably already own some in your cell phone or computer. Niobium is electrically oxidized to create brilliant colors that are long lasting, as long as the oxidation is not rubbed off from harsh abrasives (polishing). The colors are created by the reflection off the layer of thickness of oxidation. Titanium compares to niobium as copper compares to silver in value. Niobium dulled from dust and oils can be brought back to vibrance with a gentle non- abrasive soap and dried with a soft cloth. The color is very durable, so long as the oxidization is not scratched off by abrasives. 

SILVER ~ We regularly use 925 Silver (92.5% pure silver mixed with 7.5% copper) beads and wire in our pieces. Sterling silver oxidizes naturally when exposed to air. This can naturally enhance many designs as it adds depth to the metal. If you desire a more polished shiny look, an occasional polishing may be necessary. We offer a polishing cloth, or you can rub with baking soda and a soft cloth. If you do choose to use silver cleaner, make sure to keep it away from any other materials in the work, especially soft stones such as turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral and untreated stones. Our PMC pieces are made from 99.9% fine silver.

KAREN HILL TRIBE OR THAI SILVER ~ This silver is from Thailand, each bead is handmade by native tribes using methods in use from the first centuries AD. The bead is formed over tree resin by wrapping strips of silver around the form. Many of the designs have cultural significance. Then they are stamped and engraved with designs by hand. The beads are actually made of fine silver, with a silver content of 99.9%.

BALI INDONESIAN SILVER ~ These sterling silver beads are handmade from strips, dots and wire of silver. A circle shape is cut out of a strip of flat silver. It is rounded with a hammer to form half of a bead. Using a sticky substance from plant seeds, balls and silver wire are stuck onto the bead, then the two sides and design are soldered on and together. They are oxidized and finally polished to form the finished bead.

TURKISH SILVER ~ These sterling silver beads are handcrafted much the same as Bali beads are. They have a different feel and design to them, and can be more intricate and cleaner in design.

INDIAN SILVER ~ These beads are individually handmade similar to Bali beads, although usually less intricate in design.

ISRAELI SILVER ~ These beads are often hollow formed created by two different wax methods, either cast with the lost wax method or electroformed and built up on silver.

SEMI-PRECIOUS GEMSTONES
We love gemstones and use them in lots of our pieces. There is so much material available about these beautiful pieces of the earth, we couldn't hope to present it all in this space. We hope to offer more information about specific gem properties in the future. For our pieces we do always try to obtain the most awesomely natural and untreated hand-picked gemstones that we can find.

OTHER MATERIALS
We always keep in mind the durability and quality of the materials we choose. We use 49 strand professional flexible nylon coated stainless steel wire on strung pieces. They are finished with sterling silver crimp beads and findings. We use high fired ceramic beads from Greece which are colorful and smooth, similar to porcelain, and very strong. We also occasionally use wood, marcasite, terra cotta, enamel and other materials that catch our fancy. We are always open to new quality materials for variety and to enhance color, texture and shape.