March Product Spotlight:

Proxxon Bench Vise

I just got this vise yesterday in the mail and can't say enough good things about it. This is a quality German made, vise. It is the best vise ever! Well, I guess I have to admit that this is my first small bench vise. Up to now, I've been using the huge beat up one that my husband has on his workbench (which works great for holding the ring mandrel and hammering stuff). However, this one is so perfect for small things like setting stones in bezels. I love the fact that it can be clamped to your bench or screwed in for more permanent placement. It also swivels, so if you are setting a stone in a bezel, you can swivel the vise and don't need to keep taking your ring out to move it around. The removable rubber jaws are wonderful also. You don't want to do a bunch of work and have your silver marred by your vise. I found this vise at Rio Grande for only $37.99 (Item number 205083).

Biggest and best tax tip summed up in one word: Quickbooks.
Up to now, I have been fighting using Quickbooks. Accounting is not my favorite thing to do and I tend to be a major procrastinator when it comes to any book-keeping chores. And that is definitely how I see it - a chore. I'd much rather be making jewelry or any other of a myriad of activities. I'm sure many jewelry designers are just like me.
So for 2009 my new years resolution was to use Quickbooks. I initially had some problems setting it up. I would suggest having your accountant of other tax savvy person do your initial chart of accounts setup and run you through how to enter in your expenses, etc.. It can get a bit confusing.....In addition to my business checking account, two savings accounts, paypal account, I have a business credit card. Each of these accounts needs to be created and reconciled monthly. I am happy to say that I reconciled my accounts this weekend and am completely caught up. That is a wonderful feeling and I know that I won't have to go through the huge time consuming task that was before me last week- preparing my 2008 (pre-quickbooks) taxes for my accountant.
So last week I had to gather all of my expenses which was a 8" folder chalk full of receipts.
I spent two full days going through this humongous folder of my expenses, organizing and categorizing everything to prepare it for the "hand over". Then I had to organize and categorize all of my income sources. This is so much work every year and not very fun. I am so glad that next year, I can just send my accountant my Quickbooks file. I also have loved being able to print all kinds of reports to find out how my money is being spent. It is really eye-opening knowing exactly where you stand at any moment in both your income and expenses. If you don't already use Quickbooks, I would highly recommend it.

My peapod earrings are featured in an Etsy treasury!

You can see these peapod earrings on my website or Etsy store.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Check out Wear Me Jewels Valentine's jewelry!

This tutorial really should be called:

Threading your jewelers saw without slicing your finger.

Yesterday, I was threading my saw and ran my finger up the wrong way against the teeth of the blade. Ouch!!
Barb Macy from Accent Yourself Jewelry brings this much needed reminder of the correct way to thread a jewelers saw. Watch her Tutorial video for her simple and helpful explanation.

Thanks Barb, for this great tutorial! If you would like to learn more about Barb, listen to how she got started, in her own words:

"A few years ago, my friend introduced me to jewelry making, as we sat at her kitchen table and made simple beaded bracelets. After that, I was hooked and completely obsessed with beads and jewelry making...and I don't even wear that much jewelry!  I started out by using base metal components, glass beads and doing simple stringing & wire wrapping.

Since then, I've taken a couple of metalsmithing courses at a university and have continuously practiced and sharpened my jewelry making skills.  Now, I primarily work with sterling & fine silver, but also can't look away from all the pretty beads. I enjoy cutting, soldering, doing chain maille, and anything that involves my torch & other fun tools."

Barb Macy's Etsy shop, www.accentyourself.etsy.com has an ecclectic collection of sterling silver jewelry.  To check out Barb's other fantastic jewelry making tutorials, please check out her blog at: www.accentyourself.blogspot.com.  A gallery of her work is available on her website, www.accentyourself.com. 

Silver Metals- Defined
I was recently in a store and was asking if the store carried Argentium sterling silver. I am going to be transitioning to this type of sterling silver and needed a larger gauge that I had forgot to order from Rio Grande. Anyways, the store clerk told me that they don't carry it because it is a Rio Grande brand (which it is not) and is the same as Rhodium plated silver. I was pretty sure that this was way off the mark and came home to do some research. Here's what I found:

Argentium is a very innovative metal

Argentium silver, invented in 1996 by Peter Johns, like sterling silver is at least 92.5% pure silver. Unlike sterling which is 7.5% alloy copper, argentium has a small amount of germanium instead of copper. It is free from tarnish and firescale, more malleable, easily fused and fired with metal clay. Germanium is an element similar to tin and silicon.

Benefits of using Argentium sterling silver:

• Highly tarnish resistant
• Harder then regular sterling silver
  
• Firescale free (awesome if you will be using in jewelry fabrication)
  
• Purer
• Brighter then sterling silver
  

Places you can buy Argentium Silver: Rio Grande, Rings and Things, Fire Mountain Gems

Metal Definitions:

Sterling silver items are made of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper or some other metal (or metals). Those proportions are set by law -- change the proportions and those beads aren't sterling silver. A clue that you've got sterling silver beads? Over time, sterling silver will take on an antiqued look (called a ''patina''). Most of the precious silver you'll see in the beading world is sterling silver.

Argentium™ silver is a form of sterling silver where some of the copper alloy is replaced by germanium. This creates tarnish resistance in the silver, without lowering the purity of the metal.

Rhodium is a rare silvery-white hard metal. Rhodium is a member of the platinum group, is found in platinum ores and is used in alloys with platinum. It is the most expensive precious metal. Rhodium is a metal very similar to platinum, sharing many of the properties of platinum including its white color. Rhodium plating is used to make white gold look whiter. The natural color of white gold is actually a light gray color. Rhodium is very white and very hard, but it does wear away eventually.

Fine silver is the highest and most pure type of silver available: 99.9% silver. This pure form of silver is used by the Hill Tribes of Thailand to create beads, chains and findings. In addition, Art Clay® is created from the fine silver particles reclaimed from recycled film, and can be used to create jewelry of fine silver.

Nickel silver (sometimes called ''German silver'' or ''Mexican silver'') is made of a blend of metals -- mostly nickel -- and looks much like sterling silver. Side-by-side comparisons show that nickel silver has a slightly greyer color tone. Nickel-plated items are also available.

Common Types of Silver
Fine silver	99.9% silver, .1% other metals
Britannia silver	95.84% silver, 4.16% other metals (usually copper)
Sterling silver	92.5% silver, 7.5% other metals (usually copper)
Argentium™ silver	92.5% silver, 6.4% other metals (usually copper), 1.1% germanium
Coin silver	90% silver, 10% other metals
Nickel silver	0% silver, 100% other metals (usually nickel, zinc and copper)