I love to wear and design dangly, colorful earrings full of attitude and spunk. But not everyone shares the same taste in jewelry as me. Many people claim that their hair is too short or they can’t wear dangly earrings at the office or at school (mainly teachers). Alright, alright….I have come up with a solution to this dangly earring conundrum.

I have come up with a new series of freshwater pearl stud earrings that even I am excited about! Nowadays, pearl studs aren’t just for classy formal attire. These pearl studs can brighten up your beautiful face any day. So let’s take a tour of the different sizes and colors of pearl studs now available at www.naturalbeautyjewelry.com.

8mm White Pearl Studs - (8mm=5/16ths of an inch)

6mm White Pearl Studs - (6mm=just under 1/4″)

The 8mm pearl studs are pictured on the left and the 6mm pearl studs are on the right, just to give you a comparison on size. Aren’t they cute in their little boxes?

6mm Mauve (rose) Pearl Studs - (6mm=just under 1/4″)

6mm Peach Pearl Studs - (6mm=just under 1/4″)

6mm Peacock Pearl Studs - (6mm=just under 1/4″)

These deep purple pearls contain hues of purple and blue…kinda like a peacock!

I hope you have enjoyed your tour of Natural Beauty Jewelry’s new Pearl Stud Earring Collection. Happy shopping and I hope you find what you are looking for!

At a recent show, a customer asked me whether my jewelry (mainly earrings) is hypo-allergenic. She mentioned that she breaks out when she wears jewelry that isn’t 14k gold, surgical steel or nickel free. I briefly explained the types of metals that are used in my jewelry to help her determine whether or not she could wear them. To my dismay, she could not wear any of my jewelry due to her allergy. After the show I found myself wondering, “Why can some people with jewelry allergies wear metals such as sterling silver without irritation, while others can’t?”

In an effort to better understand jewelry allergies, I did some additional research. In a nutshell, people who suffer from contact dermatitis (an allergic reaction when in contact with certain metals) are most commonly allergic to nickel. Depending on the severity of a person’s allergy, they may be able to wear certain levels of nickel without irritation…or they may not. 

The terminology used in regards to precious metals can be confusing. So, here is a list of terms you may run into, and then you can decide what metal is right for you:

Yellow gold - Generally speaking, 14k or higher solid gold will not cause allergic reactions and is virtually nickel free. For extremely sensitive allergy sufferers, this may be the only option.

White gold - The alloys used in white gold and the chemicals used to make it white can contain nickel and can therefore cause allergic reactions more often than yellow gold.

Gold filled - Gold filled metal is created by covering a base metal (such as copper) with layers of actual gold using heat and pressure. Gold filled findings usually have many layers of gold, creating a virtually hypoallergenic material.

Gold Plated - This is the same thing as gold filled, only the layer of gold is much thinner. Allergic reactions may occur more often to this type of metal versus gold filled.

Silver Plated - A base metal is covered with a thin layer of silver. Again, allergic reactions may occur more often with this type of metal.

Sterling silver - 92.5% pure silver (.925) mixed with copper to achieve a hardness and stability level that will hold its shape and resist wear and tear. Generally, sterling silver is a great metal choice for people who are allergic to nickel.

Copper - Pure copper is not mixed with nickel or nickel alloys making it a hypoallergenic material.

Stainless/surgical steel - Steel alloys do contain a certain amount of nickel, however some people with nickel allergies can wear jewelry made from stainless/surgical steel without any problems.

In conclusion, all Natural Beauty Jewelry earrings are made using either sterling silver or gold filled ear wires. The majority of the findings found in my bracelets and necklaces are sterling silver and/or gold filled as well. As of the date of this post, a select few designs contain silver plated or base metal components. Please be sure to read the product information for each piece.

This design is made with chips of multi-colored Tourmaline and white freshwater pearls. Each section is hand wire wrapped to sterling silver chain links. This piece can also be worn two ways, either wrapped around twice or as one long necklace (as pictured). The matching post earrings each have a cluster of Tourmaline chips hanging at the bottom.

This necklace is made with sterling silver chain and pink freshwater pearls. I am really excited about this design, because it can be worn two different ways. The first (which I like best) is looped around the neck twice as pictured. Or, if you want you can wear it as one long loop which is approximately 34″ long. I like the versatility of being able to change it up, so I think I am going to design a couple of different designs with the same functionality.

I designed this three strand necklace and matching earrings totally on a whim….and it turned out to be one of my favorites! I started with the strand of Red Howlite, then added the second strand made with Turquoise and Garnets. The third strand is made out of oval pieces of Citrine separated with sterling silver spacers. The matching earrings have a little bit of everything linked together so that they really dangle. As suggested by a Natural Beauty Jewelry enthusiast (my brother Matt), this design fully deserves the name “Fiesta!”.

The pendant on this necklace is a natural Agate, which can vary widely in it’s transparency and coloration, making each necklace completely unique. The stones used throughout the rest of the necklace are Smokey Quartz separated by sterling silver spacers.I used to go hunting for Agates with my Dad as a child. I would add them to my rock collection that I still have stashed away at my parents house. Yes, I did have a rock collection as a child….an early indication of my love to hold and look at pieces of the earth.

Each Freshwater pearl is hand wire wrapped and linked to the next with sterling silver wire. White and gray freshwater pearls are alternated to form the necklace, and gray freshwater pearls are used for the earrings. Each earring is also made with sterling silver chain and earposts.

This design is made with large circular Mother of Pearl discs hanging from a leather cord with all sterling silver findings. (Can be made with brown or black leather cord)

Mother of Pearl, also known as Nacre (Nay-ker), is found on the inner surface of many mollusk shells like the nautilus pictured to the left. It is deposited to smooth the inside of the shell and protect it from parasitic organisms. Mother of Pearl is the same substance that is deposited around an object to form a pearl.

The large stones in this design are a stone called Green Aventurine, which is a form of Quartz. It is a cloudy light green color with swirls of lighter and darker green at times. I like to include the stones with slight color variation in my designs because I find it interesting to see a little bit of the variation that is most likely best visible in it’s natural slab form. Green Aventurine is said to have a calming influence and to help in relieving anxiety.On either side of each Green Aventurine stone is a small piece of Peridot and a green freshwater pearl separated by sterling silver spacers. The earrings are made with sterling silver chain, Peridot and green freshwater pearls as well. All feedback is welcome, let me know what you think!