European street team Challenge - New Years Eve Glitz & Glamour!

Yaaay, I won EuropeanStreetTeam’s challenge hosted by bijouxdellostregatto! The New Years Eve is approaching fast so it is time to choose you wardrobe for the last party of the year :)

As I am the challenge queen for this week, the theme will be .....

New Years Eve Glitz & Glamour!

Basically anything that shines glitters and sparkles and would be perfect for that glamorous party with champagne and fireworks :)

Looking forward to your entries!
Deadline is 29th of November, 22.00 (CET) Monday night. Only new items will be accepted!

and here comes the entries!

The 1st entry: Ayawedding
The 2nd entry: Bijouxdellostregatto

The 3nd entry: VixLpCreations

The 4th entry: Ingermaaike

The 5th entry: DemyBlackDesign

The 6th entry: DindiThe 7th entry: LucietalesThe 8th entry: ArctidaThe 9th entry: SoleDeVitaThe 10th entry: StaroftheeastThe 11th entry: AngelPearls
The 12th entry: LeelaBijou
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Monday 29th of November !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And the winner is VixLpCreations with these gorgeous Peacock feathers earrings!

Cyanobacteria - Asymmetric contemporary oxidized sterling silver necklace with Green Agate for your favorite Geek Chic

I’ve been thinking about making an addition to my Microbiology collection for some time now… This time I got inspired by Cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae and blue-green bacteria). They are probably best known for the extensive and highly visible blooms that can form in both freshwater and marine environment and can have the appearance of blue-green paint or scum. Because these blooms are toxic, it is common to close the affected beaches and thus many people get really upset with these little bacteria:) So it may surprise you that the cyanobacteria are actually one of the largest and most important groups of bacteria on earth.

…just a little bit of mandatory nerd (= science) talk now :)

Cyanobacteria are aquatic and photosynthetic, which means, they live in the water, and can manufacture their own food. Because they are bacteria, they are quite small and usually unicellular, though they often grow in colonies large enough to see. They are the oldest known fossils, more than 3.5 billion years old, in fact!

Many oil deposits are attributed to the activity of cyanobacteria. The oxygen atmosphere that we depend on was generated by numerous cyanobacteria during the Archaean and Proterozoic Eras. Prior to that, the atmosphere was unsuitable for life as we know it today.

Another great contribution of the cyanobacteria is the origin of plants. The chloroplast with which plants make food for themselves is actually a cyanobacterium living within the plant's cells. Sometime in the late Proterozoic, or in the early Cambrian, cyanobacteria began to take up residence within certain eukaryote cells, making food for the eukaryote host in return for a home.

So here is my new Cyanobacteria necklace, and for those who do not care about science as much as I do, a simple pretty abstract neck piece :)

 

 

As you've probably guessed these last pictures are microscope shots of the Cyanobacteria colonies and my visual inspiration :)

Cinderella - Golden Rutile Quartz 14K solid yellow gold earrings. Handmade wire wrapped jewelry by Arctida

This week EST challenge's theme was "Cinderella" hosted by P8Accessories.

I started to think what kind of jewelry could Cinderella wear to a ball to match that beautiful dress and most important the shoes! Because that’s what most of us probably picture when we hear *Cinderella* - a pretty, tiny, sparkling, missing crystal shoe :)

Anyway, I thought that huge faceted Crystal Clear Quartz briolettes would be a perfect match for Cinderella’s crystal slippers and since it is a ball with a prince why not make it luxurious and wire wrap it in solid 14K gold! In the end to make it even more sparkly, I chose faceted Quartz briolettes with gorgeous golden rutiles. A perfect match for Cinderella’s golden hair, don’t ya think :)

 Golden Rutilated Quartz earrings

For more of my solid gold jewelry click here
 

For more of my bridal jewelry click here

What is Gold Filled Jewelry vs Gold Plated and why buy?

When deciding on a gold jewelry item there are always many different terms that come up. The most popular are Solid Gold, Gold Filled, and Gold Plated. It is important to know the differences between Gold Filled jewelry and Gold Plated jewelry when making your choice. Solid gold is of course an exquisite piece of jewelry. Gold filled is the next level and is an amazing, quality alternative to solid gold. Gold plating is the lower level and these items tend to tarnish and can often times turn the skin green.

Gold Filled: Gold filled is an actual layer of gold-pressure bonded to another metal. Gold filled is not to be confused with gold plating as filled literally has 100% more gold than gold plating. Gold filled is much more valuable and tarnish resistant. It does not flake off, rub off or turn colors. As a matter of fact, anyone who can wear gold can wear gold filled without worries of any allergic reaction to the jewelry. Gold filled jewelry is an economical alternative to solid gold!

Government Regulation: Gold filled items are regulated by the government. These items are therefore so much better then gold plated which has no regulations at all. Gold filled jewelry is made from solid gold and filled with other alloys such as rhodium (a member of the platinum family), brass, and sterling silver. Gold filled wears, looks and lasts like solid gold because its outer surface IS solid gold. Everything you can see and touch is pure gold. In the jewelry industry the quantity of gold must be at least 1/20th by weight of the total product.

Identification
The stamp on the article of jewelry must indicate both the weight of the gold in the piece and the karat of gold used. A stamp of 14K 1/20 means that the jewelry piece is 1/20 gold by weight and that the gold adhered to the metal alloy is 14 karat gold.

Lifetime Products: Gold-Filled items are generally considered lifetime products, and the gold layer will not wear off, as it will in electroplated products. Gold filled jewelry is often called the wave of the future because it offers all the same characteristics as solid gold such as strength, durability and beauty….but at a fraction of the cost!