It has become more and more acceptable to wear cheap, "costume jewelry" (as is it widely known), and while many pieces of cheap jewelry is made with types of metals and fake gems that look just like the real deal. However, we have to ask ourselves: is it worth our health, and maybe even our children's health, to wear and keep cheap jewelry around the house?

It's not like this is "new" news, as it hit the headlines back in 2012, but, for some reason, it made it all over the news, and then faded away...

Do your little ones play with Mommy's jewelry? If so, then you may want to be aware that the Ecology Center did testing on jewelry purchased from a list of different discount stores or "media outlets" (think Target, Forever 21, Claire's and several others where we purchase our cheap jewelry). You can read more information on the study here. But, essentially, this tested jewelry (which, by the way, rang up at the cashier for less than $10 a piece) revealed high levels of lead, chromium, nickel, cadmium (which has been the main reason for jewelry and toy recalls). A few of these tested pieces of jewelry were made specifically for children!

Well, maybe you are not yet a mom. Then, it should be fine to wear this jewelry, right? Consider this: do you ever absent-mindedly put your necklaces in your mouth? Here's the other thing: some of this jewelry also came up positive for brominated flame retardants, which are normally sprayed onto the outer parts of jewelry. This means that it can either rub off easily onto your precious skin, and you can even inhale it. This chemical is known to be a hormone inhibitor.

So, you may want to take a second look through your cheap jewelry and think twice before you purchase more. It's better to have one or two pieces of safe, custom-made jewelry, rather than hundreds of pieces of potentially hazardous jewelry. Don't you think?

It was once a major jewelry faux pas to wear both silver and gold jewelry at the same time. Mixing these two metals was a no-no patrolled by the fashion police forever before our time, much like the "no wearing white after Labor Day", but now, even jewelry makers are coming out with unique pieces intertwining the two metals together.

Like this Scroll Band Cuff that was intricately designed of 18k yellow gold and sterling silver by Charles Krypell:

Now that the two metals are combined right before our eyes, it's difficult to understand why people wouldn't mix the two together, as they look fabulously complementary!

Here is another fine example of how the two metals combine nicely:

Gold and silver mixed rings are also "in fashion".

So, if you happen to love how gold and silver blend together with that yin yang type of flair, don't hesitate to add a new custom made jewelry piece that turns the old jewelry fashion faux pas into fabulous! (And, don't worry about the fashion police stopping you; you're going to look too stunning!)

While pearls may seem a bit old-fashioned, the truth is, they will never go out of style, and they coordinate with just about any type of clothing style! Whether you are dressed to the nines or wearing your everyday clothes, adding a touch of pearls in just the right piece of jewelry will flattering complement your outfit.

Check out how pearl necklaces add just the right touch to solid black:

And how Sarah Jessica Parker adds a single strand of beads to her black and gray, simple looking coordinates to add a perfect sense of style:

The summer dress and cardigan on the cooler summer mornings are lovely with a knotted pearl necklace: 

And, finally Sandra Bullock shows us how to do pearls in an effective stacked "mess" that somehow still comes out looking fabulous:

So, don't be shy about adding a timeless piece like a pearl necklace to your outfit today. Although a basic and traditional piece that normally seems more of a jewelry piece that should be worn only with elegant dresses, as you can see, the pearl necklace can pretty much work with anything you wear, adding a gentle touch of style and grace to even very basic ensembles

So much jewelry, not enough space to keep it? If your jewelry box is already overflowing, you might need to come up with some jewelry organization ideas that you can do yourself. Maybe you don't have an overflow of jewelry, but your regular organizer has seen better days?

Here are some simple DIY ideas that you can do to better organize your jewelry:

1. Closet door organizer - If you're not already using the inside of your closet door for a hook that holds your bathrobe or purses, or for your shoe holder, then think about purchasing some hooks for the inside of the door for your jewelry. It's as simple as screwing the hooks into inside part of the door and hanging your jewelry as needed.

2. Lace  jewelry organizer - The holes and openings in lace make for the perfect hanging material for earrings. Simply cut lace fabric into a size that you think you will need and secure the lace material somehow. While the following picture will give you an idea of how to do this, you can also choose to create larger sized pieces to organize much more jewelry than pictured.

3. Chicken wire - Who would ever put jewelry and chicken wire together? A DIY jewelry lover would! Now that the idea has been implanted into your head, surely ideas are starting to form. However, If you have yet to come up with a plan to use chicken wire for your DIY jewelry organizer, then here is a great place to start:

As you can see, none of these ideas are very expensive or time consuming, and they come out looking pretty fantastic once the jewelry is added, so you can show them off in your bedroom, rather than keeping your precious jewelry locked away in a jewelry box or amoire.

Have you may your own DIY jewelry organizer before? Share your ideas in the comments!

You may not have heard of "push presents" before, but you just might have heard that Jay-Z presented his beautiful wife, Beyoncé with a $35,000 blue tanzanite ring after she had their baby. Or that Mariah Carey was gifted with a necklace of diamonds and pink sapphires with the names of her twins engraved in it, valued around $12,000, from Nick Cannon.

These are push presents - essentially the gift from the husband to the wife after childbirth. It is supposed to represent the support and thanks from the husband for bearing the pregnancy. Now, every expecting man knows that finances are normally in question before and after the baby is born, because...well, babies are expensive! So, not everyone can indulge in purchasing their wives thousands of dollars worth of jewelry to tell her thank you. Some wives may even get mad at their husband for making such a purchase for her when they are worrying about finances after birth.

These gifts can, however, be purchased on a much tighter budget and still pass on the thanks and provide the loving gesture that Jay-Z and Nick Cannon demonstrated. Your wife probably doesn't require such gaudy jewelry, anyway, as a new mom! The idea of engraving the baby's name on the inside of a mother's ring can be taken from Mariah Carey's gift.

BC Custom Jewelry can help you come up with an affordable push present idea that will demonstrate your love and thanks to your wife without breaking your new family budget.

"Smart jewelry" and "wearable technology" have become new fashion accessories, and ideas have come to life in the past few years. Unfortunately, the beginning of smart technology and the idea of wearing the pieces as "jewelry" or "accessories" didn't quite mash well, because the first pieces were not anywhere near eye candy.

But, this technology has advanced into pieces that could trick your eye into thinking that it's jewelry. Like these:

Photo credit: Digital Trends

The Netatmo June is a shiny and delicate looking brooch or wrist wrap (attached to a leather strap). It can ingeniously protect you from the dangerous rays of the sun and the weather forecast when linked up to your iPhone and the partnering app. This little pretty will run you around $100.

Photo Credit: Digital Trends

Pictured above is what is called the Misfit Shine. It comes in the form of a unisex black, topez, grey or champagne matte aluminum locket with a sports band or a clasp, so it can be worn as either around your wrist or neck. What does it do? This clever little "pendant" is a $120 activity tracker that can help you up your fitness game.

Essentially, you can set up the Android or iOS app to sync with the Shine that has 12 LEDs in white. When you tap the Shine, the LEDs light up and each one reflects the progress of the goals that you have set up in the app (which will require Bluetooth 4.0 LE support on your device). The "locket" was created to detect and track activities, such as running, walking, cycling, is waterproof for swim tracking, and will even track your sleep times to help you keep track of your overall health.

Would you wear these smart jewelry examples? Would they come in handy to you?

Everyone seems to have a preference when it comes to dainty versus chunky (or even gaudy) jewelry, but there is nothing wrong with stepping outside of your preference - comfort zone - to experience a different trend of jewelry. If you have been stuck inside of the "dainty" jewelry comfort zone, it's time to step out of that funk and consider adding some bolder jewelry pieces to your collection.

For example...

Sarah Jessica Parker shows off the stacked look with several "chunky" necklaces assorted around her neck. This not only brings color and depth to the silver color that she is wearing, it also adds a different kind of flair than she would have had if she merely wore the clothing.

via Getty Images

In the following picture, bigger and thicker jewelry is rocked by four celebrities with four totally  different looks. As you can see, the jewelry is not just a complementary piece of each outfit, it is also a stand-out feature for pictures.

In the pictures above, the chunky necklaces are paired with outfits that are neutral colored. This is important to remember, because while your white summer dress may look fabulous with that big, layered, chunky emerald gemstone necklace, your favorite romper with the Hawaiian print (orange, pink, pale yellow and fire red hues) may actually clash.

Now, you can see how stunning chunky necklaces can look and how they can add pizazz to an outfit. So, if you don't have a versatile chunky necklace in your collection yet, look for one that is made of gemstones, beads, or metals that would coordinate with several outfits in your wardrobe.

If you are looking for the latest hype in earrings, and especially love dangle earrings, you are going to want to try out the gemstone dangle earrings that the celebs are wearing! Each and every gemstone carries certain healing properties, alone, without being somehow attached to a celeb's body. Therefore, you can benefit from following this trend, as well.

And, while you may not be a trend-follower, but would prefer to set your own trends, gemstones come in so many different types of jewelry, can be fashioned in a variety of different ways, and each one carries a phenomenal amount of energy, so you really cannot go wrong.

In the following pics, you will see just how fabulous dangle gemstone earrings can look, as well as how they can add to the outfits that the celebs are wearing. (Feel free to browse through past gemstone blog posts here on BC Jewelry Blog to find out the healing properties of different gemstones, too!)

Which gemstones do you like the most?

There are many different kinds of agate gemstones, but the blue lace agate gemstone is definitely a beauty! As you can see, the marbled coloring is just fabulous!

However, while it is quite popular, it is also a rare stone.

You can see right away why people love the blue lace agate stone. When you look at it, you can tell that it carries a calming quality and encourages a sense of peace, as well as an uplifting spirit. If you wear it around your neck, the blue hue works to strengthen the functionality of the throat chakra.

People who have an abundance of irritated or painful energy will love this stone, as it helps to decrease these issues. It can even be put in places where the energy is painful, like funeral homes.

Those who are looking for happiness and peace should carry (or wear) this gem. If you happen to be stressed out, place the blue lace agate in your hand to help decrease your stress. Simply looking at the blue lace agate will relieve stress almost immediately, but if stress is deep-seeded, gazing at it for a longer time could help.

If there are quarrels in the home, carefully set the blue lace agate on a table, surround it with candles of a similar blue hue, and you will notice a calmer and less agitated atmosphere.

It's surprising how many women are stumped when it comes to adding complementary jewelry to their summer dresses. In summertime, simple is usually better when you are adding a little bling to your summer outfit. As they say, a little can go a long way!

Here are some examples of how you can add just the right amount of bling to your summer dress for a elegant and stylish appeal:

Above, the dress already has a lot going on in the design, so a simple pendant necklace, earrings and a bracelet add the perfect amount of bling without going overboard.

With a brightly colored summer dress, such as the blue one above, the "stacked" gold necklace and bracelet appeal adds to her glam without taking anything away from the dress.

Simple and elegant, the white dress above, paired with aquamarine gemmed necklace brings color to the ensemble, but still keeps the look clean.

Or, you can enjoy color matching your jewelry to your summer outfit to bring the look together, while still remaining simple.

As you can see, it doesn't take much to add the right amount of bling to your summer dress. Don't overdo it. Just keep it simple and clean and have fun!