Jewelry Making

DIY Jewelry, Beads And Patterns

Your opinion please!

by

engagement ring with garnet settingWeddings and rings are bound together in our culture. With my own wedding coming up quickly, I’ve given a lot of thought to jewelry and its value lately. Some jewelry is precious simply because of the sentimental attachment we have to it. From macaroni necklaces presented proudly by your three-year old niece to antique pieces made of cheap metal and glass “stones,” these pieces are precious for the thought put into making them or because they were once owned and worn often by your grandma.

Fine jewelry that has inherent value from its component materials such as precious metals and precious stones obviously has more monetary value. The rarity of these resources make them precious and somehow more desirable. I think engagement rings are the perfect example of jewelry that is precious both sentimentally and monetarily.

Do you think the monetary value of a piece makes it more precious or simply more desirable as a status symbol? For my own engagement ring, I selected a garnet as the central stone. Garnets are my birthstone and I love the color red. For both these reasons, a garnet had more sentimental value to me than a diamond. Diamonds are beautiful but are they truly worth all the mystique we attribute to them? My intended is from South Africa, one of the world’s largest producers of exquisite diamonds; I am from Arkansas, the Diamond state. It seems to me the value of diamonds and their dominance as THE stone for engagement rings is rather arbitrary. What is your opinion on the value of jewelry and diamonds? Does a more expensive price automatically mean a more precious piece? Do you believe a diamond is forever as the ad says and think it the best symbol of love? What do you think?

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Comments

  1. I played no part in picking out my engagement ring. My husband did it completely on his own (I didn’t even know he was planning to ask me to marry him.) It was always more important to me for him to find something that he liked and felt that I would love too. I wouldn’t have it any other way. :0) Oh, and congratulations!

  4. I agree, except for insurance purposes, the “value” is all in the sentiment. Thank you for the well wishes. I like the way you think, Lori Ann! Our furry friends need all the love and support they can get 🙂

  6. I agree. Feeling the band around my finger reminds me of feeling safe in his arms and I envision beautiful brown eyes asking me to be his always. The beautiful ring is just icing on the cake.

  8. I’m very practical, too. I think you’ve made a very good choice in husbands! I love that he got a good deal on a beautiful ring you love and I also like that your ring is eco-friendly.

  9. The eternal ring symbolizing love, faith in the commitment from another person and the promise to keep the bond alive every day has always been my measure of worth in a gift beyond a price tag.
    Your care and guarding of your ring will make it more precious as each act of love and kindness adds to the glow you captured in the photo. You captured the essence in the photo sought after by so many photographers.
    I have jewels, baubles and odd whimsical creations I can’t keep up with but the most valuable ones shine brightest when they smile.

  10. I wanted to use an amethyst and diamond ring that my grandmother gave me for my wedding ring because it has a lot of sentimental value to me. I don’t wear much jewelry because I tend to lose it, so to me the meaning behind a ring or gemstone is what matters. They’re all just rocks {albeit beautiful ones!} when it comes down to it, so any monetary value assigned to them is somewhat arbitrary. I say where what makes you happy!

  11. I don’t think something has to be expensive to be precious or valuable.
    My birthstone is diamond and I’ve always wanted a diamond wedding ring with smaller sapphire stones on either side of the diamond.
    Or maybe emerald…
    lol I’d never be able to decide.
    Very pretty ring, btw!

Have you read?

Book Review Wednesday: The Complete Guide to Trinket Dishes for Beginners

I’ll admit, this one has me slightly torn over where it belongs on CraftGossip — because trinket dishes made from polymer clay sit very neatly in that lovely little overlap between our Polymer Clay blog and our Jewelry Making blog.

Technically, yes, this is a polymer clay project book. But let’s be honest, what do most of us use trinket dishes for? Rings, earrings, necklaces, brooches, little charms, and all those “I’ll put this somewhere safe” pieces that immediately vanish into the craft-room Bermuda Triangle.

So for this week’s Book Review Wednesday, I’m leaning into the jewelry side of things withThe Complete Guide to Trinket Dishes for Beginners, because handmade trinket dishes are such a lovely companion project for jewelry makers. They are practical, pretty, giftable, and a nice way to use polymer clay without needing to jump straight into detailed beads or fiddly earring components.

And really, a handmade trinket dish is one of those beginner-friendly polymer clay projects that feels useful right away. You can make one for your bedside table, one for the bathroom, one near the kitchen sink for rings, one for your sewing room buttons, one for paper clips, one for “miscellaneous tiny things I refuse to throw away” — and suddenly you have made six. That’s crafting, isn’t it?

What I like about the idea of this book is that trinket dishes are a genuinely approachable starting point for beginners. Polymer clay can be a little intimidating when you see all those perfect canes, florals, marble effects, metallic finishes, and tiny sculpted details online. But a small dish? That feels doable. You can roll, shape, texture, bake, sand, paint, glaze, and still end up with something charming even if it is not completely perfect.

In fact, slightly imperfect is often where handmade trinket dishes look their best. A softly uneven edge, a little thumbprint curve, a marbled pattern that wandered off in its own direction — those are the details that make them feel handmade rather than mass-produced.

For jewelry makers, this book also opens up a nice little gift-making path. A handmade pair of earrings tucked into a matching polymer clay trinket dish would make a beautiful birthday gift, Mother’s Day present, craft stall set, or Christmas stocking idea. If you already make earrings or small accessories, a coordinating trinket dish adds that extra “oh, you made the whole thing?” moment, which we do love.

This is also why I think it works so well for the jewelry audience. It is not jewelry in the strictest sense, but it is jewelry-adjacent in the most useful way. It gives makers a way to display, store, gift, and package handmade pieces beautifully. If you enjoy our other jewelry making projects or you have been dabbling in polymer clay earrings, trinket dishes are a natural next step.

I would also cross-link this one from the polymer clay side because readers there will absolutely be interested too. Our polymer clay tutorials audience would appreciate the clay techniques, while the jewelry makers will appreciate the finished use. Honestly, this is one of those books that probably deserves to sit with one foot in each craft room.

The thing I always look for in beginner polymer clay books is whether they help you understand the basics without making the project feel fussy. For trinket dishes, beginners will want clear help with conditioning clay, rolling an even slab, creating clean shapes, adding texture, shaping the dish without cracking it, baking it properly, and finishing the surface so it feels smooth and gift-worthy.

Because nobody wants a ring dish that looks cute in theory but scratches the bedside table or feels like it might snap if you look at it too firmly.

This type of book would suit anyone who wants to make beginner polymer clay gifts, handmade jewelry dishes, ring bowls, small catch-all trays, or craft fair items. It also feels like a nice low-pressure project for a weekend afternoon. No complicated closures, no matching pairs, no tiny jump rings pinging across the room — just clay, shape, texture, and a finished piece that actually has a job to do.

And if you are the sort of maker who saves every leftover scrap of clay, this could be dangerous in the best possible way. Marbled trinket dishes are a perfect way to use up odd colours and little leftover bits from other projects. Much like fabric scraps, clay scraps seem harmless until they form their own ecosystem.

My Shellie-style verdict? The Complete Guide to Trinket Dishes for Beginners feels like a sweet, practical pick for makers who want to try polymer clay in a way that is useful, giftable, and not too intimidating. I would feature it on Jewelry Making because trinket dishes are so closely tied to storing and gifting handmade jewelry, but I would absolutely give it a little nod over on Polymer Clay too.

It is one of those crossover books that reminds us crafts do not always stay politely in their own category. Sometimes a polymer clay book belongs in jewelry making because that is where the finished piece will actually live — holding rings, earrings, charms, and all those tiny treasures we swear we are going to organise one day.

You can find the book here: The Complete Guide to Trinket Dishes for Beginners.