Under The Leaves

Etruscan art was produced by the Etruscan civilization between the 9th and 2nd centuries B.C. Although there is some confusion as to their history, it is well known that the Phoenicians had a huge impact on the jewelry making techniques that the Etruscians continued to develop. Etruscan refers to a civilization of ancient Italy.  It's homeland was in the area of central italy, just north of Rome which is today called Tuscany. Etruscan Revival Gold Wire Work Bracelet It is thought that much of the jewelry that was made was made for the afterlife and much of it was never...

There was a  time that I believed the best way to preserve a book long term was to place it in a ziplock bag and put it somewhere dark.  I had not researched it or even Googled it, I just assumed. Let me just say….Wrong!Books need to “breathe” whether new or old.  When they are locked away, i.e. in a ziplock bag without ample moisture in the air, the natural materials become brittle.  Pages of the book become easily torn and the bindings begin to break down.On the other hand, if you don't lock it away and there is too much...

Shopping online is fast becoming the way many Americans prefer to shop. We skip the mall and sit in our jammies and shop to our hearts' content. As great as this is, sometimes it can prove to be difficult in finding what you are looking for. That problem extends to something as simple as finding a necklace. Besides referring to the exact length of a necklace, there are names of the different lengths that may be helpful in finding what you are looking for. Note that these length refer to the lengths of single strand necklace.The way I remember it...

 Once upon a time dishes were plain. Made from metal, wood, mud, they were Plain Janes. As time passed and one millennium slid into another, society in general continued to want to improve and beautify their surroundings. Ceramics were no exception. Keep in mind that only the wealthy were able to afford such fine things. The average person did not own or use decorated dishes nor did they have figurines and vases of fine pottery, earthenware, or porcelain. It has only been in modern times that the masses have had the financial where with all to afford fine ceramics. Ceramics...

Getting into the realm of stones and gemstones is a huge subject so I decided to take just one part of it at a time. So, today, let’s look at round stones. By identifying the cut, it can provide some useful information for dating and for determining value. The simplest stone is the Chaton. It is an 8 sided faceted stone with a flat table and a pointed pavillion. If you look closely at any of your rhinestone jewelry that has round stones, almost all of them will use the Chaton stone. Chaton stones came in literally every color including...