One of the best ways to make skull beads and other jewelry findings look irresistible is by encrusting them in sparkling loose CZ stones.  In fact, now, thanks to the help of many talented jewelers and jewelry designers, those looking for the perfect blinging piece of skull jewelry can choose from many pieces in multiple CZ colors.

The sterling silver skull and crossbones CZ pendant on popular retail site Eves Addiction is a great feminine basic featuring clear pave CZ stones, 1.5’’ of cuteness, and a heart shaped nose.  The piece is a favorite among customers on the site!

For women or men who want to add a touch of pink to their bangle stack, the black plated 4 skull pink CZ Bling Disco Ball Bracelet does just the trick!  The contrast of the silver tone, pink CZ, and macramé cord put an interesting twist on skull jewels!

Those who are looking for the perfect skull piece with a bit more unisex edge should check out the selection of skull rings on badassjewelry.com.  Both The Sterling Silver Unique Skull Wave CZ Ring and the Sterling Silver Unique Death Biker Big Center CZ Stone Ring feature colorful inclusions.

When it comes to shopping for skull jewelry there is just so much to choose from, so during their search, all customers should look for the best value and material quality possible.

Kotomi admits she has always been drawn to historical things, images from ancient times, as well as loose stones, and beads.  After attending Kyoto City University of Art in lacquer crafts, she worked for over a decade as a contract designer to fashion/costume jewelry manufacturer before discovering her own way to combine all of her favorite elements in a way that is truly unique.

Using polymer clay dusted with metallic (gold or silver) mica powder, Kotomi creates pieces which truly resemble objects made from gold.  The technique, she explains, allows her to “explore many possibilities in design and form to create gorgeous jewellery without being ‘emperor/empress’ of the contemporary world.”

In her newest collections, the designer creates beautiful settings out of clay in which she places semi-precious stones, loose CZ stones of many shapes and size, fused glass pieces, Czech crystals, and other found objects to create beautiful centerpiece pendants that “remind you of earlier époques.”

Kotomi’s jewelry looks so authentically historic that several of her pieces were worn in the 2010 film Robin Hood starring Cate Blanchett and Russell Crowe.  You can see her work online at www.kotomicreations.com and find several of her unique pieces in galleries throughout the fashionable capitals of London and Tokyo.

By the mid 1990’s, however, designers traded in their basic magenta, bright, blue, and lime palettes for much more traditional and subdued hues, with seasonal color cues remaining very close to the beaten path.  Now, after nearly two entire decades of what some might call “drab” runways are “waking up” with neon pink dresses, orange accessories, and just about everything in between.  Fortunately, for those who aren’t quite ready to jump back into the all-over bright look, bright accessories provide a way to stay seasonally savvy with just a pop of trendy color.

For example, fashionistas can scoop up the neon Crystal Necklace by sought after celebrity costume jewelry Noir on Shopbop.com.  The piece features a stunning arrangement of loose CZ stones hanging from a neon yellow cord, creating a uniquely interesting blend of elements.  Similar looks are available on hot retailer websites like TopShop, BaubleBar, and The Outnet.  Other jewelry designers who have combined CZ stones with neons include Juicy Couture, Tom Binns, and Alyssa Norton, whose pieces retail for upwards of $1,000 at Barney’s.

If you’re a jewelry designer, you may want to play around with this look yourself!  Consider combining clear loose CZ stones with twine, fabric, leatherette or other materials that are colored hot pink, lime green, bright yellow, or even shocking sky blue.

Although the natural element named Palladium was discovered as early as the beginning of the 19^th century, it was not until recently that the metal started to become widely known to jewelry customers.  Palladium, a part of the platinum group of elements, which also includes the well known tarnish resistant jewelry plating metal, rhodium, has many unique properties.

During the mid 20^th century jewelers started using Palladium as an alternative to platinum for making white gold.  It’s popularity surged during World War II when jewelers were discouraged from using platinum which was declared a strategic government resource at the time.  After the war, however, the price of Palladium long remained much higher than platinum and palladium’s use in jewelry making became very rare due to the fact that it was very hard to cast.  For decades, palladium was usually used only in the process of creating white gold itself.

In the early 2000’s however, the price of platinum began skyrocketing as the price of palladium continued the fall.  Subsequently, new techniques were developed that allowed jewelry to be easily cast out of the once elusive metal.  Within the last 5 years, many jewelry companies have started casting entire pieces of jewelry out of solid palladium.  Now, loose gemstones like CZs and diamonds can be set in platinum to create the same traditional look that can be achieved with white gold and platinum.

Animal themes in jewelry have always been classic, but over the past few years, we’ve seen jewelry designers really turn up the volume on their nature inspired pieces!  From spiders, to peacocks, to elephants, to sparrows, to cats, recent designer collections have included many statement insect and animal inspired pieces, many of them studded with sparkling, gorgeous, loose CZ jewels.

Using colorful loose CZ gemstones in critter jewelry allows jewelry designers to create pieces that easily conjure up images of those originally made only for royalty by custom gold and silversmiths at a fraction of the cost.  In fact, the main difference between “critter” jewels of days of old and those being created today is simply better affordability.  Thanks to loose cut CZ stones beauty and quality do not have to be sacrificed!  By setting various colors of cz stones in pave or mosaic fashion, jewelers can give true vibrant color and texture to animal likeness they are creating.  Many jewelers use CZ’s in conjunction with enamel to create majestic animal kingdom inspired jewels that are unbelievably easy on the jewelry collector’s wallet.  Now collectors everywhere can delight in scooping up a pig cocktail ring, a long peacock necklace, and perhaps even a bullfrog bangle all in the same shopping trip!

Now the world famous jewelry design team Erickson Beamon has teamed up with one of the web’s most well liked new online jewelry retail sites, Bauble bar  Their collection for Bauble Bar is one of the first official designer collaborations with the site.  The collection is exclusive so you won’t be able to find these Erickson Beamon pieces in any other stores.  The collection’s pieces have quickly become editor picks, many having been recently featured in Vogue.

The collection includes necklaces, bracelets, and earrings all of which are hip, festive, and glamorous with a slightly art deco influence.  Some of the standout pieces in the collection features many loose synthetic gemstones in multiple hues, namely firery red, emerald green, bright canary yellow, bold royal purple, clear, and even sky blue – a brilliant combination.  The colorful mix of loose stones that were used in the pieces has spurred a multicolor trend in the jewelry industry.  Now designer collections that incorporate many different colored cz’s or loose set man made stones are popping up all over.  Other pieces from the collection feature, such as the “dirty glam earrings” and the “dirty glam necklace” feature only clear brilliant manmade crystals.  These pieces put a twist on the classic look of glamorous diamonds by pairing loose stones with dark hematite toned metal.

Pieces in the new Bauble Bar Erickson Beamon collection can be found at www.baublebar.com and start around $140.

Many designers are incorporating pave spheres into bracelets in which the beads are interwoven with hand knotted leather or twine cord.  Jewelry designer Taryn Aronson of Jewels by Dunn is one designer known for creating the look, with celebrities such as Justin Beiber and Sofia Vergara wearing her pieces.  Another designer known for using pave beads “dipped” in loose stones is Joan Boyce, whose “Egg-stravagant” pave crystal stretch bracelet is available on popular TV and internet shopping network HSN.

Spherical pave beads are gorgeous in just about any color.  “Rainbow” or multicolored beads and pieces of jewelry are in demand as are more monotone single color pieces, particularly in bold colors like royal blue, deep green, plum, gold, and silver.   Jewelry featuring pave spheres, or pave globes, is already being worn by celebrities and avid jewelry collectors, but the trend is likely to continue to grow even more in popularity.  This means that now is the perfect time for jewelry designers, wholesale companies, and fashion brands to incorporate pave globes or spheres as well as classic pave in general into their collections for upcoming seasons.  Choosing colorful loose cz stones for your pieces is a great place to start.  The vast color choices, brilliant diamond-like sparkle, and affordability of cz stones provide designers with virtually unavoidable inspiration and help them to provide their customers with irresistable jewelry designs!

The strategy may work but other factors may make these openings disappointing. Online purchasing has been growing through the years and with gas prices higher this year it should make another gain over shopping the old fashioned way. The experience of seeing what you buy in person should be preserved in some areas though.

Picking out something that is going to be for sentiment, like jewelry, should be worth a trip to the store. Part of the gift giving of jewelry should be making the effort to find just the right piece for the one it’s intended for. A visit to a local jeweler can surprise you and it might be more rewarding as well.

The jewelry you can find that is made with loose cut cubic zirconia gems looks just as stunning as the mined stones in the jeweler’s case. Cubic Zirconia and lab created gems can impress even the hardest to please. Cubic zirconia stones are highly durable and show none of the flaws that you may find in the stones that are mined.

The white cubic zirconia stones are every bit as bright as the diamond they compete with. A retailer that stocks jewelry crafted from cubic zirconia will be able to serve a much wider customer base which could help to increase sales this holiday season.

There is no telling what Wal-Mart will gain in this opening on Turkey day. The person buying a cubic zirconia will gain the recipient’s appreciation and also save some money for other gifts to give this season though.

Now we are faced with the holidays. Some are a little shy about giving the wholesale purchased gift. Others brave it and keep their fingers crossed that it doesn’t need to be returned or that the nature of the deal is revealed to the recipient. The economy is bad but the resourceful buyer who deals in wholesale can get ahead.

A jewelry maker that wants to get something wholesale should look into buying from a reliable cubic zirconia dealer. There are loose cut cz gems of all shapes, sizes and colors. The jewelry maker can truly let their creative side shine after buying wholesale loose cz stones. These lab created gems are a great foundation for any bracelet, earring or necklace design.

It’s not just the price that makes these high quality substitutions attractive. There is the overall beauty and quality of these loose cut cz stones that convinces the buyer to order and reorder with us many times. It is also the different cuts and shapes available that makes these lab created gems such a favorite with the artists that make the settings for these gems. The best news for these creators is that they can make a fine looking piece of jewelry that will be sold because it won’t be priced out of range for 80% of the public.

There is a stunning array of lab created gems available, each with their own signature aspect, which can be used to create jewelry that is both beautiful and affordable. After the customer gets a look at the items and the very low price tag there will be no need to try and get that special item for less.

In our present economy, with whole countries teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, it’s hard to justify extra expenses. This is especially true when a Holiday makes it necessary to buy for many people.

Buying jewelry for a person with a birthday near the holidays can really be an eye opener. Selecting a piece of jewelry crafted from cubic zirconia stones can make a monumental difference in the price paid without sacrificing the quality of the gift in any way. Wholesale CZ stones are available in sapphire, ruby, tanzanite and the never disappointing cubic zirconia AAAAA to fulfill just about every jewelry gift giving need.

Jewelry makers who use loose cut cubic zirconia stones can make some incredibly fine pieces that can impress and thrill even the most discerning of recipients. The affordability can help the shopper ensure that their loved one doesn’t have another disappointing birthday due to the proximity of the holidays as well.

With so many colors, cuts and shapes available to the jewelry maker when buying wholesale cubic zirconia stones it’s no wonder these gifts can belie their price tag.

The choices are so varied it doesn’t seem right or even possible to just pick out one. With incredible beauty, quality, durability and affordability a gift of CZ jewelry really can make the Holiday plus birthday quandary a thing of the past.