Today is my momma's birthday, and to celebrate this day and of course the upcoming holidays, Sparklies by Julie is hosting another GIVEAWAY!!! That's right, another chance to win FREE sparklies! :) The contest will run from today, December 4th, to end of day next Saturday, December 10th, 2011.
The prize? A pair of my seasonal Swarovski hand painted Snowmen earrings worth $22!
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| Swarovski Snowmen • These snowmen are created from Swarovski crystal elements and sterling silver components. Each snowman is carefully hand painted with his cheerful smile, cute carrot nose and loving heart. ~ $22.00 |
The contest is up and running at www.facebook.com/sparkliesbyjulie! Look for the photo of the snowmen earrings on the main wall or got to Photos, Wall Photos and find the snowmen photo. Answer this question: What is your best holiday memory? and leave your answer in a comment under the photo. The winner will be chosen randomly and notified next Saturday. Previous giveaway winners are not eligible to win again but feel free to invite your family and friends to enter. :) Good luck to everyone!
If you don't want to leave to fate your chance of getting these earrings, you can purchase them at www.sparkliesbyjulie.com.
Thanks for reading my blog! And don't forget, for a limited time, I am offering a online coupon code good for your total purchase! Use HOLIDAYS6OFF for 6% off your total purchase! This includes gift sets too! It won't apply to previous purchases and only works at my etsy shop.
Visit my facebook page: www.facebook.com/sparkliesbyjulie and my store: http://www.sparkliesbyjulie.com.
❤ Julie
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With the holidays coming up, lots of you are probably thinking of what gifts to give everyone in your life. I know I am. :) I've settled for jewelry for most of my female relatives. I mean, what woman doesn't love a little sparkly to adorn her neck, wrist or ears? What could be more meaningful that something handmade? AND...who doesn't love to save some money?
To that purpose, I've created coupon codes to help my shoppers save this year. :) Visit www.sparkliesbyjulie.com and use coupon code: HOLIDAYS6OFF for 6% off your total purchase! This includes gift sets too! It won't apply to previous purchases and only works at my etsy shop.
So start shopping and saving. Get all the ladies in your life a gorgeous piece of handmade jewelry. That'll take care of up to half your list. Now as for the men? Yeah, you're on your own there...I'm still having problems figuring out presents for my father, brother and husband. Lol. :)
Thanks for reading my blog! And don't forget to keep checking my facebook page and my shop for more new items as I get them posted! Click here to visit my facebook page: www.facebook.com/sparkliesbyjulie and my store: http://www.sparkliesbyjulie.com.
❤ Julie
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It would seem that I've completely forgotten to update my blog...again. *sheepish grin* My bad.
So my last post was regarding the giveaway I had in honor of my birthday. It ran for a week and ended on my birthday of August 22nd. The winner of that little contest was Kris Schwind! Congratulations! Her entry was about her homemade ice cream cake and let me tell you...it sounded soooo yummy! If it wasn't such a pain to ship frozens, I would have asked for a cake sample! :) Many thanks too to everyone who entered and to all who voted! I am truly grateful to have the support of so many wonderful people.
In the meantime, while it's been a while since I've posted anything new, it's not because I haven't made anything, but rather because I have soo many ideas running through my brain that I don't know where to start! I have so many friends getting engaged and having weddings that I've been focusing a lot on bridal jewelry. I even had dreams about making bridal jewelry yesterday nite. Woke up with a headache and an urge to grab my sketch book and get them all down before I forgot. So please bare with me as I slowly but surely get photos of everything and get them posted.
I'm also starting to gather the materials needed to make my popular holiday items like my handpainted Swarovski snowmen earrings and Swarovski Christmas tree earrings. I want to get some ready for the up-coming holiday season so I won't get too swamped. Remember, I only make a limited amount of these sparklies every year so get your order in as soon as I post them for sale!
Thanks for reading my blog! And don't forget to keep checking my facebook page and my shop for more new items as I get them posted! Click here to visit my facebook page: www.facebook.com/sparkliesbyjulie and my store: http://www.sparkliesbyjulie.com.
❤ Julie
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Nothing new going on right now. Life has settled down since my last post. :) Caleb is back in his routine...though he incorporated some new actions, such as bouncing up and down in his crib for a couple of minutes before settling down to sleep. :D
The last two weeks I have been in a jewelry funk, where I would look at my supplies and come up blank, but I am slowly coming out of it. I recently ordered some new supplies of which I am so very excited about. :) I should get them either the end of this week or beginning of next and I can not wait to implement them in my ideas! Seriously, I get giddy every time I think about it and can't stop smiling. LOL. Anyways, I hope have pictures posted as soon as I can. In the mean time, here are a couple of new items I have to offer.
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| Baby Necklace • wirewrapped 10mm Chalcedony gemstone briolettes, this is the opal chalcedony version for those who want to be surprised by the baby's gender!! Paired with a darling handstamped baby footprint on a sterling silver disc charm. Just purchase the Boy or Girl version and leave me a note when you check out that you'd like the Opal version. | | | |
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| Swarovski Crystal & Pearl Tennis Bracelet • This lovely bracelet is made from Swarovski pearls, crystals and sterling silver daisy spacers woven together with clear, strong beading wire. It latches with a silver watch clasp and a sterling silver jump ring. Choose your crystal colors and whether you want white pearls or tahitian pearls. These bracelets are made-to-order! |
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| Filigree Heart • Rose gold plated ball earring hooks and romantic filigree heart connectors, below which dangles textured, light pink ball beads on rose gold plated ball headpin. So dainty and pretty. |
Thanks for reading my blog! And don't forget to keep checking my facebook page and my shop for more new items as I get them posted! Click here to visit my facebook page: www.facebook.com/sparkliesbyjulie and my store: http://www.sparkliesbyjulie.com.
❤ Julie
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Oh my, once again, I need to catch up on my blogging! Whew, these last couple of weeks have been hectic! First, my family and I went to Hawaii to attend our friends' wedding! So much fun getting to see all our old friends again but OMG, so much work traveling with a toddler! Seriously, to all the mothers out there who do it with more than one little one, MUCH PROPS out to you! I have no idea how you do it. Caleb kept us pretty busy the whole 9 days we were there!!
Then coming home...it is nice to be back home. Who knew we'd need R & R after a trip to a tropical paradise! But there's no rest for SAHMs, it was back to the grind, doing loads of laundry, trying to get my baby back on Idaho time and back into his routine (P.S. Have I mentioned we've kinda started potty training? Oh what a joy that is!), and of course...fulfilling orders and making more SPARKLIES!!!
Upon getting home I was excited to see that a couple of jewelry supply orders I'd made had finally come in. One was another metal design stamp (told you I was addicted!), another was the Opal Chalcedonies that I'd ordered back on May 26th (hoo-wee, do I have a story about that order) and lastly, my gorgeous, AAA grade coin pearls!! Yay! Or at least yay, till I examined the opal chalcedonies and found out that some of the briolettes were cracked (more on that story later).
As the title suggests, I have gone pearl crazy! I purchased two strands of the prettiest, high grade coin pearls and I have been making lots of sparklies with them. Take a look!
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| Solitaire • A solitary, lush, AAA grade coin pearl hangs on a sterling silver cable chain. |
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| Custom Initial Charm & Pearl • A luminous AAA grade coin pearl paired up with a sterling silver disc charm, handstamped with an initial of your choice (shown here with a 'J'). |
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| FOUR PIECE Bridal Set - Custom Initial & Pearl • The perfect way to give the timeless gift of pearls and sterling silver with a personalized touch. |
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| Perfect • A luminous AAA grade coin pearl on all sterling silver components. A must have accessory for a timeless, chic look. |
So here is my story with the damaged Opal Chalcedony briolettes I received and it's all true!
When I found the broken briolettes, it was back to my computer to try and get a hold of the seller on Etsy.com. S/he was really good at replying to me that same day. They asked what I meant by 'cracked' and 'what beads did I order [and] that maybe they sent me the wrong strand?'. They also asked to see pictures of the damaged beads, so I busted out my camera, took some shots, replied with 'I ordered so-n-so, and isn't it [their] responsibility to make sure I got the right order?',and sent them off. It took them another 3 days to get back to me, and that was after I'd messaged them again asking for a reply. They replied with ' oh, it's only 6 beads, that's not as bad as you made it sound. Do [I] want to send them back for a refund? Or do [I] want 20% off [my] next purchase.' Really?! It's not that bad? I think it'd be up the paying customer to decide that, right? Anyways, so I wrote back saying I would rather get an exchange for a new strand. They replied with and seriously this is what they wrote: "No, new strand..because all are beads strands have some chips,broken pieces." HOLY COW!! I couldn't believe they'd actually write that to a customer! That all their strands come with broken beads?! REALLY?! Then they offered me the 20% discount again. LOLOL, I just couldn't believe it. First they tell me that all their strands come with broken beads so why would I ever purchase from them again? Secondly, they were already offering 20% discounts on all purchases to all customers...so how is that suppose to be special for me? It would make more sense if they'd offered a bigger discount then the one offered to the general public...but anyways, I digress. I wrote back saying I would prefer a partial refund then so I don't have to take a hit on the damaged beads and asked why they wouldn't offer me an exchange when it's written in their shop policies that if a customer is not completely satisfied, the customer has a choice of a refund, and exchange or store credit...It took them another day (today) to answer (once again after I had to write them again, this time quoting their own policy). The seller has agreed to offered me a partial refund because s/he says it's too expensive to send me out another strand if I do an exchange (then why offer exchanges in their policy?). So right now, I'm waiting to see how much they think is fair to refund...Oh, by the way, did I mention that the stones were shipped from India supposedly but the return address on the package I received is from New Hampshire? Why wouldn't they ship directly to me? It would have saved me time and them money.
After dealing with this store and seller, I am seriously wondering how on earth they have so many positive feedback from customers praising the stones? I must conclude that 1: Not all their strands have broken or chipped pieces, and 2: they are just being lazy about taking my complaint seriously and hoping I'd just go away. LOL!
Ok well, enough for now. Again, thanks for reading my blog! And don't forget to keep checking my facebook page and my shop for more new items as I get them posted! Click here to visit my facebook page: www.facebook.com/sparkliesbyjulie and my store: http://www.sparkliesbyjulie.com/. Have a great Fourth of July weekend!
❤ Julie
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I've come out with two new handstamped, wire wrapped necklaces! The perfect gift for a baby shower, to commemorate an adoption or just to celebrate the birth of a new little one!
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Baby Girl
Both necklaces feature wirewrapped 10mm Chalcedony gemstone briolettes, blue for boys and pink for girls. I also have Opal Chalcedony briolettes for those who want to be surprised by the baby's gender!! Paired with a darling handstamped baby footprint on a stering silver disc charm. The necklace comes on an 18" sterling silver cable chain with spring clasp. |
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I know I haven't been as diligent as I should be about keeping my blog updated. Sorry. :) So here goes! I've finally dived into a new jewelry making method! Metal stamping! Yay! It's so much fun and I love being able to create one-of-a-kind, customizable items. It is a bit tricky and nerve-racking. I mean I have to make sure that all the letters are lined up correctly and evenly, or that the design stamp is dead center. Or that when I hole-punch, the hole is where it's suppose to be. There's also the worry that I have to hit the stamp with the hammer just so, so it won't cause an unwanted dent or that it won't warp the metal. Then there's the worry of scratching the metal! Cause as you've figured out...you mess it up and you can't take it back! It's not like beading where if I don't like the look, I can just take it apart and start over again. Once I've stamped the metal...well, it's pretty much permanent and if I don't like it, I'm outta luck. I either have to find a way to make it work or dump it. And as I found out...sterling silver prices are on the rise so it can be an expensive mistake. Geez, so much to look out for...and I actually love it all! It can get addicting, I keep finding all these design stamps I want and new fonts I want to create into metal stamps and it gets soo expensive! It's hard to pick and chose which ideas I want to invest in right now and which to put on the back burner. Decisions, decisions! :D
I've created a couple of new items for my shop and am in the process of making more hand-stamped jewelry for sale. Keep checking my facebook page and my shop for more new items as I get them posted! And again, thanks for reading my blog! Click here to visit my facebook page: www.facebook.com/sparkliesbyjulie and my store: http://www.sparkliesbyjulie.com/.
❤ Julie
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| We ♥ GRANDMA necklace • sterling silver pendant, hammered, then handstamped with 'We ♥ GRANDMA.' Swarovski birthstones are wirewrapped to the bottom of the disc. Custom orders only. |
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| My 3 Wishes • Each name is a wish come true! Three cascading sterling silver disc handstamped with your children's names, one letter at a time. Comes with three Swarovski birthstones. Custom orders only. |
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| MOM necklace • The pendant is a sterling silver 5/8" (about the size of a dime) disc handstamped with the word MOM and a design stamp of your choice in the center (shown with swirly heart). Custom orders only. |
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Congratulations to Michelle Francoeur for winning the 1st annual Sparklies by Julie Mother's Day Giveaway contest! I had several wonderful entries and I would have loved to award them all but the voters have spoken. :) Many thanks to all who entered and to all who voted. I will be contacting Michelle to make arrangements to send the custom, hand-stamped 'MOM' necklace to her. Once again, thanks to my fans for all their support, I truly do appreciate you.
Remember, Mother's Day is on May 8th this year. Have you already gotten her the perfect gift?
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day! Don't forget to visit my facebook page: www.facebook.com/sparkliesbyjulie and my store: http://www.sparkliesbyjulie.com/.
❤ Julie
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Since I posted the Mother's Day contest on facebook.com, I have been remiss in posting pictures of all the new sparklies I've made in the meantime. It's only cause I don't want to push the contest post too far down the line to where no one can find it if they want to enter. So I will post the a sneak peek of just some of the newest pieces here! If you click on the name of the piece and it doesn't take you to one of my shops, it's because I haven't listed it yet. Check back soon and find out where it is available!
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| Vintage Bride • Swarovski crystal AB drops, white pearls and sterling silver beads. Perfect for that bride who's looking for a touch of old-world elegance. |
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| Marble Sky • Gray marble-pattern rounds interspersed with brilliant blue AB roundelles that sparkle with a little gold; on memory wire. OOAK. |
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| MidNite Blu • Brilliant blue AB roundelles interspersed with shiny metallic hematite glass beads; on memory wire. Comes with matching earrings on handformed sterling silver hooks. OOAK. |
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| Persephone in Spring • sterling silver wire formed into waves while a Swarovski peridot briolette hangs from the bottom and glows on the sterling silver french hook. |
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| We ♥ GRANDMA necklace • sterling silver pendant, hammered, then handstamped with 'We ♥ GRANDMA.' Swarovski birthstones are wirewrapped to the bottom of the disc. Custom orders only. |
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| Tree of Life Pendant • (chain not included) completely handcrafted from sterling silver and genuine, semi-precious Fancy Jasper chips. |
Just a reminder, the Mother's Day Giveaway contest is still going on. Enter to win a handstamped necklace for that special mom in your life! Just visit www.facebook.com/sparkliesbyjulie to enter or just visit to vote for your favorite answer.
❤ Julie
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Oh my goodness!!! Yay! I just got my 100th fan, Heather Chatlos, on my facebook page! And to thank her, I'm offering her a choice between three pieces: a Swarovski Drop Pendant necklace, a pair of Cherry Agate earrings, or a Bronze bracelet!
I messaged her on facebook so we'll see which she chooses. I just want to thank everyone who is a fan. I really appreciate all the support. :)
Just a reminder, the Mother's Day Giveaway contest is still going on. Enter to win a handstamped necklace for that special mom in your life! Just visit www.facebook.com/sparkliesbyjulie to enter or just visit to vote for your favorite answer.
❤ Julie
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C'mon everyone! The first annual Sparklies by Julie Mother's Day Giveaway contest has begun!
The rules are simple, just go to my facebook page and answer this under the contest prize photo: What does the word 'MOM' mean to you? Then invite your family and friends to vote for your answer by clicking the 'like' link underneath your comment! The comment with the most 'likes' by the contest's end (April 29th) WINS! And as an awesome prize, the winner gets a beautiful handstamped necklace! See the photo below:
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| The MOM Heart necklace • The pendant is a sterling silver 5/8" (about the size of a dime) disc handstamped with the word MOM and a darling little swirl heart design. It comes on an 18" cable chain! ~ $38.00 |
If you'd like to order one directly from me, please contact me at sparkliesbyjulie at gmail dot com and I will set up a reserved listing for you! I have several more designs I can use in the center of the pendant if you want some thing other than the swirly heart. Please see the photo below:
All Mother's Day orders must be received no later than April 29th to ensure you get it before Mother's Day (May 8th, 2011)!
Thanks for reading and I hope you'll enter the contest! Don't forget to visit my facebook page: www.facebook.com/sparkliesbyjulie and my store: http://www.sparkliesbyjulie.com/.
❤ Julie
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So I often wonder who actually reads my blogs...besides me, but I'll continue writing it every once in a while anyway, just in case there are some interested readers.
I just announced on my facebook page that I will soon be announcing the start of the first annual Sparklies by Julie Mother's Day Giveaway contest. LOL, I know...announcing a soon-to-be announcement but hey, it gives people a chance to get ready and participate, if they so choose, which I really hope lots will. But get excited people, cause I know I am! I've already come up with the rules and I'm in the process of creating the prize. I will announce the beginning of the contest and its rules when I post a picture of what (I hope) everyone will be competing for. I think it's an awesome prize but then again, that's just my opinion! :)
And if you do read my blog...thank you. :) I hope you'll continue to do so.
Don't forget to visit my facebook page: www.facebook.com/sparkliesbyjulie and my store: http://www.sparkliesbyjulie.com/.
❤ Julie
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Yesterday, I posted that I was working on a new project that would prolly become my most ambitious piece to date! Well after several hours, I finally finished! Yay! Hooray!! So without further ado, I proudly present my very first (and certainly not last) Tree of Life pendant! Enjoy!
❤ Julie
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| Tree of Life Pendant • (chain not included) Completely handmade from painstakingly wirewrapped sterling silver wires and Red Agate semi-precious gemstone chips. ~ $42.00 |
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Ok, so I got a little ambitious and perhaps a tad carried away, but I got it into my little head that I would create a Tree of Life pendant entirely out of sterling silver wires and semi-precious gemstones. Sounds easy right? I mean other people have made them and made many, so how hard could it be?
The answer? Not hard...just a big pain in the behind! I've started off by taking thick sterling silver wire and handformed it into a pendant frame and bail. Now I'm in the process of tediously wire-wrapping the whole frame in super thin sterling silver wire. Considering the frame is about 1.25" long and 1" wide, this could take a while...especially since I've got an energetic 16 month old to take care of and a bunch of household chores to catch up on. LOL.
Ok, back to the grind. I'll post pictures as soon as I'm done...whenever that will be! :) Thanks for reading and don't forget to visit http://www.sparkliesbyjulie.com/ and www.facebook.com/sparkliesbyjulie!
❤ Julie
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I've just posted new necklaces in my facebook store that have just about sold out! So what's so awesome about these necklaces? These FABU necklaces are created from 20 sided dice! Yeah, you read right...necklaces made from dice! 20 sided dice are used for Dungeons and Dragons games but they make awesome pendants. So purchase one or more for that special geek girl in your life! I made a couple to start out but they've proved so popular that I'm going to hit up the game store this weekend and get a couple more! I've even received a special order from a friend of mine with great taste!
I made two versions of these necklaces:
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| Natural 20 v1 • These are single strand necklaces that clasp with a sterling silver lobster clasp and ring. The leather cord is hand crochet by me for a nice braid. The die are handwrapped in stering silver. |
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| Natural 20 v2 • These are double strand necklaces, making them adjustable to different lengths! The leather cord is hand crochet by me for a nice braid. The die are handwrapped in stering silver. |
If you play a game that uses a different dice system and would like a necklace made of that die, contact me and I'll be more than happy to work with you! :) Have a great day!
❤ Julie
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Ok, so I finally gave in and started my own blog! Catch up with Sparklies by Julie here for the latest news and the newest sparklies!
My name is Julie Williams and welcome to my blog! I'm a stay-at-home mom to a very energetic little guy, I'm married to a very supportive, wonderful man and we have a cute little dog named Stitch. I grew up in San Diego, California and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii shortly after I got married. One day my hubby bought me a lovely but very expensive set of beaded jewelry. After studying it for a little bit, I decided that I could totally make something like it if I'd had the materials. So after a couple hours spent in a craft store and a couple hundred dollars later in supplies, I had my new hobby! I made jewelry for every gift giving holiday. People liked my items so much that I decided to create Sparklies by Julie.
So far: My family and I moved to Idaho Falls, Idaho after living in Hawaii for 3 years. We're finally settled into our new home, where I finally have a workroom of my own! I'm so excited and can't wait to get it all set up. Of course it's in the basement...where it's COLD!
In jewelry news: I'm still creating lots of handmade jewelry and I'm going to start branching out in different jewelry making methods! Check back often for pictures of new items!
Here are some of my newest stuff: Click on the name of the item and it will take you to the shop page where you can purchase it!
❤ Julie
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| PurRings • textured silver rings with a purple/white streaked glass drop. Topped with a faceted glass round ~ $10.00 |
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| Jellybean Rings • Fun and flirty! Multicolored glass beads in all shapes and sizes! This set includes a necklace (measures: approx. 26" unclasped), a bracelet (approx. 7.5") and earrings (approx. 2.5"). ~ $40.00 |
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