Spring sale!

Spring is officially upon us so to celebrate, everything at aileen.etsy.com is 15% off until March 31st - just use the code HELLOSUNSHINE when checking out. Why not use it on the pretty Iolanthe earrings?

Dorallama!

The Dora necklace has just been posted to the shop along with seven other pieces. This lariat imposter looks like the real thing, but there is a spring ring clasp in the back because the center stone does not fit through the twisted hoop. This means the piece will not accidentally fall off!


The pink tourmaline has a peachy-pink colour and looks like a juicy teardrop. Rounding out the stones are a solitary morganite next to the twisted hoop and white topazes connected to the clasp.


This necklace has a silly story behind the name: I was speaking in accents and joked about various prices. "Dollar" somehow turned into "Dora" and that's how this name was born!

Like candy

The brand new Clementine necklace was a real design adventure and this post will describe the stone variations that were considered.

The original plan was to use the chandelier component from the Gia, Cyrilla, and Paige earrings with some red, pink, and brown stones. A number of combinations using garnets, rubies, sapphires, and smoky quartzes were tried:


But then I found some carnelians at my favourite Vancouver bead store and a pink sapphire at a fabulous Victoria bead store and knew I had something special. Here is an in-progress shot of the pendant - an earring hook was used during the production stage so I could hold the piece up to tell whether the stones were evenly balanced:


Rounding out the final design are a single crystal quartz above the center stone, red spinels in between everything, and a pink tourmaline to connect the pendant to the necklace. Don't the colours look like candy?

Treasury: Aura

I am pleased to report that the Aura earrings have been featured in an Etsy treasury called With none among them that ever sings... Here is a screenshot of the collection by Poppy & Purl:

And then there were twenty-eight

Remember when winners were selected for the gift card draws at the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair and the Urban Artisans Craft Fair? Anna Li applied her $25 gift card toward the Della earrings and Liz Hayes-Brown selected the Letitia bracelet!

In other news, 28 (yes, really that many!) pieces are being prepped for the shop. It is taking a while because a different background is going to be used in the photos and a lot of experimenting was involved. Here is a peek at the upcoming Tarina earrings:

Winner! Winner!

Happy new year! Each January, all online customers from the previous year are entered into a draw for a $50 gift card that can be applied toward any regular priced merchandise. A draw was held today and the winner is Patricia Ryan, who purchased the Paige and Cherie earrings in March 2012. Congrats!

The same draw will be held again a year from now and there is only one way to participate so here's the link to the shop: aileen.etsy.com!

A visit to Vancouver Island

This is just a quickie post to note I will be out of town for work until December 14th. All purchases can take advantage of the code 2012ISLANDTIME for free shipping to anywhere in the world!

Where have they gone?

Curious blog visitors may have noticed that some of the links to specific pieces of jewellery do not work. Why does Etsy say they pieces can't be viewed? It's because they were sold off the site, such as at a craft fair, and the listing had to be taken down.

Don't fear though - if a particular style interests you and I can get more of the same materials, I can make a duplicate! For example, the Io earrings (pictured below) sold at the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair and I made an identical pair for another customer:

Double win!

ARIA INDUSTRIES was at two craft fairs this weekend - the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair in Richmond on Saturday and the Urban Artisan Craft Fair in downtown Vancouver on Sunday! Many pieces were sold including the brand new Katinka and Lalita earrings...

As usual, there was a draw at each craft fair and I am very happy to announce the winners of $25 gift cards, which can be used for anything at aileen.etsy.com...

Steveston Christmas Craft Fair winner:
Anna Li

Urban Artisan Craft Fair winner:
Liz Hayes-Brown

I also snapped this shot on Sunday - it is of some of the event's raffle prizes and in the white box are the Xishi earrings!

Craft fairs galore!

Alright, the time is nigh! I’m back from Hawaii and this is going to be a weekend of craft fairs, from the Steveston Christmas Craft Fair on the 24th to the Urban Artisan Craft Fair on the 25th! That's why the shop is empty, but it will be restocked on the 26th. In the meantime, if you are in the Metro Vancouver area, please stop by!

STEVESTON CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR
Steveston Community Centre - indoor tennis court
4111 Moncton Road, Richmond, BC
Saturday, November 24, 2012

URBAN ARTISAN CRAFT FAIR
Roundhouse Community Centre - exhibition hall
181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC
Sunday, November 25, 2012