In the May 28th blog post, I talked about the art of healing crystals. The information that was posted covered general information about healing crystals and jewelry, but this subject can get just about as deep as you would like to get.

If you are interested in digging further into crystals and their properties to learn how to use them effectively, you will want to check into the BC Custom Jewelry Blog every now and again, because each week, there will be another topic on healing crystals for you to enjoy! :)

This week, I am going to tell you a quick tip about how to carry or wear your healing crystal or crystals. It is going to be vital to know your crystals, what they represent and how they will help you. Once you know which crystal(s) you need for your ailment(s), understand that wearing them for a length of time is a simple and easy way to reap benefits from their healing powers.

Something else to keep in mind is that some crystals work at a slow pace, while others work much faster. Therefore, depending on the crystal, you need to decide whether you will need to wear it for a long period of time or if you need to wear it for short amounts of time in frequent spurts. It is also important to take care to cleanse your crystals appropriately.

Be careful of which metal your crystal is set in, because each crystal is effected by certain metals in specific ways, and crystals give you the best energy when touching your skin. If you want to focus the healing energy of your crystals even more, wear them so that they can touch exactly where you need healing, and within the reach of sun rays (because the sun energizes crystals).

The flatter and smoother your crystal is, the closer it can be to your skin and the easier it will be to cleanse regularly.

It may be a special gift for Mom on Mother's Day or her birthday, or just to say "I Love You". Or, it may be something that a mother wants to select and have a choice in selection for herself. Regardless of how the Mother's ring, necklace or bracelet is chosen and presented, there are several decisions that will be need to be made to perfectly create the jewelry.

Of course, the colors of the birthstones are going to depend on the birth month of her children. (Visit our blog tomorrow, where we will bring healing jewelry - from Wednesday's blog post - and birthstones together.)

January - Garnet

February - Amethyst

March - Aquamarine

April - Diamond

May - Emerald

June - Pearl Alexandrite

July - Ruby

August - Peridot

September - Sapphire

October - Tourmaline Opal

November - Topaz Citrine

December - Tanzanite Zircon Turquoise

However, the shape of the stones should be selected, as well as the types of settings for the stones. The choice of which type of gold or silver is going to have to be determined, also. Just like healing jewelry, every piece of Mother's jewelry will be uniquely crafted, because they are made specifically to match the needs of the owner, which in this case would be the birth months of her children. That is why Mother's jewelry is so sentimental and dear to a mother's heart; because it is made specially for her.

Don't forget, if you are ordering a Mother's ring, necklace, or bracelet for your mother, you can also come up with a special or intimate message or initials and Brian will gladly engrave it into the jewelry.

Everyone has their beliefs and everyone has the right to believe in what they want to believe in. Whether anything can be "healing" can quite obviously be questions, but let's get beyond whether jewelry can heal or not, and just assume that it does have healing properties. Healing comes in several ways: spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, psychologically, health-wise, and more.

The key to healing jewelry is a mixture of the right precious or semi-precious stones, crystals, gems, and silver or gold for the person who requires the healing. Each piece is made specifically for someone, therefore the pieces that it is made of is normally a one-of-a-kind piece of work.

Creating one of these healing pieces requires research and knowledge of which stones, gems, or crystals would be best to enhance the type of healing that the person is seeking. This may entail searching through different types of charts that denote birth or zodiac sign, crystals, gems, etc. and which healing properties they offer, and then putting together the perfect combination. Often, the pieces will be energized with the light from the sun or the moon or other types of energy.

Creating one of these one-of-a-kind pieces can take quite a bit of time and energy to ensure that they are designed and energized properly to fulfill the requirements of the owner. Once the finished product is complete, it can be one chain with one specific pendant or many different crystals and stones on one chain.

Saturday, I talked about marketing your jewelry in some simple, inexpensive ways. Now, some may say that giving away your "product" devalues a product. Does gaining word of mouth for your products devalue them? Absolutely not. Therefore, it makes complete sense that giving away your products (obviously selectively) actual adds value, not only to your products, but also to your marketing.

Onto the next couple of ideas for marketing your custom-made jewelry: Local networking and social media marketing. Both of these require socializing in some shape or form, but they are both quite different in a lot of ways. Both local networking and social media marketing require your participation, socially, and they also depend heavily on who your are - your personality, how you communicate with people.

Local networking can be as simple as telling people at church and your children's school about your craft. Wear your jewelry everywhere you go, and you may be delightfully surprised at how many people ask you where you got it. Don't be shy. Smile at each person who asks you, hand them a business card (always carry them in your pocket or purse) and tell them a little about what you can create for them.

Social media marketing is a fast-paced world where you have to know rules of etiquette, how to interact with potential customers, and how to attract new potential customers. Social media is sharing and liking and retweeting and basically "sharing the love". It's not about talking all about who you are and the jewelry you make, but more about socializing and interacting with people who will spread the word about your products because you share their interests and like and retweet what they say.

Marketing doesn't always have to be shoving your product in people's faces. It can be fun and interactive, like social media and networking around town.

We've talked about making your own custom-made jewelry, where to sell it, and have even given you ideas of the things you will need to start out with. There is one more crucial step that you need to think about - Marketing.

You can have THE BEST PRODUCT in the world, but if you don't know how to market it...then does your product really exist? It has been said that creating a product is only a small part of the fraction, and the marketing is the bigger part of the fraction. These marketing tips can be used for just about any product that you create,

So, you've created some stunning, hand-made jewelry - How do you market it?

In Part 1, I'm going to talk about a couple of the easier ways to market your crafts. Part 2 (which you can catch on Monday), will talk about more intricate methods of marketing.

Business Cards & Bookmarks

There are plenty of places online that offer business card templates on their websites and print and ship your cards for less than $20. Bookmarks are great to ask local store owners to leave on their counters for their customers to pick up. You may be surprised at the reception you would receive from local small businesses like hair salons and laundromats, if you simply showed them your creations and asked them to display your bookmarks on their counters.

Freebies, Gifts & Giveaways

This is definitely the way to get the word spread about your hand crafted jewelry. Giveaway some really stunning pieces that people will flaunt, and that paves the way to questions about who made it or where they got it. Whether you decide to give someone special a gift, give away a freebie at a local craft fair (perhaps in a raffle), or ask bloggers if they would be willing to giveaway a piece of your jewelry, you are still giving your hand crafted designs the opportunity to be seen, which opens the door to word-of-mouth sales.

Come back Tuesday for more ideas for marketing.

This is part #3 of our Make Your Own Jewelry series. Make sure you check out Sunday's and Tuesday's posts!

You may just want to make some jewelry as a whim, or you may want to turn it into a past-time or hobby. If the latter is what you are interested in, you will need to know the different supplies that you will need on hand (or in stock).

Sunday, we talked about where to find pieces for your jewelry creations, so keep those places in mind as you look for the supplies listed below:

1) Chains and clasps are must-haves if you are making necklaces and bracelets. (In the next post in this series, we will talk about the different chains and clasps).

2) Beads, gems and rhinestones gems bring the sparkle and personality to the piece of jewelry. They come in all kinds of colors, shapes, sizes, and materials. You can find wooden, glass, clay, shell, plastic and bone beads. Alternatively, and often more expensive, gems like sapphires, rubies and opals can be used to create personalized birthstone jewelry for friends and family.

3) String, such as fishing line, twine, elastic string and other materials can be used to string the beads together.

4) Wire, like string, is also used to create structure for your jewelry projects.

5) Pliers, scissors and wire cutters are basic tools you will need to make your own jewelry.

These are just the basic supplies you will need. As you get more into jewelry making, you may realize that you need different gauges of wire, types of string, and other items that make your crafting more efficient and enjoyable.

Check in with us Saturday for the last part in your Make Your Own Jewelry series,

This post is part #2 of this week's series on making your own custom jewelry.

Sunday's post talked about where to get supplies for your own home custom made jewelry. Today, we are going to talk about what you can do with your own custom made jewelry, besides keeping it for yourself.

If you turn your custom made jewelry into a part-time hobby, you may find that you have an abundance of home-made pieces that you would like to find a new home for. So, what can you do with it?

Here are some ideas:

1) You can start selling your custom made jewelry on websites like Ebay or Etsy. There are tons of crafting websites that offer forums to sell in, but these two are the biggest places to sell on.

2) Host your own jewelry parties at your home or other people's homes. You can display your jewelry, offer some beverages and appetizers. Make it a fun get-together for your family and friends.

3) Pop in at local beauty shops and small businesses that you frequent. They may be willing to display a small basket of your jewelry on the counter of their shop. Don't forget to throw in a handful of business cards so that people know who you are if they want to order more jewelry from you.

4) Craft fairs in your local area are great places to go if you have a fairly large stock of jewelry that you have crafted. Remember, there is usually a table fee, so you have to sell enough to cover the table fee as well as make a profit.

(Stay tuned for part #3 of this series on Thursday!)

This post is part of this week's series on making your own custom jewelry.

Sure, you can give Brian a call whenever you want some top-of-the-line, exquisite custom made jewelry. You can also design your own jewelry, as well! You don't even have to have intricate crafting knowledge or skills. A good imagination would be great. Most importantly, though, is knowing where to find the supplies that you will need for your jewelry crafting.

Here's where to look:

Thrift Stores - Normally, every thrift store has a cabinet right near the cashier that holds the jewelry. Here, you will find pendants, chains, pins, and other pieces that can be used for your jewelry crafting.

Craft Stores - Craft stores like Michael's, A.C. Moore and the Hobby Lobby are great places to find random jewelry crafting supplies. If you are not quite sure which kind of glue to use for jewelry making, you could always resort to the old super glue, which just about works for anything. (Be careful with super glue, as it will leave a white cast on the pieces that you put it on.) Epoxy glue is a great choice for a super tight bond.

Flea Markets - If you have ever been to a flea market, you know that you will see a plethora of awesome finds at the jewelry tables. You may even find "broken" jewelry that you can buy in lots for extremely cheap prices.

Keep your eyes open at yard sales and other places you happen to be shopping for odds and ends jewelry pieces to start your own unique custom jewelry collection.

(Stay tuned for Part #2 of this series on Tuesday!)

You can never go wrong getting a woman a diamond. After all, they are a girl's best friend.

But, before you go all out and get a diamond for your favorite lady, you might want to find out a few things about her.

Every single diamond is different. You may have heard about the 4 C's of diamonds: cut, clarity, color, carat. Yes, these qualities are important, but there's more to finding the perfect diamond. The size and shape of the diamond are going to be important, too.

There is a shape for every woman, and most women already have their favorite diamond shape in mind. Round, princess, emerald, asscher, marquis, oval, radiant, pear, heart and cushion are the different sizes that diamonds come in. Make sure you find out which one she likes.

The carat (one of the C's) is the size of the diamond. Believe it or not, there are plenty of women who would rather have a smaller, daintier diamond, rather than a large, bulky diamond. There are women who complain that bigger diamonds get caught in their hair and on their clothes (although usually, it's the setting that gets caught), so make sure you know the size diamond she wants.

Of course, there is also the question: Silver or Gold? There is a myth that women want gold. On the contrary, there are plenty of women who prefer white gold and silver to accompany their diamonds. So, be sure to find out.

It's not a bad idea to go window shopping to figure out what she wants or consult with a custom jewelry like Brian, who can listen to her every whim and create her dream diamond ring.