Greetings
and welcome to our online shop. We hope you'll take a few minutes
to enjoy the information below about our artisan jewelry. We're very
proud of the detail and care we take with every aspect of our handcrafted
jewelry.
 Arsfish
artisan jewelry
The true beauty of artisan jewelry is that each piece is handcrafted, not factory
assembled. Most pieces are distinctly one-of-a-kind. We strive to impart a
bit of our eclectic personality within each necklace, bracelet, anklet or pair
of earrings we create.
What
makes the artisan jewelry of Artsfish Design Studio so different?
We use a wide range of precious and exotic materials of the highest quality.
Our jewelry designs are influenced by our extensive experience in the fine,
classical and performing arts, as well as our passion for world travel. For
more information about our design process please click HERE.
You won't find jewelry anywhere else like ours! We travel extensively and source
our unique and hard to find materials from all over the world.
 A
few of the materials used in our artisan jewelry
Precious
gemstones
Ruby and sapphire, as well as tourmaline, emerald, kyanite, and even diamond
are just a few of the precious gems that we use in our beaded jewelry designs.
Semiprecious
gemstones
Many of our jewelry designs use semiprecious stones such as amethyst, peridot,
garnet, citrine, chalcedony, carnelian, flourite, lapis, moonstone and turquoise.
Precious
metal beads and findings;
18 karat gold
Since ancient times the purity of gold has been defined by the term karat,
which is 1/24 part of pure gold by weight. Pure gold is equivalent to 24K.
Gold purity may also be described by its fineness, which is the amount of pure
gold in parts per 1000. With the exception of our crimp covers (there seemingly
are no high karat gold crimp covers manufactured, we've looked!) We use only
18K gold or higher because it has a much warmer color than lower karats.18KT
gold is 750 parts per 1000, or 75% pure gold. Gold has recently surged to the
highest price in over 20 years.
 Hilltribe
silver
The Hilltribe people are actually composed of several tribal groups, including
the Lahu, the Lisu, the Akha, the Hmong, and the Karen.Thai silver is often
distinguished by the decorative details stamped into the silver. Hilltribe
silver is .999% pure and has the highest silver content available.The tiniest
hilltribe beads are the most difficult to create and often require two artists
to manufacture; the master for his or her skill, and the apprentice, for their
sharp eyesight when working with very small beads.
Balinese
silver
Balinese silversmiths are famous for a tradition and skill with silver that
is passed down from generation to generation. Beads are generally cast in two
parts then joined to make a solid core that is then carefully decorated with
intricate detail. Bali silver is .925% sterling silver.
Ancient
materials
We use ancient stones and glass excavated from exotic regions such as Cambodia,
and Roman glass excavated from areas that were once part of the Roman Empire.
These ancient regions that were once Rome now range from Afghanistan and other
parts of the Middle East and North Africa to many regions throughout Europe.
We love not only the beauty that these beads give to our jewelry, but the rich
history that is imparted to each beaded necklace or pair of earrings.
 Pearls;
It is commonly known that the least expensive
cultured pearl product in the market today rivals the quality of the most
expensive natural pearls ever found in the pre-cultured pearl era. Most
cultured freshwater pearls are composed entirely of nacre, just like their
natural freshwater and saltwater counterparts. Thicker nacre makes for
a more lustrous pearl with a richer depth of color. We select only top
grade pearls for our jewelry
Tribal
and Ethnic materials
One of our passions is the quest for unique materials from cultures with distinct
artistic personalities.
 Tibet
Tibetan artisans are masters of repoussé, which is a highly specialized
craft of stamping and carving patterns into semiprecious metals. The Tibetans
also produce many varieties of beads made from materials such as Tibetan “coral,
amber, horn and turquoise.
Africa
The various regions of Africa throughout history have used beads as a substitute
for currency. There are many, many, different types of antique and vintage
beads that can be found in Africa in a wide range of sizes and colors.
Africa is also well known for their bronze beads.
The
Middle East
Nomadic Turkoman tribes have a long history of creating beads and pendants
made from melted coins, nickel and brass. This metal is called “pot metal” or “gillit.” Often
the pendants are set with colorful stones such as lapis or glass. Turkoman
tribal areas cover the contemporary areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
 Thailand
As mentioned above we often use Hilltribe silver materials created by the Lahu,
the Lisu, the Akha, the Hmong, and the Karen peoples of Thailand.
Bali
and Indonesia
Gold and silverwork have a long history in Indonesia. Baliniese jewelry
is usually intricately handworked and rarely involves casting except
to form the core shape of a bead.
 Responsible
business practice
We believe that as residents of this
planet that it is our responsibility to take care in every way that
we can. We
invite you to visit our blog, The
Artsfish Salon for links and ideas.
Fair
Trade
When purchasing our materials all over the world, we buy as close to the source
as possible in order to support Fair Trade practices.
Environmental
conservation
We use recycled packaging materials whenever possible, and all of our packaging
is recyclable. Our packing “"peanuts" are made of a lightweight
biodegradable cornstarch material. We encourage our customers to recycle or
reuse our gift boxes and packaging. We use a minimum of print advertising and
do not print a catalog.
Thanks
so much for taking the time out of your day to visit our page.
If we can't serve you today, we hope you'll remember us in the
future.
Regards,
The Artsfish Team
For more information about
the people behind artsfish visit the Artsfish
Salon
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