Diana Bostany

Pretty Little Things

2010-08-14T17:26:00.006-05:00

I love when my packages come from India. The anticipation of what's inside makes me to want to rip them open. Not such an easy task, however. Parcels from India are boxes, sometimes metal and other times plastic, that are wrapped in much packing tape - so much so that the box material cannot be seen. After the taping, the box is then wrapped in a natural woven fabric with the edges being folded in neatly as if wrapping a present and then hand-stitched closed. The finishing touch is wax stampings along the seams. I'm not sure if customs will send me a bill. The package never appears to have been opened.

This was a very exciting parcel to receive as there are new stones that I have never worked with before, the first being the blue mystic topaz gemstones shown above. Mystic coatings have been around as long as I've been beading with my first mystic stones being pink topaz. Traditional mystic topaz was of no interest to me as they were so heavily coated - reflecting deep dark purples and teals with a mirror like finish - ok for some, just not for me. These newer mystics are more translucent adding color and dimension in a way similar to that of pink topaz. The color above is also known as "Paraiba Blue" Topaz and it is created by coating white topaz.

Other gemstones shown are Pink Amethyst, Blue/Green Fluorite, and Grapefruit Corundum (another new one for me). I await one more parcel and then I'll begin designing. I can hardly wait ;)

Tivo? Who needs it?

2010-04-24T12:15:00.016-05:00

Television has been getting a really bad rap lately, and it's no wonder. But I have to admit, there are a few shows that I like to watch ~ if it weren't for all those commercials! ( Is it just me or are there more of them these days?) I know I could record the shows and fast forward . . . but I'd rather make things. Here are a few things I've been working on. It started with some beautiful rubies . . .

Long Faceted Ruby Rosary Chain Necklace

Smooth Ruby Rondelle Rosary Chain Necklace

Long Pink Tourmaline Rosary Chain Necklace

Long Faceted Aquamarine and Labradorite on Silk Necklace

So the next time you go to set up the Tivo, think about all you could accomplish while watching television.

Di ;)

The Raindrops Collection

2010-03-04T23:43:00.012-06:00

Simple, pretty, and practical, I call it the Raindrops Collection. Gemstone briolette dangles to wear alone or stacked like charms on a simple chain. Special earwires allow you to switch out the gemstones - wear pink topaz one day and pearls the next - all with one pair of earwires. These are classics that you can wear again and again, day into night. Gemstones never go out of style.

Pink Topaz and Fine .999 Silver

Swiss Blue Topaz and 14K Gold Fill

Rose de France Amethyst and Fine .999 Silver (for earrings)

Smokey Quartz and 14K Gold Fill

It began about a year ago. I had made a simple necklace for myself with 11 tiny grey diamond dangles. And, as pretty as it was, I felt the need to add some color by layering. I selected two of my favorite gemstone briolettes - London Blue Topaz and Smokey Quartz - and made them into pendants that could be switched out on a single chain. For the last year, this has basically been my jewelry wardrobe - the necklace with the tiny diamond dangles layered with a simple chain with interchangeable gemstone pendants. I've refined the look and am now offering it in my Etsy shop "Queeniejewels".

Time flies . . .

2009-11-12T10:31:00.011-06:00

Wow! It's hard to believe so much time has passed since my last post. And even tho I haven't been making much jewelry, I've been busy. Besides making and selling jewelry extenders, I helped plan our high school reunion, returned to crafting, opened a new Etsy shop, and more recently have been de-cluttering with Craigslist.

Below are a few of my favorite jewelry pieces that have sold:

"A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Apatite, Labradorite, Smokey Quartz, Iolite, and Gold Vermeil.

"Golden Needles"
Golden Rutile Quartz, Citrine, Gold Vermeil

"Blue Topaz Bricks"

My return to crafting began with a pattern I discovered during a re-organization. This pattern, for a miniature teddy bear, was one I originally used as a small child. After I had created several bears in Honey colored felt, while adding 2 even smaller bears in the process,

my son inspired me to make them in colors. I've named that collection of bears "Colores" and they are currently available at my Etsy shop Bitty Boo Gifts.

I've truly enjoyed making these little creatures and hope they put a smile on your face. With many jewelry ideas swirling around in my head, my return to jewelry making is just around the corner. But first, I must streamline the photography process . . . ahhh, another idea for a future post - "Photography Made Easy".

Thanks for visiting, Diana ;)

Spring Fling

2009-04-11T21:05:00.012-05:00

The colors of Spring 2009 include a wide variety ~ from the soft chiffon colors of Rose Quartz, Lemon Quartz, Pink Amethyst, and Green Amethyst . . .

to the hothouse brights of Pink Tourmaline, Orange Sapphire, Peridot, and Yellow Citrine. For a taste of something in between, try Peruvian Pink Opal, Peruvian Blue Opal, Pink Coral, and Blue Chalcedony.

Texture plays an important role with textured chains creating matte finishes, diamonds in the rough, and pearls. While classic pearls are hot, hot, hot, Frangia pearls pick up on the fringe trend and in the case of these lavender ones below, show a rainbow of pastels within their luster.

Platinum Grey remains an important color so be sure to come back to view our platinum grey diamond collection currently on the bench.

Happy Spring!

Diana ;)

Website Analytics

2009-03-13T18:30:00.017-05:00

I use Google Analytics for my website. When I first put up my website years ago I had the simple counter on the front page. Although informative, it really was more entertainment than anything else. Today, there's probably alot I can do to improve my website based on the info I get from Analytics. Lets take a look at the results:

The chart above compares the results of one month to the previous one. The blue line is Feb/Mar and the green line is Jan/Feb. The dots represent each day and when I hover over one, I get the number of visits for that day. Total website visits for Feb/Mar were 1959 - a 3.93% increase from the previous month. Total pages viewed were 7310, and the average number of pages per visit was 3.73. These last two values decreased from the previous month.

The chart also shows a bounce rate of 52.17%. Bounce rate is the number of people that came upon your site but it wasn't the result they wanted so they left. To lower this number I need to hone in on what I'm selling in my content and thus limit the rate of error. Average time spent on the site was 2:01 minutes - adding more visually interesting links to each page could increase the amount of time people spend on my site. Of the 1959 visits, 81.3% of them were new visits - first time from that address.

Interestingly, when I click on the report for the map overlay, I learn that over the course of two months, my visits came from 81 different countries! The darker green the area on the map, the more visits from that region.

Another important section is the traffic source overview or how people found my site - via the search engines, via links from other sites, or directly using my web address www.dianabostany.com. The fact that most of my traffic comes from search engines emphasizes the importance of SEO or Search Engine Optimization. If I link to more websites, I may increase that value over time. I am beginning to see that SEO is a job best left to the professionals. Mostly because there are so many jewelry websites on the internet.

Because I have Analytics tracking most of my pages, I get a chart of which pages are visited and how many times each. This lets me know what pages are of interest to my customers and how new pages should be tailored. I've also used this information to eliminate pages that don't get enough visits. Even tho eliminating pages may eliminate valued content, in the end, it can also reduce website maintenance.

Notice that more people visited the jewelry extender page rather than the front page of my site. The reason for this is how my site ranks in the search engine for that particular word/phrase. The higher I rate in the engines, the more likely people will find that page of my site. For example, if you do a google search for pink tourmaline briolettes necklace, you will see that my rank is #2 out of 15,400 results. However, if you search just for pink tourmaline necklace, the number of results grows to 204,000. Where am I ranked? I'm #98 on the 10th page of the google results. Still pretty respectable when you figure there are 204,000 results. However, that's really not good enough since people generally look to the top 10 and mayyybeee the top 20 results.

So how can I get more people to come to my site to buy more jewelry than extenders? Optimize for beaded jewelry - seems obvious. The difficulty is that right now, there are 2.2 million results for that phrase. Bottom line is, if you're thinking of starting up a website to sell your beaded jewelry designs, make sure you focus some of your energies on SEO - or get a professional to do it for you.

The Orchid Collection

2009-03-02T13:30:00.004-06:00

When the sun comes through the window and shines upon my orchids I feel grateful to be alive. The petals sparkle in the sun as if calling out for attention and the colors can't be beat.

Most of the year, while my orchids are sleeping, they surround my tub and soak up the humidity that spills over the shower wall. It's as if they're collecting their magic for when the time to bloom comes. As they begin to bloom I bring them down to the kitchen so I can enjoy them all day. The bright sun and humidity from washing dishes keeps them happy.

The bloom season is long with flowers opening one by one. The tallest plant has been blooming since the day before Thanksgiving when I purchased it. The other orchids are in their second or third season of bloom. Orchids are an excellent value for this reason - they will reward you again and again if you don't over-water them.

Enjoy! Diana ;)

For the Love of Opal

2009-02-24T11:04:00.009-06:00

As a fashion designer, I am often inspired by the many fashion magazines and catalogs that I receive. Most recently my fascination with "Lemon Lime" (Lemon Quartz combined with Peridot) was sidetracked by Peruvian Pink Opals and Diamonds. And while the earrings I saw were obviously castings set with diamonds - not beaded - it made me want to do something along those lines. The tea rose color of Pink Opals combined with something very sparkly . . . perhaps diamonds . . . maybe crystal quartz. In the end, I chose faceted rose quartz - for it's soft pink color and translucent quality. Work in progress . . . .

That said, I can't help but admire my collection of Peruvian Blue Opals . . . those may have to be next.

Sparkle and Shine

2009-02-02T20:26:00.011-06:00

I just couldn't help myself. The Golden Rutile Quartz Nuggets had been on my desk for months and even though I had already used them once before, this time I wanted to create something airy. The arrival of some matching 8mm rounds was just the inspiration I needed.

As the sun spilled across my desk and onto the beads, the golden needles sparkled like crazy within the stones. It was as if they were speaking - and before long "we three kings" came to mind. The newly fallen snow had covered every branch and sitting by the window I knew it was cold - I could feel it coming off the glass. But the golden stones made me warm. "We three kings," I repeated to myself. It shall be regal yet wearable. Fancy yet somewhat simple. The large link chain that had just arrived was the perfect balance to the nugget I had selected for the pendant. I hadn't thought of a tassel initially. But the more I thought of kings, queens, and castles, the more it seemed appropriate - appropriately lavish.

When the piece was finished I tried it on immediately. The coolness of the stones felt lovely against my skin - as did the chain tassle. I imagined it being worn with a long, full black velvet skirt, a wide black belt - with scrolls of passimentarie for texture, and a crisp white cotton shirt with the collar turned up, 3/4 length sleeves and fancy French cuffs. "But what if she wanted more - more sparkle?" I thought. So, the next piece was created as an add on - to be worn long or doubled. Or to be worn alone with a dress or jeans.

The rounds were pricey due to their quality - AA grade - so I tried to use them sparingly. But as I thought of a coordinating bracelet, the beads I chose to enhance the faceted nugget would have to be special. You see, bracelets are usually viewed up close. More so than necklaces. Only the finest stones could be used. Those AAA Citrine Briolettes that I've been saving would be perfect! Not only would they provide sparkle and shine but if clustered, they will give the piece some girth - or heft. For if she were only to wear one bracelet, it should be somewhat substantial to contrast with the airy necklaces.

And so, now that I've had my fill of Golden Rutile Quartz, the beads shall be put away until the next urge arrives. For with the warm weekend that just passed, my thoughts have turned to Lemon Lime.

Mix it up

2009-01-13T17:53:00.004-06:00

For some time now, the words "mix it up" have been on my brain. For someone like me - it's big. You see, I tend to like balance and symmetry. I've always drawn in the photo representational style - I decorate with balance - I like things to go together and to me, things that are alike go together. In my earlier jewelry designs, transparent gemstones were put with other transparent gemstones, faceted stones with faceted stones, etc. I don't know when "mix it up" started in my brain but I've been hearing it for a long time now and I've been slowly trying to break away from my old familiar patterns. To me, this is a signal of growth and a desire for change.

My mother said it best, "when you pick prints, you tire of them after about 5 years." She was referring to interior design and at the time, I was skeptical. But I love that print - I'll never tire of it. Well, guess what? She was right. The same thing happens with jewelry design - after a while, things start to look old.

New Beginnings

2009-01-07T10:46:00.026-06:00

Happy New Year! While I never really make New Year's Resolutions, this year I have vowed to eliminate clutter in my life. By doing so I hope to get more room in the brain for the creative process. In addition to looking forward, I tend to look back - to briefly assess any accomplishments.

This year, my major accomplishment has been to remain a non-smoker. Quitting the habit was something I'd wanted to do for many years. With the exception of quitting for the pregnancy and nursing of my first born, I had been a regular smoker for nearly 25 years with a habit of 1/2 to 1 pack a day depending. How did I do it - and while married to a smoker?

I began by feeling bogged down by the addiction. Yes, you have to tell yourself you hate it and do so over and over again. After you've convinced yourself that you've had enough of the addiction, go to your doctor for help. My doctor gave me a prescription to help reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms. And while I received this prescription in September of 07, I didn't start the program because I was taking another medication for a different problem. I waited until I had finished those meds before filling the prescription. Being able to focus on taking only one medication was helpful for me.

What were the meds like? For me, I felt extremely angry all the time. I felt like yelling all the time - and I was yelling alot more than usual. I don't know for sure if it was the meds or the fact that I was angry for denying myself something my body wanted. Thankfully, it went away after I stopped taking them 2 months later. In addition to taking the meds, to keep from smoking I used a few other tricks.

1) Change your routine. This is really important because it's a distraction. If you can switch the order in which you do things, it really helps.

2) Identify your triggers. Once you identify your triggers, stay away from them as much as possible. Bars, parties and alchohol were off limits for a while. I still had to drive though so I would distract myself with the radio - singing - lots of singing. Some people hold things like a pen or pencil.

3) Take deep breaths. A friend once told me that smoking was the body's way of telling you it wants you to breathe. When I felt like smoking I would take a few deep breaths - I think getting the oxygen to the brain probably helped.

4) Prepare yourself mentally - you will be taunted by cigarettes for a long time. I'd drive by the gas station and see ads for cigarettes - ouch. I'd go to a movie and they would be either smoking on the screen or I'd have to walk thru cigarette smoke to get to my car. Eventually, the smell of cigarette smoke became disgusting and that helped but until then you need to find a way to deal with the temptation.

5) Tell yourself and others that you don't smoke anymore. This was probably the key to my being able to quit. Whenever I was tempted to "light up", I'd tell myself "I'm a non-smoker now." The power of the spoken word (or thought).

What has been the most challenging? I used to associate the creative process with smoking. Meaning, when I'd get stumped about a design or needed inspiration, I'd go have a smoke. I won't belittle that process because I realize for some, the opportunity to break with a smoke yields results. But I will say that by recognizing the smoke break as JUST A BREAK, I was able to eventually get past it.

Even tho I quit over 1 year ago, I still take it 1 day at a time. Sometimes I still say it - "I'm a non-smoker now." It's important to accept that you're human and the possibility of faltering is there and that if it happens, it's ok.

Have a Happy and Healthy 2009!

Diana ;)

A Midsummer Night's Dream

2008-12-04T14:45:00.013-06:00

When I first saw these Apatite nuggets I was drawn simply to the color. But the more I looked at them the more I loved them for their ancient quality - like something found in an archaeological dig - asymmetrically faceted slabs, they are cracked and pitted in places which give them a unique charm. Even my 9 year old son commented - "These are cool, Mom! I love the cracks!" Indeed. To enforce the museum feel, I've enhanced them with 24K gold vermeil and large Faceted Smokey Quartz Rondelles. To modernize the look I incorporated smooth labradorite pebbles. I love the contrast. As you move about, the labradorite beads flash gorgeous shades of blue and olive . . . yummmmm.

The pendant necklace is 24" long and the bead chain necklace is 20" long with an extender. They are designed to be worn layered but look gorgeous on their own. Soon to be available in my Etsy store where my seller name is "queeniejewels". Hope to see you there!

Organic in Nature

2008-11-24T02:27:00.009-06:00

'Round here, we've been trying to introduce more whole foods and organic products into our diet. Back to nature is something we're doing for the health of our body and mind. And it got me thinking about introducing more natural looking beads in my jewelry as well - you know for a more zen feel.

To me, nothing says natural more than these gorgeous agate beads. They remind me of stone collecting when I was a kid; asking my dad for a hammer and breaking open stones to see what was inside. Or skipping stones - growing up in the land of 10,000 lakes we used to look for smooth flat stones just like these.

Botswana Agate - gorgeous circular patterns reminiscent of shells by the sea - shades of grey, taupe, browns, and even orange just for pop. If I were going on holiday this winter it's what I'd wear with my white linen. For now wear them with a light grey cashmere sweater over charcoal grey or espresso trousers for work. Yes you can mix brown and grey - nature does it beautifully and so can you! I call it effortless.

Time flies!

2008-11-14T09:46:00.018-06:00

Much time has passed since my last entry and much has happened. A couple weeks ago my computer had started crashing so I ran spybot, cleaned the disks and defragged. Then Adobe Photoshop no longer worked so I unloaded it and reloaded it - when it asked for the update I went to Adobe and downloaded that and the software still won't open a photo. So, I found Gimp on the web and have been trying to learn a new photo editing system - not an easy task.

Recently I did a jewelry show. Doing your first jewelry show can be a blog posting in itself but I won't bore you with the details. It took many hours of preparation, cost about $200, and I sold one necklace. I'll chalk it up to a good experience and take comfort in knowing that at least now I have everything I need to do another. Below is an image of some display ideas.

I've been working on a consignment for special occasion jewelry - necklace with matching earrings using Smokey Quartz, Chocolate Pearls, and Gold. The look I was going for was romantic yet bold. Romantic because the brocade jacket the customer would be wearing had a lovely portrait collar - reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth. And bold because the jacket had a large portrait collar - what do ya know? Scale is very important. I was lucky to have in my stash some huge heart shaped briollettes.

Last Thursday, I suffered a second degree burn while cooking dinner (don't worry, I'm not going to post a picture). It's surprising how fragile we can be. The burn, which is the size of a grapefruit and caused me to seek medical attention, was extremely painful and had I not had Tylenol with codeine, I don't think I could've slept a wink. The next day wasn't as bad as I'd thought but the next few days . . it was difficult to do many things I take for granted - like taking a shower - didn't want to get the burn wet; doing household chores or making jewelry - it was painful to do just about everything as the entire burn throbbed most of the time. To end a long story, I'm much more careful about lifting the cover off of a boiling pot on the stove.

Last but not least, I opened an Etsy store. Why have an Etsy store when you already have a website? This will have to be another post.

Welcome!

2008-10-26T12:56:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog! After much thought I've decided to create this blog so I'd have a place to chronicle my work and thoughts. Creating jewelry is my passion and for me it's as important to collect and find new stones as it is to work with them. While the past years have been spent collecting transparent stones, I now seem to crave more earthy, opaque stones or stones that seem to encase a kind of treasure.

Stones that shimmer or have a pearlescent quality are very appealing - like labradorite, a continued favorite of mine, where blues and greens shimmer within a field of charcoal grey. Sunstone is another pearlescent stone that I love for it's orange base that shimmers with golden sunlight. I've recently collected several other shimmering stones which I'll get to in future posts.

A new stone for me is Golden Rutile Quartz - within a base of clear (sometimes cloudy) crystal quartz are fine golden needles. This gemstone comes in so many qualities and the best stones are very expensive. I hope to continue to grow my collection and share them with you by way of pendants, bracelets, and earrings - Golden rutile is a must for any rock hound.

Amber is another stone filled with treasures - with it's bits of nature suspended within a honey, cognac, or deep cherry base. I have some gorgeous amber on order and will post photos as soon as it arrives.

I hope you'll enjoy reading my blog and will come back often. Thanks for visiting!