A couple of packaging ideas for your jewelry.
So…. you’ve created your jewelry or whatever it is you make and now it’s sold. It really doesn’t end there. A very important part is the packaging. You don’t want your beautiful creation to arrive in a paper towel. There are times that I have ordered things and have been completely disappointed by the packaging. Don’t let this happen to you.
The pic above is of me and is a cool way to display your earrings. It’s certainly not a novel idea but the image obviously is…lol. There are a ton of ways to display earrings. Find the way that works for you.
Check out my PINTEREST board to see many packaging ideas. See it HERE.
This is the way I’m now sending out my rings. The back of the card is in the next pic.
Make sure your contact info is on your cards. Brand your company name. Everything you send out should clearly state who you are.
I put all my jewelry in breathable plastic bags that I buy from my jewelry supply store. I also use kraft jewelry boxes to send out my pieces. Notice that my business name is visible on the package. I finish it with a pretty ribbon. I also included a note in the package to thank my client and another business card.
Don’t overlook your presentation. It says a ton about who you are as a company.
You can find my work at my online shop or if in the Arizona area I welcome studio appointments.
Fill your heart with art and pretty packaging.
~manon
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
Spring is a time of renewal…even in the desert. Even though we had a mild Winter you can still feel Spring in the air in Arizona. The cactus are starting to bloom, the days are getting longer and much warmer. I took the above picture as we were getting ready to go out a few days ago. I hope you can see the rainbow in the background. It was a really special moment that I wish I had my Nikon with me instead of my phone.
I made these earrings last year and they never really inspired me. Since Spring is the time of renewal and new beginnings I thought I’d give these babies a renewal bath!!
©manon
Sterling silver earrings with agate beads.
Here they are as beautiful new drop earrings with yellow agate beads for Spring.
©manon
Silver earrings with yellow agate.
I really like the way they turned out. I think I’m the queen of reinvention. If it doesn’t work go in a different direction!!
This is also an untouched photo of a sunset I just recently took. My phone did just fine for this one. I love sunsets year round here but lately the sky has just been amazing. Everything seems to be coming to life….including the snakes…..yikes. I love this time of year. Spring into Spring, renewal, reinvention and the promise of new things to come.
fill your heart with art
~manon
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
©manon
Sentry Air Fume Extractor in my studio
Over a year ago I was reading a post by jewelry artist Deryn Mentock on her blog Something Sublime about a fume extractor that she was using. After many years of grinding glass and now soldering I was very interested in my lung health. I referred back to her post and called Sentry Air Systems about a fume extractor for my studio. The people were so very kind and helped me in making an informed desicion about which model to choose.
I recently received it and I love my new fume extractor. It makes a huge difference!! It also eliminates having to instal hoods and cutting holes in your roof and it’s completely portable for those on the move.
I was later contacted by a lovely lady named Joy from Sentry Air about doing a blog post about me for Jewel day 2015. Click this link to read the post JEWEL DAY.
This past week I’ve been playing around with new sterling forms. Kind of organic looking pieces. This one is called *three peas in a pod.*….lol.
©manon
Nevada Blue turquoise necklace
I took a beautiful Nevada Blue turquoise and paired it with one of my organic pieces. It’s one of my favorite necklaces right now. I absolutely love how it sits.
©manon
Nevada Boulder turquoise ring
Oh …how I love thee Nevada Boulder turquoise. This little pretty sold the day I finished her to my dear friend. It was purposely not my size…..grrrrr. I named this ring *a river runs through it*….I better stick to making these pieces and not naming them!!
It’s been a great week!! I have really awesome upcoming news!! Stay tuned!!
Fill your heart with art and clean air!!
~manon
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
I have a stash of beautiful turquoise that I work with. I thought I’d give some facts about turquoise today. Turquoise is very old among gems. The oldest known use of turquoise dates back to 3000 B.C.; turquoise embellishments have been found on Egyptian graves from this time period. Gemstone jewelry incorporating turquoise was also popular in ancient Egypt, and ancient Aztecs, Persians and North American Indians used turquoise in jewelry and ceremonial attire.
It is a blue to green-gray mineral that consists of copper aluminum phosphate. The mineral is a hyrous phosphate of aluminum, which includes a small percent of copper. The copper is what gives the turquoise its blue coloring. When the turquoise mineral has iron you get the greenish turquoise. If it contains zinc, it will be a yellowish color.
Turquoise is the stone of sky, stone of water, stone of blessings, good fortune, protection, good health and long life.
Turquoise is found in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia Utah, California and Nevada. Turquoise is considered one of the highest value minerals in the world by many collectors and turquoise made in southwest is now known as one of the most valuable in the world. The above pic is a map I have in my studio for quick reference of exactly where my turquoise is from.
Many turquoise are fakes made of powered turquoise and epoxy around a base of rock. There are some shady local dealers that will make composite masses of these materials and pass it off as legit. Also, another way turquoise is made out of magnesite and howlite. If one doesn’t have much knowledge about turquoise they can be easily fooled. That kind of *turquoise* is cheap and the only thing turquoise about it is the color and even that’s wrong.
Rob surprised me a couple of weeks ago with an array of collectible turquoise. This piece is stunning. It’s from the Number 8 mine. The Number 8 turquoise mine in Carlin, Nevada was first mined in 1929. In its prime, Number 8 produced some of the largest nuggets of turquoise ever found. The color of Number 8 varies from light blue, blue with shades of green to beautiful dark blue. It is found with a black, golden, red or brown matrix. With the black and red spider webbing being the most valued. Today Number 8 turquoise is one of the most valuable stones that can be collected. High-grade Number 8 turquoise is by far some of the finest turquoise to ever have come out of Nevada. It hasn’t been mined since 1976 by Dowel Ward.
Here is another pic of some of my new turquoise from my love. The large piece is a Royston turquoise and one of the pieces is B25 mine and the rest are Carico Lake.
I recently took this large turquoise that is from the Kingman mines and made a ring. I stamped the words *trust the universe* on the back but I almost put *go big or go home* on it…lol. This ring can be found in my shop.
I made these earrings with Kingman turquoise beads. In most retail bead stores if you’re buying beads that are really cheap and they say turquoise chances are that you’re getting magnesite or howlite. Turquoise will be much more for a strand. Always ask if it is genuine if you are unsure.
There is so much to learn about turquoise and I am by no means any kind of expert but with a basic knowledge you can start to enjoy the beautiful qualities of this stone.
fill your heart with turquoise.
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
Turqouise gemstone cabochon ring
©manon
I truly love making gemstone cabochon rings. I was initially intimidated by them but as soon as I got over that fear I couldn’t stop. The larger gemstone cabochons are my favorite to put in the settings. I had this large Bisbee turquoise in my turquoise stash and I immediately knew it had to go into a ring.
This is another Prehnite cabochon. It’s a really pretty stone with greens, yellows and whites. It makes for a gorgeous ring.
I’ve worked with a few of these Bumble Bee jaspers. They’re bright and bold and look terrific on!!
Labradorite cabochon ring
©manon
Labradorite cabochon ring
©manon
The two rings above are labradorite. A friend of mine purchased the square one. He told me of a wonderful story of his dad. The labradorite mines in Labrador had been almost ruined by the mining that what happening there. The Inuit cut them off. In the 90’s my friend’s father and his crew approached the Inuit and told them that they would mine in an ethical way. They were allowed to mine until his dad passed away. He believes that some of the labradorites that I use might in fact been touched by his dad. It makes me happy to know this when I use these beautiful stones.
Have a wonderful week ahead!! You can find my work HERE.
fill your heart with art
~manon
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
I am a gemstone cabochon addict….lol. Lately, I find myself delving deep into the land of gemstones. I’m so amazed at these beautiful stones that have been forged by the earth and polished by man. I get so excited to use each one in a new piece of jewelry.
The pieces above are rutilated quartz cabochons….ooh la la!!!
The ring above is also rutilated quartz. It is the most incredible stone. Take a good look at the thin shots of gold color…..swoon!!!
This is an Australian Chrysoprase. I’m not really attracted to the perfect stone. I love the imperfect with a lot of variation. This stone fits that bill.
These are my prehnite cabs. I have so many cabochons that are the bluish color so it’s nice to mix it up a bit.
This sterling silver ring houses a large golden prehnite. It’s already gone to a new home but I wanted to show how pretty that stone was.
My man, Rob, is such a doll. He often gifts me with gemstone cabochons that he finds. He also came with me to the Gem and Mineral show in Tucson and another show yesterday. He found these stones for me. They are *Good Day* chrysocolla. Love them!!! My pic does not do them justice!!
Finally…… I found that I also have a love of fossils!!! 🙂 Omg…how cute are these sand dollars??? Got to run and get going with all this fun!!
You can find my work here and don’t forget to join my email list…top right… for future mail blasts!!
fill your heart with art
~manon
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
For months I have been playing with WordPress on my own. I was able to do some things but getting pretty frustrated about others. A friend of mine suggested a professional….yeah!!! So here is the new website design!!! Thank you so much, Eileen!!!!
I’ve been busy since I last posted. I’ve made a lot of new pieces so I’ll only post a few today.
The rings above are turquoise. The one on the left was a commissioned Bisbee piece and the other is a stunning Morenci turquoise. That blue is out of this world.
I made this silver leaf pendant last week. The back has *I AM* stamped on it. You can fill in the blanks……I AM…..strong, fearless, brave, a warrior……you get the drift.
Simple sterling earring. Love these babies. They’ve already gone to a new home.
When I saw this crazy lace agate it reminded me of the earth. I added moons and the sun to it and the quote….The earth turns to gold in the hands of the wise. What a beautiful saying. I’m really quite pleased with how this turned out.
Every single time I open my boxes to see the turquoise I’m still shocked how amazing each piece is. I took this large Bisbee for this bracelet. I’ve added extra links so that it can fit a large or small size.
Thanks for stopping by. I’m going to start putting out a newsletter for the latest happenings. Don’t worry….it won’t be too often. Leave your email on the right hand side if you’re wanting to keep up to date on my new releases.
You can find my work in my shop by going here.
Fill your heart with art!!
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
I love the new year. So many possibilities!! The holidays were awesome and I’m stoked to get back at it. Last month I purchased this labradorite stone. Yup….it’s huge. The only answer was a big pendant and you can see below what I made with it!!
The setting is all sterling silver and the sterling silver chain is 36″ long with an extra hoop so it can be adjusted.
I stamped *wherever I go I go with my heart* on the back. I also created two cutouts so you can see part of the stone.
Btw…you can find this piece in my shop.
This Peruvian opal is quite lovely. The shape and color are perfect.
I finished this dogtooth amethyst yesterday. It’s a large stone but I think it makes a beautiful ring.
Another Bisbee turquoise ring. 🙂
My three latest rings…..labradorite, Bisbee turquoise and dogtooth amethyst.
I’m looking forward to the year ahead. I’ve got new ideas and lots of pretty stones to work with. You can find my latest pieces at my etsy.
see you soon and fill your heart with art!!
~manon
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
I’m having so much fun creating these pieces. It’s so important to find your passion and run with it even if it’s an hour a week. I do get those frustrating moments in my studio when everything goes wrong but then I’ll put on my running shoes and get outside for thirty minutes and when I come back my head is usually cleared up.
This is a pic of the bezel I made before I put in this beautiful labradorite stone.
SWOON….thankfully it’s not in my size or it would of stayed with me…lol.
Here’s a photo of both the labradorite and a new Bisbee turquoise ring. That ring has feathers stamped on it and says….feathers from angels…on the band.
Love, love this piece. It’s a unpolished Bisbee turquoise and it says…. soul of a warrior…on the back. It’s gone to a real warrior. So happy!!
I made it long and I think it was the right choice.
For years I’ve used Moo to do my business cards for my paintings. I just recently started using them for my jewelry. I think they turned out great!!
You can find my jewelry at my Esty shop or contact me at manon@sistersofthesun.com
fill your heart with art
~manon
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!
I’m officially obsessed with gemstones. Who knew????? I thought that shoes were my only problem but now I have to throw these stones in…lol. These are some of my new ones. Included in the photo are a labradorite, moonstone, African bloodstone, Peruvian opal…..swoon, swoon… candelaria and Nevada turquoise. So much fun!!!!!
I started with the Peruvian opal…omg!! It’s such a beautiful stone. Check out the next two pics. I cut a hole in the back so when the light shines through you can see how lovely it is. These photos don’t have it on a chain yet but I did that yesterday. You can check it out at my Etsy shop.
This piece was so much fun for me to make.
Ahhhhh…..the Kingman turquoise….. I just smile thinking of these amazing stones. I made this sterling silver ring in a size 7.5 so it wouldn’t be close to fitting me…lol. I’m so pleased at the way it looks. Btw…. I keep getting calls from my mom about my manicure or lack of. Really? I had to remind her that my hands are working in metals and files each day. A manicure isn’t going to fix what I have going on…lol.
Have a wonderful start of the weekend!! Thanks for stopping in!!
fill your heart with art
~manon
Hey there!!
My name is Manon. (pronounced Man + O) Yes….my mom cursed me with my name. In her defense I guess she never though I’d leave Quebec. I’m a jewelry artist and painter. I’ve been creative as long as I can remember and things haven’t changed. I now live in Scottsdale, AZ. I spend most days in my studio making pieces that speak to my heart. Thanks for stopping by!!