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By fitzcharming on June 28, 2009  |  Comments 0

Charm Bracelet Clasps – A History and Style Lesson Part II

Clasps

Three more examples of bracelet clasps and a bit of description about them….

The top left is a watch chain with a fob fastener.   These were used to attach men’s watches to their apparel in Victorian times.  They were easily adapted to bracelet clasps, and the swivel mechanism on the clip is sturdy and works great.

Moving clockwise to the right the next 2 photos are a box clasp.  These are very common on charm bracelets.  A box clasp has two parts, the box and the tongue. When the tongue is inserted into the clasp it locks tightly.  Often the push button release is made into the shape of a heart or shamrock, and there is a fold over bar and safety chain for added security.

And finally the last photo is a toggle clasp.  One section of the toggle clasp is formed into a circle or other shape with an open center.  The other side is a thick bar at the other end.  When inserted into the circle the bar extends past the edge to hold the jewelry in place.
Toggle clasps are not as secure as clasps that have a lock-type closure.

I have a few more bracelet clasp descriptions and will be posting photos in a few days.  Check back often charm bracelet trivia, history and updates.

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Charmcrazey’s New Prince Charming Logo
By fitzcharming on April 27, 2009  |  Comments 0

Charmcrazey’s New Prince Charming Logo

shutterstock_271682201This is fitzcharming.  He’s my new logo graphic and I’ll be working on changing out all my internet and printed material in the next few days and weeks.  Don’t you just LOVE him?  He comes in many different poses so I believe he will be very versatile in my business.  He’s sans charm bracelets at the moment but hopefully I’ll create a few baubles and beads to adorn him very soon.  Welcome Fitz!

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Fitzcharming is Now an “Expert” Ezine Author
By fitzcharming on March 30, 2009  |  Comments 0

Fitzcharming is Now an “Expert” Ezine Author

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I recently submitted a series of posts that I had written here on my blog last fall as an article to the ezine website for publication.  I had to tidy it up a bit into an article format first but that was easy.  The submission process was quite simple, first I registered for an account and then I answered a series of questions and typed the article into the space provided.  There are specific rules and a format that must be followed and it helps to know a few basic html commands.  Since that’s about what I know – a few basic commands, it was perfect for me.

Now as I understand it my article is kept on their website as a guide for, in my case, creating a special charm bracelet.  I was allowed to put links to my blog and my new website in the signature block.  I’m hoping that may help with traffic to my new Vendio store that I’m creating.  Apparently other publications are allowed to copy my article as long as they give me credit.  I believe this is referred to as part of the “long tail effect”.

Part of my process for distinguishing my brand is to put my business name out on the internet in as many respectable places as possible.  As my friend and fellow ezine author Sally K would say,  ‘Another “rock in the river” fixed, to let the flow happen!’

And the folks at ezine have given me credit as an “expert” author which is nice (disclaimer – there are people that know a lot more than me on this subject).

Click on over and read my expert advice if you are so inclined…. Ezine Article


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One of My Favorite Charm Bracelets – “It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere”
By fitzcharming on March 29, 2009  |  Comments 1

One of My Favorite Charm Bracelets – “It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere”

I wanted to share with you one of my very favorite charm bracelets I have ever assembled. I made it as a gift for a dear friend of mine that loves to enjoy a cocktail every now and again…. mostly again & again. The bracelet and all charms are 14K gold, and everything was purchased on the internet over a period of years. drink-bracelet8

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Charmchatter Starts Advertising
By fitzcharming on February 27, 2009  |  Comments 1

Charmchatter Starts Advertising

Greetings charmers worldwide!  I’ve been very involved with my new job for the past couple of weeks and have neglected to do any blogging.  I’ve not completely forgot about this little site I’ve got started here though.  ractheme

What sparked the advertising idea was a generous offer by Rachel Whitlow of Whitlow Unique Collectibles.  She invited me to  join the charming group of vintage sellers she features on her website http://whitlowuniquecollectibles.com.  Some of my readers may know her from Twitter as VintageSeller.  I was delighted and honored to receive her invitation.  All I had to do was send her a logo to link to my on-line store and a widget featuring some of my items.  Immediately I thought of my Charmcrazey Bonanzle Booth because the creators of Bonanzle have a nifty widget creating feature built right in.  And I created a little fitzcharming banner button using my logo and the free Picnik photo editing program. It was so easy. So you can now find me on Ms Whitlow’s site in the Off Site Shops 1 category (scroll down the page a little bit to find me).  Thank you Rachel.

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Okay, I thought, now that I’ve got my handy dandy banner made, I hopped on over to Moomettesgram’ Musings, where I had been contemplating purchasing a banner ad for a while.  Previously my main stumbling block I had with contacting Cindi, the author of the site, was finding a banner button in the 125 x 125 size.  Now that I had easily created one, I just sent it to her and she linked that button to my CharmCrazey Ruby Lane site.   Cindi is another Twitter friend that I’ve met who tweets under the name Moomettesgram.  She’s got so much energy and wears several different blogging hats in addition to maintaining a full time job.  Just look at the number of categories & pages on her site.  Don’t know how she manages.  She’s my hero.

And finally just yesterday I decided to join an online site directory called The Vintage Listvlbutton2 This site is created and maintained by Mitzi, also known as vintagegoodness on Twitter.  I love the graphics on her site. Her website tag line is “The Vintage List is a human edited directory of sites that will serve as your trusted guide to the best that the online vintage community has to offer.”   I believe her.  She personally reviews every submission for a strict list of quality standards.  There’s a great bunch of vintage sellers there.  I also used this venue to link to my Ruby Lane store.

I figured ebay has enough traffic, and is in a bit of turmoil these days so I am trying to ramp up the other stores, and I already link from this blog to my Bonanzle Booth.  So Ruby Lane could use a double boost of publicity.  Anyway please check out these websites and while you’re there visit the other participants.  As I indicated before, I’ve found all of them through using Twitter, which I love.  I find new contacts there every day and get most of my on-line selling news there.  It’s a great invention and I’m hooked.

I hope to be back to steady blogging as soon as I get acclimated to my new work schedule, so check back regularly.

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Back To Work At Darden Restaurants Support Center
By fitzcharming on January 25, 2009  |  Comments 0

Back To Work At Darden Restaurants Support Center

dardenToday is my last day of being solely an entrepreneur.  I’ll be heading back to the corporate jungle in the morning as a senior tax analyst for Darden Restaurants.  This job kind of fell into my lap and it’s an offer too good to refuse.  Actually it’s a position that I had interviewed for about 5 years ago and I was not selected at the time.

Well as fate would have it I left Ernst & Young last year and was plugging along happily working at selling on-line and providing bookkeeping services to a few clients, although I admit, not really making a good living.  I had high hopes and aspirations of growing my business and living a bohemian life, spending my days searching the far corners of the world (or at least Central Florida) for baubles and bangles to delight my customers.

Central Florida is a relatively small community when it comes to tax accountants.  Most of us either have worked together sometime in the past or at least know of each other.  Word travels fast and one of my former colleagues from back in the day at EY found out I wasn’t working and called me up with a proposition at Darden.  Within a week I had interveiwed, taken a bunch of evaluations, and had accepted an offer.  It’s very exciting and although I’m sad that I didn’t give my business a fair shot, I’m happy to be going back to work, especially at Darden.

I’m not throwing in the towel with respect to my ebay, Bonanzle, and Ruby Lane vintage jewelry web stores though.  That is what I truly love to do and I’m going to continue to stock my sites with the most unique and desirable treasures I’m able to scout.  I’ll be scaling back a bit at first, until I get adjusted in my new routine, but I’ll still be around in the evenings and on weekends to answer emails, and pack orders & such.  I’m looking forward to this new adventure in my life.  Cheers to full time employment and a full time paycheck!


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Trifari Mid Century Plastic Jewelry

Trifari Mid Century Plastic Jewelry

trifari jewelry poured glass

Recently I’ve become smitten with mid century costume or fashion jewelry. Collectible pieces are easy to find on the internet and at estate sales and lots of fun to collect and wear.  There are so many different styles it would be easy to get overwhelmed so I’m starting my collection with colorful plastic Trifari pieces. Sometimes these pieces are called thermoset or poured glass, which refers to variations of the material with which they are made.  Some other manufacturers of the period are Coro, Lisner, Kramer, and Claudette to name a few.

When choosing vintage costume jewelry it’s important to look for the maker’s mark on the back.  Trifari pieces will be marked Trifari and sometimes have a small circled c after the name or a crown above the T.  Also the back of the piece will be smooth.  This is important because newer reproductions have a textured finish.  These are abundant also and many unknowing sellers will sell then as vintage pieces.  Of course there are also sellers who know they are reproductions and intentionally advertise them as vintage with vintage price tag as well.

I’ve also been reading up on the care of these old treasures.  They are much easier to damage than fine jewelry so it’s important to be careful when wearing and cleaning.  Some experts recommend brushing with a soft clean makeup brush to loosen dust and dirt and then wiping with a soft cloth dipped in glass cleaner.  Different styles of costume jewelry require different methods of cleaning so it’s important to research before you clean. Above all don’t dip in water or a harsh cleaning solution, especially if the piece includes rhinestones.

I’ve included a few pieces that I have in my collection now for your viewing pleasure.  Be sure to check back often as I’ll be posting more soon.  Enjoy!

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Snapeez Locking Jump Rings Free with Every Vintage Charm Purchase

Snapeez Charm Bracelet Ring Instructions

Snapeez Charm Bracelet Rings

It’s a new marketing strategy I’m rolling out.  These are amazing little devices that snap shut pretty securely when used to attach a charm to a charm bracelet.  I haven’t lost a charm yet and I’ve been using them for a while now.  And they are much less expensive than soldering by a jeweler.  It’s less permanent too, for you collectors that like to move charms around to different bracelets.

I’ve been selling the heck out of these things in small packages so I decided to start including one with every vintage charm I sell on my ebay, Ruby Lane and Bonanzle sites.  I haven’t gone back & updated all of the descriptions yet but for those without the offer in the listing I’ll put one in the package anyway.  Also I’m including a page of instructions with of course my business card stapled to the front for easy ordering.  I’m hoping this gives me a competitive advantage or unique selling position over other charm & charm bracelet dealers.  I think it will – folks definitely seem to like them.

If you’re interested in these little charm bracelet gems I’ve included a clickable link to my Bonanzle Booth.  I have a good selection of vintage charms for sale and mixed in there somewhere are several varieties of the Snapeez rings.  Alternatively there are drop down lists at the top of my blog page for your browsing enjoyment!

Another Crown Trifari Demi – Parure

Another Crown Trifari Demi – Parure

Trifari Golden Leaves Demi Parure
Trifari Golden Leaves Demi Parure

This golden topaz color aurora borealis rhinestone brooch and clip earrings are set in gold plate. It’s a beautiful demi set. I purchased these separately on Ebay and they match perfectly. I just love it when I find different pieces from the same collection and reunite them with their partners.

A bit of history on Trifari. Founded in New York City in 1918 by Italian jewelry maker Gustavo Trifari and his friend Leo Kraussman, the company came into fame in 1925 when Carl Fishel joined the group. In 1930 designer Alfred Phillipe became head designer and during his tenure the company produced some of it’s most recognizable pieces. His designs are the most collectible today along with the famous lucite “jelly bellys’.  Trifari also invented ‘Trifanium’ a mix of metals that mimics gold.

In 1975 Trifari was sold to the Hallmark Corporation, and then in 1988 became part of the Monet group.

Contact Me

My name is Wanda Fitzgerald and I sell vintage jewelry, specializing in charms and charm bracelets, from a variety of venues. You can view all of my jewelry which is personally selected from around the world from the links on this page.

I offer a money back guarantee on everything I sell as I realize it’s difficult to choose jewelry without viewing and touching it for yourself. My goal is to enhance the lives of my customers by bringing them beautiful and unique treasures at reasonable prices.

Charmcraze-y LLC
6853 Tamarind Circle
Orlando, FL 32819

email: fitzcharming@charmcrazey.com

The Charm Cellar
Charmcraze-y LLC Ebay Store
www.fitzcharming.com
Charmcrazey on Ruby Lane
www.rubylanejewels.com
Charmcrazey on Bonanzle
www.bonanzle.com/booths/fitzcharming
You can follow me on twitter here
www.twitter.com/fitzcharming