Happy Halloween, from the BC Custom Jewelry family to yours! Stay safe and have fun with the kids!

Studs

For everyday wear, studs can be put in and worn all day and all night, even (if you can bear the back poking into your head) when you are sleeping. Studs are simple and easy and come in billions of shapes and styles.

Diamonds are every girls best friend and compliment just about any outfit you wear, from casual to professional to an evening out on the town, but pearls or silver studs can be just as classy and versitile.

Chandelier Earrings

Chandelier earrings have been making their appearance on ears in high class fashion shows, but they can be just as gorgeous paired with a pretty blouse and jeans. One thing to remember if you want to don a pair of chandelier earrings is to keep everything else simple. Wear them solo or add a very simple piece of jewelry to match - chandelier earrings should be the main attraction, though.

Drop Earrings

The middle ground between studs and chandelier earrings is the drop earring. If you are looking to add color to your ensemble, drop earrings are usually the way to go.

Which type of earring is your go-to for the office? An evening on the town?

If you're not the costume jewelry type of ring-wearer, you're missing out on some fun jewelry wearing techniques! Here are some ideas for those of you who haven't found out how to adorn yourself with rings yet.

1. Whether you're wearing your new coctail dress to a party or dressing casual for a day of shopping, the gigantuous sized ring is the perfect jewelry piece to add. You could even leave off all other jewelry when you're wearing a gobstopper-sized ring, making it your statement piece.

2. Stacking rings is a great look. Make sure if you're going for this fabulous appeal, you match up rings that are flat on the edges and only single stones so that they will fit together and layer nicely. Chunky ring layering usually doesn't work.

3. One ring on each hand is enough, if you're not layering. Otherwise, you take a chance at looking overloaded and heavy handed. If you must, at the most, two rings per hand will look gorg, but not overdone.

4. If you're wearing one very beautiful ring, make sure your hands look just as beautiful. One ring can catch a lot of attention, bringing those eyes to your hands. Put some lotion on those dry hands and paint your nails. :)

Need some new jewelry for Halloween? Once in a while, we like to feature our fellow jewelers' artwork.

We've scoured the Web and found some interesting ring ideas for you. If Halloween gets you all excited and just happens to be one of your fave holidays, these rings will most likely tickle your fancy, too!

We knew you would like this one. Pictured above is a scene from a scary movie, incapsulated under a glass dome. Love it? You can get it here for $64.

This jack o lantern ring also comes in a ghost with "boo" rendition, for only $29 on Etsy. (Click on pic for link.)

Our final pick for Halloween rings this holiday season is...

This freaky green eyeball ring. For only $7, this eyeball ring is sure to inspire some stares from onlookers. If you are interested in purchasing this ring, click on the image above.

Happy Halloween season, from BC Custom Jewelry!

Necklace layering is somewhat of an art form, but it mostly depends on your style.

Some quick tips for layering your necklaces?

1. Don't go overboard. You'll end up looking weighed down. Add one strand at a time and stop when you've hit a layered look that does not appear heavy and weighted.

2. Don't layer with wide chokers or bibs. Those are statement pieces and should be worn alone.

3. Wear layered necklaces with an open neckline or solid colors. Patterns and layers can be too much on the eyes. Of course, the right patterned blouse and layered necklace combination could come out amazing, but keep in mind how other people may perceive your style, as well.

4. When you are wearing a higher hemline, choose shorter strands. Conversely, a longer frock wears nicely with longer, draping necklaces.

5. What's the vibe you are seeking? If it's boho, mix up colorful beaded strands together. Punk rock? Combine a variety of silver chains and chunkier pendants. Classy? Several different sized strands of pearls would be perfect.

As you can see, layering necklaces can add to the style or appeal that you're looking for. But, it can be done wrong. Play around with your necklaces and see what you come up with

The last thing we really want to think about as jewelry store owners is the fact that jewelry stores sit high on the wish list of places criminals want to rob. In one normally small room, there is merchandise worth millions of dollars, and often large amount of cash - and even potentially credit card numbers on-site.

Here are 10 red flags that someone is planning a theft in tour store:

1. Talking on their cell phone.

2. Wearing sunglasses, hat, or hoodie.

3. Wearing inappropriate clothing for the season. Such as multiple layers in the summer.

4. Three or more people walking together suspiciously.

5. Person setting bulky items on display case, things that will cover the sight of the merchandise in the case.

6. They ask to see the most expensive item in the store.

7. Hang signaling or gesturing that appears to be aimed toward - or meant for - someone else.

8. Someone looking at - or for - your security cameras, either subtly or overtly.

9. Someone asking peculiar questions about your store hours or security gaurd.

10. Thieves are smart about fingerprints. Watch for people who are doing the best they can to keep their hands from touching anything and leaving fingerprints. S

ubtle clues like these are the ones most people don't think about, but if you observe and keep your eyes open, you will recognize when these behaviors occur and be aware.

Whether you are shipping jewelry to a friend across the country or to a customer of your online jewelry store, you have to realize that there are numerous opportunities for someone to intervene with that shipment along the way.

Here are some ways to keep that jewelry safer:

1. Layer the packaging - I'm sure everyone knows by now not to ship a tiny jewelry box wrapped in fine paper. On the contrary, wrap that jewelry box in bubble wrap and set it inside another box. Then, if you want to go one or two steps further, set that in a medium box, more bubble wrap, and then a large box. Nobody will guess what it is.

2. Don't use Jewelry in the shipping name.

3. Send with a requirement for a signature. This might not stop someone from intervening and stealing it at the beginning of the shipping process, but it will at the end.

4. Get a receipt with a tracking number. This will tell you where your box was everything step of the process, and will also help to recover potentially stolen items.

The last few posts were about protection from theft. We hope they enlightened you!

It sucks to think that the holidays could inspire theft for people, but the truth is, they do. From under-ringing sales and pocketing the difference to shoplifting, business owners, and often especially small business owners, have to run a tight ship around the holiday seasons.

It doesn't have to be just jewelry thefts, either.

Here are some ways to batten it down:

1. Be loud and clear about the fact that you are watching the financial end of the business, and remind them (as well as demonstrate) when there is a profit, you will share it with the loyal ones.

2. As far as reducing internal theft, it's vital to ensure that all employees feel appreciated. Normally, employees who steal from their employees feel undervalued in some way, like they are entitled to what they steal.

3. Rotate the work schedule. This ensures that potential theft partnerships will have a hard time collaborating. Additionally, more checks and balances will be in place when different people are opening, different people are closing, and schedules are unpredictable.

4. Gear up to work a little later each day and reconcile daily receipts. Reconciling on a weekly or monthly basis will leave too much too overlook. On a daily basis, every sale and every single item you are selling should be accountable in some form each day.

Crime has progressed beyond simple jewelry robberies. As a matter of fact, robbers have gotten so smooth and shystery in this day and age, it's easy for just about any of us to be misled to give up some of our personal security information.

That's why we, here at BC Custom Jewelry, want to remind you how to protect yourselves from thieves. As they say, it's better to be safe than sorry.

1. Never click on links in emails that are asking for your username, password, bank account, and other sensitive information. Always take a trip to the website itself by typing the Web address into your browser and login that way.

2. Try to stick to only using websites that use encryption when inputting your credit or debit card information. FYI: Look for https (the "s" is the important part) in the URL or a lock symbol on your Web browser.

3. Some of these thieves are highly resourceful. They send out emails that appear to be from a friend of yours - or even your bank, asking for your personal info, or just for you to confirm it. Send your friend or the bank an email back, using the contact information that you have for them and double check the validity.

Nine times out of ten, if it doesn't sound right, it isnt. If you feel like you should change your passwords on any of your accounts, it is better to just follow your instinct.

You know what Hallmarks are on metal - those engravings that mark the manufacturer, date of origin, or place. The possible stamps are endless, but many of the more known and common stamps will be familiar to people who know jewelry (like us, at BC Custom Jewelry). :)

Hallmarking was done back in the days of the Egyptians, but not made official until the Middle Ages, when Europeans adopted the system. In 1814, it made its introduction into the United States, according to records, and in 1906, the U.S. announced requirements in the National Gold and Silver Stamping Act.

Today, you will find a difference between the hallmarks on U.S. metals and European hallmarks, as well as the hallmarks of metals of other countries. Each country has their own rules and regulations.  The U.S. hallmarks will normally have two symbols - one for the trademark and the other is the quality mark. European hallmarks include five different symbols.

If you have a piece of jewelry with a unique looking hallmark on it, a jewelry professional like us at BC Custom Jewelry could help you figure out some very interesting details and history about the jewelry.