Everyone knows that, when it comes to gifts, there are three types of guys: the guy who’s really sweet, tries hard, and generally manages to get it right; the guy who’s really sweet, tried hard, and still fouls things up pretty often (but he’s cute and sweet so you try to forgive him); and the guy who just doesn’t try very hard at all, so you’re pretty excited when he gets you something more interesting than a toaster.

As chance would have it, most guys seem to be most like guy number 2—he tries to catch your hints, and he always puts a lot of thought and heart into your gifts, but a lot of times, he just misses one or two details that happen to be, well…CRUCIAL! But we all love him anyway.

Like any girl, you really, really want him to get you something good for Valentine’s day, if only because you can’t stand the hangdog look he gets when he sees that you don’t like his Valentine’s gift. So here’s a hint—online wish lists are your friend.

I know, I know, how much thought could a guy really have put into a gift if you’ve already told him what to get you? But, if the alternative is “Hangdog Harry” for two weeks after Valentine’s, it may be worth the compromise. I mean, after all, he at least needed to think about which items on your wish list he thought would mean the most to you. And, of course, while he’s looking at the things in your wish list, he may find other things that you would like too—so even guy number 1 (the guy who always knows just the right gift) can be helped by a wish list.

As you know, my favorite jewelry store is Pugster, and I think their wish list is pretty cool. You just click on the “Add to Wish” list button in the product description, and when you’re done you can email to whoever you want. To demonstrate, let me show you what’s on my Pugster Wish List for Prince Charming this year:
A couple of months ago, I started my first European beads bracelet, and boy, am I addicted! They’re just so cute! And they’re so easy to slip on and off and rearrange. And they’re good for, literally, any occasion. I can wear them to dinner with grandma, or to a dinner party, or anywhere, and people are always commenting on my bracelet.

I love how this charm bead sparkles, with its Austrian crystals.

Again, I love how this little red heart is surrounded by sparkling crystals. And a little bit of color is always welcome.

I like my earrings dangly, and these pink heart-shaped Murano glass earrings are just gorgeous. And the thing I love about Murano glass is that it’s so versatile—it can be dressy or casual, and it looks great either way.

If Prince Charming is really feeling nice this year, this is what he’ll get me! I love how delicate this pendant looks hanging from its shiny white sheer ribbon. And it’s perfect for the spaghetti strap dress I want to wear out on Valentines.

More Murano glass earrings—actually, I think these would be great for wearing to work, or out to lunch with a friend. Casual and fun.

Sterling silver is great for Valentine’s Day, and I love how this cute heart outline kind of hangs at an angle. And while CZ is no diamond, it looks just as good when your man doesn’t quite make the big bucks yet.

This ring is sooooo cute! I love how feminine it looks with the dangling heart charm. I think I’m going to get this for one of my best girlfriends (we’ve been friends since preschool), but I’ll be jealous if I don’t get one too.

I met a friend of mine for coffee last weekend, and she was wearing this incredibly cute clasp charm bracelet, with all kinds of cute little charms, so I’ve been thinking about starting a bracelet myself.

As you know, I love Italian charms, and these deluxe charms are a really fun way to make a classier Italian charm bracelet.

I know it’s kitschy, but something about Valentine’s Day brings out the third-grader in me. Remember making “Be Mine” cards out of construction paper? I sure do, but Italian charms are easier.

What else needs to be said? Well, besides “I love it!”

Jewelry which is termed ‘vintage’ includes many decades or eras. Each era has many different designs. These eras include Georgian, Early Victorian, Mid-Victorian, Late Victorian, Arts and Crafts era, Art Nouveau, Edwardian, Art Deco and Retro.

Georgian Jewelry (1714-1837)
Georgian jewelry is handmade, making the quality of each piece variable. Needless to say, Georgian jewelry is very rare. Often featuring nature-inspired designs such as leaves and birds, Georgian jewelry frequently includes precious stones.

Early Victorian, Romantic Jewelry (1837-1850)
Like jewelry of the Georgian era, early Victorian jewelry features nature-inspired designs. Frequently, these designs would be delicately and intricately etched into gold. Lockets and brooches were popular everyday jewelry during the early Victorian era whereas colored gemstones and diamonds were worn during the evening.

Mid-Victorian, Grand Jewelry (1860-1880)
Because the Grand or Mid-Victorian era corresponded with the death of Queen Victoria’s husband, many jewelry pieces have solemn, grave designs. Known as mourning jewelry, the pieces feature heavy, dark stones. Jet, onyx, amethyst, and garnet are frequently found in jewelry from this period. The jewelry also became especially creative during this period. More colorful designs were born featuring shells, mosaics and colorful gemstones.

Late Victorian, Aesthetic Jewelry (1885-1900)
During the Late Victorian or Aesthetic period, jewelers used diamonds and feminine, bright gemstones such as sapphire, peridot, and spinel. Star and crescent designs as well as elaborate hat pins were also popular.

Arts and Crafts Jewelry (1894-1923)
Due to the Industrial Revolution, many jewelry designers rebelled during the Arts and Crafts era, returning to intricate jewelry designs and handmade craftsmanship. It was common for jewelry of this era to be simple in pattern, made of colorful, uncut stones.

Art Nouveau Jewelry (1895-1915)
Designed by Rene Jules Lalique in France and other jewelers in America, Art Nouveau jewelry features natural designs such as flowers and butterflies.

Edwardian Jewelry (1901-1910)
The Edwardian era was born when Queen Victoria died and her son Edward became king. During this period, expensive gemstones such as diamonds, emeralds and rubies and elaborate designs were the fashion.

Art Deco Jewelry (1920-1935)
Influenced by African, Egyptian and Japanese themes, Art Deco jewelry is famous for its geometric designs, sharp lines, and bright colors. Bakelite, celluloid, enamel and doublets were used frequently during this era. Necklaces were long and bracelets were worn many at a time. Amber, Venetian and glass beads, and amber were worn as well as chokers.

Retro Jewelry (1940s)
Inspired by Hollywood, Retro jewelry is colorful, bold and elaborate. Commonly worn were large cocktail rings, bracelets, watches, necklaces and charm bracelets.

Whatever vintage jewelry you choose, whatever era you prefer. Vintage jewelry is a great way to spice up your style and get creative!

Millefiori, also known as ‘1000 flowers is a glass design characterized by a mosaic flowerlike pattern. The Millefiori technique is used to make pendants, beads, paperweights and other glass products. The most popular Millefiori item is a pendant

History of Millefiori Pendants

Millefiori Pendants are made using murrine, or slender, multicolored glass canes. Murrine are fused together to create Millefiori pendants. The use of murrine rods can be traded back to Ancient Rome, Phoenician and Alexandrine times though the Millefiori technique was developed in Murano, Italy in the 15th century.

The Millefiori technique was created by altering another glassmaking method. Until the 15th century, glassmakers were producing beads from Rosetta canes. Rosetta canes have a center hole. The technique involves layering six layers of glass (white, blue, white, brick red, white then blue) over a hollow cane creating patterns of 5 concentric stars with twelve points. Beads are created when Rosetta canes are chopped. Millefiori was born when glassmakers produced Rosetta using a cane with no hole. Millefiori is made using a seemingly endless amount of colors and layers.

Creating a Millefiori Pendant

To create a Millefiori pendant, glass rod is coated with layers of different colored glass. This creates the intricate Millefiori design. The rod is furnace heated to fuse the layers of glass. After re-heating, the rod is pulled very thin. The trick is to maintain the original Millefiori design. After cooling, the rod is sliced then placed in metal rings, creating the Millefiori pendant.

Creating a Millefiori pendant is an extensive process. Each Millefiori pendant is handmade one by one making every Millefiori pendant one of a kind. Millefiori pendants come in many styles and sizes. They’re beautiful!

Whichever Millefiori pendant you buy, you’re sure to love it!

Recently I was asked by a reader what kind of wire to use in making a charm ring. I had forgotten how difficult choosing the right gauge of wire really is. Although there are few rules set in stone, I thought I would provide you with some basic wire information to help you on your way to jewelry making. Of course, the more comfortable you become with working with wire, the more you should feel free to experiment. Making jewelry is fun and creative, so have fun and get creative!

Wire Hardness

There are three different forms of wire hardness. These are dead soft, half-hard, and full-hard.

Dead soft wire is extremely soft and pliable. It can be bent with your hands. Dead soft wire is great for wire-sculpted jewelry but shouldn’t be used with large or heavy stones. Also, remember that dead soft wire is significantly more fragile than a harder wire.

Half-hard wire is slightly harder than dead soft wire. This is because it has been pulled through a draw plate. A draw plate is a tool. The draw plate has holes the same size and shape of the wire.

Full-hard wire is pulled through the draw plate more times than the half-hard wire making it stiffer and sturdier. The harder the wire, the more tools you will need to manipulate it.

Wire Shape

Wire comes in a variety of shapes. These include round, square, and half-round. Although round wire tends to be more versatile, square and half-round wire is wonderful too. Half round wire is often wrapped around other pieces of wire to connect them whereas square wire is great for wire-wrapping projects.

Wire Size

There are many different wire sizes. The higher the gauge number, the smaller the wire is in diameter. For example, a 20 gauge piece of wire thicker than a 24 gauge piece of wire. In the United States, wire is measured in gauge while wire size is measured in millimeters in most European countries. Below is just a basic list.

26 – 24 gauge (.40mm - .50mm)
This size wire is great for beads with tiny holes. An ounce of 26 gauge wire gives you about 76 feet of wire whereas an ounce of 24 gauge wire gives you about 48 feet of wire.

22 – 21 gauge (.65mm - .71mm)
22 and 21 gauge wire is a necessity to have around as they are pretty thick and can be used with most beads. One ounce of 22 gauge wire gives you about 31 feet whereas one ounce of 21 gauge wire is about 24 feet of wire.

20 gauge (.80mm)
This is a thick wire. 20 gauge wire is great for making clasps and other pieces of jewelry which need to be strong but still easy to work with. One ounce of 20 gauge wire gives you about 19 feet.

Try out different kinds of wire for different projects to get a sense of what you like. Make your own style and most of all, have a great time!