Showing posts with label Jewelry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jewelry. Show all posts

Wednesday, 3 September 2014

9K Gold and Sterling Silver Hand Crafted Filigree Jewellery MADE in MALTA

                FILIGREE - Delicate, Intricate, Fanciful Ornamentation work from 
                                     fine twisted Gold or Silver wire

Filigree  is a unique technique in jewellery making and also an age old craft in the country of my heritage Malta and sister island Gozo.
Each piece takes quite a lot of hours and patience to make to create an excellent finished product.
The process starts from the melting of Sterling Silver (925) and 9K Gold (375)
,
followed by making the very thin wire and Sterling Silver & 18ct Gold solder.
Then with tweezers and an open flame burner, this unique and beautiful Hand Made jewellery is lovingly made.
Mastering the Technique & Craft for our Generation, the Filigree Artisan / Jeweler / craftswoman grew up as a child watching her father create beautiful handmade Jewellery.
In 1987 at the tender age of 16 she was so passionate about learning Gold and Silver smithing in his workshop that she began working there, and for the past 27 years since that day, she is still passionate about creating her own designs and 
specialising in Hand Crafted Filigree Jewelry using the most traditional techniques.
The Artisan designs and makes everything by hand.
She buys the Silver and Gold grains, melts it, Hand Makes the Gold and Silver wire and creates the outline pattern of the Jewelry.
She then fills it with 'rizzol' and finally polishes the finished masterpiece which is now ready for its proud wearer.
In this video, you will see her at work, creating the logo for the Bank of Malta.
What do you think about this beautiful craft / technique?

Creating the outline pattern to fill with Gold or Silver wire called rizzol
Includes a certificate issued by the Malta Crafts Council
 The Artisan learnt the Art of Filigree Gold and Silversmithing in her Fathers workshop
Flower Filigree Hand Made Pendant 20mm Swarovski Crystal PINK
Flower & Leaf Filigree Hand Made Pendant 40 x 20 x 10mm Swarovski Crystal PINK
Maltese Cross / George Cross Filigree Hand Made lapel Pin
Maltese Cross / George Cross Filigree Hand Made Pendant 20mm CLEAR
Maltese Cross / George Cross Filigree Hand Made Pendant 20mm RED
Maltese Cross / George Cross Filigree Hand Made Pendant 25mm PINK
Maltese Cross / George Cross Filigree Hand Made Pendant 25mm TURQUOISE
Maltese Cross / George Cross Filigree Hand Made Pendant 55mm
Maltese Cross / George Cross Filigree Hand Made Pendant 45mm
Rosetta Flower Hand Made Filigree Earrings PINK Swarovski Crystal
Cross Filigree Hand Made Pendant 40mm Swarovski Crystal HYACINTH
Cross Crucifix Jesus Filigree Hand Made Pendant 40mm
Cross Filigree Hand Made Pendant 40mm Swarovski Crystal TURQUOISE
9K Gold Maltese Cross / George Cross Filigree Hand Made Pendant 22 x 22mm
9K Gold Maltese Cross / George Cross Filigree Hand Made Pendant 20 x 20mm
9K Gold Maltese Cross / George Cross Filigree Hand Made Pendant 20 x 20mm
9K Gold Maltese Cross / George Cross Filigree Hand Made Pendant 19 x 19mm
Our mission is to share and keep alive the art of Filigree so that more will appreciate handmade jewellery, and especially Filigree as part of our heritage.

"In the name of the people of the United States of America, I salute the Island of Malta, its people and defenders, who, in the cause of freedom and justice and decency throughout the world, have rendered valorous service far above and beyond the call of duty.
"Under repeated fire from the skies, Malta stood alone, but unafraid in the center of the sea, one tiny bright flame in the darkness—a beacon of hope for the clearer days which have come.  "Malta's bright story of human fortitude and courage will be read by posterity with wonder and with gratitude through all the ages.  "What was done in this Island maintains the highest traditions of gallant men and women who from the beginning of time have lived and died to preserve civilization for all mankind."                                     Dated December 7, 1943.      Signed FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT.

Beloved Treasures Mission Statement

“I expect to pass through this world but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do for any fellow human being let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I will not pass this way again”. Etienne de Grellet (1773-1855)
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you.


Catherine Saliba 
THANKS YOU So Much For Viewing

Thursday, 19 September 2013

FACE to FACE plus ONLINE Selling   ...   


I owned and operated a successful direct selling Jewellery Business in Melbourne for 13 years in the 1980’s and 1990’s (Jewellery Design & Import). I did not have a mobile phone, or a computer, the internet was only a concept, I had NOTHING in those days except a Vision, me and the jewels! I also had a pager on my hip and my customers rang a paging service who then paged me (beep, beep, beep) and I had to find the nearest phone box to call the customer. True!After a 15 year break, I re-launched the business on the Gold Coast as so many customers from my previous business in Melbourne came looking for me (mostly on Facebook) to buy more jewellery – 15 years later, that is wonderful and that sure is saying some-thing about my service.

FACE TO FACE

So, what can I say after launching a professional website and selling online for the past 9 months?
The vast majority of my Sales still do happen face to face. There are numerous local advertising sites where I present my jewellery to the public, they come to my showroom, see the jewellery, pick it up, hold it, admire it, touch it, adorn themselves with it, and purchase a stunning piece for themselves or for that Special some-one else they know will Love that piece. 




What I have learnt? 

The Customer Service I can provide being with some-one face to face is Priceless …
My Love & Passion for what I do, the beautiful creations I personally ‘dream’ and design, the genuine excitement I feel when presenting the Jewels to them and the knowledge and expertise I freely share with them about their Precious Metal, Gemstone & Swarovski Crystal jewellery purchases is so rewarding.They leave knowing, with all my Heart that I am Grateful for their patronage.
There are also the home based business sellers, market sellers, jewellery makers, party plan operators that come here to the Showroom to buy Jewellers Supplies and they leave here feeling supported, learning some-thing new, acquiring some-thing beautiful & unique and most importantly, they leave here happy and uplifted by the interaction.

                                          FRIENDLY CASUAL ENVIRONMENT

An online website has its positives too. It provides me with credibility and expresses my enthusiasm for the eclectic business Beloved Treasures. I am able to reach people internationally and nationally, in the comfort of their homes customers can shop online and make their purchase using a Credit Card or PayPal which offers buyer protection, and Direct Deposit is also an option. 

I attempt to recreate across cyberspace, the same Customer Service I provide to those in my presence, by having a well organised website so it is easy for customers to navigate around, quality photographs, detailed descriptions of the items including size weight material etc, educational & interesting informative articles and I am only a phone call away & very happy to spend the time with them to answer any of their questions. 
I post within 24 hours of receiving cleared funds, and always follow up to make sure they have received their jewels and I openly welcome their feedback. 
We must ‘go back to the people’. 
We must put ourselves in their shoes and feel what they feel.
For me they are not nameless faces behind keyboards some-where else on this planet, they are souls who deserve to have the best experience when dealing with Beloved Treasures. It is my desire for customers to enjoy the shopping experience, to leave the keyboard happy with their purchase, to be excited and looking forward to the parcel arriving, to feel elation when they see the beautiful unique innovative Real creation for the first time and for them to feel like a million bucks when they adorn themselves with the jewels. Reading the customer feedback on Beloved Treasures website speaks for itself.
It’s all about the people, it’s all about a win win positive experience for all, it’s all about old fashioned Customer Service in a casual friendly environment; and it’s as simple as that!


Tuesday, 30 July 2013

GENESIS 
“Let there BE Light”
Rainbow Prism Collection
Swarovski Crystal, Cosmic Rings and Genuine GEMSTONES

RAINBOW PRISM  
White light beams through a triangular Prism and disperses into the colours of the Rainbow …

      

I have always felt that Life comes from the Light.
It isn’t possible to explain in words, this mysterious invisible intelligence that I feel and intuitively know exists.
Language is limiting because it fails to relay the full essence of experience, so the best way for me to express this awareness and understanding of the nature of Light was to design this collection.
Can you imagine a Life without Colour?
Bathe in the Light, embrace Life, open your Heart & Mind in awe, view the World with a sense of Wonder, and remember who you are
♪♫

VIDEO: http://animoto.com/play/gXOmbs84lM0po4oOdDv5Bg#
"Over the Rainbow II" Hand Made Necklace - Vermeil, Swarovski Crystals & Cosmic Rings (BELOVED TREASURES DESIGN)

"Over the Rainbow I" Hand Made Necklace & Earrings SET - 14ct Gold filled, Swarovski Crystals & Gemstones (BELOVED TREASURES DESIGN)            




"Over the Rainbow I" Hand Made Necklace & Earrings SET - Sterling Silver, Swarovski Crystals & Gemstones (BELOVED TREASURES DESIGN)

The colour combinations of the Swarovski Crystals are kept on record at Beloved Treasures, as these are Collectors Pieces, their authenticity can be verified by Auction Houses. Only 1 will ever be made in these colour combinations.

                   http://www.belovedtreasures.com.au/products.asp?cat=104










  

Saturday, 27 April 2013

Pearls - From one of the humblest of life forms, the mollusc, the Pearl is created - a gem of unsurpassed beauty and elegance.



PEARLS
From one of the humblest of life forms, the mollusc, the Pearl is created - a gem of unsurpassed beauty and elegance.

Pearls come in a bewildering variety of shapes, colours and sizes.

Round Pearls traditionally command the highest prices but it's worth remembering that wild Natural Pearls are rarely round.
Aquamarine & Pearl Necklace - Sterling Silver (925)


Freshwater Pearls possess a whimsical charm entirely different to the perfectly shaped Pearls.   

14ct Gold filled Hand Made Earrings - Freshwater Pearl, Aquamarine, Amethyst, Peridot, Clear Quartz, Citrine, Topaz
14ct Gold filled Hand Made Earrings - Mozambique Garnet, Freshwater Pearl

Golden Citrine, Freshwater Pearl & Swarovski Crystal Necklace & Earrings Set - Sterling Silver (925)

Baroque Pearls have an irregular shape that can range from minor aberrations to distinctly ovoid (egg-shaped, 3 dimensional version of an oval shape), curved, pinched, or lumpy shapes. They were highly prized by Renaissance jewellers, who saw them not as misshapen products of sea molluscs but rather as unique and exquisite natural forms.




Pearls are found inside a living creature, an oyster and are the result of a biological process, the oyster's way of protecting itself from foreign substances.
Oysters are not the only type of mollusc that can produce Pearls. 
Clams and mussels can also produce Pearls, but that is a much rarer occurrence. 
Most Pearls are produced by oysters in both freshwater and saltwater environments.
Most pearls can be found all over the world, but black pearls are indigenous to the South Pacific. 
An oyster forms Pearls by secreting a mineral substance called nacre (aragonite and calcite) and uses it to quarantine an irritant (most often a parasite).
The formation of a Natural Pearl begins when a foreign substance slips into the oyster between the mantle and the shell, which irritate­s the mantle (kind of like the oyster getting a splinter). 
The oyster's natural reaction is to cover up that irritant to protect itself. 
The man­tle covers the irritant with layers of the same nacre substance that is used to create the shell. This eventually forms a Pearl.

Freshwater Pearls are cultured by inserting a small piece of mantle tissue into an incision made in the mantle of a host mussel. A bead is not needed and is rarely used except in beaded cultured freshwater pearl production (CBSB fireball pearls).
Cultured Pearls are created by the same process as natural Pearls, but are given a slight nudge by pearl harvesters. To create a cultured Pearl, the harvester opens the oyster shell and cuts a small slit in the mantle tissue. Small irritants (bead) are then inserted under the mantle. In Freshwater Cultured Pearls, cutting the mantle is enough to induce the nacre secretion that produces a Pearl - an irritant doesn't have to be inserted.While Cultured and Natural Pearls are considered to be of equal quality, Cultured Pearls are generally less expensive because they aren't as rare.



Pearl Hunting in United Arab Emirates.
Before the beginning of the 20th century, the only means of obtaining pearls was by manually gathering very large numbers of pearl oysters (or pearl mussels) from the ocean floor (or lake, or river bottom). The bivalves were then brought to the surface, opened, and the tissues searched. More than a ton were searched in order to find at least 3-4 quality pearls.
In order to find enough pearl oysters, free-divers were often forced to descend to depths of over 100 feet on a single breath, exposing them to the dangers of hostile creatures, waves, and drowning, often as a result of shallow water blackout on resurfacing. Because of the difficulty of diving and the unpredictable nature of natural pearl growth in pearl oysters, pearls of the time were extremely rare and of varying quality.


Pearl diver in Japan.
Today, Pearl diving has largely been supplanted by Cultured Pearl farms, which use a process widely popularized and promoted by Japanese entrepreneur Kokichi Mikimoto (Mikimoto Pearls).











Saturday, 16 February 2013

Sterling Silver & 18ct Gold Filigree Hand Made Jewelry


FILIGREE - Delicate, Intricate, Fanciful Ornamentation work from fine twisted Gold or Silver wire

Filigree  is a unique technique in jewellery making and also an age old craft in the country of my heritage Malta and sister island Gozo.
Each piece takes quite a lot of hours and patience to make to create an excellent finished product. The process starts from the melting of Sterling Silver or 18ct Gold, then making the very thin wire as well as the Sterling Silver or 18ct Gold solder. Then with tweezers and an open flame burner, this unique and beautiful Hand Made jewellery is lovingly made.

Mastering the technique & Craft for our Generation, a friend of mine (jeweller / craftswoman) grew up as a child watching her father create beautiful handmade jewellery, so in 1987 at the tender age of 16 she was so passionate about learning gold and silver smithing in his workshop that she began working there, and for the past 26 years since that day, has created her own designs & specialises in hand-made filigree work using the most traditional techniques. 

In this video, you will see her at work, creating the logo for the Bank of Malta.

What do you think about this beautiful craft / technique?

Our mission is to share and keep alive the art of Filigree so that more will appreciate handmade jewellery, and especially Filigree as part of our heritage.


                        
                                           Maltese Cross Earrings - Sterling Silver Hand Made Filigree 1.5cm
(Made in Malta
Maltese Cross Brooch - Sterling Silver Hand Made Filigree 3.5cm
(Made in Malta)


Maltese Cross Pendant - Sterling Silver Hand Made Filigree 2.0cm
 
(Made in Malta)

Maltese Cross Pendant - Sterling Silver Hand Made Filigree 2.5cm 
(Made in Malta)

Maltese Cross Pendant - Sterling Silver Hand Made Filigree 3.0cm 
(Made in Malta)

Maltese Cross Pendant - Sterling Silver Hand Made Filigree 5.5cm
 (Made in Malta)

Maltese Cross Pendant - Sterling Silver Hand Made Filigree 3.5cm 
(Made in Malta)

Flowers Bracelet - Sterling Silver Hand Made Filigree & Swarovski crystals pink 1.3cm(Made in Malta)

Maltese Cross scalloped edges Pendant - Sterling Silver Hand Made Filigree 2.7cm 
(Made in Malta)

Flowers Earrings - Sterling Silver Hand Made Filigree & Swarovski crystals pink 5cm(Made in Malta)

Flowers Pendant - Sterling Silver Hand Made Filigree & Swarovski crystals pink 5cm 
(Made in Malta)

Heart Pendant - Sterling Silver Hand Made Filigree 2.0 x 2.5cm 
(Made in Malta)

Leaves & Flowers Pendant - Sterling Silver Hand Made Filigree & Swarovski crystal blue 4.0x1.0cm(Made in Malta)

Leaves Pendant - Sterling Silver & Pearl 5mm Hand Made Filigree 3.8cm 
(Made in Malta)

Leaves Earrings - Sterling Silver & Pearls 3mm Hand Made Filigree 1.5cm 
(Made in Malta)

Leaves Bracelet - Sterling Silver Hand Made Filigree 19cm 
(Made in Malta)

What do you think about this beautiful craft / technique?

Our mission is to share and keep alive the art of Filigree so that more will appreciate handmade jewellery, and especially Filigree as part of our heritage.