Silver Hills Gems

To all Silver Hills Gems customers. Weekly newsletter

We have been busy listing new stock at Silver Hills. I received a large consignment of specimens and this has kept us very busy.

Orders have also streamed in. I think everybody likes the new stock that we listed.

So what are we up to.

1. I have a fabulous special on glass bracelets. These are to die for. They are selling for around R8 and R14 and they will not see Christmas.

2. Earring components are on the whats new page or under the Spacers and others tab. Quantities are limited and they will sell fast.

3. Donut bails in all shapes and sizes. Once you have placed your stone donut in one of these they become an elegant pendant.

4. Glass roundel strings in 6 and 8 and 10 mm. These sold out in the first week and I had to invest in more of them. They are all around 53 cm long and they really shine. Most have an AB coating. I will buy more of the plain ones without AB coating in January. Most are new ones that we have never had before.

I have now changed the colours on the website. This new colour scheme now follows our corporate colours. I still have fine tweaking that needs to be done to integrate all the components. If there are components that bother you we would like to hear about it.

I have included some testimonials down below of some of our customers. These have been posted by our clients in the last 2 years. If you would like to add your testimonial we would love to hear from you. You can add your testimonial here. It will take a day or so before it shows.

Below the testimonials is a quirky piece that Cornel wrote on using alternative material to do beading. Please take time to read it as well.

Testimonial by Riana Olckers
Subject: Order

Thank you for your prompt service and very good prices especially on the Swarovski's. I can recommend people to order from you! Riana Olckers

Testimonial by Nadine BLANCHON
Subject: Products

I have just visited Silver Hills Gems shop and have been impressed by the quality of the products and service. It's like Ali Baba cave ! I can spend hours in this store. The owner is so kind and professional.Thank for your welcome and your gems. I recommand you to my friend. Unfortunatelly I leaved South Africa but I will continue to order via intenet.
Testimonial by Angela Black, Just Beads
Subject: Thank you!

A very big thank you to all at Silver Hills - living in Ireland, I thought my delivery was going to take weeks but no, it arrived within 10 days and the quality of your gemstones has made is possible for me to provide excellent jewellery to my clients at a very reasonable price. It is economically more viable for me to shop in South Africa than it is to shop closer to home in Ireland or in the UK and with that kind of speed, it just makes it all the more worthwhile. Keep up the good work guys!
Testimonial by Audrey Hickman
Subject: Thank You!

I have visited numerous beading sites on the internet and I have found yours to be absolutely the most people friendly and easy to use. Having received one much anticipated order from you with prompt efficiency I can testify that your products are of a high standard and your service is excellent. I love visiting your site and have recommended friends and family to visit as well.
Testimonial by Esther Greeff
Subject: I Like ...

What a pleasure it was to do shopping via your website. So easy and simple. This shop will not do my budget good !!!! You will in deed see me again !!!

Beading with a Stash of Fabric Scraps

Appeal

Use little pieces of ribbon to make perfect cording for attaching a fun pendant.
Cover a tiny bit of lace with glue and allow it to dry. The lace will become stiff, and you can divide it in half and create a pair of post earrings.
Add a bail to a piece of stiffened lace and make it into a pendant to hang from the ribbon you found.

Browse through the Button Box
If you've ever sewn, you probably have a button box around because you hate to throw out a perfectly good button. If you don't, find someone who does. Maybe she'll be kind enough to let you take a few from her collection. Buttons make nice, quick pendants with the addition of a bail glued to the back. Or, glue posts to the back instead for earrings if you can manage to find two matching buttons.

You can also use buttons to create a treasure necklace or bracelet. With a ribbon as the base, sew on buttons up and down on both sides. Make sure to leave about 6 inches of ribbon on each end, and use these ribbon lengths to attach the piece to your wrist or tie it around your neck.

Raid the Office Supplies Cabinet

Paper clips aren't just for keeping your boring paperwork together. Attach ear hooks to two twp paper clips for a pair of quirky earrings. Don't forget, too, that paper clips come in all kinds of colors these days, so you don't have to use the old silver-colored ones . Make them extra dangly by connecting a few together before adding the ear hooks. Speaking of color, rubber bands are also available in bright shades of red, blue and green. Use a slip knot to attach a bunch together for an extra-stretchy necklace or bracelet.

Many office supply stores also carry pretty stationery papers. Pick some up, cut out geometric shapes, and laminate them. Then punch a hole at the top and attach ear hooks, or use them as charms for a lightweight bracelet or necklace.

Recycle Your Junk Mail

Save those colorful fliers you find in your mailbox every day. Cut them into 1-inch-wide strips and then with some glue diluted with water. Wrap the strips around a plastic straw and let them dry. Depending on how humid it is where you live, this could take up to 24 hours before they're completely dry. When you slide the dried paper off the straw, you have some cool and colorful beads! String these up with other beads, like crystal or gemstone beads, or use them solo with some hemp cord. This is a great project for kids because it's fun to rip up the paper pieces and get gooey with the glue. Plus, they can make a lot of jewelry for practically nothing and give the pieces as gifts to friends and family.
Dig around for Deals at the Dollar Store

Next time you drive by one of those R5 stores, drop in. You just never know what you'll find. They always have an assortment of the weird as well as the practical when it comes to the merchandise available. And, of course, because everything is only R5.00, you can let your creativity go crazy. Even if your jewelry experiment doesn't work, you've only invested R5 or a bit more, so no big deal.

Have fun and may your days be filled with sunshine and great beading.

Gerdus, Cornel and staff