After my last blog post, a friend of mine reminded me none-too-gently about the great arts and crafts shows that appear all over the country every spring, summer and fall. Thanks Jerome, my jewelry making friend. This is an important point. For many craftspeople and artists, the venue for selling their work centers on crafts shows.

Attend these fascinating events and pick up some wonderful gifts for birthdays and the holiday season. If ever there was an easy way to support your country’s artists, going to crafts shows and purchasing from the artists themselves is it. Keep in mind some of these folks travel all the way across the country to attend these events. Make them happy they came!

After all, if we want artists and their work to remain a part of our lives, we have to help create the environment to allow them to survive as artists.

My latest hobby horse is to support the jewelers that live in your hometown . Before you decide I’ve gone off my rocker, at least take a look at the idea!

As the economy suffers, it makes sense to support the artists, farmers, dairies and so forth that are within an hour or so of where you live. Your economy can be expanded locally, and everyone will benefit. I’ve done some reading lately, and this is the direction I’m going in.

No, I’m not growing out my hair, moving back to the land and strumming a guitar. Not yet, anyway. But I would like to encourage more sustainable purchasing from local (and local might mean your country, as opposed to buying overseas.) It’s a thought!

Recently this wonderfully rich gemstone has captured my attention. I did a little research and discovered some interesting facts about opals .

•    Their color is the result of silica gel and water
•    Some opals are up to 10% water
•    The most, and best opals originate in Australia
•    They were considered quite rare up until the mid-1800s.

The other thing I find especially fascinating about this beautiful stone is the profusion of folklore surrounding their “birth,” as told by the Aborigines. Who knows how well these stories were translated, but I think it makes for a marvelous study!

To me, all gemstones have a wonderful beauty. Many, or most, hearken back to the beginning of our planet, and carry a history that is billions of years old. I think it’s fantastic that we humans have crafted these pockets of our planet’s beginning into things for men and women to adorn themselves with!

It would’ve been quite an adventure to be in on the first California gold rush. And yet…people still search for gold recreationally. I’d try it myself, except I’m positive the romance of the idea would be quickly annihilated by a stiff back and mosquito bites. Do they have mosquitoes in the gold country? I won’t bother to find out.

The real question is; how much gold could you possibly recover in the 21st century? I haven’t got the slightest idea. Surely not even enough for a jeweler to craft an attractive handcrafted pair of gold earrings. But stranger things have happened.

I think I’ll let those serendipitous events fall into the laps of much younger men. But still, fantasies abound. I prefer to watch them do just that from the comfort of my air-conditioned apartment.

What better way to surprise Mom than with a beautiful pendant with her birthstone? Or perhaps a charm to add to her charm bracelet, a gorgeous ring, or a lovely pair of handcrafted earrings made by an artist?

Of course not all moms like jewelry, but I’d wager that the largest percentage would love to have something given to them by their husband or child. My mom was a real sentimentalist, and from the time I gave her a beautiful topaz-encrusted butterfly pendant to the day she passed away she never took it off.

Find out what piece of jewelry Mom has always wanted to own, and make this the best Mother’s Day ever by presenting it to her on her special Sunday, May 10th.

I’m interested in expanding my awareness of jewelry crafted by Third World artisans . To me, this work speaks of the joy of life, the dangers of life, the sorrows and the changes. It is jewelry that is exuberant and alive.

I would love to see more American artists creating wearable art that is so close to their everyday lives, reflecting what they dream about and how they go about their business. Maybe they do, but the color and the drama isn’t as apparent. There are some marvelous artists in our country; it isn’t my intention to demean anyone. But I’m a guy who likes my art to be “noisy.” And this doesn’t just apply to jewelry. Some of my favorite movies are richly layered and they can be a part of almost any genre. The original “Rocky” movie is one of my favorites!

If you haven’t been collecting gold jewelry in recent years, this may be one of your last chances to do so. It’s not in my nature to be an alarmist, but I want as many people as possible to own gold, and this is one of the ways to do it. This is my opinion, but I believe you should not, unless it is imperative for your very survival, turn in your gold jewelry for money right now.

There are predictions that gold will be out the roof, price-wise within a few more years, so hold onto it if you can! It may be a bit of a bumpy ride ahead, and gold and silver can be a buffer for possible hard times.

No, this isn’t a joke. There are artists creating beautiful paper jewelry out there. As to the durability of the pieces, I couldn’t guarantee this but I’m sure they have someway to protect them in an unexpected rain shower. I can’t believe anyone would sell a pair of earrings, full-knowing that the first bit of dampness would destroy them.

Different types of paper may be used. Either created by the artist him/herself, or paper that is purchased from designers around the world. I’ve seen some lovely jewelry made from Japanese designs as well as geometric, floral and so forth.

I love the idea of making jewelry from a renewable resource, and one that is so full of vibrant color, pastel softness and surprising designs.

Spring is here (sort of). The weather is at least barely warmer, crocuses are springing forth from suburban front yards, and birds seem to be making up their minds to fly back north. It’s time to get out the warm weather clothing and accessories. Put on those pastel jackets and soft colored butterfly jewelry so you can enhance the mood of the season.

Color is the key here. Spring evokes impressions of soft colors; new green leaves, yellow daffodils, pink and blue flowers everywhere. And, of course, the ubiquitous butterfly. If you live in the city, you may not have the same feelings about spring. The air may not be as fresh, the flowers and butterflies not so ever present.

But if you look, you’ll still see it. Maybe it’s only in the relief of your fellow passengers on earth, happy to have made it through another winter. But to me, the butterfly is the most evocative harbinger of all.

Pearls are a natural for bridal jewelry. Soft and natural looking, they have a feminine look perfect for spring weddings. Since the traditional bridal gown is still white, pearls are one of the best choices to accessorize.

The history of cultured pearls goes back to 13th century China. Entrepreneurial Chinese put small metal pieces and tiny Buddha statues between the mantle and shell of the mollusk and replaced it in its natural environment. They carefully watched them for a couple years, till the foreign substances were coated in layers of mother-of –pearl. How did they figure out this would happen? Maybe the first brilliant man (or woman) dissected a peal and discovered a small rock in the center, and extrapolated from there.

Not until the beginning of the 20th century was a method devised of creating perfectly formed spherical pearls. Personally, I find the irregular naturally formed pearls the most beautiful.