For Sisters

I live next to two very sweet girls who know that I make jewelry in my free time. About a year ago, they went searching for sea glass along the Santa Barbara coast and brought me a handful to use in my designs. Unfortunately, I don't have the tools necessary to drill glass while I'm in Santa Barbara, so I didn't get a chance to prepare them until this past December.

Here are the matching beach glass necklaces I was able to make with two of the frosted glass treasures I received. I wanted to give the girls a little keepsake of their own. The larger one for the older sister, and the smaller one for the younger sister.

They'll be able to take a little bit of Santa Barbara paradise with them wherever life happens to take them (:

One Year on Etsy

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Rather than being a day just for couples, I like to think of it as a day to celebrate the people you love in your life. Who do you plan to make smile today? (:

One week from today will be one year since I first opened my shop on Etsy as "The Glistening Pearl." I remember being nervous to finally take the plunge. Before even opening a shop, I spent weeks figuring out my shop policies, designing a banner, and prepping listings. It's been a wonderful year filled with creativity and inspiration, and I can't wait to see what this next year will have in store for The Glistening Pearl.

To celebrate this exciting milestone, I want to include a little extra gift in each purchase made on Etsy from today through February 21. No coupon code necessary. 

I hope you'll be able to join me in the celebration!

I Dream I Can Fly

I love that Etsy sellers offer a beautiful selection of well crafted jewelry. When I first got my cartilage pierced during my freshman year of college I had a (stainless steel?) partial hoop placed in. It was a little large for my liking, but that's all the piercing salon had available that I liked.  A few years later, I stumbled across tiny Bioplast posts while in Japan. They were less noticeable in my ear and more comfortable to sleep in. Still, I wasn't completely pleased. A couple months ago I was itching to change it up again.

Ever since moving to Santa Barbara and experimenting with more gold in my jewelry, I've come to realize that I really like the way gold looks against my skin tone. I began hunting for a gold hoop - Macy's, Claire's, Hot Topic, etc. Fail. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right stores (I didn't think it would be so difficult), but I decided to turn to Etsy. I should have looked here to begin with!

I stumbled across idreamicanfly on Etsy by Jo Hollingsworth. Absolutely beautiful handcrafted jewelry. She had exactly what I had in mind: a simple, 14k gold hoop that would fit snugly on my ear. I wanted gold, not gold filled, for jewelry that I didn't plan to take off anytime soon; I needed something that could withstand showers and the beach. In addition, Jo provided superb customer service - I would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking for a new, high quality piercing. My package quickly arrived within a couple days, and I've been wearing my hoop ever since.

9mm 14k Yellow Gold Curl

SHOP

Simplicity Earrings

SHOP

Thank you, Jo! I almost wish I had more piercings haha.